Bilingual Regional Program Officer - Advocacy at Planned Parenthood Global (PP Global)

Reporting to Program Manager, Advocacy, the Bilingual Regional Program Officer, Advocacy will facilitate the development of effective advocacy projects on SRHR in Francophone focus countries and provide technical assistance to partners for efficient and effective implementation of these projects. She/he will also be responsible for independently carrying out unique duties that require advanced knowledge, training, or experience, but that are directly related to regional program support on Advocacy. Recommend changes to improve work systems or procedures. Responsible for ensuring successful completion of activities that directly relate to PP Global divisional and regional goals as well as projects.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Based at PP Global Africa Regional Office (ARO) in Nairobi, and under the direction of the Program Manager, Advocacy, the Bilingual Regional Program Officer will provide technical assistance (TA) to the advocacy program to enable efficient and effective implementation of advocacy projects by working with country office staff to:-

Support the management of the advocacy program and specifically:

• participate in the conceptualization of new annual project priorities and finalization of annual project documents
• Manage project inception and strategic review meetings for the francophone partners.
• Oversee the grants management process at ARO including the development of translated annual project documents, work with the finance team to ensure timely disbursement of grants and any contract processing

Enhance the process of internal decision making and in so doing:

• oversee the work of translators contracted under ARO to ensure accuracy and consistency in a timely and effective manner.
• ensure translation of all project-related documentation for technical inputs by various teams within PP Global and sharing of feedback with the francophone partners
• Maintain regular communication with francophone partners to remain up to date on the status of projects

Supports the Advocacy Program Manager to:

• Work with partners to develop project work plans, budgets and other relevant project documents.
• Adapt/conceptualize and use M&E, finance and other project tools and guidelines to implement activities and monitor projects performance.
• Develop and implement project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans and tools.
• Monitor programmatic and financial performance of partners through quarterly site visits, review and analysis of their reports before submission to ARO.
• Review project and financial reports, track the implementation of work plans and review project reports
• Support the contextualization and implementation of PPFA’s innovative advocacy strategies in the countries of operation
• Identify programmatic, organizational and financial capacity needs of partners.
• In collaboration with in-country staff, organize and implement identified capacity needs either through defined technical assistance approaches and/or capacity building
• Collate translated monthly project reports and shares with the Advocacy Program Manager for dissemination with ARO and HQ.
  • Collaborates with ARO technical teams in responding to donor needs by contributing to the preparation of donor proposals, periodic reports to donors and participation in donor-partner convening in Francophone countries on request.
  • Works with country staff and partners to identify and disseminate best practices in project implementation and writes articles and abstracts to ARO for publication
  • Stays updated on advocacy and service delivery issues relevant to PP Global’s projects.
  • Develops and maintain excellent relations with colleagues, partners and like-minded organizations.
  • Makes presentations at meetings and conferences and writes abstracts and articles for publication to raise visibility and to promote a greater understanding of PP Global’s work.

REQUIRED EDUCATION: Master’s Degree, advanced degree, or a Bachelor's degree plus related number of years of relevant experience, in public health, international development, sociology or related field required.

Excellent written and oral English communication skills. Must demonstrate good interpersonal and negotiation skills, in addition to ability to work autonomously, using good decision making and computer skills (word processing, spreadsheet and statistical analysis applications). Analytical problem solving using systematic approaches to analyze and propose solutions is part of everyday activities, and cultural sensitivity is imperative. Knowledge of reproductive health issues is key.

Experience: - Three to five years of experience in project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and working with programs to identify and address training and technical assistance needs, preferably with a reproductive health and rights focus. NGO experience and experience working in multi-sector programs is a necessity.

Skills or Related Knowledge: - Ability to work independently and as a member of a team. Ability to synthesize information and generate persuasive and clear verbal and written communications; strong time management skills and the ability to multitask and meet deadlines with a keen attention to detail and follow through; self-directed; and able to anticipate, prioritize, and manage tasks.

Fluent verbal written French and English languages are mandatory.

Other requirements: - Ability to travel a minimum of 35% of time.