Project Officer

PACT Overview

Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.

Department

Program Operations (PrOps) - Pact exists to help create a world where those who are poor and marginalized exercise their voice, build their own solutions, and take ownership of their future. The Program Operations teams contribute to realizing this by: ensuring effective project management through supporting project startups, implementation, reporting and financial management as well as closeouts; portfolio coordination: providing a coordinating role across departments in DC that support country offices and programs; working with country teams to develop, refine and pursue their strategies by leveraging technical knowledge (our own and others) and supporting business development as needed; knowledge sharing and learning: enhancing communication between country offices and DC-based teams to ensure better understanding of the diverse operating environments and program approaches.

Position Overview

Pact is recruiting a Project Officer for an upcoming 4.5 year, USDOL-funded children labor reduction project in critical mineral-producing communities in Zambia. The project will aim to achieve the following outcomes: (1) Increased capacity of government to address child labor and forced labor in critical mineral producing communities and (2) Increased resiliency of members of vulnerable households in communities producing critical minerals.

The Project Officer contributes to the overall success of the project by supporting Outcome 1 and Outcome 2. S/he will lead relations with educational authorities, support community response mechanisms, and engage and support community stakeholders.

This position is contingent upon award.

Key Responsibilities

• Support Pact’s economic resiliency approaches, with an emphasis on education linkages.
• Maintain strong local networks with key partners, participating families, committees, and mining stakeholders to achieve project goals.
• Utilize inclusive, participatory approaches that are consistent with community and project objectives. Provide timely feedback to project team on project approaches, emerging issues in order to allow for adaptive management.
• Under the direction of the Project Director and in tandem with the Resiliency Specialist, implement activities within budget, on time, in coordination with local partners.
• Provide regular written/oral program progress updates as requested.
• Other tasks as required to achieve the Program Objectives and Expected Results with a solutions-oriented perspective.

Basic Requirements

• Minimum of three years of experience in a position responsible for increasing resiliency of vulnerable households, reducing poverty, and strengthening access to and quality of social services, is required.
• Demonstrated experience working on development or education issues in Zambia’s Copperbelt, Central Province, or NW Province is required.
• Must be available for travel within Zambia and be able to work in remote locations and in the rustic conditions typical of ASM sites.
• Fluency in English is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Zambia work experience preferred. Zambian National preferred.
• Work experience with vulnerable families and at-risk children in mining communities is a distinct advantage.
• Experience working on issues relevant to the mining sector of Zambia is recommended.