Project Officer

Job Title: Project Officer

Organization: Action Against Hunger / Action contre la Faim – Canada

Report To: Project Manager, Research Innovation and Technology

Location: Fully Remote

Job Type: Full-Time, Contract

Start Date: February 2022

Work Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Salary: CAD 55K – 60K per annum

ABOUT ACTION AGAINST HUNGER

Founded in 1979, Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger. Our mission is to save the lives of severely malnourished children while helping communities become self-sufficient. Recognized as a world leader in the fight against malnutrition, Action Against Hunger has pursued its vision of a world without hunger for almost four decades, combating hunger in emergency situations of conflict, natural disasters, and chronic food insecurity. With more than 8,000 staff in nearly 50 countries, our programs in nutrition, food security, livelihoods, water, sanitation, and hygiene, reach more than 20 million people each year.

ABOUT ACTION AGAINST HUNGER CANADA

With an annual Budget of $35million and staff strength of nearly 40 people, Action Against Hunger Canada (est. in 2006) works tirelessly in the fight against hunger globally through our specialized nutrition technical programs that build the knowledge and skills of nutrition and public health professionals worldwide for the detection, treatment and prevention of malnutrition. We are a leading recipient of funding from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and advocate for changes to policy and practice in support of better nutrition and increased food security. Our collaborative programmatic model brings together communities, civil society, government, and the international assistance community to work jointly on fundamental public health issues that contribute to hunger in this world.

Our leading-edge programs have been built on the foundations of technical excellence, rigor and innovative practice over many years. We are experts in nutrition information systems, emergency nutrition and gender equality. Action Against Hunger Canada plays a hosting role to two significant global programs (SMART and the Global Nutrition Cluster Technical Alliance’s Support Team) that provide guidance, tools and training in the areas of nutrition data collection and analysis and best practices for emergency nutrition service delivery for hundreds of Governments, civil society organizations and international organizations worldwide. Our programs support the capacity of public health professionals who deliver lifesaving and long-term initiatives in communities globally. We also work towards sustainable transformative health system strengthening in all our efforts to ensure a long- lasting impact together with our partners, including members of the Humanitarian Coalition. As a member of the Action Against Hunger International Network, we also provide a range of technical support for the mainstreaming of gender equality across our programs and operations world-wide. Our commitments towards a gender transformative approach are integrated in our core health programming and our technical support to our International Network.

To learn more about Action Against Hunger, visit our website at www.actionagainsthunger.ca

ABOUT SMART

Since 2007, Action Against Hunger Canada has provided leadership on the development and implementation of one of the world’s leading nutrition survey methodologies: SMART (Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition). The project has built the capacity of over 2,500 health workers around the world on how to apply this methodology when conducting nutrition and mortality surveys. The SMART global project works closely with the Global Nutrition Cluster membership to ensure the accessibility of a wide range of tools, technical guidance and learning on the methodology. All SMART initiatives are targeted towards humanitarian and development stakeholders conducting surveys using the methodology.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Project Officer will be responsible for providing technical and technological support to the SMART team and nutrition sector partner agencies. The officer will assist in coordinating and implementing continuous development and rollout efforts for the SMART+ project globally.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Support

• Support in managing backlog together with the product owner.
• Attend bi-weekly sprints and document key outcomes, gaps, challenges, and feedback.
• Support project manager in coordination of efforts around updating the indicator bank and securing and integrating retrospective data for the SMART+ dashboard.
• Act as the focal point for the SMART+ help desk.
• Assist in quality assurance of different components of SMART+.
• Lead the user acceptance testing for all components of SMART+.
• Develop reports outlining key iterations based on feedback from user acceptance testing and keep records of changes and inform partners accordingly and in a timely manner.
• Support the planning and implementation of SMART+ pilots and keep records of changes and inform partners accordingly and in a timely manner.
• Support in the publishing of the SMART+ pilot findings to be integrated into future iterations and research publications.
• Provide on-the-ground technical support to Action Against Hunger, host Government, UN and partner agencies implementing SMART+.
• Conduct the analysis and interpretation of survey results and produce survey reports.
• Prepare and share project reports periodically with line management.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the SMART Virtual Training.
• Support in the continuous rollout of the SMART Virtual Training.

