Project Officer

Project Officer – Save the Children Vacancy 2026

Save the Children is seeking qualified and experienced candidates for the Project Officer position in Semera, Ethiopia. The successful candidate will support the implementation, coordination, monitoring, and reporting of food security, livelihoods, gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response, and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) activities. Qualified female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Job Overview

• Organization: Save the Children International
• Position: Project Officer
• Project Area: Food Security and Livelihoods
• Duty Station: Semera, Afar Region, Ethiopia
• Employment Type: Full-time
• Required Experience: At least 3 years
• Qualification: Bachelor's Degree
• Language Requirement: Afar language is mandatory
• Application Deadline: November 20, 2026

About Save the Children

Save the Children is an international organization working in more than 100 countries to improve children's lives through healthcare, education, child protection, and emergency response programs. The organization works to ensure that every child survives, learns, and is protected from violence.

Job Description

1. Key Responsibilities

The Project Officer will oversee the day-to-day implementation, follow-up, and monitoring of project activities in the targeted woreda, ensuring timely delivery, quality standards, and coordination with implementing partners and local stakeholders.

A. Project Implementation and Technical Activities

• Lead the planning and implementation of gender-based violence (GBV) assessments and service mapping exercises in target woredas.
• Identify service gaps, update referral pathways, and share assessment findings with relevant stakeholders and coordination forums.
• Strengthen GBV and MHPSS referral mechanisms by facilitating consultations, validation meetings, and the development of operational procedures.
• Organize monthly coordination and review meetings among protection and GBV stakeholders.
• Support the integration of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services into targeted health facilities.
• Support health workers and implementing partners in providing survivor-centered GBV response and psychosocial care.
• Coordinate the establishment and operation of two Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) in health centers, providing psychosocial support, life skills training, and referral services.
• Organize and facilitate training of trainers (ToT) programs on psychosocial resilience, safe families, gender mainstreaming, climate-smart agriculture, and other identified capacity-building needs.
• Strengthen the capacity of project staff, extension workers, and community structures on safeguarding, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), and safe programming.
• Conduct community awareness campaigns and engagement activities on GBV prevention and response.
• Support women's advocacy groups, child- and youth-friendly facilities, and community dialogue platforms.

B. Livelihood and Socio-Economic Empowerment

• Support the design and implementation of livelihood recovery activities for GBV survivors, including poultry production, apiculture, small ruminant restocking, and crop production.
• Facilitate community consultations and ensure transparent management of revolving fund systems.
• Oversee business development and financial literacy training for self-help groups (SHGs) and GBV survivors.
• Support the development and adaptation of community-based income-generating activity (IGA) guidelines.
• Ensure that livelihood interventions incorporate gender-responsive approaches and contribute to the socio-economic reintegration of survivors and vulnerable communities.

C. Stakeholder Collaboration and Coordination

• Coordinate project activities with implementing partners to ensure complementarity and achievement of shared project outcomes.
• Engage local government offices, NGOs, UN agencies, implementing partners, and community structures to promote equitable access to GBV protection, MHPSS, and livelihood services.
• Represent the project in relevant technical working groups and cluster coordination forums.
• Strengthen woreda-level coordination platforms and maintain effective relationships with relevant stakeholders.

D. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Reporting

• Work closely with the Area Office MEAL focal person to strengthen accountability, monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.
• Participate in Joint Supportive Supervision (JSS) and quality benchmark monitoring activities.
• Monitor the quality of project activities implemented directly by Save the Children and through partners.
• Support MEAL and gender specialists in data collection, reporting, and documentation of project results and lessons learned.
• Prepare periodic technical reports, case studies, and documentation of good practices related to GBV prevention, protection, and reintegration.
• Submit regular progress reports to the Project Coordinator.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly implementation and monitoring plans, as well as quarterly and annual project reports.
• Ensure timely and quality preparation for monitoring visits by donors, government stakeholders, and country office management.

E. Other Responsibilities

• Ensure that child rights programming is integrated into project implementation in line with Save the Children's strategic and thematic plans.
• Organize community sensitization meetings on the objectives and implementation modalities of food security and livelihoods activities.
• Participate in developing beneficiary prioritization and selection criteria with partners and community stakeholders.
• Ensure transparent and accountable beneficiary selection in accordance with agreed criteria.
• Work closely with implementing partners to monitor the quality of activities and provide technical support.
• Perform other duties assigned by the supervisor.

2. Qualifications and Experience

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Gender Studies, Social Work, Sociology, Food Security and Livelihoods, Health, Development Studies, or a related field. A Master's degree is an advantage.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in food security and livelihoods, GBV prevention and response, protection, or women's empowerment projects, preferably in humanitarian or conflict-affected settings.
• Demonstrated experience implementing GBV and MHPSS projects and prevention and response interventions.
• Proven experience in livelihoods and socio-economic reintegration programming for GBV survivors and vulnerable communities.
• Strong coordination, facilitation, and report-writing skills, including experience working with local government and community structures.
• Demonstrated knowledge of humanitarian protection principles, including PSEA, safeguarding, gender equality, and Do No Harm approaches.
• Ability to manage complex and demanding workloads.
• Excellent English proficiency and report-writing skills.
• Experience and knowledge of pastoralist contexts, preferably in the Afar Region.
• Knowledge of Afar language is mandatory.
• Good advocacy, communication, presentation, and facilitation skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to train and mentor staff.
• Experience working with diverse international NGOs is an asset.
• Willingness and ability to travel and work in rural project implementation areas.

Additional Knowledge and Skills

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to make day-to-day operational decisions concerning project implementation, coordination, and activity planning within established policies and procedures.
• Sound judgment in adapting project activities to local contexts while maintaining compliance with organizational and donor standards.
• Ability to provide technical recommendations on GBV case management, livelihood support, and community engagement.
• Effective collaboration with partners, government counterparts, and community structures.
• Ability to work in accordance with organizational policies and supervisor directions.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Experience participating in and strengthening woreda-level coordination platforms.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Good understanding of budget management.
• Experience in facilitation, partnership development, networking, and livelihood development.
• Ability to travel throughout the target zones, woredas, kebeles, and other rural areas.
• Strong results orientation and experience in multi-sectoral coordination.
• Experience managing technical project field staff.
• Professional certification in project management is an added advantage.
• Experience working in NGO settings.
• Previous experience in the Afar Region and understanding of the local context.

3. Application Instructions

Interested and qualified applicants should submit their applications through the official Save the Children recruitment portal.

Applicants are required to:

• Prepare an up-to-date CV and cover letter combined into a single document.
• Include details of their current remuneration.
• State their salary expectations.
• Review the full role profile available through the Save the Children careers website.

Save the Children is committed to protecting children from abuse. Its recruitment process includes rigorous background checks, and all employees are expected to comply with the organization's global anti-harassment policy.

Application Deadline: November 20, 2026

Apply Here: https://hcri.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1

Important Notice: Applicants should submit their applications before the stated deadline. Only candidates who meet the specified qualifications and requirements are encouraged to apply. Qualified female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

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