Regional Advisor EFSVL, West Africa at Oxfam

Job Purpose

To lead and effectively contribute to the development of regional and country level capabilities in programmes that address emergency food security and livelihood vulnerability. These include programmes that enable food- and livelihood insecure communities and households to anticipate, mitigate and recover from food insecurity and also reduce their vulnerability to food and livelihood insecurity.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

This post will fulfil the following responsibilities for work on vulnerable livelihoods & adaptation and on integrating humanitarian and sustainable livelihoods approaches to address extreme poverty and social/gender inequality in Oxfam’s programme:

Analysis and influence

· Monitor and analyse external trends with respect to food security, climate change, chronic poverty and inequality. Compile/provide regional analysis and updates on evolving food security situation using livelihood zones and the principles of HEA for context analysis and forecasting, and sharing appropriately within Oxfam

· Provide regular updates about the structure, functioning and dynamics of agri-food markets at national and regional levels

· Provide region-wide advice on climate and economic adaptation and appropriate short-term and long-term policy responses to food crises

· Contribute to Oxfam’s global campaigning work supporting evidence-based policymaking and influencing work. Feed into the OI Economic Justice Campaign on Agriculture and help build links between Rights in Crisis & Economic Justice campaigns

· Contribute to the Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Food Security and Livelihoods teams through participation in inductions, regional meetings, external representation, responses to enquiries, and taking part in strategic planning discussions

· Work closely with regional institutional partners in ways that support and contribute to informing and influencing quality analysis of food insecurity and relevant response and policy design.

Emergency response

· Advise on if, when and how Oxfam should be scaling up programme activities in the face of food or livelihoods crises

· Function as the regional technical lead in EFSVL programming & in responding to regional an country level Category 2 emergencies, taking an active and hands on role in assessing impact, advising on appropriate interventions, and operationalizing when necessary

Partnership and Coordination

· When accurate, develop effective partnership with key stakeholders including local organisations, NGOs, Civil Society, Government and private sector as appropriate.

· Support the development, implementation and communication of Oxfam’s strategy in the area of vulnerable livelihoods

· Facilitate linkages with external organisations working on EFSLV and social protection

· Contribute to the development of a monitoring framework for OI’s work on key aspects of food security and livelihoods adaptation

Programme support

· To build on and use the emergency food and livelihood security and vulnerability programming & in the various countries in the region to help design, lead and coordinate effective interventions that enables responses to and recovery from food insecurity crisis and to prevent, mitigate and prepare for future food security crises both in countries and within the region.

· Engage with global EFSL team on researching and developing EFSVL issues specific to urban areas

· Advise programme staff and managers on issues of programme quality and to support global programme cycle management (planning, monitoring, implementation and impact assessment).

Regional humanitarian capacity development

· Ensure capacity development of EFSLV staff in the region, through training, accompaniment and coaching

· Establish and maintain an ongoing understanding of the current capacity of country teams to analyse vulnerability and risks to food and livelihood security and design appropriate EFSVL responses

Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge

Essential

· Postgraduate qualification in food security, development, climate change or a related field of study

· Experience managing food security emergency programmes including design, implementation, coordination and monitoring

· Proven ability, and preferably experience in working in areas of chronic poverty and inequality, evaluating the impact of livelihoods interventions and of the analytical principles that structure household economic analysis and sustainable livelihoods

· Fluency (written and oral) in either English or French and working knowledge of the other one

· Enthusiasm for and commitment to Oxfam International’s values and mission, and commitment to promoting gender equity and the interests of marginalised people in all advocacy work

· Ability and willingness to travel extensively to remote and conflicting affected areas sometimes for prolonged periods

Desirable

· Knowledge of current trends in the climate change debate as it relates to poverty

• Previous experience preferably within Sahelian West Africa

· Demonstrable coaching and capacity-building skills

· Knowledge of an additional regional language/ spoken in West African would be desirable

Key Behavioural Competencies (based on Oxfam’s Leadership Model)

Competencies

Description

Decisiveness

We are comfortable to make transparent decisions and to adapt decision making modes to the context and needs.

Influencing

We have the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organisation We spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.

Humility

We put ‘we’ before ‘me’ and place an emphasis on the power of the collective, nurture the team and play to the strengths of each individual. We are not concerned with hierarchical power, and we engage with, trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organization.

Relationship Building

We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organisation.

Listening

We are good listeners who can see where deeper levels of thoughts and tacit assumptions differ. Our messages to others are clear, and consider different preferences.

Mutual Accountability

We can explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our organizational values. We are ready to be held to account for what we do and how we behave, as we are also holding others to account in a consistent manner.

Agility, Complexity, and Ambiguity

We scan the environment, anticipate changes, are comfortable with lack of clarity and deal with a large number of elements interacting in diverse and unpredictable ways.

Systems Thinking

We view problems as parts of an overall system and in their relation to the whole system, rather than reacting to a specific part, outcome or event in isolation. We focus on cyclical rather than linear cause and effect. By consistently practicing systems thinking we are aware of and manage well unintended consequences of organisational decisions and actions.

Strategic Thinking and Judgment

We use judgment, weighing risk against the imperative to act. We make decisions consistent with organizational strategies and values.

Vision Setting

We have the ability to identify and lead visionary initiatives that are beneficial for our organization and we set high-level direction through a visioning process that engages the organization and diverse external stakeholders.

Self-Awareness

We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.

Enabling

We all work to effectively empower and enable others to deliver the organizations goals through creating conditions of success. We passionately invest in others by developing their careers, not only their skills for the job. We provide freedom; demonstrate belief and trust provide appropriate support. We give more freedom and demonstrate belief and trust, underpinned with appropriate support.