Programme Officer - DRC

The Programme Officer will provide day-to-day programme leadership, coordination and implementation oversight for m2m's ViiV Healthcare Positive Action project, Scaling Peer-Led HIV and RMNCAH Care in Kinshasa. The role is responsible for translating the approved project design, workplan and technical direction into high-quality implementation across selected high-volume health facilities and surrounding communities in Kinshasa.

The Programme Officer will coordinate and oversee the field implementation of m2m's peer-led, digitally enabled HIV and RMNCAH model, including HIV case identification, adherence and retention support, stigma reduction, prevention of vertical transmission, early infant diagnosis, paediatric HIV follow-up, RMNCAH integration, community-facility referral and linkage, and digital client management through CHARM.

The position will line manage and support Site Coordinators, who in turn supervise Peer Mentors, and will work closely with the M&E Officer. The Programme Officer will ensure that implementation is timely, client-centred, data-driven, compliant with m2m standards and donor requirements, and aligned with DRC national and subnational health systems.

Key Performance Areas

Programme Implementation and Field Oversight

• Lead day-to-day implementation of the ViiV DRC project in line with the approved proposal, workplan, budget, implementation plan, donor requirements, and m2m standards.
• Develop, maintain and track detailed implementation workplans, activity schedules, milestone trackers, action logs and project calendars.
• Coordinate project start-up, implementation reviews, routine programme meetings, learning reviews and close-out processes.
• Ensure effective deployment and functioning of Site Coordinators and Peer Mentors across supported health facilities and surrounding communities.
• Monitor implementation progress against agreed deliverables, targets and timelines; identify bottlenecks early and coordinate corrective action.
• Ensure strong community-facility continuity of care across HIV, PMTCT, early infant diagnosis, paediatric HIV, adolescent services and relevant RMNCAH interventions.
• Coordinate implementation of structured missed-appointment tracing, referral and linkage systems, telephonic follow-up and home visits in accordance with approved protocols.
• Maintain visibility of operational risks, dependencies, implementation gaps and unresolved actions, escalating issues that require senior or specialist intervention.

Line Management, Supportive Supervision and Workforce Performance

• Provide direct line management, coaching, mentoring and performance oversight to Site Coordinators.
• Ensure Site Coordinators provide regular, structured and documented supportive supervision to Peer Mentors and maintain appropriate follow-up of performance issues.
• Support recruitment, orientation, onboarding and deployment of Site Coordinators and Peer Mentors in collaboration with HR and relevant programme and technical colleagues.
• Ensure clear role expectations, supervision lines, referral protocols and accountability mechanisms are understood and applied at site and community level.
• Coordinate performance goal-setting, probation and performance review processes for direct reports in line with m2m policy.
• Identify staff capacity gaps and coordinate remedial support, coaching, refresher training and learning plans.
• Support delivery and uptake of pre-service, CHARM digital and in-service training through m2m Smart Learning Solutions (SLS), including follow-up of competency and certification requirements.
• Promote a respectful, accountable, inclusive and learning-oriented team culture consistent with m2m values.

Technical Quality, QA/QI and Client-Centred Service Delivery

• Ensure field implementation reflects approved m2m technical guidance and relevant DRC national HIV, PMTCT, paediatric, adolescent, RMNCAH and community health policies and protocols.
• Work with technical leads and government counterparts to support fidelity to the Mentor Mother model and integration within routine facility and community systems.
• Coordinate routine quality assurance and quality improvement activities, including supportive supervision, service quality reviews, corrective action plans and follow-up.
• Ensure stigma reduction, psychosocial support, disclosure support, confidentiality, gender-responsive approaches and respectful client-centred care are embedded in service delivery.
• Support Site Coordinators and facility teams to identify service delivery gaps affecting adherence, retention, viral suppression, early ANC, EID, paediatric follow-up and referral completion, and to implement practical improvement actions.
• Promote integration of maternal and paediatric follow-up so that pregnant and breastfeeding women, HIV-exposed infants, children, adolescents and caregivers receive coordinated continuity-of-care support.
• Escalate technical quality, safeguarding, clinical or service-delivery risks promptly to the appropriate technical or management lead.

