Project Officer – HealthyFoodAfrica

Region: Southern Africa

Office: Lusaka, Zambia

Hours: 30

Application deadline: April 25, 2024

Hivos is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Project Officer – HealthyFoodAfrica (HFA).

Funded by the European Union (EU) under the Horizon2020 Action-Research fund, this 4-year started in June 2020. HealthyFoodAfrica aims to increase the resilience of food systems and link food production to nutrition performance, thereby increasing the range and quality of food products for a healthy diet. To achieve this, it engages with farmers, food processors, retailers, civil society organisations (CSOs), policymakers and local experts, and helps them create, and test, innovative technologies, practices and governance arrangements that contribute to a more sustainable, resilient and healthy food system for all.

The project is creating or sustaining 10 Food System Labs in 10 cities and 6 countries in Eastern, Western and Southern Africa, with each lab bringing food system actors together to tackle local food system challenges, from consumer awareness to sustainable production, local food diversity, improved post-harvest technologies and food safety. Hivos’ role is to facilitate the Food System Labs in Lusaka, Chongwe (Zambia) and Fort Portal (Uganda), to contribute to the different work packages, and to co-lead Work Package 7 (this co-leading of WP 7 is done by Senior Program Manager from Global Office/RUAF).

Purpose of the role

To achieve the HealthyFoodAfrica project goals in Zambia and Uganda, ensuring delivery of agreed milestones on time and on budget, in compliance with Hivos and the donor (EU) requirements.

Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of the role include:

• Project management: Development, delivery and achievement of the HealthyFoodAfrica activities and milestones, on time and on budget
• Facilitate regular Food System Lab meetings, and ensure positive continuous engagement with all FSL actors
• Reporting: Regular liaison and collaboration with the Lead Applicant (Luke), ensuring timely production and submission of accurate financial and narrative reports to them
• Provide information for internal reports/updates as required
• Financial management: Manage the HFA budget, overseeing and documenting all procurement and expenditure for the project, in line with the budget and EU and Hivos policies
• Ensure all project records and information is accurately kept, including on Hivos data system, AllSolutions.
• Liaise regularly with key internal and external stakeholders, including:
  • other HFA co-applicants/partners across Africa (including Zambian and Ugandan research partners, UNZA and Makere Universities), as required to achieve the objectives
  • the Senior Program Manager from RUAF based at the Hivos Global Office in the Hague
  • the regional Program Development Manager based in Harare
• Contracting/Sub-granting – since the activities on the ground in Fort Portal will be delivered by a local partner based there, the HFA Project Officer is responsible for all aspects of sub-granting including producing contracts, ensuring timely payments, verification of financial/narrative reports (all working closely with colleagues from the Hivos Southern Africa office) and maintaining a positive and respectful relationship with sub-grantees/partners at all times.
• Advocacy and communication: Secure a high positive profile for the Food System Lab and the HFA advocacy messages, by maintaining positive relationships with media and government, and ensuring positive coverage in print, digital and audio media (blogs, briefs, tweets, press releases, interviews etc) – modest support for this function will come from the Hivos Regional Communications Officer plus a small communications budget line within the HFA budget
• Business Development – to work closely with the Programme Development Manager to identify and pursue opportunities to build on the project and develop Hivos’ Green Society programme in general, in particular building relationships with key donors and strategic partners and sharing information on opportunities
• Organizational: Participate and contribute to Hivos’ organizational activities such as development of policies, strategies, and annual plans
• Any other duties that may be required to achieve the project objectives

Requirements

• Experience delivering European Union funded projects (knowledge of EU compliance/financial processes and reporting)
• An excellent understanding of the Zambian Food System, its challenges, priorities and policy issues
• Good knowledge of the Food System Lab (Food Change Lab) approach and proven facilitation skills
• Good knowledge of project/program management
• A master degree in environmental policies, sustainable food, environmental and natural resource management, economics of natural resources or other relevant field is preferred. (or Bachelor degree with several years of relevant experience).
• 7+ years’ work experience in relevant sectors.
• Excellent communication skills including public speaking
• Strong interpersonal communication and ability to engage a wide range of actors including private sector, donors, unions and civil society organizations, government officials at all levels, and communities.
• Networking and resource mobilization skills
• Good understanding of and strong affinity with civil society and citizen agency (in particular with low-income citizens); and ability to understand and engage private sector actors and government bodies.
• Having respect for humanitarian or humanist principles and willing to work in a non-discriminating, neutral, impartial and gender equal environment
• Regional/International travel – as may be required by the project

What we offer

Hivos offers a challenging position in an international environment.

The Regional office is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. This position will be based in Lusaka, Zambia. Hivos welcomes international & regional applicants but can only offer a position to only those with a valid work permit for Zambia. Hivos can only offer employment on local terms and