Programme Officer

Overview

Sightsavers is looking for a programme officer with experience in NGO economical enhancement and excellent project implementation skills.

Job title: Programme Officer

Job location: Kenya

Salary: Local Terms and Conditions apply
Contract: 24-month fixed-term contract, renewable subject to funding
Hours: Full time, standard office hours

Please note that this role is subject to confirmation of funding

Responsibilities

About the role

Sightsavers is implementing a 5-year IT skills and employability program across seven countries in Africa. The program’s central aim is to improve access to dignified and fulfilling employment for young people with disabilities across Africa, with a strong focus on young women. By providing market-aligned training, seed funding, and engaging with key stakeholders, the programme seeks to dismantle barriers to participation in the digital economy and promote inclusive workforce practices.

The Programme Officer will play a crucial role implementing this programme in Kenya. To be successful in this role you will demonstrate exceptional project implementation within NGO/INGOs, social impact, skills development or youth empowerment in Kenya. You will confidently manage stakeholder and partner engagement and have good knowledge and experience of disability inclusion, gender equality principles and inclusive employment principles.

Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified women and people with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.

Key duties will include:
Programme Implementation and coordination
• Support the development and execution of annual work plans, budgets, and activity schedule
• Coordinate implementation of digital, IT, and entrepreneurship training
• Facilitate partner engagement
Partnership Management
• Maintain regular communication with implementing partners to monitor progress and troubleshoot implementation challenges.
• Support capacity strengthening of partners on disability inclusion, safeguarding, MEAL requirements, and employment pathways.
Employer Engagement and Inclusive Employment Support
• Identify and pitch the programme to potential employers
• Link programme participants with potential employers for mentorships, internships and job opportunities
Compliance and Quality Assurance
• Support financial monitoring, ensuring expenditure aligns with approved budgets and financial policies.
• Promote disability‑inclusive and gender‑inclusive practices across all programme activities.
• Ensure safeguarding, child protection, and data protection standards are upheld by all partners and stakeholders.
Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Reporting (MEAL)
• Collect, verify, and analyse programme data in line with MEAL frameworks and donor requirements.
• Conduct field visits, learner assessments, partner supervision, and follow-up on beneficiaries’ progress.
This is not an exhaustive list of tasks, please see Job Description for further details.

The Programme Officer role will involve a small amount of national travel, specifics of this can be discussed at interview.

Skills and Experience

Essential Skills, experience, knowledge and core behaviours:

• Experience in digital skills training programmes, entrepreneurship promotion, or labour market initiatives.
• Experience with skills training/development, internships, employer engagement, disability inclusion
• Knowledge of Kenyan policies related to disability inclusion, digital transformation, and youth employment.
• Experience supporting Business and Disability Networks or private sector engagement.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, manage and effectively function as a team member and respect diversity in a team.
• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, ICT, Education, Development Studies, Disability Studies, Business, or related field.
• Demonstrable experience in project implementation within NGO, social impact, skills development, or youth employment programmes.
• Demonstrable working experience of disability inclusion, gender equality principles and inclusive employment principles.
• Experience of working closely with project partners
• Experience working with youth, TVET institutions, private sector employers, and/or OPDs.
• Strong coordination, communication, and partnership-building skills.
• Good analytical, reporting, and documentation abilities.
• Proficiency in digital tools and project management systems.

This is a varied role, please read the full job description for further details.

Benefits
Sightsavers offers a reward package based on local pay, local contracts and local benefits and will not normally offer international contracts. Sightsavers is committed to investing in the training and development of its employees and offers a supportive work environment.

Next Steps

To apply for this exciting new opportunity, please complete an application via our recruitment portal. We anticipate that interviews will take place in Nairobi the week commencing Monday 20 April.

Closing date: Monday 6 April
As a global equal opportunities employer, Sightsavers is committed to embracing diversity throughout our workforce by creating an inclusive environment that reflects the many cultures and locations where we work. Our workforce will be truly representative of all sections of society and we will actively promote the inclusion of individuals with a disability. Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified people with a disability and women are particularly encouraged to apply.

Sightsavers is an employer that does not tolerate any form of harassment and has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. All potential candidates will be subjected to rigorous background checks and controls.