The application deadline is 29 August 2025, 23:59 (UTC)
Organization
Help a Child is a Christian international NGO specialized in community development with its headquarters in the Netherlands. Founded in 1968, Help a Child’s mission is to improve the wellbeing of children living in poverty and crisis through supportive communities. Currently, Help a Child is operating in Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, South Sudan, DR Congo, Rwanda, Somalia and India. Help a Child has been operating in Malawi since 2009.
We have been working with our partners in various regions of Malawi to implement community development programs that promote the well-being of children by empowering their families and communities. In cooperation with local NGO partners, Help a Child Malawi improves the resilience of households by implementing the Child Centered Community Development (CCCD) program. In this holistic program, various thematic interventions are combined. They focus on early childhood development, education & child rights, as well as youth development and economic empowerment.
Position
Programme Coordinator – Early Childhood Development/ECD CORDINATOR Malawi
Main purpose of the role
Help A Child in Malawi is currently recruiting for the position of Programme Coordinator for our ECD Programme. This programme builds on several years of HAC MW programming experience in early childhood development in Malawi. The major technical focus of our direct programming is early stimulation and early years learning, with aspects of child protection, nutrition and health coming in as cross-cutting considerations with locally contextualized responses.
Reporting directly to Programme Manager, the Programme Coordinator will have the lead responsibility for the quality delivery of the ECD Programme across impact districts. This is contingent on effective coordination, supervision and structured capacity building of local implementing CSO partners in programme delivery, as well as effective engagement and capacity building of regional administration and local government from the outset of the programme. The Programme Coordinator would be responsible for liaising with implementing partners to ensure effective field-level support.
Major Responsibilities
- Leading responsibility for ECD, the results framework, rooted in effective results-based management approach and high standard of field support.
- Ensure ECD Programme is delivered to high technical standards of early childhood care and education, and demonstrates a cycle of continuous reflection, learning and development of our ECD programming.
- To provide management support and supervision of local implementing CSO partners, ensuring high standard of ECD Programme performance and reporting.
- To ensure coordinated capacity-building support of local implementing CSO partners, geared to supporting partner organizational development and ECD programming capacity.
- To strategically collaborate with regional administration and local government of ECD Programme impact districts, seeking to systemically integrate ECD programming into local government processes.
- Focal responsibility to support operational management across ECD Programme with particular emphasis on high level of accountability in programmes financial management and results-oriented performance management.
Specific responsibilities
- Focal lead for the management and coordinated delivery of ECD Programme, in line with CCCD results framework, annual costed Programme workplans, and donor frameworks.
- Ensure ECD Programme is delivered to high technical standards of early childhood care and education, and demonstrates a cycle of continuous reflection, learning and development of our ECD programming.
- Direct management support and supervision of local implementing CSO partners supporting effective programme cycle management in ECD Programme delivery.
- Capacity-building of local implementing CSO partners that responds to programme-wide and organizational-specific needs.
- Engagement and partnership with regional administration and local government, providing lead support to strategic positioning and delivery of ECD in local government planning and implementation processes.
- Effectively contribute to ECD Programme development, ensuring local context informing implementation and innovations to maximise ECD results.
- Data collection and verification for informing programme MEL1 processes, including ensuring an efficient and high standard of reporting from local partners.
- Scope and liaise with other ECD programmes implemented locally that provide potential partnership opportunities to the CCCD Programme for coordinated delivery of complementary aspects of ECD in the impact districts and communities.
- Contribute to the representation and informed participation of the ECD programme in macro-level ECD dialogue and implementation.
- Demonstrate due diligence in management of ECD Programme budget management, including adherence to HAC-MW finances policies and procedures and endeavouring to achieve value for money and high transparency and accountability for programme resources.
- Lead HAC-MW support of programme-related performance management processes of local implementing partners, fostering results-oriented performance across partners.
- As the programme grows, results-oriented performance management of direct reports in HAC-MW CCCD Programme.
- Support narrative reporting of ECD Programme across internal and donor requirements.
- Key responsibility to ensure that all reasonable measures taken to ensure child protection across all operational aspects of ECD Programme.
- Report to the HAC-MW Programs Manager on strategic performance objectives that are developed and signed off on annual basis.
- Assist with wider organizational activities as and when required.
Person Specification
- Proven track record of at least 5 years NGO development programming implementation in Malawian context, especially programmes targeting child development (specific early childhood development experience highly preferred).
- Strong understanding and demonstrable experience of results-based management processes, including taking responsibility for MEL informing programme management and development.
- Demonstrable experience of providing effective programme coordination and targeted capacity-building support to local-CSOs (Civil Society Organizations) to deliver development programmes.
- Strong understanding and demonstrable experience of working closely with local government structures, systems and strategic points of engagement to integrate programmatic priorities in local government processes.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and other local languages
- Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline (such as social sciences, development studies, Public Administration and /or Political Science ).
Offer
Help a Child offers the opportunity to become part of an ambitious, child-centered, and Christian international NGO with a dedicated team of professionals motivated to maximize impact. Help a Child offers a fair pay and benefits package that is justifiable to our donors. Additionally, you will be offered a fixed term one (1) year contract. Depending on funding, performance, and fit with the staff, the contract may be extended.
How to apply
Interested and qualified candidates are kindly invited to apply before DATE
In your cover letter, please reflect on your motivation for wanting to become part of the Help a Child organization including a reflection on Help a Child being a child-centered and Christian organization.
The interviews will be at our office in Malawi, plot #14/189, Area 14 - Lilongwe.
Help a Child is committed to keeping children safe. All staff is required to sign and adhere to the Help a Child’s Integrity Policy. Recruitment is subject to the successful completion of all applicable background checks, including criminal record checks. In this recruitment process, we ask the candidate for consent for obtaining the Statement of Conduct. We also participate in the SCHR Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.
