Project Area Coordinator

BACKGROUND

Rift Valley Children and Women Development Organization (RCWDO) is a local non-governmental organization established in 1993 G.C., operating across multiple woredas in Oromia Regional State, including East Bale, Bale, Arsi, West Arsi, East Shoa, Kellem Wollega, West Wollega, Guji, and West Guji zones. RCWDO implements projects under five program areas including livelihood, education, citizen rights, peacebuilding & governance, and emergency response in partnership with INGOs & NGOs, targeting populations affected by poverty and marginalization.

Currently, in partnership with Geneva Global Ethiopia (GGE) and funded by the Government of Finland and UNICEF, RCWDO is going to implement the project “Increasing Access to Protective and Inclusive Learning Opportunities for Crisis-Affected Children in Oromia, Ethiopia.” Key interventions include rehabilitating schools and providing WASH and MHM facilities, supplying learning materials and ICT equipment, and implementing Accelerated School Readiness and Accelerated Education Programs with inclusive curricula, life skills, and social-emotional learning. Teachers, facilitators, and communities are trained on child-centered, inclusive, and evidence-based approaches, and mobilized through school clubs, awareness campaigns, and parenting programs to foster safe and protective learning environments. Complementary protection and GBV activities, including referral pathways, awareness campaigns, and multi-sectoral coordination, ensure holistic development and resilience for marginalized children.

To this effect, RCWDO would like to invite qualified and competent applicants for the following positions.

Vacancy category: Internal/External

Job Title: Project Area Coordinator

Duty Stations: West Guji Zone

Reports to: Senior Education and Protection Program Officer

Accountable to: Executive Director

Contract Duration: Two (2) year

Required numbers: One (1)

Salary: As per organization’s scale

Job Overview

The West Guji zone project area coordinator provides overall technical and strategic leadership to ensure integrated, high-quality education, child protection, and GBV programming at zonal level. The role ensures coherent planning, implementation, and monitoring of Education in Emergencies, inclusive education, and protection interventions, while fostering strong collaboration between Education and CP/GBV teams. The Coordinator oversees accelerated and inclusive education programs, safe and child-friendly school environments, WASH and MHM facilities, ICT, SEL, and School Improvement Plans.

In parallel, the role leads survivor-centered child protection and GBV prevention and response, including case management, referral systems, psychosocial support, safeguarding, and PSEA compliance. The position includes direct supervision and capacity building of woreda-level staff, promotes staff care and ethical conduct, and represents the organization in zonal and inter-agency coordination forums. The Coordinator is responsible for monitoring, reporting, donor compliance, risk management, and accountability to affected populations.

Duties and Responsibilities

A. Strategic Leadership & Program Integration

• Provide overall technical leadership for integrated education, child protection, and GBV programming at zonal level.
• Ensure coherent planning, implementation, and monitoring of Education in Emergencies, inclusive education, and CP/GBV interventions.
• Promote synergy between Education Officers and CP/GBV Officers through joint planning, reviews, and field monitoring.
• Coordinate project-related human and material resources.

B. Education Program Oversight

• Oversee implementation and quality of Accelerated School Readiness (ASR), Accelerated Learning Programs (ALP), and inclusive education interventions.
• Ensure effective school rehabilitation, WASH and MHM facilities, and child-friendly learning environments.
• Support ICT integration, life skills, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) across supported schools.
• Provide technical backstopping on School Improvement Plans (SIPs), climate-smart schools, and community engagement initiatives.

C. Child Protection & GBV

• Ensure survivor-centered child protection and GBV prevention and response services across all project woredas.
• Oversee case management systems, referral pathways, and psychosocial support services.
• Ensure full implementation of safeguarding policies, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), and child protection minimum standards.
• Analyze CP/GBV trends and risks to inform adaptive programming and mitigation measures.

D. Supervision, Capacity Building & Staff Support

• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and performance management for Woreda Education Officers and CP/GBV Officers.
• Facilitate regular capacity-building initiatives for staff, teachers, facilitators, and community structures.
• Promote staff care, ethical conduct, and emotional wellbeing, particularly for protection staff handling sensitive cases.

E. Coordination, Partnership & Representation

• Represent RCWDO in zonal and inter-agency coordination forums related to education, child protection, and GBV.
• Strengthen collaboration with Zonal Education Offices, Women and Children Affairs Offices, and other relevant government bodies.

F. Monitoring, Reporting & Donor Compliance

• Consolidate and review woreda-level reports to ensure quality, accuracy, and timeliness.
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements, budgets, and reporting standards.
• Lead the tracking of key education and protection indicators, ensuring use of disaggregated data.

Job requirement

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree in educational psychology, Education or related field (Bachelor’s with extensive experience may be considered).
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in education, child protection, or humanitarian programming.
• At least 3 years of supervisory or coordination experience.
• Experience working with donor-funded projects.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Expertise in integrated education and protection programming.
• Excellent analytical and reporting skills.
• High ethical standards and safeguarding awareness.
• Ability to work effectively in emergency settings.

Language & IT Requirements

• Fluency in Afaan Oromo and strong working proficiency in English.
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel and other monitoring software

Other requirements for all positions

 

Code of conduct

Applicants are expected to uphold RCWDO’s and donor ethics and compliance standards, act with integrity, and prevent violations such as fraud, corruption, harassment, or conflicts of interest. Applicants must be willing to report any suspected breaches of the Code of Conduct or Safeguarding Policy and demonstrate ethical behavior in all aspects of their work.

Safeguarding

Applicants are expected to take responsibility for protecting and safeguarding all people we work with, including children and vulnerable adults. They must help prevent and report any misconduct by staff or partners, including sexual exploitation and abuse, neglect or abuse of children or adults at risk, and human trafficking.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage people with disabilities and/or women to apply for this position.