Job Description
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT@ GIRLS EMPOWERMENT NETWORK (GENET)
POSITION: DISTRICT PROJECT COORDINATOR
Location: Mchinji District
REPORTING TO: Programs Support Manager
ABOUT
Girls Empowerment Network (Malawi) is a registered local women's rights organization working with children, girls and young women, their networks and communities to advance their rights to autonomy, choice, empowerment, and meaningful engagement. Its core functions are to address the needs and challenges of vulnerable and marginalized children, girls and women whose rights are frequently neglected. GENET is committed to contributing towards elimination of gender inequalities in health, education and economic opportunities, gender-based violence and gender discrimination and impact of climate change. GENET implements programmes in child marriage, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and gender-based violence.
JOB PURPOSE
The District Project Coordinator will coordinate overall project implementation and stakeholder engagement at district level, ensuring that Child Rights Governance, Child Protection and Education activities are delivered on time, on budget, and to a high technical standard. The role holder will provide day-to-day oversight and technical support to Project Officers, represent the programme with district stakeholders, and ensure strong linkages between community structures, government systems and GENET's national office.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Tikwaniritse ndi Kuteteza Ufulu wa Ana (TiKuMA Programme) is a Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) Framework Agreement funded programme implemented through Save the Children. The goal of the programme is for all children to enjoy their right to education and be protected through strong community and government systems by 2028. Contributing towards this goal, Save the Children (SC) and GENET, together with other partners, will create hubs of excellence in the two districts of Balaka and Mchinji to generate experience and evidence for replication and scale. To achieve this, the programme will work with civil society, government actors and children themselves within three interrelated thematic areas: Child Rights Governance (a strong government system that is accountable, responsive, inclusive and transparent in respecting, protecting and fulfilling the rights of children); Child Protection (children are protected from child marriage, sexual and gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies and emotional abuse, and have their sexual and reproductive health and rights fulfilled); and Education (children access and complete quality, inclusive basic education with improved competencies in foundational literacy and numeracy). This five-year programme targets 74,800 children from 100 primary schools and 11,500 out-of-school adolescent girls and boys in the two districts.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
TECHNICAL
Strengthen inclusive children's participation at community, district and national levels to inform decision-making on key child rights issues.
Identify and strengthen platforms for the meaningful participation of boys and girls, including those with disabilities and those affected by inequality and discrimination, ensuring these platforms are established and functional.
Ensure that Child-Centred Social Accountability (CCSA) platforms are empowered to monitor social service delivery for children at local level.
Identify and support strategies to enhance male engagement, at family and community level, in ending child marriage, child neglect, sexual violence and exploitation, and in promoting adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) and girls' education.
Lead community mobilization and engagement for gender and social norm transformation, driving social and behavioural change on child marriage, sexual violence against children, and negative attitudes towards ASRH.
Identify and build the capacity of formal and informal systems to prevent and respond to child marriage, sexual violence and exploitation, and emotional abuse, with improved ASRHR and disability-inclusive services.
Lead the training of Case Workers and Child Protection Workers in integrated case management, and receive supportive supervision from trained Social Welfare Officers.
Ensure that the child protection system at district and national level is integrated with key social services and is fully functional.
Support the establishment and strengthening of information management systems for ending child marriage and for child protection more broadly.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Support the development of concept notes, work plans, budgets and other related activities within the programme.
Support monitoring and evaluation of activities, including preparation of monitoring reports, documents and lessons learned.
Contribute actively to the preparation of internal and donor reporting requirements.
Work with the team to budget for project activities and ensure compliance with GENET's finance policy and other organizational policies.
Ensure that project activity budget expenditures are allowable according to programme and donor regulations.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
Participate in and represent the project in relevant forums; explore and nurture new and existing partnerships that contribute to meeting project objectives.
Develop partnerships with community-based child protection structures, traditional and religious leaders, women's groups, school management committees, health providers and other organized community groups, to orient them on programme goals and solicit their involvement in implementation.
Develop close collaboration with non-governmental organizations implementing the programme to facilitate cross-organizational learning.
Represent the programme in district forums to share good practice and support the achievement of advocacy and policy objectives.
PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
Contribute to writing proposals and concept notes and to designing new programmatic interventions focusing on child protection, child rights governance and education.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Document and maintain an inventory of successful tools and approaches for child protection, child rights governance and education programming.
Assist in developing business plans, briefings and public relations material related to the TiKuMA Programme.
Support the programme's visibility through participation in technical meetings and conferences, development and delivery of presentations, and engagement in technical discussions and working groups with partners and donors.
ADMIN AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Support the day-to-day management of activity budgets, including processing field imprests and other financial transactions.
Ensure timely accounting for the use of project resources by stakeholders and communities, in liaison with the finance team.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION
Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, Public Health, Social Communication or a related discipline.
Demonstrated practical technical skills in child protection or adolescent/youth programming, necessary for strengthening service delivery at facility and community level.
EXPERIENCE
At least 3 years' relevant experience implementing child protection, child rights governance and adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes.
Experience working with internationally donor-funded programmes.
Familiar with managing the IPTT and ATT.
Experienced in writing quality donor reports.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with government representatives, private-sector entities, local community organizations, donors and other stakeholders, particularly at sub-national level, including experience building service delivery quality and utilization.
Experience implementing projects involving diverse partners, consortiums and operations.
COMPETENCIES
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to work with a multi-disciplinary project team across cultural diversities.
Good coordination, problem-solving and networking skills.
Ability to work independently, including in remote or hard-to-reach areas.
Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work under pressure and within strict deadlines.
Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work.
High level of integrity and honesty.
Flexible and adaptable.
Ability to work under minimal supervision.
Committed to child protection issues.
Deadline: 21st August 2026
Apply to:
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdrSRHGPGe.../viewform...
GENET does not charge any fees during recruitment. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable groups.
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