Programme Officer

Capacity Development Officer 

Title: Capacity Development Officer 

Contract Type: Employee, full time 

Contract Duration: Fixed term contract (until April 2025, subject to renewal) 

Reporting to: Capacity Development Manager 

Location: Combination of home-based and working from London office at least once a week 

Requirements: UK citizens and other applicants who already possess a valid work authorisation

Application deadline: 19 May 2024 

About the NCD Alliance 

The NCD Alliance (NCDA) is a global civil society alliance of 400+ civil society members across 80 countries dedicated to supporting a world free from preventable suffering, disability and death caused by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Over 14 years, NCDA has built a reputation as a leading global advocacy organisation on NCDs, a global thought leader on NCD policy and practice, a convener and mobiliser of the NCD civil society movement, a partner to governments and the World Health Organization and other United Nations agencies, and an advocate for meaningful involvement of people living with NCDs.

Job description 

The Capacity Development unit seeks a Capacity Development Officer to support the implementation of the Our Views, Our Voices initiative, specifically the emerging capacity development work on equity. The Our Views, Our Voices initiative is a flagship initiative of the NCDA and people living with NCDs dedicated to promoting the meaningful involvement of people living with NCDs in the NCD response, supporting and enabling individuals to share their views to take action and drive change. It seeks to break down stigma and discrimination, equipping people living with NCDs with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities to be change agents at local and global levels. 

Designing equitable solutions for NCDs requires reaching those left furthest behind, adopting rights-based approaches, and applying principles of meaningful involvement of people living with NCDs to redress power imbalances. Putting people and communities at the centre allows to identify how different drivers and lived experiences interact and to identify solutions to the barriers faced in accessing care across the continuum and in achieving equity. 

NCDA recently published an NCD Equity Framework to provide community advocates with an introduction to what health equity means in the context of NCDs and adding an equity lens to advocacy on NCDs. It identifies eight priority areas for advancing health equity for NCDs addressing common barriers to equity. To accompany the Framework NCDA has produced a Practical Guide. To support civil society and community advocates operationalize a health equity lens for NCD advocacy, NCDA has developed an accompanying Practical Guide for NCD Community Advocates. This guides advocates to develop an NCD Equity Report using an NCD Health Equity Assessment Tool to establish a foundation for advocacy efforts in this area. 

The Capacity Development Officer will support the roll-out of the equity work with national alliances via a new grant to support national alliances conduct an NCD equity assessment, produce an NCD equity report and add an equity lens to advocacy efforts in-country to support more equitable NCD responses and ensure the most vulnerable populations are reached. The role will strengthen capacity of national alliances by supporting the delivery of training on equity and broader Our Views, Our Voices training. The role will also provide support to global advocacy and accountability efforts ensuring close linkages with national level work on the theme of equity. 

The Capacity Development Officer will work with people living with NCDs, Our Views, Our Voices advocates, national and regional alliances, the Capacity Development unit, colleagues in the policy, advocacy, accountability and communications units, and other stakeholders for the fulfilment of its responsibilities. The ideal candidate will bring an understanding and experience of advocacy, global health and equity, communications, grant administration and overall programme management. 

This is an excellent opportunity for candidates passionate about meaningful involvement, advocacy and supporting country-level community engagement initiatives, working for a respected civil society organisation, engaging with inspiring advocates, national and regional stakeholders, and getting involved in priority NCD-related global health and development issues. 

NCDA seeks applicants with suitable experience and background for a full-time role as Capacity Development Officer. This position reports to the UK-based Capacity Development Manager. This position is possible thanks to NCD Alliance’s partnerships with Bristol Myers Squibb and with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and is subject to yearly renewal. The role is based in London, UK, and is open to UK citizens and other applicants who already possess a valid work authorisation. The Capacity Development Officer would be mainly home-based/remote with the expectation to work from the London office 1 day a week. 

Core responsibilities 

Support the Capacity Development unit in grant administration duties, including grantee communications, grant awards and compliance, grantee reporting and monitoring and evaluation. 

Support the organisation of the Our Views, Our Voices equity trainings, webinars, and events as required, including participant support, administrative functions, supporting curriculum development and evaluation. 

Support advocacy capacity of national and regional NCD alliances by aligning the Our Views, Our Voices initiatives with the NCDA Advocacy Institute. 

Support global advocacy and accountability efforts, as led by the Policy, Advocacy and Accountability unit ensuring linkages with national and regional level work. 

Provide information on country level equity work in support of NCDA’s partnerships and membership efforts to leverage and further NCDA’s work in this area. 

Support meaningful involvement of people living with NCDs at national, regional, and global level, boosting ongoing advocacy efforts and linking in with ongoing work part of the NCD Advocacy Institute. 

Provide written content to promote and support the Our Views, Our Voices initiative, particularly on the theme of equity, through NCDA communication channels, including the Our Views, Our Voices digital platform and support the development of key knowledge resources. 

Stay current on health equity issues, best practices, and emerging trends on the topic of health equity. 

Maintain regular communications with relevant key stakeholders, including regional and national NCD alliances, Our Views, Our Voices advocates for advocacy and network updates relating to the initiative, as well as for mobilisation in relevant global opportunities. 

Handle administrative responsibilities and Capacity Development work as needed. 

Provide support at capacity development meetings as required, including administrative and content development support. 

Look for opportunities to showcase the Our Views, Our Voices initiative in events and platforms. 

Experience and skills 

• Advanced university degree in public health, international relations, public policy, or similar, with a minimum of 2-3 years of relevant job-related non-profit experience. 
• Demonstrated interest and understanding of health equity and social determinants of health; knowledge of global health and noncommunicable diseases would be ideal. 
• International work experience highly desired, as well as professional knowledge of advocacy, grant administration, policy and/or programmes 
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills. 
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an international team environment. 
• Excellent organisation and strategic planning skills, and ability to successfully manage competing priorities and meet deadlines. 
• Capacity to work sensitively in a global setting and with people and organisations representing those living with NCDs. 
• Excellent written and communications skills in English – foreign language skills are a plus (Spanish and /or French). 
• Solid knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).