Project Administration

• Monitor and report performance against agreed indicators and take corrective actions, in close collaboration with the Project Manager.
• Organize and attend webinars, and external stakeholder engagements.
• Support in fundraising activities and proposal development to secure additional funds for the SMART+ project.
• Lead content creation for donor reporting and ensure that reports compiled by the Project Manager meet all donor requirements.
• Support project management and technical teams in procurement and contracting processes.
• Act as administrative coordinator for SMART+ and virtual training (documents, feedback collection, updates, timeline adherence etc.) in collaboration with the Project Manager.
• Support the scheduling and planning of virtual trainings in collaboration with the SMART team.

Project Communications and Knowledge Management

• Follow up on communication needs for SMART+ in collaboration with the Communications Officer.
• Ensure organizational and specific project websites are up to date with the most current content specific to SMART+ in collaboration with the Communications Officer.
• Attend any external forums and represent SMART+ as necessary.
• Synthesize and/or analyze learning generated through deployments into communicable outputs.
• Support communication with the LMS provider and any consultants/SMART team members contributing to the content creation of SMART virtual training.

General

• Engage in fundraising activities as relevant and needed.
• Answer phone calls, emails, and text messages from all stakeholders in a timely, effective, and professional manner.
• Operate a range of computer-based applications, including word processing, spreadsheet and database software.
• Attend planning sessions, team meetings and annual performance reviews as required.
• Pro-active exchange and collaboration with Action Against Hunger Canada team members and the International Network and all consultants involved.
• Ensure an ongoing process of personal and professional development and learning.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s Degree in Nutrition/Public Health/Epidemiology/Statistics or a mix of relevant study and work experience.
• Demonstrated experience and high acceptability in working with government, humanitarian coordination mechanisms, UN, NGOs, and donors.
• Demonstrated experience in using online data collection tools for integrated SMART surveys.
• Experience in the development of innovative tools.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND OTHER ATTRIBUTES

• Fluency in written and oral English.
• Fluency in written and oral French, Spanish or Arabic would be considered an asset.
• Advanced knowledge of epidemiology and statistics.
• Demonstrated understanding and commitment to humanitarian principles.
• Extensive understanding of the SMART methodology and ENA for SMART software.
• Knowledge of the “R” and “STATA” tools.
• Ability to assess priorities and competently complete a variety of activities with a high level of accuracy and timeliness.
• Ability to work independently and under tight deadlines, and to multitask.
• Strong analytical and coordination skills.
• Positive attitude and excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to interface with internal and external stakeholders and build rapport.
• Strong commitment and interest in fieldwork and deployments to conflict-affected areas.
• Demonstrated commitment to Gender Equality.
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

WORK CONDITIONS

• Office setting or work from home.
• Required to be seated whilst completing computer and desk-based tasks for long periods.
• May be required to work irregular business hours, particularly in times of crisis and emergencies.
• Global travel within North America and Europe for short durations and international travel to field locations in Central South America, Africa, the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia for intermediate durations (2 weeks).

BENEFITS

• Vacation: 1-2 years: 3 weeks, 2-4 years: 4 weeks, 5+ years: 5 weeks
• Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan (after 3 months of employment)
• Retirement Savings Plan (after 1 year of employment)
• 13 paid holidays per year
• Paid time off (Personal and Sick Days)

Action Against Hunger Canada is committed to the creation of a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we actively encourage applications from BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+ community, persons with disabilities and other equity-deserving groups. If you are invited to continue the selection process, please notify our human resources representative of any accommodation or special measures that you may require.

Action Against Hunger Canada is committed to promoting the well-being of people around the world and focuses its efforts on saving lives through the elimination of hunger. To that end, we uphold the principles of Independence, Neutrality, Non-discrimination, Free and Direct Access to assistance, Professionalism, and Transparency in all our operations. We have ZERO TOLERANCE towards any behavior violating our Code of Conduct, including workplace violence, harassment, sexual harassment, any form of exploitation or abuse, corruption, fraud, and any behavior lacking integrity.

Action Against Hunger Canada is committed to safeguarding children and adults in the communities where we work. Our safeguarding commitment is to ensure that children and adults are protected from both deliberate and unintentional harm or abuse caused by Action Against Hunger staff, including the Prevention from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).

In an effort to safeguard children and adults in communities that we work with, our offers of employment and volunteering are conditional on successfully clearing background checks that may include, but are not limited to, criminal record, vulnerable sector, and employment reference checks.