Project Officer - Isiolo (ASCEND Project)

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Village Enterprise is a 501 non-profit organization that equips rural Africans living in extreme poverty with the resources to create sustainable businesses.

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Project Officer - Isiolo (ASCEND Project)

Job Type: Full Time

Qualifications

BA/BSc/HND

Experience

3 years

Location: Isiolo

Job Field: Project and Program Management

Position Summary

The Project Officer is a frontline implementation professional responsible for directly delivering Village Enterprise’s SPRINT digital Graduation methodology in assigned communities. The role manages the full participant and enterprise journey from community entry and targeting through digital learning, business formation, savings, coaching, financial and market linkages, and graduation follow-up while maintaining strong participant engagement and implementation quality.

Each Project Officer is expected to support the establishment of approximately 300–600 businesses during a 16-month implementation cycle, subject to approved country and project targets, geographical conditions, and resourcing. The role reports to the Program Officer, works independently across dispersed field locations, and coordinates community Tech Champions and partners without holding formal line-management responsibility unless specifically delegated.

Key Accountabilities

• SPRINT Delivery & Participant Journey (35%)
• Translate approved implementation plans into weekly and monthly community activity schedules and deliver all assigned SPRINT milestones.
• Lead community entry, geographic mapping, sensitization, targeting, verification, enrolment and group formation in line with approved protocols.
• Facilitate digital learning, entrepreneurship and livelihood training, savings group formation, coaching, mentoring, and market and financial inclusion linkages throughout the Graduation journey.
• Support establishment of approximately 300–600 viable group businesses per 16-month cycle, alongside corresponding savings groups and participant milestones specified in the approved plan.
• Track attendance, retention, participant progression, business functionality and savings-group performance; follow up promptly on participants needing additional support.
• Integrate gender equality, youth inclusion, climate resilience, participant agency and locally relevant adaptations within approved methodology.
• Digital Facilitation & Tech Champion Support (30%)
• Use approved SPRINT digital learning platforms and tools as the primary delivery mechanism, supplemented by appropriate in-person support.
• Identify, orient, train and coach community Tech Champions to facilitate learning, use digital tools and provide sustainable peer support.
• Support participants to access and navigate digital content, address routine digital-literacy and connectivity barriers, and escalate technical failures
• Maintain accurate digital activity and participant records using approved systems; avoid unauthorized parallel tracking tools.
• Share user feedback and practical insights with Systems and Product & Innovation teams to improve usability and implementation effectiveness.
• Program Quality, Monitoring & Adaptive Management (15%)
• Apply SPRINT implementation standards consistently across training, coaching, mentoring, savings and business support.
• Verify the completeness, accuracy and timeliness of participant and enterprise data, collaborating with MEL on spot checks and data-quality corrections.
• Use approved dashboards and monitoring findings to identify lagging groups, weak businesses, attendance gaps and emerging implementation risks.
• Document participant feedback, delivery innovations and lessons learned; propose feasible improvements without independently changing core methodology or eligibility rules.
• Community Engagement & Local Partnerships (10%)
• Maintain trusted working relationships with participants, community leaders, local administrators, private-sector actors and relevant service providers.
• Coordinate local stakeholder engagement and facilitate practical financial, input, business and market linkages for participant groups.
• Represent Village Enterprise in routine community and local government forums within delegated authority, escalating strategic commitments or sensitive issues.
• Field Resources, Grants & Reporting (10%)
• Plan and account for approved field activities, transport, materials and other resources, demonstrating value for money.
• Coordinate with Finance and the Program Officer to verify participant grant readiness, support timely disbursement, reconcile grant records and flag failed or outstanding payments.
• Submit accurate and timely weekly and monthly progress updates against assigned milestones, business and savings-group targets, and participant outcomes.
• Maintain organized supporting records for field verification, donor visits and audits; promptly flag operational constraints and budget variances.
• Safeguarding, Inclusion & Risk Management (10%)
• Safeguarding: "Safeguarding at VE is everyone's responsibility":
• You are expected to actively contribute to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all programme participants, particularly children and other vulnerable individuals. Your responsibilities include:
• Field-Level Safeguarding Implementation: fully implement safeguarding requirements in the field and that programme participants understand safeguarding prevention measures and reporting mechanisms.
• Regular Safeguarding Spot Checks: Conduct regular spot checks using the safeguarding spot check tool in Taro works and update the tool with accurate data.
• Safeguarding Awareness: Continuously sensitize programme participants on safeguarding risks, including child abuse, sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment, financial exploitation, and other forms of harm. Ensure participants understand the available safeguarding reporting channels and procedures for escalating concerns.
• Compliance with Safeguarding Standards: Comply with and promote adherence to VE’s safeguarding policies, Code of Conduct, and relevant safeguarding procedures across all programme activities, interactions, and practices.
• Reporting stickers: ensure that all the groups have access to reporting stickers and are properly displayed.
• Reporting and Escalation: Promptly report any suspected or actual safeguarding concerns or incidents involving children, adults, staff, or partners encountered in the course of work, using the organisation’s established reporting channels. Cooperate with authorized follow-up processes as required.
• Promoting and Maintaining a Safe Environment: Contribute to creating and maintaining a safe environment for children, adults at risk, staff, and other individuals encountered through work. Uphold dignity, respect, and safety in all interactions, and remain vigilant to potential safeguarding risks, taking appropriate action in line with organisational policies and procedures.
• Identify routine field risks and take authorized mitigating action; escalate serious compliance, security, reputational or implementation concerns promptly.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

University degree or equivalent qualification in development, business, social sciences, agriculture, project management or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

At least three years of relevant community-based development or NGO program implementation experience.

Experience in Poverty Graduation, livelihoods, enterprise development, savings groups or market systems development is strongly desirable.

Comfort facilitating digital learning and supporting community users of technology; familiarity with Salesforce, TaroWorks, dashboards or similar systems is an advantage.

Strong community facilitation, stakeholder engagement, written reporting, data quality and independent field problem-solving skills. ·

Proficiency in the working language(s) of the duty station; relevant local languages are an advantage. Ability to travel extensively to rural and remote communities.

Core Competencies

Participant-centred facilitation and inclusion; digital confidence and adaptability.

Strong field execution, ownership of targets and disciplined follow-through.

Data-driven problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Collaboration, integrity, sound judgment and effective local stakeholder relations.

Commitment to Village Enterprise values: Ubuntu, Passion, Integrity, Innovation and Sustainability.

Be a resident of Kina, Cherab and Isiolo Central Areas.

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