Mtoto Kwanza Project Officer

We are recruiting for key roles to lead successful implementation of this unique and exciting project. All positions will be based in the TECDEN Country Office in Dodoma.

Background

Tanzania Early Childhood Development Network (TECDEN) is a national umbrella network of Early Childhood Development (ECD) Civil Society Organisations working to promote Early Childhood Development in Tanzania by influencing change in policies, programmes and practices. Our work aims to impact the children holistic development, inspired by a vision that the rights and needs of all infants and young children must be realised to survive, grow, and develop to their full potential. TECDEN has been in operation since 2000 and is a leading platform for ECD dialogue coordination among civil society, government and other stakeholders.

TECDEN, in partnership with Children in Crossfire Tanzania, has recently secured funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to deliver an ambitious three years project championing ECD policy and programming advocacy. The project to be popularly known as “Mtoto Kwanza” will provide lead support to the government of Tanzania and the wider ECD stakeholders in supporting the implementation of the anticipated National Multisectoral ECD Programme (NM- ECDP) at national, regional and council levels.

Job Purpose

Based in the TECDEN Country Office in Dodoma, the Mtoto Kwanza! Project Officer will provide lead implementation support to the Project Manager for coordinating the activities and organisation of a project network of Local CSOs championing ECD across all mainland regions. This scope includes supporting capacity-building, ECD advocacy initiatives implementation, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and wider administration and troubleshooting across the project network of Local CSOs. The positions report to the Project Manager.

Major Responsibilities

• Provide project management support of the Sub-national strategy of the Mtoto Kwanza! Project, including all major activities contributing to strategy implementation and regional delivery of the government’s National Multisectoral ECD Programme (NM-ECDP);
• Provide project management support for supportive supervision and capacity-building of the project network of Local CSOs, including ECD technical competence, work plan development, and advocacy performance;
• Provide lead project administrative support to the project network of Local CSOs, including contracting, partner performance management, and reporting processes;
• Provide project management support for coordination and project facilitation of schedule of Biannual NM-ECDP Regional Progress Review Meetings across all regions, including consistent reporting mechanisms; and,
• Key role in documenting good practices and ensuring effective practice sharing across the project network of Local CSOs and the regional government

Specific Responsibilities

• Support the development of technical approaches and tools that enhance the positive impact of the
• Provide a wide range of technical and administrative assistance to Local Civil Society Organisation (LCSO) partners, including supporting the development of their costed advocacy workplans based on agreed project objectives and financial
• Provide direct ongoing technical and administrative support to the LCSOs for effective delivery of the
• Support capacity-building of the project network of Local Civil Society Organisation (LCSO) including biannual training sessions that provide capacity-building on areas of common objectives across the project network, as well as targeted capacity-building for specific LCSOs based on their needs;
• Assist in organising schedule of Biannual NM-ECDP Regional Progress Review Meetings across all regions with an array of ECD stakeholders at regional and council
• Assist in consolidating reports across Biannual NM-ECDP Regional Progress Review Meetings and synthesizing emerging key themes and findings for sharing with the national-level government monitoring mechanisms that coordinate progress review of the National Multisectoral ECD Programme.
• Support the development and maintenance of the project database, including the project scorecard on ECD performance to be positioned for use across all
• Assist in preparation and review of quarterly, annual and other reports and documentation for compliance and readability across the project network of Local
• Ensure documentation of the project best practices for sharing and replication across the project focus
• Frequent travel to the field to monitor program implementation and provide technical
• The role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and

Qualification

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree level in Early Childhood Development, Social Science or equivalent
• Minimum three (3) years of relevant area work experience in leading design and implementation of development
• Demonstrated understanding in working effectively with and building capacity of Local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), beneficiaries and
• Experience in supporting monitoring and learning processes in implementing development programmes, preferably in child development.
• Understanding of early childhood development (ECD) development programming and of the ECD landscape in Tanzania and familiarity with key
• Understanding of working closely with local government structures, systems and strategic points of engagement to integrate programmatic priorities in local government
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical and communication skills (both oral and written) with strong command of written English
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines under
• Strong analytical abilities, both quantitative and
• Problem-solving skills and excellent attention to
• Excellent knowledge of MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint,

Child Safeguarding:

• TECDEN is committed to keeping children and vulnerable adults safe, so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse.