Project Officer – Yabello – East Africa Land Border Security Program (EALBSP)

Mercy Corps•, FN

66d•Onsite

About The Position

The Project Officer supports the day-to-day implementation of EALBSP-Ethiopia activities managed from Yabelo. Reporting to the Field Program Coordinator, the position translates approved activity plans into well-organized field delivery and works directly with government counterparts, communities, implementing partners and Mercy Corps colleagues to ensure activities are properly prepared, implemented, documented and followed through. The position is highly field-oriented and requires consistent follow-through from activity preparation through implementation, documentation, feedback and closure of agreed actions. The Project Officer supports implementation across EALBSP's four outcome areas as assigned, while respecting the technical authority of specialist outcome leads and the functional responsibilities of MRELA, Finance, Procurement, Security, Grants and other support functions. The role is responsible for maintaining reliable field documentation, tracking activity actions and commitments, identifying implementation constraints early and providing timely information to the Field Program Coordinator. The position requires regular engagement in sensitive operating environments and must apply conflict sensitivity, Do No Harm, safeguarding, community accountability, confidentiality and responsible-data principles in all program interactions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in international development, peace and conflict studies, political science, governance, sociology, public administration, law, criminology, social sciences or a related field.
At least three years of progressively responsible program implementation experience with an international non-governmental organization (INGO), including field-level experience involving government institutions, communities and civil-society or implementing partners.
Demonstrated experience working constructively with Ethiopian government institutions, communities and/or civil-society or implementing partners.
Experience organizing and facilitating community or stakeholder meetings, trainings, consultations, workshops or dialogue activities and following actions through to completion.
Strong field implementation, coordination, documentation, note-taking and report-writing skills, with the ability to manage multiple practical tasks and deadlines reliably.
Good understanding of conflict sensitivity, Do No Harm, safeguarding, community accountability, confidentiality, gender equality and social inclusion in program implementation.
Good computer skills, including Microsoft Office applications and familiarity with digital data-collection or program-tracking tools.
Excellent written and spoken English and Amharic.
Willingness and ability to travel frequently to program locations, including remote, border and transit areas where infrastructure, communications, amenities or freedom of movement may be limited.

Nice To Haves

Relevant experience in borderlands, migration, trafficking, protection, governance, peacebuilding, community security, justice or related programming is a strong advantage.
Experience with FCDO or another institutional donor and familiarity with donor-funded program procedures is an advantage.
Afaan Oromo is strongly preferred; additional Ethiopian languages relevant to the assigned program area are an advantage.

