Technical Officer – School and Community Linkages

job Description

Location
Plumtree

Type of Contract
Fixed Term Contract

Deadline
01/10/2024

About
Zimbabwe Health Interventions (ZHI) is a not-for-profit human development organisation which is registered as a Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO 17/22). ZHI’s mission is to develop and deliver innovative and sustainable high-impact, integrated health interventions to the communities we serve, while working with and strengthening existing institutions.
Zimbabwe Health Interventions (ZHI) is the prime awardee of the Re-Ignite Innovate Sustain and Empower (RISE) program which is a five-year (October 2021 – September 2026) United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded program. The RISE program is one of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funded programs through USAID that aims to disrupt the main drivers of HIV risk for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Zimbabwe using a proven approach called Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe women (DREAMS). The program goal is to contribute to the reduction of new HIV infections amongst AGYW 10-24 by 2026 in Zimbabwe by strengthening HIV and sexual violence prevention. We do this by keeping girls and young women HIV Free through supporting them to: 1) stay in school; 2) prevent early pregnancies; 3) prevent sexual violence; 4) access post-violence care; and 5) reduce child marriage. The program is led by a consortium partnership of ZHI, Family Support Trust (FST), and Umzingwane AIDS Network (UAN), and is being implemented in 11 districts (i.e., Beitbridge, Bulawayo, Bulilima, Gokwe South, Gwanda, Gweru, Insiza, Mangwe, Matobo, Mberengwa, and Mazowe) across four provinces in Zimbabwe (i.e., Mashonaland Central, Midlands, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South provinces). Child Safeguarding: The responsibilities of the post require the post holder to have regular contact with children or young people. The post requires a candidate with no previous child safeguarding issues. The post holder is required to comply with ZHI child safeguarding policies and guidance.

Basic Function
The position holder will provide overall technical leadership, direction guidance and coordination towards implementation, monitoring and reporting of the school community linkages interventions christened Community School Education Partnership (COSEPA) within a cluster of districts. This will involve 1) overall leadership in ensuring the DREAMS-RISE program is fully implemented within the COSEPA framework; 2) strengthening capacity of the community and key Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) line ministries and departments structures to play an active role in the delivery of the program interventions to consolidate gains made and assure sustainability of the intervention; 3) monitor implementation, delivery and reporting of key milestones; and 4) ensure that beneficiaries receive services in a timely manner, and facilitating strategic engagement with the key stakeholders in the districts of focus. The position will be based in the Bulilima office to support implementation of the COSEPA initiatives in Bulilima, Mangwe, and Matobo districts; whilst providing technical support supervision to a team of district officers in the districts.

Job Description
Provide overall technical guidance and coordinate implementation of the COSEPA initiatives across a cluster of districts; Ensure that all the components of the DREAMS-RISE program (i.e., positive parenting, economic strengthening, community norms change, DREAMS primary package, etc.,) are implemented within the COSEPA framework.
Support the school community to develop realistic milestones, provide technical assistance for timely milestone implementation, monitoring, and reporting; Support capacity strengthening initiatives for the COSEPA structures to facilitate efficient and effective delivery of the model. Ensure all COSEPA key players/stakeholders (AGYW, parents, community leaders, government departments, school leadership, teachers, etc.,) play an active role in the delivery of the program interventions to consolidate gains made and assure sustainability of the intervention; Facilitate the local leadership to mobilize communities to identify and locate locally available resources towards achievement of school developmental needs; Through the person-centered approach, support parents/caregivers and families to take an active role to address barriers to learning, enhance healthy development, and strengthen families to assure better learner outcomes; In close collaboration and coordination with the SIE team, ensure that the school, community, and families monitor the effectiveness of the COSEPA initiative under community led monitoring (CLM) approach; Identify strategic partners, forge collaboration, and synergy to improve program efficiency and outcomes, including working with both formal and non-formal education systems/structures within the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MOPSE) and create linkages between school and community, development partners, and with other key line ministries and departments; Design effective strategies to establish and nurture long term school – community linkages and relationships for better health and education outcomes; Represent the program in strategic technical platforms/meetings, including participation in strategic platforms.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ability to translate program vision into action; Proactive, creative, and thought leadership capable of translating technical guidance and rallying program staff, government officials, school, and community leadership to action; Strong skills in participatory methodologies for community development; Excellent organizational and coordination skills, and strong track record in meeting deliverables and deadlines; Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with strict timelines; Strong facilitation and training skills.
Must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills; Ability to quickly adapt to new program changes; Ability to develop detailed workplans to guide activity implementation; Strong supervision and mentorship skills. Proficiency in MS Office applications (i.e., MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc.)

Qualifications and Experience

-Bachelor’s degree in social science or education with at least 3 years’ experience in social/development work, preferably working with children and young people.
-Experience in community mobilization and engagement. -Must be fluent in English (both written and spoken) as well as local language(s). -Previous experience as a technical officer providing guidance and coordination of a component(s) of the DREAMS-RISE program from a national level.

How to Apply

Application Procedures
Step 1: click here to complete the job application form. Step 2: Submit your CV and application letter via email to [email protected] clearly indicating the position you are applying for on the subject of the email.

Statement
During the application process, ZHI will not charge any fee nor will it require any payment for an application to be considered. ZHI is an equal opportunity employer and employs personnel without regard to race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical handicap or financial ability.