Project Officer

Job Posting Organization:
Relief International (RI) is a humanitarian organization that partners with communities affected by conflict, climate change, and disasters to save lives, build resilience, and promote long-term health and well-being. Established to respond to crises, RI operates in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, focusing on Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Education, and Livelihoods programming. The organization is structured under the RI Alliance, which includes Relief International Inc., Relief International-UK, Relief International-France, and Relief International-Europe, all working under a shared management framework. RI's mission emphasizes community engagement and sustainable development, ensuring that interventions are tailored to the specific needs of the populations they serve.

Job Overview:
The Project Officer will play a crucial role in the implementation, coordination, monitoring, and operational management of a humanitarian health emergency response project funded by DG ECHO in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). This position requires the individual to ensure the timely execution of project activities that focus on emergency health, community-based surveillance, outbreak preparedness and response, risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), routine immunization support, and community engagement interventions in targeted municipalities and barangays. The Project Officer will collaborate closely with Rural Health Units (RHUs), the BARMM Ministry of Health (BARMM-MOH), local government units (LGUs), community volunteers, and partner organizations to facilitate effective field activity implementation while adhering to humanitarian standards and donor requirements. Additionally, the role involves enhancing coordination, monitoring, documentation, and reporting mechanisms to support quality humanitarian programming and effective emergency response operations.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Project Officer will have a range of responsibilities, including:

• Supporting the implementation of project activities in line with approved work plans, targets, timelines, and DG ECHO commitments.
• Coordinating with RHUs, LGUs, BARMM-MOH, barangay officials, and community structures to facilitate emergency health preparedness and response activities.
• Organizing and supporting training sessions, simulation exercises, meetings, outreach activities, and community engagement sessions related to health emergency preparedness and response.
• Implementing community-based surveillance (CBS), event-based surveillance (EBS), RCCE, routine immunization outreach, and outbreak response activities in target areas.
• Facilitating coordination among field teams, community volunteers, and partner organizations to ensure timely and integrated health service delivery.
• Assisting in logistical and operational preparations for field implementation, including transportation, venue coordination, supplies, and activity preparations.
• Monitoring and supporting the deployment of mobile health teams and vaccination teams during outreach activities.
• Conducting regular field monitoring visits to track implementation progress, identify operational challenges, and support timely resolution of issues.
• Supporting the collection, consolidation, verification, and submission of activity data, beneficiary information, and project accomplishments. 1
• Maintaining organized project documentation, including attendance sheets, reports, monitoring tools, and activity records. 1
• Assisting in the preparation of internal updates, donor reports, situation reports, success stories, and other project documentation. 1
• Supporting the monitoring of project indicators and targets to ensure timely achievement of deliverables. 1
• Mobilizing and engaging community volunteers, BHERTs, BHWs, CBS committees, and community leaders in project activities. 1
• Facilitating RCCE and demand generation activities at the community level, including awareness campaigns and community dialogues. 1
• Supporting training and mentoring activities for frontline workers and community-based structures to strengthen local preparedness and response capacities. 1
• Promoting accountability to affected populations and ensuring community feedback and concerns are documented and referred appropriately. 1
• Supporting rapid response activities during disease outbreaks, emergencies, and disaster situations in coordination with RHUs and relevant authorities. 1
• Assisting in field-level coordination for emergency deployment, assessments, and response operations when required. 1
• Supporting the implementation of preparedness measures, including contingency planning, simulation exercises, prepositioning activities, and emergency coordination mechanisms. 2
• Upholding the highest standards of behavior and ethical conduct in accordance with RI’s code of conduct and safeguarding policies, ensuring the safety of the RI team and the vulnerable communities served.

Required Qualifications:
The essential qualifications for the Project Officer position include:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Nursing, Midwifery, Community Development, Social Work, Health Sciences, or a related field.
• A minimum of 2 to 4 years of experience in humanitarian, health, emergency response, or community-based programming.
• Experience working in BARMM or conflict-affected settings is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with humanitarian principles, public health programming, and community engagement approaches.
• Proven experience coordinating with LGUs, RHUs, community volunteers, and local stakeholders.
• Strong organizational, coordination, and communication skills.
• Experience in activity documentation, monitoring, and report writing.
• Ability to travel frequently to field locations and work in challenging environments.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Public Health, Nursing, Midwifery, Community Development, Social Work, Health Sciences, or a related discipline. This educational background is essential to ensure that the Project Officer has the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively manage health-related projects and engage with communities in a meaningful way.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 2 to 4 years of relevant experience in humanitarian work, health programming, emergency response, or community-based initiatives. Candidates with experience in BARMM or similar conflict-affected areas will be given preference, as this background is crucial for understanding the unique challenges and dynamics of the region.

Languages:
While the job description does not specify mandatory languages, proficiency in English is likely essential for documentation and reporting purposes. Additionally, knowledge of local languages spoken in BARMM would be advantageous for effective communication with community members and stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
This position is classified under the T3 - Technical job family level and involves standard pre-employment checks. The recruitment process is part of a pre-positioning effort, meaning that submitting an application does not guarantee engagement, as any engagement will depend on project activation, funding availability, and final approval. The role may require frequent travel to project sites, and candidates should be prepared to work in challenging environments. The position does not specify contract duration or seniority level, but it is implied that the role is full-time and focused on immediate humanitarian needs.