Job Openings at Islamic Relief Worldwide

Job description

Reporting to the Regional Director the Regional Food Security and Livelihoods Advisor has the responsibility to ensure Islamic Relief food security, livelihoods and resilience building programmes in our operational countries in East Africa that are of high quality and impact focused. The post holder will assist the Regional Director in ensuring that learning and innovation is disseminated across Islamic Relief and beyond. The post holder will engage strategically to build in-country and regional partnerships and influence thinking in the resilience building, food security and livelihoods sector. Key deliverables will be leading on developing FSL sector strategy which provides strategic framework to our programmes, increased fundraising, and building capacity of national staff to ensure IR delivers impactful projects and programmes

Responsibilities

• TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY **
  • Develop future FSL programme strategy in close coordination with the FSL national teams, and create and refine operational planning and supportive budget. .**
  • Provide technical expertise and knowledge to ensure that food security and livelihoods interventions, including cash based interventions, voucher programming, and in-kind food basket distribution and economic strengthening interventions meets appropriate minimum and technical quality standards. **
  • Coordinate and/or lead relevant assessments including the Household Economic Assessment (HEA) approach (needs and baseline assessments) and emergency market assessments. **
  • Contribute to situational analysis for identifying livelihoods protection and recovery needs, with due consideration for cross cutting issues within all interventions.
• PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT
  • Oversee the implementation of the Livelihood & Food Security projects in in East Africa countries, ensuring timeliness and delivery according to the activity plan and results frameworks.
  • Manage the Livelihoods and Food Security activities ensuring that it is meeting its intended aims and objectives and achieving impact.
  • Assure full compliance of operations with IRW’s principles, rules, regulations and policies, operational strategies and relevant reference documents and policies (Sphere, Do no harm).
• MONITORING, EVALUATION, LEARNING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
  • Conduct need assessments, baseline surveys, feasibility studies ensuring that sound methodologies are employed and that the findings inform the formulation of winning grant applications.
  • Conduct real-time evaluation and impact assessment in relation to food security and livelihoods programmes in conjunction with the Country Programme M&E Coordinators and Global Monitoring and Evaluation, Accountability and Learning unit
  • Spearhead innovations in the field of food security and livelihoods including introducing technologies and new ways of working in order to deliver lasting impact on the people the organisation serves.
• FUNDRAISING, REPRESENTATION AND NETWORKING
  • In collaboration with country-based sector specialist, lead the development of competitive, long-term and impactful resilience building, food security and livelihood proposals
  • Develop skills and capacity of IR staff who work in food security and livelihoods projects in East Africa
  • Represent IR to regional and global relevant networks, high level meetings and working groups
  • Contribute to research, policy development and advocacy at a regional and global level
  • Lead partnerships with relevant academic institutions, networks, think tanks, corporate companies and other stakeholders in East Africa region.
• CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
  • Develop skills and capacity of IR staff who work in food security and livelihoods projects in East Africa
  • Provide leadership, coaching and mentoring to staff under indirect management, ensuring that they have clear objectives and receive meaningful feedback on their performance and development.
  • To be successful in this role you will have strong specific technical/professional knowledge from formal training and/or work experience, an in-depth understanding of supporting potential sustainable livelihoods options through market-led interventions for different livelihoods groups, especially promoting economic leadership as well as proven skills in emergency food security and livelihoods interventions and policy issues.
  • You should also have some understanding of disaster preparedness, DRR and Climate Change Adaptation in drought affected communities and knowledge of cash and market related methods of delivering assistance to disaster affected people. You will need to demonstrate ability to work creatively, innovatively and effectively. Good communication skills and demonstrated skills in training and mentoring others are a must for this position. Experience as a team worker and demonstrable inter-personal skills are highly valued for this position,

