Projects and Partnerships Support Officer for Ethiopia, based in Kampala Full Time NEW

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH
IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization manages several initiatives, which includes i) the REACH Initiative aimed at facilitating the development of information products that enhance the humanitarian community’s decision making and planning capacity for emergency, reconstruction and development contexts, ii) the PANDA Initiative aimed at directly supporting key aid actors in improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and efficacy of their programmes, and iii) the AGORA Initiative aimed at promoting localised and multi-sectoral aid action in support of the recovery and stabilisation of crisis- affected communities.
The IMPACT team comprises specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED and the two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support in its fields of intervention.

We are currently looking for a Project and Partnership Support Officer (PPSO) to support our team in Ethiopia.

Position: Projects and Partnership Support Officer

Contract duration: 6 months, with renewal

Location: Kampala, possible travel to Addis Ababa

Starting Date: 12th of November 2025

COUNTRY PROFILE

Since 2018, Ethiopia has witnessed an escalation in unrest including large-scale displacement, killings, and destruction of property following domestic political changes. Such unrest has exacerbated the impact of climate-related crises, including the most devastating desert locust infestation in 25 years, which has damaged crops and fostered food insecurity. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic infiltrated Ethiopia leading to lockdowns and transport bans in many regions that restricted access to markets. Then in November 2020, conflict erupted in the northern Tigray region, displacing many Ethiopians, and contributing to an approximate 1.1 million additional people needing assistance in Amhara, Afar and Tigray regions. In August 2023, conflict in Amhara resulted in a state of emergency declaration and restricted movement for citizens across the region. All of these events have severely disrupted livelihoods, affected the availability of staple market commodities, and threatened to sharply escalate humanitarian need for vulnerable populations across the country.

FUNCTIONS

Under the line management of the Country Representative (CR) and the functional management Regional Projects and Partnership Support Manager (RPPSM), the Projects and Partnership Support Officer (PPSO) is responsible to support the identification, development and management of grants in the mission. The ideal candidate would be eager to work within a dynamic and motivated team and will have a clear focus on project development as a tool to improve the efficacy of the humanitarian response in the region. The priorities will be determined together with the CR, and involvement in tasks may vary according to the profile of the candidate.

The position is based in Kampala, with occasional travel to Addis Ababa as needed.

RESPONSIBILITIES

All of the below tasks are in support of the CR, and involvement may vary according to the profile, seniority and context. The PPSO’s responsibilities include the following:

POSITIONING AND FUNDRAISING

FUNDRAISING AND STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

• Regularly conduct stakeholder analysis, who does what and where (3Ws)
• Based on the mission strategy, and research unit strategies, support in identifying funding through regularly conducting tracking of published opportunities; researching and identifying donors whose strategies/priorities align with that of IMPACT’s
• Regularly analyse donor and funding trends within Ethiopia, needs and gaps through news/online scraping, coordination meetings (where relevant), stakeholder meetings (where relevant) and internal coordination meetings with Senior Management.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Support the overall cooperation with IMPACT’s sister organisation Acted (hosting IMPACT in its field of operations) in relation to project development and grants management ensuring communication is regular and timely and synergies are sought and built.
• Maintain an up-to-date directory of donors, international and local NGOs, other partners and stakeholders
• Ensure fundraising activities are appropriately tracked in the Funding Tracker (or similar tool), which is updated on a regular basis to log in latest negotiations and proposal possibilities with donors.

GRANT MANAGEMENT

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

• With the CR and senior team, support project proposal conceptualisation (problem statement, logframe), and the development of other fundraising documents (Expressions of Interest, concept notes) in line with IMPACT country strategy and donor requirements and in close collaboration with partners and finance.
• Liaise with the RC, RAS, CRs, Research Managers, Operations manager and other relevant departments to ensure proposals are relevant and technically sound, as well as with other internal stakeholders such as Finance for the budget and other budget related documents (e.g. budget narrative)
• Address and coordinate the timely response and submission to all comments by donors on proposals in liaison with relevant staff in country, IMPACT Regional/HQ PPSD and Finance teams.
• Provide inputs to ensure the regional PPSM can incorporate elements into the global project database Ninox

