Program officer

About the Freedom Fund

The Freedom Fund (www.freedomfund.org) is a leader in the global movement to end modern slavery. The Freedom Fund works to combat many different forms of extreme exploitation, including forced labour, sex trafficking, forced marriage, and the worst forms of child labour. The Freedom Fund:

invests in those countries and sectors with the greatest incidence of modern slavery.

analyses which interventions work best and shares that knowledge.

brings together a community of activists committed to ending extreme exploitation and empowered by the knowledge of how best to do so.

generates funding by demonstrating how effective interventions can protect those at risk of being exploited and free those in situations of exploitation.

In its first ten years, the Freedom Fund has supported over 174 organizations across countries in Africa, South America, South and South-East Asia.

About the position

This is a dynamic and challenging role for an exceptional individual with experience in managing and implementing survivor and/or child-centered programs with expertise in child domestic worker rights and protection as well as safer migration and/or anti-human trafficking.

The Program Officer will be responsible for managing awards to local partners, monitoring partners’ work for program quality and impact, conducting site visits, reviewing results of project progress, and convening meetings and events for partners, government officials, and other stakeholders.

They will assist in overseeing project quality and assuring that safeguarding processes and systems are in place and being implemented effectively.

They will also be expected to represent the Freedom Fund to the government, coordinating joint advocacy initiatives and convening meetings and events for partners, government officials, and other stakeholders.

They will be employed in the Freedom Fund’s Addis Ababa office and will be provided workspace to

successfully carry out the deliverables listed below.

Responsibilities

Working with a range of teams in London, including finance, HR, programs, fundraising and communications, as well as colleagues in Ethiopia, the successful candidate will manage and implement the Freedom Fund’s safer migration and child domestic workers’ programs in Ethiopia. Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Monitoring and implementation support

• Support implementation of the programs, working closely with local grantee partners, local government officials, and other key stakeholders.
• Work closely with local grantee partners to ensure they are able to meet donor compliance requirements and to complete financial and narrative reports.
• Conduct regular office and program site visits of grant recipients.
• Facilitate reviews of grant recipients’ operations, processes, and policies, such as financial reviews and organizational capacity assessments.

Reporting and DataManagement

• Review grant recipients’ quarterly data and financial reports, giving feedback and supporting grant

recipients to improve quality of their reporting.

• Provide financial oversight of grant recipient budgets and ensure strong financial management and reporting.
• Support the coordination of program-level research and evaluation projects among grant recipients.

Capacity enhancement and learning

• Identify and coordinate work with technical assistance providers.
• Coordinate and attend various meetings for a diverse range of stakeholders, including grant recipients, government stakeholders, and other service providers.
• Contribute to the development and coordination of capacity building plans for grant recipients.
• Assist in the facilitation of a learning community/network of implementing organizations/partners, and their outreach and advocacy.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of local and national level advocacy strategies, working closely with government representatives and advocacy networks.

Other support to the Freedom Fund team

• Provide logistical support for Freedom Fund representatives and other donors to visit the program.
• Communicate progress, challenges, and lessons learned related to program deliverables with members of the Freedom Fund team on a regular basis.
• Collaborate with other members of the Freedom Fund in other countries and headquarters, as needed.
• Carry out other relevant assignments on behalf of the Freedom Fund, as requested.

Compensation

• $23,230 to $29,944 per annum, depending on experience
• 11% pension contributions
• 33 days holiday pro rata, inclusive of public holidays

The Freedom Fund is an equal opportunities employer. In line with our values of respect, agility, and excellence, we value the strength of a diverse workforce and strongly encourage applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian, Indigenous or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, and from different socio-economic backgrounds. Applicants must be eligible to work in Ethiopia. The Freedom Fund will aim to meet candidates’ access requirements throughout the recruitment process. If this is applicable, then please notify us.

The Freedom Fund is committed to the importance of meaningful survivor inclusion and leadership. As such, particular consideration will be given to applicants with lived experience of trafficking and/or forced labor.

The Freedom Fund offers any candidates with lived experience of trafficking and/or forced labor the opportunity to have an informal and confidential pre-application chat with a member of our team to discuss suitability for the role as well as any reasonable adjustments that may be needed for the recruitment process. This conversation is intended to provide support to the candidate and will not have any negative impact on the recruitment process. Please get in touch at jobs@freedomfund.org

Background checks

As part of our commitment to the protection of children and vulnerable people in our work, any offer of employment with the Freedom Fund will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks to ensure we recruit only those who are suitable to work with children and vulnerable persons. These checks include Disclosure and Barring Service and/or International Criminal Records Checks, satisfactory references, proof of eligibility to work in the national location of this role and checks against the Office of Foreign Assets Control data list (OFAC) which highlights any connections to terrorism or trafficking.

At the Freedom Fund, we are conscious that some candidates may have criminal records resulting from their experience of trafficking and/or forced labor. Applications from individuals with a criminal record, or who have been formerly incarcerated are accepted. We welcome a confidential conversation on this as part of the pre-application chat noted above or at the point of an offer being made.

Any offer of employment or consultancy with The Freedom Fund will only be made following successful background checks conducted on the applicant. Such checks may be updated periodically during the period of employment or consultancy. Initial checks will only be undertaken at the point of a job offer being made, and always with the prior permission of the candidate.

Qualifications and experience

Essential

The Freedom Fund seeks an energetic, thoughtful and committed Program Officer. The successful candidate will have experience working with child domestic workers and/or migrant workers/returnees and/or marginalized communities and a track record of implementing development programs with a strong monitoring and evaluation background.

• 5-7 years of experience in project management/coordination and community development in Ethiopia.

• Knowledge and experience of managing migration/returnee reintegration and economic empowerment programs and/or child rights and child protection programs, including case management and/or child protection intervention protocols and standards.

• Knowledge of safeguarding in relation to child programming.
• Experience in engaging with a range of stakeholders and coordinating with government stakeholders
• Experience in financial management (forecasting, budget and financial report review)
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of local partners and programs, including data collection, data management, and financial monitoring.
• Grant management experience on behalf of international organizations to local civil society organizations.
• Fluent in Amharic and English.
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office tools (especially Word and Excel)
• Entitled to work in Ethiopia without work permit sponsorship by the Freedom Fund.

Personal attributes

Essential

• Team player committed to the Freedom Fund’s values and passionate about human rights issues.
• Ability to build relationships with a wide range of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work independently, displaying strong initiative in solving day-to-day problems with limited direction.
• Detail oriented, with ability to manage, track and organize data, including numerical data.
• Strong ability to take initiative and work with minimum supervision.
• Willingness and ability to travel, as required

How To Apply

Application procedure

Applications should be submitted in English and include a CV, cover letter (maximum one page), and contact details of two professional referees, one of which must be the applicant’s current / 

most recent line manager or current / most recent Head of HR. If professional referees are not applicable, 

personal references are welcomed, providing they are able to speak to the strengths listed in the above description.

Please send applications by email in PDF format to jobs@freedomfund.org, including ‘Program Officer

in Ethiopia’ in the subject line before 5pm Ethiopia time on the 30th of September 2024.

Please note that only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted. No phone calls please. No agencies please.