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Helen Keller Intl
Job Announcement

Program Officer (Neglected Tropical Diseases)

Helen Keller International is a global health organization dedicated to eliminating preventable vision loss, malnutrition, and diseases of poverty. Helen Keller Intl partners with communities that are striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty and is devoted to scaling up evidence-based, cost-effective solutions to improve care practices and ensure that basic health interventions reach vulnerable people, with a focus on women, youth, and children.

Helen Keller Intl has been operating in Sierra Leone for nearly 20 years in support of the Nutrition and Neglected Tropical Disease (NTDs) components of the National Health Development Plan of the Ministry of Health, as well as food security component of the Ministry of Agriculture.

NTDs are a core focus for Helen Keller not just in Sierra Leone but globally. Sierra Leone has made significant gains in the control and elimination of four of the five preventive chemotherapy NTDs- lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminths.

Scope of Work

• The NTD Program Officer will provide programmatic and program-related compliance and financial management support to the active NTD projects in the Country Office.
• Reporting to the NTD Coordinator, the Program Officer will work closely with the program, finance, and others in the office (as needed) to support the preparation of work plans, budgets, donor reports, success stories, and day-to-day monitoring and evaluation of program progress against set objectives.
• The position requires travel to program sites for the purpose of monitoring & evaluation, quality assurance, planning meetings, and trainings.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and stakeholder management

• Establish and develop good working relationships with national and district stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration to deliver project objectives.
• Maintain regular communication with implementation counterparts at the district, district hospitals and health facility levels.
• Routinely assess whether project activities are sufficient to achieve programmatic outcomes; swiftly flag to NTD Coordinator, if not and work with him/her to develop and validate alternate strategies.
• Participate in and contribute to all relevant meetings, platforms, training workshops in the country, as delegated.

Project management

• Coordinate implementation and supervision efforts at district, hospital and health facility levels.
• Contribute to quality assurance of program activities.
• Work with the NTD coordinator to develop fixed amount awards (FAAs) as needed.
• Monitor FAA subawards expenditures against agreed allocations, conduct reviews to ensure recommendations have been followed.
• Ensure compliance with donor agreements and flag any potential risks to the NTD Coordinator.
• Support BvAs and procurements for NTDs, as needed.
• Carry out additional tasks, as delegated by the NTD Coordinator.

Research, M&E and reporting

• Supervise MDA progress and quickly identifying implementation issues, backstopping district health management and hospital surgical teams to resolve issues and traveling onsite when necessary.
• Contribute to all donor reports.
• Contribute to any global reports, as needed.
• Contribute to the CO matrix and strategic plan.
• Participate in all monitoring activities, NTD surveys and/or assessments.
• Work closely with the M&E staff and other program staff to collect and analyze program data.

Qualification and Experience

• A bachelors’ degree in a relevant field - public health, biological sciences, etc.
• At least 3 years of proven experience in a similar role
• Technical capacity to support field activities especially NTDs
• Program management experience is a plus
• Willingness to travel to the field
• Must be able to work in a dynamic and complex environment
• Excellent written and verbal English language skills

To Apply
Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and an updated CV with three (3) referees to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Closing date for the receipt of applications is on 4th July 2024. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

“Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply”.

In the spirit of our founder and namesake, Helen Keller is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce where diversity in all its forms is fully valued.