Project Officer (Bi-lingual – English and French) -Niger or Burkina Faso

Please note: There is one vacancy for the Project Officer position, which can be based in either Niger or Burkina Faso. Candidates must already have the right to work in the location (Niger or Burkina Faso) at the time of applying and for a minimum of two years.

INTRODUCTION TO GIRLS NOT BRIDES

Girls Not Brides is the only global organisation uniquely focused on creating and sustaining a worldwide movement to end child marriage and ensuring that this movement leads to tangible change for the girls at risk or affected by the practice. We are a network of over 1,400 civil society organisations in over 100 countries working in partnership to end child marriage.

Our vision is a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives. Our vision challenges deeply embedded social norms that harm the lives of girls, women and their communities.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ROLE

In addition to ongoing interventions and support of members in West Africa, we are implementing an Education Out Loud (EOL) project, which is a key initiative within Girls Not Brides to support civil society coalitions in their national and regional level advocacy to ensure that girls have access to quality education and are not at risk of child marriage in French-speaking West Africa. We do this primarily by supporting collaboration between the end child marriage coalitions and education coalitions.

Following a reflective first phase (2020-2023), Girls Not Brides is implementing Phase II of EOL with renewed strategic focus, including the need for dedicated project and administrative support within the Africa Team.

ABOUT YOU

We are seeking an enthusiastic Project Officer that will provide vital project coordination and administrative support to ensure the smooth implementation of current and future projects, including the EOL project. This role will primarily focus on reporting and documentation (including translations), organising events, liaising with civil society partners and supporting members and grantees engagement, and streamlining internal processes linked to project implementation. The Officer will also contribute to broader administrative support, including light financial review tasks, support grant making processes (including due diligence), data tracking, communications and logistics.

Contract

Fixed term full-time contract until March 2027. The successful candidate will work from home for much of the time, with IT and communication equipment provided by Girls Not Brides.

The successful candidate must have the right to work in one of the locations where Girls Not Brides team members are based at the time of applying, and for the full duration of the fixed term initial contract.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Coordination and Administration

• Provide administrative and logistical support to the Africa Team in the implementation of the current and future projects including the Education Out Loud project. This includes assisting with documentation, tracking partner deliverables, and supporting communication with grantees and members particularly in French-speaking West Africa and any other country you may be assigned, to ensure timely and accurate project implementation, reporting and compliance with donor requirements. Track and centralise narrative and financial reporting deadlines, supporting grantees and consultants to meet timelines and compliance requirements.
• Maintain organised documentation of project deliverables including reports, MEL data, financial submissions, and workshop outputs.
• Organise and support the logistics of project and activity related events, including workshops, webinars, and stakeholder consultations (virtual and in-person).
• Manage and coordinate translations and bilingual communication for project reports, events, and related materials.
• Support grant making processes, including due diligence processes as required.

Support to Grantees and Members

• Act as a liaison between Girls Not Brides and grantee focal points, supporting communications and helping navigate reporting and administrative requirements.
• Translate, review, and quality-check narrative and financial submissions from grantees.
• Support capacity building and mentoring of grantees in financial administration and reporting, in collaboration with the Finance Team.
• Support members engagement as needed, especially in West Francophone Africa.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)

• Coordinate the collation and organisation of MEL data and supporting documents related to project activities and grantee engagement, ensuring they are centrally stored and aligned with EOL reporting requirements.
• Support evaluation processes for events and workshops, including pre/post survey implementation and data management.

Finance and Compliance

• Assist in the verification of transactions and receipts submitted by grantees.
• Liaise with the finance team to ensure financial submissions from Francophone partners are accurate, complete, and appropriately documented.

Africa Team and Organisational Support

• Contribute to supporting administrative tasks across the Africa Team including formatting, data input and partner engagement coordination.
• Attend internal team meetings and contribute to reporting, learning, and planning processes.

Wider Organisational Responsibilities

• Commit to the mission and vision of Girls Not Brides, putting these at the forefront of all planning, work and actions.
• Uphold the core values of Girls Not Brides in all areas of work and interactions with colleagues, members, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Comply with Girls Not Brides’ policies and processes, with note for safeguarding, diversity and inclusion, the code of conduct and data protection.
• Fulfil any other reasonable requests for the advancement of Girls Not Brides.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential experience

• Significant professional experience in a similar level role in the not-for-profit sector, an international/intergovernmental organisation, a social movement, research centre or social enterprise.
• Fluency in both French and English.
• At least 4years of experience in a similar officer-level role involving administrative, project coordination, or grant management tasks.
• Familiarity with grant-making processes and the ability to follow up on grant requirements, including timelines, documentation, and deliverables.
• Experience working with or supporting grantee partners, particularly in a multi-country or regional context.
• Proficiency in collating and filing reports, data, and supporting documents in line with donor requirements.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with experience managing deadlines and multiple deliverables.
• Some knowledge of financial administration (e.g., reviewing expense reports, using Excel for tracking or budget support).
• Experience supporting MEL, workshop coordination, or evaluation activities.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a remote, multicultural team.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, especially across languages and cultures.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and Word and proficiency in database management systems such as Salesforce.

Essential skills and knowledge

• Excellent communication, networking and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to persuade and inspire others.
• Outstanding written communication, creative thinker, and the ability to write for
• different audiences.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Essential values and attributes

• Strong commitment to the mission and values of Girls Not Brides and our vision in relation to addressing child marriage and gender justice.
• Team player spirit, proactive and able to confidently take initiative and make appropriate decisions.
• Willingness to work flexibly and regularly travel internationally, as necessary.

Desirable

• Familiarity with SurveyMonkey, or similar digital platforms.
• Experience working with civil society organisations or donor-funded programmes, especially in West Africa.
• Basic understanding of MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning) principles is an asset.
• Understanding of issues related to education, child marriage, or gender equality in Africa.
• Based in West Africa (Burkina Faso or Niger)