ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUND

AMSCO Advisory Services has been engaged by an international nonprofit organisation to recruit a Community Access and Subaward Advisor based in Lusaka, Zambia.

The organisation works with local, national, regional and global partners to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a particular focus on ensuring that high-quality safe abortion and contraceptive information and services are available, accessible and acceptable to women and girls.

The organisation recognises that addressing unintended pregnancy among women and girls requires holistic approaches that strengthen empowerment, support informed decision-making on sexual and reproductive health, engage men and boys, and expand opportunities for women and girls. Limited access to comprehensive sexuality education and affordable, appropriate contraception and safe abortion services remains a key contributor to sexual and reproductive health risks.

POSITION PURPOSE

The Community Access and Subaward Advisor works with the in-country team to plan, implement and monitor innovative community engagement projects that increase awareness of and access to women’s reproductive healthcare in the country of responsibility.

The position ensures meaningful and effective integration of women’s reproductive health perspectives across country-level programme outputs and collaborates with partner NGOs to build capacity, effectively execute programmes and advance the organisation’s vision of improving community efforts relating to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The Advisor identifies, coordinates and implements training and awareness-raising programmes and workshops for different community groups, including adolescents and young people, traditional and faith leaders, women’s groups and other relevant stakeholders, to increase knowledge, reduce barriers and address stigma relating to sexual and reproductive rights.

The Advisor will also oversee and contribute to the design, development and distribution of relevant Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and training materials.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Organisational Leadership and Strategy

• Contributes inputs to, or reviews assigned sections of, the strategic plan.
• Participates in implementation of the local strategic plan in assigned areas.
• Works collaboratively with other teams and units.
• Takes responsibility for deliverables and results within assigned areas of work.

Financial and Risk Management

• Ensures good stewardship of funding within assigned project activities.
• Implements risk-reduction plans.
• Understands and ensures compliance with organisational policies, procedures and standards, as well as donor contracts and regulations applicable to assigned projects or activities.
• Ensures compliance with organisational quality standards in assigned projects or areas.
• Leads the subaward cycle for assigned partners, from due diligence and selection through agreement, capacity building, disbursement, monitoring and close-out, in accordance with organisational and donor requirements.
• Reviews subawardee/partner financial and narrative reports against agreed budgets and work plans and follows up outstanding queries with the Finance team.

Technical / Functional Responsibilities

• Develops community access project designs, timelines, budgets and work plans in collaboration with in-country teams.
• Establishes and develops relationships with organisations, institutions and interested groups to promote knowledge, skills and social support so that women can exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.
• Designs and implements community-based interventions, training programmes and awareness-raising workshops in coordination with partner institutions and organisations.
• Supports partner organisations in developing effective strategies and assists in monitoring work plans and budgets, ensuring that projects remain aligned with organisational strategy and donor requirements.
• Participates in the development and facilitation of capacity-building training for partner NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs).
• Participates in programme and project monitoring and evaluation processes and ensures that CBOs and women’s groups comply with organisational standard operating procedures relating to proposals and reporting.
• Researches, prepares, reviews and disseminates relevant research publications, IEC messages, community programme materials and training curricula for use by in-country programmes.
• Works with vendors and designers to ensure materials appropriately reflect the organisation’s mission and that training and orientation materials are applicable to different community groups.
• Provides high-level technical assistance to allied groups on methodologies and logistics required for knowledge sharing.
• Ensures regular reviews of assigned projects and activities.
• Shares data and participates in problem-solving within assigned work areas.
• Provides technical leadership and innovative problem-solving for assigned projects and activities.

Resource Mobilisation

• Contributes to donor reports and externally facing documents.
• Contributes to proposal development within relevant technical areas.

Communications & Representation

• Represents the organisation externally, primarily with contractors or consultants.
• Documents learning and results.
• Contributes message content and technical expertise to communication initiatives.
• Supports strong partnerships in project and activity implementation.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Ability to work effectively with diverse community populations, including adolescents and women’s groups, particularly in communication and training.
• Ability to negotiate and communicate effectively with leadership of state and private organisations.
• A deep commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights, particularly abortion and contraception access.
• Proven ability to build positive working relationships with diverse internal teams and external partners.