CONTRACTING

• In coordination with the CR and IMPACT HQ, review/negotiate proposals and/or contracts with donors, ensuring requirements are clear and understood
• Support the incorporation of project elements on Ninox database, including project code email, analysis of reporting requirements and related specifics, and required updates in the course of the project lifespan
• Contribute to due diligence exercises of funding partners in liaison with HQ.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION & FOLLOW UP

• Ensure the timely completion of grant related processes such as monitoring and review of Ninox.
• Ensure timely Kick-off meetings are held involving all project components and focal points
• Ensure the establishment and regular update of project progress, key findings and success stories (including key M&E findings – where relevant)
• Ensure that all contractual obligations are clearly defined and communicated internally in terms of deliverables as well as narrative and financial reporting requirements, in close coordination with Regional/ HQ PPSD and (as relevant) with partner’s PD and finance department
• When any issue is identified in meeting deliverables in the given timeframe and budget, inform relevant staff in country and suggest potential solutions that would meet donor rules
• Ensure ad hoc requests from donors are addressed in liaison with the CR, Programme and support teams
• Implement and oversee the project specific filing system for grant management and ensure it is regularly updated.
• Provide ad-hoc support to project implementation through trouble shooting and eliminating blocking points.

REPORTING

• Oversee the development of quality project narrative and M&E reports (in support of donors’ requests), reflecting the progress and status of projects in a transparent, timely and professional manner, in liaison with the Regional PPSM
• Liaise with Program teams when preparing reports, and with Finance to ensure coherence and alignment between financial and narrative reports by crosschecking the matching of data in the narrative and financial reports
• Where relevant, ensure regular coordination with partner’s Project Development, Finance and other departments at all stages of project development and implementation, including consultations for donor discussions, participation in project kick off and lessons learnt meetings, and drafting of donor reports or amendment requests

PARTNERSHIPS

• Support the formalisation of IMPACT’s hosting partner in the project by following up on the sub Grant agreement requirements, ensuring Ninox database is up to date.
• Contribute to due diligence and vetting of partners in close liaison with IMPACT PPSD and partner’s FLAT departments.
• In coordination with RPPSM/ HQ PPSD, facilitate or take part in discussions with implementing partners, including in relation to formalizing contractual modalities (due diligence and outline of contracts)
• Where relevant, review partner reporting regularly and flag any issues in a timely manner to to CR, DCR, RPM, Finance and partner focal points, and suggest potential solutions.
• Where relevant, act as field point of contact for all formal/informal implementing partner communication.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

• Ensure a clear M&E framework for each ongoing project is developed based on project proposals, implementation plans, and donor reporting requirements (including contractual monitoring and evaluation indicators to be tracked as part of activities)
• Ensure M&E policies and procedures are implemented, maintained and tracked for reporting purposes
• Ensure that M&E findings are reflected and their recommendations are incorporated in future concept notes, proposals, donor reports and implementation plans

REQUIREMENTS

• Years of work experience 1- 2 years of relevant working experience in a similar position; Experience in humanitarian settings highly desirable;
• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, Project Development, Fundraising or similar) required;
• Knowledge and skills Proven experience in positioning and fundraising, grants management and monitoring and evaluation;
• Familiarity aid system Familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements required;
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting required;
• Software skills: Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word and PowerPoint;
• Multi-tasking skills Coordination, organisational and planning skills required, including ability to effectively meet deadlines, through an excellent ability to multi-task and prioritise in a complex environment;
• Level of independence A self-starter with a proven ability to work independently;
• Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in Ethiopia or the region an asset;
• Language skills Fluency in English is required;
• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• For this position, salary between 2’100 CHF and 2’160 CHF gross monthly as well as a monthly living allowance of 300 USD NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid depending on the grade of the position and the level of education of staff. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied as a recognition that some staff are required to work in difficult places where living and working conditions are much more difficult than elsewhere.
• Accommodation and food provided in the guesthouse.
• Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance.
• Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered).
• Contribution to the luggage transportation: between 20 and 100 kgs, depending on the length of the contract (+ luggage and personal property insurance)
• Predeparture induction – 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives’s HQ in Geneva + one week pre-departure training in ACTED HQ in Paris, including a 4-days in situ security training;
• IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among
• others, up to 1000 € per year of psychosocial counselling fees.

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