Overview

Sightsavers is looking for an experienced Programme Officer to implement a ground-breaking NTD programme in Burkina Faso in 2026.

Salary: Local terms and conditions apply

Location: Flexible within Burkina Faso, with regular travel to Ouagadougou and national implementation sites

Contract: 1-year Fixed Term Contract

Hours: Standard office hours

Responsibilities

About the role

We are looking for an exceptional Programme Officer with experience of managing an integrated NTD programme within an international context, to ensure the successful implementation of the Reaching the Last Mile (RLM) programme. This groundbreaking project will strengthen health systems in Burkina Faso that work to eliminate river blindness (onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis (LF). As Programme Officer, you will be integral to the planning, delivery and success of this work, whilst also supporting a range of other Sightsavers programmes and projects in Burkina Faso.

As NTD Programme Officer RLM, your key duties will include:

Supporting Project Management

• Work with partners to develop annual plans and ensure effective implementation
• Timely and high-quality reporting regarding field visits and action-follow ups
• Develop high quality case studies as part of reporting and for fundraising

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Assist the Senior Program manager and country teams in developing a system for monitoring and evaluating NTD programme performance.
• Provide direction and support to assist country research teams and help them to identify operational research opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of NTD elimination efforts.

Partnership Management

• Identify and maintain effective partnerships
• Partner capacity building

Communications, Learning and Influencing

• Coordinate, consolidate and disseminate programme learning across Sightsavers and beyond
• Promote and publicise success stories and case studies

 

Skills and Experience

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong background in programme management, technical knowledge of NTDs, excellent Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning skills as well as a detailed understanding of the Burkina Faso health system.

This role involves national travel to implementation sites (approximately 40%). As a Disability Confident Level 3 Employer, Sightsavers warmly welcomes applications from women and people with disabilities. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments where required, and travel requirements should not be a barrier to applying.

To succeed in this role, you will need:

Essential Skills

• Technical knowledge of one or more of the five leading NTDs in Burkina Faso.
• Experience of managing an integrated NTD programme in Africa, ideally in an international context.
• Working experience of the health system in Burkina Faso.
• Diplomacy and influencing
• MS Office Package
• Working experience of advocacy programming.
• Demonstrable, strong skills in monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience of logistics and supply chain management.
• Excellent financial and resource management skills.
• Able to travel regularly on a national basis

Desirable

• Experience in a safeguarding role or at least, understanding of safeguarding
• Online digital data collection tools

This is a varied role, please read the full job description for further details.

Benefits

Sightsavers offers a reward package based on local pay, local contracts and local benefits and will not normally offer international contracts. Sightsavers is committed to investing in the training and development of its employees and offers a supportive work environment.

Next Steps

To apply for this exciting new opportunity, please complete an application via our recruitment portal. We are particularly interested in learning of your motivations for applying. We anticipate that interviews will take place the week commencing 19 January 2026 in the Ouagadougou Country Office. The evaluation process will include a written task and a verbal interview.

 

Closing date: Sunday 4 January 2026

As a global equal opportunities employer, Sightsavers is committed to embracing diversity throughout our workforce by creating an inclusive environment that reflects the many cultures and locations where we work. Our workforce will be truly representative of all sections of society and we will actively promote the inclusion of individuals with a disability. Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified people with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.

Sightsavers is an employer that does not tolerate any form of harassment and has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. All potential candidates will be subjected to rigorous background checks and controls.