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field.

EXPERIENCE

• 4–6 years of relevant professional experience.
• At least 3 years’ experience in project management within the Public Health field, with emphasis on monitoring programme improvement.
• Demonstrated experience planning and facilitating community events, workshops and training.
• Working knowledge of medical abortion provision and the clinical and legal framework governing it.
• Working knowledge of conceptualising, implementing and monitoring communication initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience in subaward or grant management, including partner due diligence, agreement management and compliance monitoring.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge and experience in community mobilisation, capacity building and training of community groups.
• Experience monitoring and mentoring communication initiatives in the field.
• Working knowledge of community entry strategies.
• Strong project management skills.

• Contributes inputs to, or reviews assigned sections of, the strategic plan.
• Participates in implementation of the local strategic plan in assigned areas.
• Works collaboratively with other teams and units.
• Takes responsibility for deliverables and results within assigned areas of work.
• Ensures good stewardship of funding within assigned project activities.
• Implements risk-reduction plans.
• Understands and ensures compliance with organisational policies, procedures and standards, as well as donor contracts and regulations applicable to assigned projects or activities.
• Ensures compliance with organisational quality standards in assigned projects or areas.
• Leads the subaward cycle for assigned partners, from due diligence and selection through agreement, capacity building, disbursement, monitoring and close-out, in accordance with organisational and donor requirements.
• Reviews subawardee/partner financial and narrative reports against agreed budgets and work plans and follows up outstanding queries with the Finance team.
• Develops community access project designs, timelines, budgets and work plans in collaboration with in-country teams.
• Establishes and develops relationships with organisations, institutions and interested groups to promote knowledge, skills and social support so that women can exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.
• Designs and implements community-based interventions, training programmes and awareness-raising workshops in coordination with partner institutions and organisations.
• Supports partner organisations in developing effective strategies and assists in monitoring work plans and budgets, ensuring that projects remain aligned with organisational strategy and donor requirements.
• Participates in the development and facilitation of capacity-building training for partner NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs).
• Participates in programme and project monitoring and evaluation processes and ensures that CBOs and women’s groups comply with organisational standard operating procedures relating to proposals and reporting.
• Researches, prepares, reviews and disseminates relevant research publications, IEC messages, community programme materials and training curricula for use by in-country programmes.
• Works with vendors and designers to ensure materials appropriately reflect the organisation’s mission and that training and orientation materials are applicable to different community groups.
• Provides high-level technical assistance to allied groups on methodologies and logistics required for knowledge sharing.
• Ensures regular reviews of assigned projects and activities.
• Shares data and participates in problem-solving within assigned work areas.
• Provides technical leadership and innovative problem-solving for assigned projects and activities.
• Contributes to donor reports and externally facing documents.
• Contributes to proposal development within relevant technical areas.
• Represents the organisation externally, primarily with contractors or consultants.
• Documents learning and results.
• Contributes message content and technical expertise to communication initiatives.
• Supports strong partnerships in project and activity implementation.

• Ability to work effectively with diverse community populations, including adolescents and women’s groups, particularly in communication and training.
• Ability to negotiate and communicate effectively with leadership of state and private organisations.
• A deep commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights, particularly abortion and contraception access.
• Proven ability to build positive working relationships with diverse internal teams and external partners.
• Knowledge and experience in community mobilisation, capacity building and training of community groups.
• Experience monitoring and mentoring communication initiatives in the field.
• Working knowledge of community entry strategies.
• Strong project management skills.

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or a related field.
• 4–6 years of relevant professional experience.
• At least 3 years’ experience in project management within the Public Health field, with emphasis on monitoring programme improvement.
• Demonstrated experience planning and facilitating community events, workshops and training.
• Working knowledge of medical abortion provision and the clinical and legal framework governing it.
• Working knowledge of conceptualising, implementing and monitoring communication initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience in subaward or grant management, including partner due diligence, agreement management and compliance monitoring.