Monitoring, Data Use, CHARM and Programme Reporting

• Work closely with the M&E officer and GSH colleagues to ensure routine collection, verification, analysis and use of high-quality programme data.
• Support the effective use of CHARM for client registration, risk assessment, service delivery tracking, referrals, missed appointment tracing, follow-up and longitudinal client management.
• Review routine dashboards and site-level performance data to monitor progress against key project indicators and identify areas requiring corrective action or intensified support.
• Ensure Site Coordinators conduct routine data review and validation with facility teams and that programme data is aligned, where applicable, with health zone reporting workflows.
• Coordinate monthly implementation and performance reviews and support quarterly health zone reviews using dashboards, triangulated data and documented corrective actions.
• Compile and coordinate accurate, timely programme inputs for internal reports, donor progress reports, management updates, presentations and project reviews.
• Support six-monthly reporting to ViiV Healthcare and contribute to the end-of-project report, ensuring that achievements, challenges, adaptations, corrective actions, lessons and sustainability milestones are clearly documented.
• Maintain organized project documentation, decision logs, meeting records, action trackers and implementation evidence on agreed m2m platforms.

Government, Facility, Community and Partner Engagement

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with health authorities and other relevant government stakeholders.
• Coordinate routine engagement with health zone and facility leadership to support site entry, micro-planning, service integration, supervision, data review, problem-solving and accountability.
• Ensure the project works through and strengthens existing community structures
• Represent m2m in relevant technical coordination meetings as delegated.
• Support coordination with civil society organisations, implementing partners and other stakeholders to strengthen referral pathways, reduce duplication and improve continuity of care.
• Promote m2m's professional reputation through responsive communication, high-quality implementation, disciplined follow-up and constructive partnership behavior.

Qualifications, Experience and Competencies

• Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Nursing, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Project Management or a related field. A relevant postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• Minimum five (5) years of relevant experience in public health or development programme implementation, including experience coordinating field-based teams and multi-site implementation.
• Demonstrated experience in HIV programming, preferably including PMTCT/prevention of vertical transmission, paediatric HIV, adherence and retention, community health and/or RMNCAH.
• Experience supervising or supporting community health workers, Peer Mentors, Mentor Mothers or similar community-based cadres.
• Demonstrated experience in line management, supportive supervision, coaching and performance management.
• Experience working with Ministry of Health structures, health zones/districts, health facilities, community structures and implementing partners.
• Experience using programme data for performance management, quality improvement and adaptive implementation.
• Experience supporting donor-funded projects, workplans, budgets, reporting and compliance processes.
• Experience with digital health or electronic client-management/data systems is strongly desirable
• Training or facilitation experience is an advantage.

Competencies:

• Strong programme coordination, planning and implementation management skills.
• Strong people leadership, coaching, team-building and performance management skills.
• Sound understanding of HIV service delivery, PMTCT, paediatric HIV, adherence and retention, community health and integrated RMNCAH programming.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret programme data, identify trends and translate findings into corrective action.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, negotiation and relationship-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, documentation and reporting skills.
• Strong organisation, prioritisation, time management and attention to detail.
• Ability to identify risks, solve operational problems and escalate appropriately.
• Digital literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Office and comfort working with digital project and client-management systems.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a matrixed, multicultural environment and manage multiple concurrent priorities.
• Commitment to confidentiality, safeguarding, gender equity, respectful care, accountability and m2m values.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and team building skills
• Dynamism, independence and creativity
• Fluent in French, proficiency in English and local languages essential
• Willing and able to uphold m2m values

Reporting & Team Structure

• Reports to: Senior Programme Manager
• Collaborates with: Internal: m2m DRC management team, colleagues and Mentor Mothers, maternal and child health nurses, and health zone data officers.

External: Health Facility Staff & Maternal and Child Health staff, partner organizations, and other key stakeholders at health zone and local level.

Working Conditions

• Employment Type: Full Time
• Location: DRC, Kinshasa
• Travel Requirements: Frequent local travel to supported health facilities and surrounding communities is required for programme oversight, supervision and stakeholder engagement.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based incentives
• Comprehensive benefits (health, retirement, leave)
• Opportunities for growth, leadership, and professional development