Responsibilities

Support day-to-day implementation of approved EALBSP-Ethiopia activities within the Yabello field area, following agreed workplans, technical guidance, budgets, timelines and Mercy Corps standards.
Work with the Field Program Coordinator to prepare detailed activity schedules, task lists and readiness checklists and to track implementation actions through completion.
Organize and support workshops, consultations, trainings, community dialogues, meetings and other approved program activities, ensuring participants, venues, materials, transport, documentation and other requirements are ready on time.
Observe and document implementation quality as well as activity completion, including whether activities are relevant, inclusive, conflict-sensitive and delivered as intended; promptly flag quality concerns or corrective actions to the Field Program Coordinator.
Maintain accurate activity files, participant and attendance records where appropriate, meeting notes, action trackers, field observations and other source documentation required by program and MRELA systems.
Identify implementation delays, stakeholder concerns, resource gaps or changes in local conditions early and raise them promptly with the Field Program Coordinator.
Support delivery across the programs four outcome areas as assigned without assuming technical responsibilities reserved for specialist outcome leads or partners.
Maintain routine and respectful working relationships with authorized Oromia Region regional, zonal, woreda/local government counterparts and other stakeholders relevant to assigned activities.
Support scheduling, preparation and follow-up of government and stakeholder meetings, including activity briefings, invitations, minutes, agreed actions and required documentation.
Support inclusive community consultations, dialogues and awareness activities, ensuring women, young people and other relevant groups can participate safely and meaningfully.
Support community engagement in ways that are voluntary, appropriately informed and sensitive to local power dynamics, and take practical steps to avoid exposing participants to retaliation, stigma or unnecessary contact with enforcement actors.
Identify participation barriers, community concerns, misinformation, tensions or emerging stakeholder issues and communicate them promptly to the Field Program Coordinator.
Engage professionally within delegated authority and do not make commitments on program scope, funding, partnerships, donor positions or politically sensitive matters without approval.
Coordinate routine field implementation with assigned Ethiopian partners, including joint activity planning, schedules, participant arrangements, field follow-up and documentation.
Attend and observe partner-supported activities as requested, documenting implementation progress, quality observations and issues requiring follow-up.
Track agreed partner implementation actions and communicate operational or program-quality concerns to the Field Program Coordinator and relevant technical or functional teams.
Support constructive problem-solving with partners while recognizing that formal subaward compliance, financial monitoring and contractual decisions remain with designated Grants, Finance and Compliance functions.
Promote respectful, locally grounded partnership approaches and ensure partner perspectives and implementation experience inform field-level learning and adaptation.
Collect, organize and submit routine implementation evidence and source documentation in accordance with EALBSP MRELA requirements and agreed reporting timelines.
Support field monitoring visits, surveys, interviews, focus-group discussions, community perception work, institutional assessments and other approved MRELA activities as requested.
Contribute field observations and implementation evidence relevant to the Progress Marker Framework, emerging outcomes, implementation quality, contextual change and unintended effects.
Support basic verification of activity and partner data and promptly flag missing, inconsistent or questionable information to the MRELA team and Field Program Coordinator.
Ensure participants and stakeholders are informed about appropriate CARM/feedback channels, pass routine program feedback into the established system for follow-up, and respect need-to-know restrictions on sensitive complaint information.
Do not investigate, retain copies of, or informally manage safeguarding, ethics, fraud or other sensitive complaints; immediately route such concerns through designated Mercy Corps reporting and referral channels and access case details only where formally required on a need-to-know basis.
Prepare concise weekly/activity updates, meeting records and contributions to program reports, learning products and management updates as requested.
Work closely with the Field Program Coordinator, Finance Officer, Procurement Officer, Driver and other support colleagues to identify activity requirements sufficiently in advance of implementation.
Prepare and follow up approved program requests and supporting documentation for procurement, payments, transport, venues, materials and other operational needs in accordance with Mercy Corps procedures.
Confirm activity readiness before implementation, including required government coordination, partner readiness, participant arrangements, security and movement requirements, operational inputs and MRELA documentation.
Track pending operational actions and communicate delays or constraints early so that alternative arrangements or escalation can occur before program delivery is affected.
Promote responsible use of program resources, value for money and complete documentation without bypassing established financial, procurement or approval controls.
Comply with all Mercy Corps and EALBSP security, movement, communications and access procedures and support accurate implementation of approved field security measures. Follow the direction of the Security and Risk Coordinator and established country security structures and do not independently vary approved movement, access or security measures.
Maintain awareness of local political, security, conflict and access developments, changes in migration patterns, community perceptions and government or stakeholder relationships that could affect planned activities, and report material changes promptly to the Field Program Coordinator and Security and Risk Coordinator.
Provide factual field observations and implementation implications to support program and context monitoring; do not independently undertake or communicate political or security analysis on behalf of the program unless specifically authorized.
Apply conflict sensitivity, Do No Harm, safeguarding, gender equality and social inclusion, human-rights considerations and participant protection in activity preparation and implementation.
Exercise particular care in activities involving law-enforcement actors, community reporting, witnesses, survivors, at-risk migrants or other sensitive participants and information.
Protect confidential program and participant information and immediately escalate security, safeguarding, legal, reputational, compliance or program-integrity concerns through established Mercy Corps channels.
Resolve routine implementation issues within delegated responsibilities and promptly escalate matters involving significant program, political, security, safeguarding, financial, compliance or reputational implications.
Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.