Programme Support Officer

Main purpose of job:

The British Embassy in Harare is looking for a dynamic and capable Programme Support Officer to support delivery across its Policy & Programme Teams. The officer will be part of a strong team at the heart of the Embassy, working to deliver our “Partnerships for Growth” agenda in Zimbabwe. This will involve work on both project delivery and supporting policy engagement across a range of thematic areas such as health, education, climate, rights, economic development and trade and investment. The right individual will be able to flex according to emerging opportunities as they arise, helping the Embassy team adapt and respond to short-term changes while also helping deliver long term goals.

As a Programme Support Officer the individual will be responsible for supporting delivery of several projects and policy areas, working with the Lead Advisers, programme managers, Project Responsible Officers (PROs) and Senior Responsible Owners (SROs). In the project space, the successful candidate will help ensure the team’s adherence to FCDO’s Programme Operating Framework (PROF) Rules, although may need advice/guidance on more complex issues. The Officer is expected to have a good understanding of project cycle management and at least a basic understanding of the technical concepts of projects they work on and collaborate effectively with Advisers on technical and other policy issues.

Although based in the Policy and Programme Team, the Programme Support Officer is expected to support Embassy-wide events, including helping deliver the Embassy’s engagement at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo and the Kings Birthday Party in Harare as examples. The individual may also be assigned additional Embassy-wide corporate responsibilities for team and/or business unit according to capability and workload considerations.

Roles and responsibilities

This is an exciting role helping to deliver the UK’s Partnerships for Growth agenda, working towards mutual benefit for the UK and Zimbabwe. While primarily an internal support role, the post holder will be expected to support the Policy and Programme Team’s  external network at an appropriate level, for example ministry counterparts or relevant sector agencies.

The British Embassy Harare is committed to supporting all staff with their career development plans and the post holder will have the opportunity to access significant on the job learning as well as discussing opportunities for other structured learning and development with their line manager.

In this role you will be responsible for:

PROGRAMME DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT SUPPORT – Effectively support the management of programme activities and resources relevant to each stage of the project management cycle to deliver value for money and results in compliance with PROF Rules. This includes:

• Contributing to programme design;
• Managing routine due diligence exercises;
• Developing/maintaining risk registers and undertaking continous risk management, proactively highlighting and escalating concerns to an appropriate level (especially on key risk areas such as fraud, corruption and safeguarding);
• Developing and maintaining strong relationships with partners and suppliers and organising partner meetings and calls to ensure regular programme engagement;
• Contributing to annual reviews and project completion reviews;
• Organising field visits and carrying out compliance spot checks, and
• Ensuring effective document and knowledge management.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT –  Support effective management of the financial resources, processes and systems for programmes to achieve value for money, accountability and effective budget utilization in compliance with PROF rules. This will involve:

• Proactively managing financial forecasts, working closely with spending partners, Advisers and SROs to create realistic and up to date spending forecasts, and
• Reviewing partner/supplier financial reports checking for variances and VFM issues.
• Ensuring all requisitions, purchase orders and receipting/payment of invoices meet FCDO’s financial rules, and are linked to agreed project milestones and/or partner or supplier reporting obligations.
• Report all concerns of fraud at the earliest opportunity and take appropriate steps to address them.

CORPORATE CONTRIBUTION AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT – Provide administrative support to the Policy and Programme Team, inclulding the Development Director, e.g. in organising Zimbabwe development partner forum (ZDPF) meetings; and in organising / supporting organisation of Ambassador visits, partner meetings and other field visits. Play an active role in wider embassy life, including through participation in key committees and boards (e.g. the Wellbeing Committee, or Post Operations Committee) and helping organise cross-embassy events, such as ZITF, King’s Birthday Party etc. Support coordination and compliance of corporate procurement for the wider Embassy operations and Corporate Services team.

The above list is not exhaustive, and you will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required, within and beyond the Policy and Programme Team e.g. to support Corporate Service, consular or other teams as needed. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs.

RESOURCES MANAGED

The officer will be based in the Policy and Programme Team and have access to expert knowledge and advice from programme management, economic, climate, health and education colleagues.

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• At least 5 years’ experience in supporting programme management or project delivery
• Base salary is subject to tax and other statutory deductions
• Excellent organisational skills and proven ability to juggle competing priorities and multiple work streams
• Experience managing multiple projects and/or complex programmes
• Demonstrated understanding of programme cycle management, and some experience of managing parts / all of the project lifecycle: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and evaluation
• Ability to build effective working relationships at appropriate level with a broad range of colleagues and external partners in Government, with implementing partners in the private sector, NGOs and the UN
• Proven self-starter with the ability to drive the delivery of measurable outcomes/results and overcome obstacles when working with and through others
• Attention to detail, sound judgment, problem-solving abilities, exceptional service delivery, collaboration, stakeholder management, and clear communication (both written and oral skills).
• Ability to represent your organisation professionally at appropriate level. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision but also a great team player.