Project Officer

Workplace Circumstances

• Environment: Office
• Languages: English, Khmer
• Location: Kampot Province, Ratanak Kiri Province, Prey Veng Province, Battambang Province

Position Summary

Reports to : Project Manager

Department : Program

Job Summary

The Project Officer - Social Workforce Development & Care Reform leads the technical implementation of Outcome The position supports assessing social workforce capacity and practice gaps; developing and localizing training curricula and case-management tools; training of Trainers; cascade training; post-training coaching; supportive supervision; and documenting practice change.

The Officer works with government social workers, RCI staff, SOS practitioners, community-based service providers, and care-experienced young people as co-facilitators to strengthen competencies in family assessment, preventing unnecessary separation, safe reintegration, relational child and youth care, transition planning, leaving care, and aftercare.The position ensures that technical content is practical, aligned with national policies and standards, adapted to the realities of the four pilot provinces, and linked to measurable improvements in professional practice and outcomes for children and young people.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Social workforce mapping and baseline assessment
• Map and review existing social workforce tools, training approaches, case-management practices and available services relevant to care reform.
• Support design and adaptation of assessment tools covering workforce capacity, caseloads, competencies and current practice.
• Coordinate baseline/pre-training needs assessments with RCIs and community services across the four provinces.
• Facilitate consultations with MoSVY, Provincial Departments, practitioners, care-experienced young people and service providers.
• Analyze findings, support validation with stakeholders and contribute to the baseline/workforce assessment report.
• Development and localization of curricula, tools and guidance
• Review national policies, guidelines and existing materials on alternative care, family reintegration, leaving care and aftercare and identify practice gaps.
• Adapt competency-based and relational child and youth care learning modules on quality care, case management, family assessment, reintegration, transition planning, leaving care and aftercare.
• Develop/update practical tools such as Individual and Family Development Plans, reintegration plans, transition plans, follow-up checklists, supervision tools and referral templates.
• Ensure materials are co-developed with care-experienced young people and are accessible to frontline practitioners.
• Coordinate translation/localization of core materials into Khmer and, where needed, locally appropriate formats/languages.
• Pilot test materials with selected practitioners, document feedback and revise packages for final use.
• Training of Trainers and cascade training
• Support transparent selection of government, NGO and care-experienced participants for the Training of Trainers pool.
• Coordinate and co-facilitate ToT sessions covering technical content, adult learning principles, facilitation skills and use of standardized tools.
• Support trained trainers and care leavers to co-facilitate initial sessions under supervision.
• Plan and support cascade training for social service professionals across the pilot provinces.
• Use case studies, role plays and real-life scenarios to promote practice-oriented learning.
• Maintain an updated roster of trained/master trainers and track their deployment and continuing development.
• Coaching, supportive supervision and practice change
• Provide post-training coaching, mentoring and technical support to practitioners.
• Conduct or support practice observations and supportive supervision to assess use of relational, child- and youth-centered approaches.
• Support practitioners to apply new skills in family assessment, reintegration, transition planning and aftercare.
• Identify practice barriers and develop practical improvement actions with supervisors and provincial teams.
• Facilitate reflection sessions with practitioners and care leavers to capture lessons and improve training and tools.
• Technical monitoring, documentation and learning
• Work with the MEAL Officer to implement pre/post competency assessments and track changes in professional practice.
• Contribute technical data on reintegration quality, placement stability, preparedness for independent living and early risk identification.
• Document good practices, coordination models, supervision findings, case examples and lessons for scale-up.
• Contribute to quarterly reports, learning briefs, annual reviews, policy dialogue and final technical products.
• Safeguarding and quality assurance
• Ensure all training, coaching, consultations and field activities comply with SOS safeguarding, PSHEA, child-rights and ethical participation standards.
• Promote safe case discussion practices, confidentiality and responsible handling of personal information.
• Identify safeguarding or quality concerns during field support and immediately follow required reporting and referral procedures.
• Ensure care-experienced young people participating as co-trainers receive appropriate preparation, support and safe participation arrangements.
• Key Working Relationships
• Internal
• Project Manager.
• Program Quality Manager/MEAL Coordinator and project MEAL Officer.
• Child Safeguarding Coordinator/focal points.
• Project Managers, social workers, youth staff and provincial project focal points.
• Youth Participation & Care Leaver Networks Officer.
• External
• MoSVY and Provincial Departments of Social Affairs.
• Government social workers and paraprofessionals.
• RCIs, NGOs and community-based service providers.
• Care-experienced young people/co-facilitators and trained/master trainers.
• Technical consultants and IES/SOS International specialists.

Languages

• Khmer - Fluent
• English - Good is required

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Child Protection, Psychology, Sociology, Education, Development Studies or a related field
• Postgraduate Degree in alternative care, case management, training/facilitation, or child and youth care is preferred

Work History

• Social work, child protection, family strengthening, alternative care, reintegration, case management, or youth transition programming for 3 to 5 years as a minimum

General & Technical Skills

• Demonstrated experience designing or delivering competency-based training, ToT, coaching, or supportive supervision.
• Practical experience working with government social welfare structures, RCIs, NGOs, or community-based services.
• Experience adapting tools, curricula, or technical guidance to local contexts is desirable.
• Ability to travel regularly to provincial and remote field locations.
• Strong facilitation and written communication skills in Khmer; working English is required.
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work respectfully with Indigenous communities and care-experienced young people.

Soft Skills

• Strong technical understanding of case management, family reintegration, transition planning, leaving care and aftercare.
• Adult learning, facilitation, coaching and mentoring skills.
• Ability to translate policies and standards into practical frontline tools.
• Analytical skills for competency assessment and practice observation.
• Collaborative approach with government, practitioners and people with lived experience.
• Strong safeguarding judgment, confidentiality and professional ethics.
• Planning, documentation and follow-up discipline.