Project Officer

Job title:                      Project Officer

Location:              Dnipro and Zakarpatska oblasts, Ukraine

Reports to:            Project Manager/Project Coordinator

Contract duration:     11 months 

 HelpAge General

HelpAge International works with partners and a diverse global network of more than 171 organizations across 90 countries, supporting millions of older people to live safe, dignified, and healthy lives. Through our partnerships and collaborations, we work to ensure the inclusion of older people across society and strive to deliver a just and fair world for everyone, whatever their age. Our work is driven by our desire to deliver real impact for older people, to be inclusive, to work in partnership and to learn from our shared experience. 

Our 2030 strategy Ageing in a Just World sets out how we will work together to shape the future we all share. By working together, we aim to help inspire a movement for change and through ensuring all our work promotes older people’s wellbeing, dignity and voice, we can transform the lives of older people now and in the future. 

As part of our 2030 strategy, we have a continued commitment to inclusive humanitarian action, supporting older people and their families at a time of crisis.

Ukraine Crisis 

HelpAge has been present in Ukraine since 2014. With a total workforce of over +600 people including staff, volunteers, and contractors.  Our response plan includes cash assistance, food distributions, NFI distribution, health and dignity kits, support to access health services, care and support, WASH, protection, mental and psychosocial first aid.

We are now seeking Project Officers to support the implementation of our WHO project. The Project Officer will be responsible for the coordination of activities in the relevant geographic area ensuring full compliance and application of all HelpAge International (HAI) Ukraine policies and ensuring timely delivery of project activities including implementation, monitoring, and reporting, and provide management to the Social Workers. 

 Key responsibilities:

1. Support the Project Manager and Coordinator in day-to-day implementation of project activities by ensuring that all donor’s requirements (activities, reporting, procurement and visibility) are carried out timely and in good quality;
2. Assist Project Manager in preparation of various project documents, such as project reports, summaries, assessment forms and similar:
3. Generate the database of the project activities. 
4. Contribute to preparation of period and monthly work-plans of activities and monitors its implementation.
5. Lead and supervise the work   of Social Workers, by providing work-plans, guidance, advice, training, and information on types of support available for beneficiaries including through referrals.
6. Hold regular (at least twice a month) meetings with Social Workers to follow the progress and to solve  l any issues arising from project implementation (not rare than 2 times per month);
7. Timely report to Project Manager r on problems encountered during the implementation and requiring immediate intervention.
8. Collect and compiles information, photograph and other material necessary for  for success stories writing and for communication and advocacy interventions
9. In collaboration with Project Manager and Field Security Officers regularly provides Social Workers security updates and instructions; . 
10. Organize and monitors implementation of activities in Community Safe Spaces (CSS), including Peer-to-peer support groups; );
11. Assist the Project Manager in overseeing the financial flows and making sure that procurement and payments are in line with HAI rules and regulations and corresponding to the foreseen project budget;
12. Participate in internal and external training and aiming at enhancing knowledge about supporting elderly people.

 Essential requirements:

• Experience working in the humanitarian sphere or social organizations.

• Ability to speak freely in Ukrainian.

• Experience working with Microsoft Word and Excel programs.

Have good organizational and planning skills:

• Ability to empathize and support others, especially older people with and without disabilities.

• Must have good interpersonal communication skills

 •  Be tactful and reasonable and be able to cooperate, understand and provide support to colleagues and be committed to humanitarian principles

You will be a Ukrainian national with:

 Desirable:

• Experience in working with elderly people.
• Ability to communicate in English language.
• Coordination, collaboration, and negotiation skills.
• Experience in overseeing the work of staff at the local level, such as social workers and volunteers.
• Knowledge of HelpAge International Principles.

At HelpAge International, we believe in the importance of empowering our people to be change makers and leaders at all levels. We expect our people to embrace and live our values, challenging themselves every day to identify issues that are most important to older persons and their communities, and to make an impact that matters.

 In addition, as an HelpAge employee you are expected to:

•  Work collaboratively, building mutual trust and respect, with external organizations and partners to achieve our strategic aims and objectives; being accountable for the work you do together.
• Adapt to new directions or opportunities arising within the organization and in your work area; being flexible in your role, constantly using the feedback to learn more and evolve further.
• Lead behavioral and cultural change through embracing a supportive, collaborative, and highly inclusive environment where everybody feels supported, respected and engaged.
• Extend HelpAge’s reach and impact, by creating and identifying new business development opportunities and building relationships with new partners.
• Lead and promote a culture of including the voices of older people across our support, convening and thought leadership roles, in a way that is transformative, empowering and highly inclusive of those marginalized by gender, economic status, disability and other factors of discrimination.

 Safeguarding

HelpAge International is committed to safeguarding the communities with which we work, our partners, staff and any others who we come into contact with.

 Therefore, you will also be responsible for:

• Preventing harm and abuse from our people, operations and programmes to anyone that encounters our work.
• Reporting all safeguarding incidents you see, hear, hear about or suspect, using our internal reporting mechanism.
• Complying with all safeguarding framework policies and practices
• Completing mandatory training courses relating to our safeguarding policy framework and complying with HR vetting procedures.

 Essential requirements:

Experience working in the humanitarian sphere or social organizations.

• Ability to speak freely in Ukrainian.

• Experience working with Microsoft Word and Excel programs.

• Ability to empathize and support others, especially older people with and without disabilities.

• Must have good interpersonal communication skills

 •  Be tactful and reasonable and be able to cooperate, understand and provide support to colleagues and be committed to humanitarian principles