Project Officer at Swisscontact

Job Summary:

The Project Officer (PO) will principally collaborate and support a dynamic project team in realizing the strategic plan/vision of implementing a sustainable Dual – Apprenticeship Training in Kenya.

Roles and Responsibilities:

The specific tasks to be undertaken by the Project Officer include:

Supporting Project Delivery:

• Provide support to the project team by offering strategic input for project formulation and Project Appraisal Reports for quarterly and annual reporting.
• Perform analytic, diagnostic and assessment of data requirements and support in data management and collection.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Manage and co-ordinate the project Monitoring and Results Measurement (MRM) framework.
• Developing monitoring and reporting tools for tracking of the progress, identifying issues/ challenges and reporting to the clients.
• Liaise with implementing partners in the collection and submission of required reports and data.

Stakeholder Management:

• Develop, maintain, and grow a strong working relationship with a network of project stakeholders, private companies, training institutions, government counterparts, national and international contacts, consultants etc.
• Supervise partnership/contract management of partners (training institutions, private sector, public institutions).
• Perform continuous private sector onboarding through marketing and negotiation.
• Facilitate government approvals (ministries, public sector to facilitate the smooth execution of project interventions.
• Share communication information with partners on an ongoing basis as part of positioning activities and client relationship management.
• Assess the potential of upcoming opportunities and leads (future partners) in collaboration with the Project Coordinator (PC) and Project Manager (PM) and complete the Opportunity Screening Checklist.

Knowledge and Technical Management:

• Supervision of curriculum development with stakeholders.
• Coordinating and supervising training facility development.
• Creation and supervision of Training of Trainers (TOT) and Training of Mentors (TOM).
• Support and organize promotional campaigns to attract apprentices.
• Overseeing the regular trainee enrollment and regular documentation of learnings.
• Monitoring and follow-up of apprenticeship training in schools as well as in company.
• Evaluation of training sessions and reporting.

Budget Management:

• Support the Project Coordinator in budget tracking, making projections, and reporting.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• The Project Officer serves as a representative of Swisscontact, displaying courtesy, tact, consideration, and discretion in all interactions with other staff and with the public. As required by the position, S/he also maintains confidentiality on project development matters.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:

• Preferably a bachelor’s degree in engineering, social sciences, business administration, development studies or international relations.
• At least 2-3 years of professional experience – combination of development, NGOs, public sector, and private sector would be preferred.
• Additional qualifications in project management, M&E or Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) will be an added advantage.
• Sound conceptual skills and ability to put down concepts on paper in good quality.
• Excellent networking, marketing, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent proficiency in English (written, spoken, and reading) with good presentation skills.
• Self-starter, team player with high level of motivation.
• Ability to handle competing priorities and a demanding workload.
• Must demonstrate a high level of professionalism and an ability to work independently and in high pressure situations under tight deadlines.