Qualifications

• Higher University degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Rural development or any other related fields.
• An extensive hands-on experience related to food security and livelihoods with International NGOs at senior level (for example, Technical Advisor, Sector Head/ Thematic head)
• In-depth understanding of livelihoods frameworks, theory of change and logical frameworks/intervention logic of some of the major institutional donors and foundations
• A proven track record of successful proposal development for bilateral donors such as DFID, ECHO, Europe aid, SIDA, CIDA, USAID etc for rural development, food security, livelihood programmes
• Proven track record of developing strategies, evidence-based research papers, and advocacy at national level
• In-depth understanding of supporting potential sustainable livelihoods options through market-led interventions for different livelihoods groups, especially promoting economic leadership as well as proven skills in emergency food security and livelihoods interventions and policy issues.
• Ability to think strategically, achieve results and innovate.
• Excellent report writing skills and analytical skills
• Fluency in English, both spoken and written
• Knowledge of national languages (Swahili, Somali, Amharic, Arabic) spoken in the region is an asset.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Willingness to travel to hard to reach and insecure locations
• Interpersonal skills and team player

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Job description

Reporting to the Regional Desk Coordinator (or Regional Director), the Regional Desk Officer will support the RDC/Regional Director to ensure that country programmes are implemented and reported on in a timely and of a qualitative manner according to the Country and Regional Programme Strategies and that the projects are well represented internally and externally. Any issues relating to line management and strategic issues will be referred to the Regional Director. The Regional Desk Officer is accountable to fulfil his/her roles and responsibilities in line with Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) code of conduct, values and principles.

Responsibilities

The role is responsible for:

• Supporting country offices in appraising documents, securing funding for, monitoring and reporting to donors on country programmes and projects.
• Supporting in setting of budgets and monitoring expenditure
• Ensuring that all information related to country programmes are organised and accessible

Key Accountability

• PROGRAMMES DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION
• Keep an up to-date overview of operational matters in respective countries
• Appraise project proposals submitted by field offices to ensure that they have clear sense of purpose and direction and to report any major deviations to the line manager.
• Ensure that the quality of proposals and budgets consider value for money which fit into the overall country and regional strategy.
• Assist field offices in producing high-quality project proposals for funding from both IRW and institutional donors in accordance to country context.
• Support field offices in securing funding from institutions and IR Partners on behalf of the country programme where necessary
• Key Accountability 2: PLANNING & BUDGETING
• Participate in the development of country, regional and global strategy and in policy development based on IR experience in respective Country.
• Assist the CD, Programme Managers and Head of Programmes to draw up and annual action plans and business plans, and monitor implementation of these plans
• Ensure that the country offices submit project, quarterly, annual and external audit reports on time.
• Work with finance staff in the development of project and country budgets
• Work closely with Finance Department to issue pin-codes for new projects, review budgets and provide timely feedback to Finance Managers, and follow up fund transfer requests
• Key Accountability 3: REPORTING, ANALYSIS, INNOVATIVE THINKING & PROBLEM-SOLVING
• Review and appraise donors/partners reports submitted by Country Offices to ensure they are of high quality and in accordance to donor requirements.
• Follow up with Country Offices to ensure that donors and partners reports are submitted on time and in correct format.
• Analyse Country Office budgets to ensure value for money and ensure that programme support cost remain reasonable and cross-charged effectively against country support budget.
• Analyse the security situation and humanitarian space in a country, its implication for IRW capacity and programming, and give recommendations to the RDC and Head of Region
• Report major deviation from compliance with directives and policies to the Head of Region.
• Resolve or report challenges to programme delivery

Qualifications

• A graduate degree in the field of development studies, economics, disaster management
• An in-depth understanding of international development issues
• Proven experience in development/humanitarian areas
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Proven track record of working in a similar role with an International NGO
• Proven track record of field work experience with INGOs in developing countries in rehabilitation; development and emergency contexts, preferably in a country of the targeted region
• Experience of and commitment to a participatory, supportive, open environment to ensure the learning and development of all.
• Proven experience in monitoring and evaluation of programmes; use of quantitative and qualitative research data collection in support of programme development.
• Proven experience and knowledge of effective budgetary control and grant management.
• Strong and well developed analytical skills coupled with experience of writing quality proposals and reports
• Experience of remote management
• Good interpersonal skills including the ability to listen, sensitivity to others’ views and perspectives, and conflict resolution.
• Problem solving skills
• Culturally sensitive
• Able to work with the most vulnerable groups including women and children,
• Good team work skills with the ability to work with different and sometime conflicting agendas
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Abide by IRW Code of Conduct and other related Codes of Conduct.
• Willingness to travel at very short notice.
• Experience of working in the sectors of livelihood projects, WATSAN and Nutrition.
• Experience of advocacy and communications work.
• Written and spoken command of regional languages.