Family & Community Strengthening Project Coordinator

SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia

Who we are: SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia is an international non-governmental organization and a member of SOS Children’s Villages International Federation. We started our humanitarian work in Ethiopia with the opening of our first village in Mekelle, Northern part of Ethiopia, in 1974. Since then, we have expanded our programs to different regions where there are significant needs for intervention and where we believe we can work in partnership with all relevant actors to bring sustainable positive outcomes for children and young people. Today, we have grown significantly to meet the persistent challenges that confront Ethiopian children who have lost parental care and those that are at risk of losing their parental care. Working in close collaboration with international donors, local government, and community-based organizations across eight program locations, we aspire that every child grows up with love, respect, and security.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

At SOS Children's Villages, safeguarding isn't just a policy; it's a foundational value embedded in everything we do. We are unwavering in our commitment to protecting the children, young people, adults, and communities we serve, as well as our workforce and resources. We cultivate an environment of trust and accountability where every voice is heard and respected. All successful candidates will be expected to champion our holistic safeguarding principles, actively upholding our Child & Youth Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct, and regulations against sexual misconduct, fraud, and corruption. By joining our team, you commit to integrating these vital standards into your work, ensuring the highest levels of safety, ethics, and integrity in every action and partnership. Together, we create a world where everyone feels safe, respected, and protected.

Join Our Mission:

We are looking for Family and Community Strengthening Project Coordinator (project summary shall be covered briefly)

Priority Task and Responsibility

Program Development (System Design/Planning)

• Design strategies and approaches that ensure effective and integrated implementation of project interventions across child protection, health, livelihood, and education.
• Develop detailed work plans and budgets that align with donor requirements, organizational standards, and community needs.
• Continuously collect, analyze, and share updates on program progress, challenges, and contextual developments.
• Contribute to the development of sustainability strategies, including exit plans and linkage with government systems.

Project Implementation

• Lead, coordinate, and oversee the implementation of project activities, ensuring quality, timeliness, and achievement of agreed targets.
• Coordinate and supervise the work of implementing partners and field teams to ensure harmonized and efficient delivery of services.
• Facilitate regular meetings with technical committees and field stakeholders to review performance, share learning, and resolve challenges.
• Build the capacity of relevant stakeholders (community groups, government offices, schools, health posts, CBOs, cooperatives, etc.) to improve education outcomes, child and family health, and livelihood opportunities.
• Promote active participation of grassroots institutions, faith-based organizations, and community leaders to strengthen ownership and sustainability.
• Oversee grassroots community dialogues and conversations on child protection, education, skills development, and health promotion.
• Manage project resources effectively, ensuring budget utilization is in line with planned activities and donor compliance.
• Identify risks to project success, develop mitigation strategies, and update risk management plans.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Coordination

• Conduct regular monitoring visits to kebeles and woredas, providing technical backstopping and ensuring adherence to work plans.
• Collect quantitative and qualitative data, including case studies, human interest stories, and best practices to demonstrate impact.
• Generate evidence and learning to inform adaptive management and scale-up opportunities.
• Produce accurate, timely reports (monthly, quarterly, annual) for donors, government offices, and the National Office.
• Work closely with the MEAL Coordinator to ensure high-quality monitoring systems, partner reporting, and evaluation processes.
• Actively participate in coordination platforms, technical working groups, and inter-agency forums at zonal and woreda levels.

Budget and Resource Management

• Prepare, manage, and monitor the project budget in collaboration with the finance team, ensuring effective and efficient use of resources.
• Track project expenditures against approved budgets and ensure compliance with donor and organizational financial guidelines.
• Review and authorize project-related expenses, ensuring accountability and transparency.
• Provide periodic financial updates to the Program Director and finance department, highlighting variances and recommending corrective measures.
• Support partners and field staff in financial planning, forecasting, and budget utilization to strengthen financial accountability.
• Contribute to budget planning for new proposals and sustainability strategies.

Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building

• Work closely with Key Implementation Partners (KIPs) from the community and relevant government sectors to ensure effective delivery of project interventions in both existing and newly targeted kebeles within the sub-city.
• Facilitate structured collaboration with the partners focusing on complementary service provision and joint programming to maximize collective impact.
• Strengthen coordination mechanisms with local authorities, schools, health centers, women’s associations, and youth groups to enhance community ownership and sustainability.
• Mobilize and leverage community assets and contributions to support project implementation and build local resilience.
• Support the capacity development of partners and community structures through training, mentoring, and technical assistance, ensuring alignment with project objectives and government priorities.
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with community leaders, elders, religious figures, women’s and youth groups, and local government structures.
• Ensure alignment of project activities with government priorities and strategies, fostering government ownership and policy linkages.
• Represent the project in joint planning, review, and coordination forums, advocating for synergy, resource-sharing, and policy linkage.

