Program Support & Development Officer

CESVI is a secular and independent humanitarian organization founded in Bergamo in 1985, operating in over 20 countries around the world to support the most vulnerable populations in achieving their aspirations and sustainable development while respecting human rights. Guided by the ideals of social justice, CESVI works to improve the well-being of people living in poverty or affected by war, natural disasters, and environmental catastrophes.
CESVI global strategy has the objectives of expanding and improving its humanitarian work; strengthening its interventions in the areas of Protection, Production Chains and Income Generation, and Climate Impact Response; and deepening its commitment to people, partners, donors, and society.
To develop and consolidate this strategy, the International Programmes Department is analysing the different funding opportunities offered by institutional, national, and international donors, as well as private entities such as foundations and companies.
Participation in calls for proposals is therefore expanding rapidly, creating a need to strengthen project design activities with dedicated and competent staff.

JOB DESCRIPTION
The collaboration will start in September 2026 .
The position is home-based with frequent field missions (at least 50% of the time).
The Program Support & Development Officer ( PSDO ) will report to CESVI’s Head of International Department. He/She will contribute to the development of new project proposals in CESVI’s countries of operation. He/she will also support the management and supervision of ongoing CESVI projects in strategic operational contexts.
The PSDO manages and coordinates the project design process (with the internal team and relevant partners) and ensures adherence to deadlines and compliance with donor requirements.
The PSDO will also work closely with other units within the International Programs Department during the project design and the implementation phase.
This collaboration will facilitate coordination between the PSDO , the CESVI teams in the field, and the other CESVI units typically involved in project design and supervision.
More specifically, the tasks assigned to the PSDO are:

Develop and draft project proposals for major Italian and international donors. In particular, ECHO, INTPA, AICS, and major U.S. and European government agencies, in both development and emergency contexts.
Oversee the entire project design process in collaboration with the department team: developing the project concept, defining the logical framework, drafting and revising texts, preparing the budget, establishing the monitoring (and evaluation) plan, and finalizing project documents in accordance with the guidelines provided by donors.
Conduct field missions to foreign countries at the request of the International Programmes Department team to carry out the project design process, including need assessments.
Prepare the formal documentation to be submitted with the project proposal.
The Program Support & Development Officer will actively support, through field missions, the set‑up and the supervision of ongoing selected strategic projects, contributing to the achievement of projects’ objectives and indicators. The position will also contribute to the preparation of intermediate and final narrative reports.
Bachelor’s degree with training/specialization in Project Cycle Management (PCM).
At least 3 years of prior experience in designing multisectoral international cooperation projects, both for emergency response and development.
In-depth knowledge of project proposal writing methodologies (PCM, Logical Framework, Theory of Change) and all phases of project design and project cycle management: identifying and analyzing calls for proposals, conducting context and needs analyses and need assessments, assessing and coordinating (potential) partners during the project development phases; defining the intervention logic; drafting project documents; budget preparation; development of the monitoring plan;

ensuring compliance with requirements and submission of the proposal to the donor; ability to produce timely project narrative and financial reports
Proven…