Project Officer – Family Strengthening – Kampala – AVSI Foundation

About US:
AVSI Foundation is an international not-for-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in Italy in 1972. Its mission is to promote the dignity of the person through development cooperation activities, with special attention to education, according to the social teaching of the Catholic Church. AVSI has been present in Uganda since 1984, first supporting hospitals and agriculture projects in Gulu and Kitgum districts, and later expanding around 1990 to establish the present-day headquarters in Kampala, offices in Pader, Gulu and Kitgum, and project activities in 12 other districts. AVSI staff has remained through the long periods of instability in northern Uganda caused both by anti-government rebellions led by Lord’s Resistance Army, and by conflict across the northern border in Sudan, which caused displacement in both countries.

About SCORE Programme:
AVSI is leading a consortium of partners including CARE, TPO and FHI360 is implementing a USAID funded project titled “Sustainable, Comprehensive Responses for vulnerable children and their families – SCORE” in 23 districts in Uganda.

Job Summary: The Project Officer – Family Strengthening will support the SCORE Project by contributing to the implementation of activities, in particular, focusing on strengthening the capacity of vulnerable households to access, acquire and provide critical services for vulnerable children and their household members for all households enrolled in the SCORE project.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:
· Work closely with Implementing Partners (IPs) in the identification of beneficiaries for the project, specifically through training on different tools including the VAT, NAT, and follow up of SCORE vulnerable children and their household members as well as actual on field mentorship and guidance in the area of family strengthening and access to critical services
· Work in liaison with the relevant staff to support the IPs conduct dialogues and workshops for vulnerable households on the importance of creating and providing a supportive and protective family environment and education for their children
· Train and mentor implementing partners to increase the capacity of vulnerable women and children and their households to access, acquire or provide critical services
· Conduct regular mapping of critical service points in collaboration with the other project officers and the supervisor as well as IPs and other service actors in the region of operation and ensure the consistent use of district level inventories for referral as well as a regular coordination platform for all service partners
· Deliver both in-school and out of school age specific psychosocial services including life skills that ensure that all children, youth and their household members in need of psychosocial support receive a quality and holistic package of care at individual, family, and group level
· Collaborate with the TA in the development of relevant linkages with service level actors including private sectors firms in order to enable vulnerable children households’ access and utilize these linkages
· Render support in the development of reports, standards, protocols, manuals, tools and dedicated reports related to the family strengthening objective, success stories, and other reports related to implementing partners
· Support the reporting and documentation both for the internal AVSI SCORE (quarterly reports) as well as consistency checks for the IPs reports directly designated to you and for all IPs for the family strengthening objective as required by the supervisor
· Under the direction of the supervisor and with other AVSI POs and the TA, monitor and support the implementation of project activities and carry out needed capacity building at implementing partner and beneficiary level.
· Perform other duties within the area of responsibility as requested by the SCORE Area Manager – Central.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
· The ideal candidate for the Project Officer – Family Strengthening vacancy must hold a University Degree in Social Work, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field of study from a recognized institution
· A minimum of two years’ experience delivering child focused interventions at community level
· Prior exposure and experience in delivering services that target OVC and their households is an added advantage.
· Ability to work with both formal and informal community organizations in a rural setting.
· Ability to interact with community groups and communicate in the local language
· People management skills – team building initiatives
· Effective interpersonal skills – oral and written communication skills
· Computer literacy skills

How to Apply:
All suitably qualified candidates should send their application letters, accompanied with updated Curriculum Vitae indicating three professional referees and copies of relevant certificates via E-mail with the subject line indicating ‘Application for Project Officer – Family Strengthening’ addressed to:

The Human Resource Manager,
AVSI Foundation,
P.O. Box 6785, Kampala, Uganda.

E-mail to: hr.kampala@avsi.org

Deadline: 26th November 2015 by 5.00 pm