Staff Management

• Provide regular support and supervision to staff under direct line management. This includes the formulation of individual work plans (with agreed indicators of achievement) based on project work plans and/or job descriptions. It also includes regularly scheduled supervision and performance management meetings.
• Ensure performance goals of human resources in the department are discussed, documented, and aligned to the overall requirements and results of the program.
• Ensure effective performance management is in place through continuous communication, planning, monitoring, and objective performance evaluation to elevate employee performance and overall results.
• Ensure that staff have the skills to meet current and emerging needs by creating learning maps and training activities appropriate for the team.
• Responsible for gathering zonal level security information from the zonal security office and keeping on updating the field staff.

Documentation and Knowledge Management

• Document lessons learned, good practices, and innovations, and disseminate them within the organization and with partners.
• Support the preparation and facilitation of program review sessions, learning events, and donor monitoring visits.
• Ensure field officers and partner staff systematically document project results and share evidence-based learning.
• Maintain compliance with SOS CV’s Code of Conduct and safeguarding policy.

Additional Responsibilities

• Carry out other responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Line Manager.
• Stay informed on national and global trends in child protection, education, health, and livelihood programming to enhance project quality and relevance.

Our Ideal Candidate?

Let's find out if we're a match. The next step in our process depends on how your background closely aligns with the below criteria.

Essential Requirements (Must-Have):

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Disaster Management or Development Studies, Social Sciences, International Relations, or equivalent working experience.
• Experience: Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in managing multi-sectoral development (child protection, health, livelihoods, and education).

Desired Assets (Nice-to-Have):

• Demonstrated experience in coordinating, implementing, monitoring, and multi-sectoral development projects.
• Demonstrated experience in managing project budgets, financial tracking, and ensuring cost-effective use of resources.
• Strong experience working with government sectors, community structures, and NGOs in collaborative programming.
• Skilled in training, mentoring, and strengthening the capacity of local actors and partners.
• Experience in developing M&E framework, tracking indicators, and generating evidence-based reports.
• Demonstrated experience in report writing, documentation, and presentation skills.
• Willing to travel frequently to the project site.
• Ability to speak the local language relevant to the project intervention areas.

Competencies

• Understanding the organization and commitment to its vision and mission: able to clearly communicate SOS Children’s Villages Who We Are (Vision, Mission & Values), “Living our Values” policies and strategies in all areas.
• Project Management: Demonstrated ability to effectively develop project plans and budgets and ensure timely delivery of results.
• Sector Knowledge: Strong understanding of development issues in child protection, education, health, and livelihoods.
• Analytical Skill: Proven analytical skills and ability to think strategically, implement, and excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Community Mobilization: Skills to engage communities, build local ownership, and leverage community assets for sustainable program outcomes.
• People Development: Driven to improve others; proven track record in coaching & mentoring staff, giving feedback, and identifying development opportunities for co-workers.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to relate to people from all backgrounds.
• Cultural Difference: Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact, and diplomacy.
• Leadership: Competent to work with significant levels of autonomy and as a team player, and the ability to take the initiative and proven ability to work creatively, innovatively, and effectively to make decisions with limited direct supervision.
• Capacity Building: Ability to design and deliver training, mentoring, and technical support to staff, partners, and community stakeholders.
• Collaboration: Ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries and establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural environment.
• Stakeholder Management: Ability to effectively influence and liaise with key stakeholders on behalf of and in line with organizational beliefs.
• Flexibility: Demonstrated ability to be flexible and adapt to changing situations.
• Problem-Solving & Decision-Making: Ability to analyze complex situations, develop solutions, and make sound decisions under pressure.
• Safety and Security: Operating safely and securely in a humanitarian response, proven experience in risk management and implementing security policy/protocols.

Lead Competency

• Role Model: Act as a role model for the organization, living our values and inspiring and learning from others.
• Collaboration: Remove barriers to participation, share decision-making, and build partnerships.
• Empowerment: Promote inclusion and equitable sharing of power.
• Strategic Thinking: Live the values and mission, setting realistic goals and translating them into actionable plans.

Core Competency

• Kindness: Act with empathy towards everyone he/she works with.
• Continuous Learning: Make an effort to learn, understand, and grow as a person, admitting your own mistakes.
• Inclusiveness: In any actions, show respect and care for others.
• Initiative: Speak up when things are not right, do not hesitate to act, and adapt to change when necessary.
• Results Orientation: Look for solutions and focus on desired results.

Does This Sound Like You?

To apply, please submit your updated resume via SOS Children's Villages Application portal (ICIMS). We actively champion diversity and inclusion and strongly encourage women to step forward and apply. As part of our unwavering commitment to holistic safeguarding protecting children, youth, adults, and assets, our selection process emphasizes value alignment and includes thorough background checks for all potential hires. SOS Children's Villages in Ethiopia is an equal opportunity employer, providing fair consideration to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or class. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Skills Required:

• Political / Science / Ir
• Social / Science / Project / Management / Development