Job Details

Title: Provincial Project Coordinator – Zambia School Feeding Drought Response Project

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Program Operations

LOCATION: Western, Central, Southern and/or Lusaka Provinces

GRADE :  NAT 3

POST TYPE: National

Safeguarding:

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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Save the Children International’s Diversity Policy, aims to promote equal opportunity in employment and to ban any kind of discrimination based on sex, age, social class, disability, HIV status, religion, race and ethnicity.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The GPE Accelerated Funding for the Zambia School Feeding Drought Response Project being implemented by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in collaboration with Save the Children International (SCI), Zambia Country Office is an emergency response to the 2023/2024 rain season, where Zambia experienced a devastating drought affecting in 8 out of 10 provinces. The drought has posed a significant impact on the delivery of quality education, and it has affected school attendance and learner performance as evidenced by what has already been witnessed in schools in areas most affected by the drought. School delivery is affected by learner absenteeism, while attendance is compounded by the hunger situation at home which results in children having to look for food instead of attending classes. Due to hunger, assessment reports in Western and Southern Provinces indicate reduced learner attendance of between 50 and 60%, as opposed to a minimum acceptable attendance rate of 85%. Furthermore, the learners are exhibiting low level of concentration that is significantly affecting their performance.

This project therefore wishes to contribute to Safe, Inclusive, and Quality educational continuity by providing food rations to learners and motivate them to regularly attend school and improve the overall education outcomes in Zambia.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

To contribute to improved nourishment, health and learning outcomes among learners in 15 districts in Western, Central, Southern, and Lusaka Provinces of Zambia, by 2026.

PROJECT TARGETS

1. Early Child Education (ECE) learners.
2. Primary school learners; and
3. Secondary school learners in the 15 districts identified as most affected by the drought will be targeted.

PROJECT INTERVENTIONS

Broadly, the project’s intervention is to provide school feeding in order to address the hunger that is being experienced by ECE, primary and secondary school learners, in a safe, inclusive and supportive learning environment.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The coordinator, working with the District Education Board Secretary (DEBs Office) will ensure timely awareness creation, school assessments and timely distribution of food items to target schools. The School Feeding Coordinators will support the targeted districts with inventory management and ensure capacity building of School Health and nutrition committees in food management, inclusion and safeguarding.

The School Feeding Project Coordinator will work closely with DEBS and other education stakeholders to ensure field coordination to enhance the impacts of the school feeding interventions. S/he will also work with target districts, schools, MoE officials at the Province and District level and SCI Monitoring, Evidence, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) teams to document, monitor and support the school feeding and school attendance in target schools to support data management, project reporting including tracking and accountability.

The School Feeding Coordinator will represent save the children during the Disaster Coordination meetings and responsible for networking at the provincial and district level.

Further, the Coordinator will work closely with the Ministry of Education and SCI MEAL Units to generate evidence-based reports in compliance with donor reporting guidelines.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager-SCI-Zambia Country Office

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

1. Project Implementation

• Develop detailed implementation plan with the DEBS, target schools and other relevant teams in SCI to ensure that operational gaps at district and school levels are addressed timely and ensure effective and efficient distribution of food and other materials to target schools
• Regular monitoring of the progress and outputs (i.e. school attendance, food stock management, food preparations).
• Identify implementation challenges and support target schools to efficiently deliver the school feeding programme. These include day-to-day troubleshooting and provision of implementation advice to target schools to address emerging challenges.
• Ensure establishment, orientation and training for School Health and Nutrition (SHN) committees in the target schools on Food Preparation, feeding, food handling, safeguarding, and child Protection. This will be conducted through coordinating with SHN focal point persons at districts and schools, district health office, SCI Education Technical Specialist, Child Protection Technical specialist, Health Technical Specialist and the Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager.
• Support the development of hygiene promotion messaging and its dissemination in target schools as part of school feeding intervention.
• Provide support to improve school management and planning to address the immediate issues around pupils’ attendance and performance due to drought.
• Ensure that Child protection and safeguarding is integrated in the emergency school feeding program.
• Working with the MEAL teams to establish compliant and accountability mechanism for the project.
• Prepare monthly plans and reports for the project activities.

2. Logistics and administration

• Support the development of the project procurement plan by identify procurement needs in the provinces.
• Ensure that SCI Logistics, HR, and administrative procedures are followed with regards to procurement.
• Identify office supply needs for the project and ensure that the team is well equipped to deliver the work.
• Work closely with Procurement Units in SCI and MoE to ensure timely procurement and delivery of the food and non – food project items.

3. Coordination and representation

• Maintain close coordination with Provincial Education Office (PEO) and DEBS and other educational stakeholders in the provinces and target districts.
• Ensure that required information is shared with relevant authorities and required permissions are processed.
• Attend coordination meetings in the respective Provinces to represent Save the Children.
• Organize and support project review meetings in the districts.
• Support conducting of joint monitoring and technical support visits

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor of Science in Social Science or equivalent qualifications.
• At least 3-year experience in a development or humanitarian programme with non-governmental organizations with proven evidence of project management.
• Experience of working with funding from major institutional donors such as USAID, Swedish SIDA, and EU.
• Experience of working in education or health sector, especially school feeding programme, is a plus.
• Nationals based in any of the target Provinces is added advantage
• Ability to travel to the field with short notice. 50% of the working time may be dedicated to field travel.
• Ability to work in a team with diverse culture.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

qualified applicants should only attach a cover letter and updated cv as one document

The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 7th October 2024. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Save the Children reserves the right to re advertise if suitable applicants are not found.

Save the Children will never ask that you pay for anything as part of the selection process or thereafter.