Job Vacancy: Volunteer Zambia Project Manager

Closing Date: Friday 31 May 2019

On behalf of Sport in Action in Zambia, the Wallace Group are seeking a passionate and committed Volunteer Zambia Project Manager for 2019-2020.

The role of the VZ Project Manager is to work with Sport in Action (SIA) in Zambia and the Wallace Group (WG) to project manage and operationalise the objectives of the ‘Volunteer Zambia’ project. This includes SIA’s strategy implementation as well as the oversight, leadership, co-ordination and supervision of all activity at SIA placements (both coaching and wider sport development) and Community Sports Hubs by working in collaboration with SIA and WG staff.

This is a 12-month voluntary role from September 2019 through to October 2020. The Project Manager will be based in Zambia for this full duration. Whilst this is a voluntary role with Sport in Action in Zambia; flights, accommodation and a monthly stipend are provided.

Volunteer Zambia is an international sport development project delivered through the Wallace Group that has been operational for the last 13 years.

The Wallace Group (WG) is a group of 7 UK Higher Education Institutions that have a shared commitment to support the development of sport in Zambia. For the first 10 years this was achieved through the wider ‘IDEALS’ program supported by UK Sport and the charity ‘International Inspirations’.  For the last 3 years this work was rebranded ‘Volunteer Zambia’ and the Wallace Group has expanded its horizons to provide greater support to the Zambian Government and other key stakeholders in implementing an exciting new Zambian sports strategy.

Throughout the 13 years WG have worked closely with Sport in Action (SIA) as our principal in-country partner. We will be continuing to support this excellent and successful organisation as they drive forward both sports development and sport for development initiatives across Zambia.

The seven Universities; Cardiff Metropolitan, Durham, Edinburgh, Loughborough, Northumbria, St Andrews and Stirling have embraced new Directors in this ambition, including UK Sport, England Netball, British Basketball, England Volleyball and Sport in Action themselves. Together we work in collaboration and continue our shared commitment to the establishment and sustainable practices of both international and sport development.

Our focus is to invest in building capacity within sport development. This includes supporting the development of Community Sports Hubs (CSH’s) that include community sport competitions and effective talent pathways in three key sports of netball, basketball and volleyball. The CSH’s are community based, central venue, sports specific, competition and training centres located, owned and run by the community they serve. They allow sport to be played throughout the year, and present excellent opportunity for sport plus activity facilitation. They create pathways for young players, coaches, organisers and leaders with a emphasis on empowering and providing development opportunities especially for young women and girls.

They are supported by the Wallace Group, Sport in Action, individual National Sport Federations and area associations. The CSH’s are the key link in many cases between these organisations (especially in country), the management, and maintenance of these relationships is important to wider sport development. The CSH’s are highly sustainable and replicable in diverse community settings across the whole of Zambia.

The WG do this by encouraging the sharing of expertise, knowledge and experience between UK staff and students and their Zambian counterparts. Our emphasis is on building the capacity in country to create sustainable opportunities for people to play and progress in sport.

Each summer the 7 universities of the Wallace Group collaborate to send students and staff members out to live in Zambia for 6 weeks, from the period of May-October to deliver pre-agreed sport development projects. Working with Sport in Action, the student and staff volunteers help to deliver development programmes to over 160,000 children and selected partners each week.

Project Manager Application Form 2019-2020

Project Manager Role Description & Person Specification

Contact for informal enquiries:
Cath Harvey
Loughborough University Volunteer Zambia Operational Lead
E: c.harvey@lboro.ac.uk
T: 01509 226134 / 07980463294

Interview Date: 
Monday 10 June 2019 at Loughborough University

Fixed Term in Zambia:
14 September 2019 to 5October 2020

Full time:
for the duration of the 12 months

Line Manager: 
Frankson Mushindu (CEO Sport in Action)
Tim Garfield (Wallace Group Strategic Lead)