Project Officer

Job ID: 101839
Job Title: Project Officer
Company: Self Help Africa
Location: Dedza and Thyolo, Malawi
Contract type: Fixed Term Full Time (12 months)
Reports to: Project Manager

Organisation Overview:

About Self Help Africa:

Established in 1984, Self Help Africa is an international development organisation that works through agriculture and agri-enterprise development to address hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impacts of climate change.

We believe that equitable economic development is key to lifting communities out of long-term poverty, empowering them to take control of their futures and improving their quality of life.

Our current five-year organisation strategy, defines our mission as the alleviation of hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impact of climate change through community led, market-based and enterprise-focused approaches, so that people can have access to nutritious food, clean water, decent employment and incomes, while sustaining natural resources.

Our three core values are:

• Impact: We are accountable, ambitious and committed to systemic change.
• Innovation: We are agile, creative and enterprising in an ever-changing World.
• Community: We are inclusive, honest and have integrity in our relationships.

About the ProjectJob Purpose:

The THANZI+ project goal is to improve nutrition outcomes and household resilience among vulnerable families in Dedza and Thyolo Districts through integrated nutrition-sensitive social protection interventions.
The specific objectives are to 1) Improve maternal, infant and young child nutrition practices and dietary diversity among vulnerable households through integrated complimentary measures interventions and 2) Strengthen community and district systems to sustainably deliver and coordinate nutrition-sensitive social protection services.

Operating under the global GIZ Modular Nutrition Actions (MONA) and implemented in Malawi under the GIZ Social protection program SPP and STEP UP projects, the THANZI+ seeks to operationalise Malawi’s Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection Framework through a community-based and government integrated complementary measures approach that
combines behaviour change communication, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, community savings groups, and systems strengthening. SHA will work with the Civil Society Organisations Nutrition Alliance (CSONA) through its affiliated members and government structures in both districts.

Job Purpose:

The Project Officer will lead the promotion and implemention of Nutrition sensitive social protection initiatives in Dedza or Thyolo District, working with targeted Traditional Authorities and communities. The role will strengthen nutrition outcomes among social protection beneficiaries and other vulnerable households through community nutrition education and behaviour
change, nutrition-sensitive livelihoods and agriculture, Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) platforms, and systems strengthening initiatives. The Project Officer will build the capacity of local structures, facilitate coordination and learning among district and community stakeholders, and support project partner implementation to ensure effective delivery and sustainability of project interventions.

Key Responsibilities:

1.  Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Knowledge Management Community Capacity Strengthening and Behaviour Change

• Strengthen the capacity of community and district-level coordination structures, including ANCCs, VNCCs, DSPCs, ASPCs, and Care Group Promoters, to implement nutrition-sensitive social protection and behaviour change interventions.
• Lead the implementation of Thanzi Sessions and other communitybased behaviour change approaches to improve nutrition, health, hygiene, and caregiving practices.
• Facilitate community nutrition education initiatives, including cooking demonstrations, caregiver support groups, and outreach activities that promote dietary diversity, exclusive breastfeeding, and appropriate complementary feeding.
• Build the capacity of community theatre groups and media actors to deliver effective nutrition-sensitive social protection, health, and hygiene messages through Theatre for Development (TfD) approaches.
• Promote community-based nutrition screening, referral, and followup mechanisms for vulnerable and social protection beneficiary households.
• Strengthen engagement of fathers, household decision makers, and other influencers in promoting positive nutrition, caregiving, and health-seeking behaviours.

2. Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems

• Support the establishment and management of nutrition-sensitive agriculture demonstration sites and learning platforms.
• Promote adoption of Integrated Homestead Farming (IHF) and other nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices to improve household food production and dietary diversity.
• Facilitate access to and uptake of diversified, biofortified, and nutrient-rich crops, vegetables, and small livestock among target households.
• Train and mentor community structures and frontline volunteers in nutrition-sensitive agriculture and sustainable food production practices.

3. Coordination, Systems Strengthening, and Sustainability

• Support district and community-level planning, coordination, and stakeholder engagement processes related to nutrition-sensitive social protection programming.
• Strengthen collaboration and functional linkages among social protection, nutrition, agriculture, health, and community development coordination structures.
• Facilitate joint monitoring, supervision, review, and learning processes involving government, community structures, and project partners.
• Develop and support implementation of sustainability and exit strategies to ensure continuity of community-led interventions beyond project completion.
• Establish and strengthen Community Feedback and Response Mechanisms (CFRM) to promote accountability, safeguarding, and responsive programming.

4. Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Knowledge Management

• Support beneficiary targeting, verification, and mapping of community structures using Management Information System (MIS/MSR) and programme data.
• Coordinate baseline assessments, routine monitoring, learning activities, evaluations, and end-line studies to track programme performance and outcomes.
• Document, package, and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, success stories, and evidence to inform programme improvement and scale-up.
• Maintain accurate programme data and contribute to timely reporting, knowledge management, and evidence generation.

5. Partnership Building and Programme Integration

• Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange with government departments, implementing partners, donor-funded programmes, and other stakeholders working in nutrition-sensitive social protection.
• Facilitate coordination and learning with initiatives such as GIZ MoNA, SPP IV, STEP-UP, and other relevant programmes to maximize synergies and avoid duplication.
• Represent the project in relevant technical working groups, coordination platforms, and stakeholder engagement forums as required.

Key Relationships:

The role reports to the Project Manager and supports project MEAL Coordinator to develop and implement an effective M and E system as well as working closely with Livelihoods and Resilience Programme Manager.

Qualification:

• At least bachelor’s degree preferred in Nutrition and Food Science, or any relevant field in line with Nutrition, Agriculture, Food systems, Resilience and Livelihoods and public Health.
• At least 5 years of practical experience in facilitating rural district nutrition sensitive social protection projects or other Nutrition development activities working with care groups and district and community nutrition and social protection structures
• Computer skills especially word processing, spreadsheets, and internet.
• Proactive and highly motivated individual who requires the minimum of supervision.
• Should be able to ride a motorcycle and have a valid motorcycle riding license

Knowledge, Experience and Other Requirements:

• Good interpersonal, communication, facilitation and report writing skills.
• Ability to foster and promote teamwork, collaboration, and inclusive participation within diverse multicultural environments.
• Strong respect and empathy for rural communities; a deep personal commitment to promoting women’s rights; as well as an affinity to SHA’s mission and values of human respect, partnership, and integrity.
• Proven experience in nutrition sensitive social protection works or nutrition and livelihoods related interventions.
• Proven experience of/and commitment to participatory methodologies to development, especially Community Based Management.
• Demonstrable understanding of safeguarding risks and mitigating actions.

How to Apply:

Full Job Description here.

Fill and send the attached Self Help Africa application form and also send your Cover Letter and CV in a single document (of not more than 3 pages) here.

The Deadline for Receiving applications is Wednesday 18th November 2026 at 5pm

Self Help Africa is an Equal Opportunities Employer:

All candidates offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.  Specific roles may require Police/DBS/ vetting.

Important information:

Self Help Africa is an international development charity and is committed to the safeguarding of all those who we come into contact with or through our work. We are committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour relating to our work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and we are committed to promoting the welfare of children and the people we aim to assist with whom Self Help Africa engages. Self Help Africa expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and uphold the values and behaviours outlined in the Code of Conduct and Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. Recruitment to all roles in Self Help Africa will include, and be subject to, a criminal records self-declaration, references, and other pre-employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checking. Self Help Africa is committed to the principles of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and will request information from previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse or sexual harassment during employment. By submitting an application, the applicant confirms her/his understanding of these recruitment procedures. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Self Help Africa is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking.