Project Officer – Youth Skill Development and Employment – International Rescue Committee – IRC

Background:

The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, provides relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 30 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in six regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

Job Overview/Summary:

IRC has developed livelihood program to enhance the resilience of South Sudanese refugee and their hosting community in Gambella region. It implements a range of livelihood strategy and interventions such as business and life skill trainings, vocational skill training, off farm, income generation, market system development in Kule and Tierkidi refugee camps and surrounding woredas and Gambella town for improving the lives of target vulnerable and poor youth over the period. It aims to improve and develop skills of youth to increase work opportunities. In addition, it also intended to increase the financial inclusion of youth and enhance their access to relevant financial services. This helps to flourish business and relevant skills, access to decent employment opportunities, financial access and improved wellbeing for youth.

The position holder will fully engage in and responsible for the day-to-day planning, implementing, and managing of entrepreneur skill development, employment and business development, and related activities. Job holder is fully responsible to facilitate and arrange short-term vocational skill trainings to improve marketable skills and capacities of youth to access and engage in decent work opportunities. In addition, ensure the quality of skill development and employment pathway of youth, and facilitate and link them with financial service providers to access working capital and start a business.

Responsibilities: –

·         Undertake community vulnerability assessment and process in target communities to define the target group gaps and provide basis for planning.

·         Lead the client identification and selection jointly with the communities and leaders, government offices/authority and other agencies using set of criteria.

·         Undertake the planning, implementing, managing, and following up of vocational skill and employment, micro entrepreneurship development, business, and life skills trainings, etc as per the DIP and ensure quality and standards are considered and respected during implementation.

·         Train IRC front-line and partners staff on youth development pathway, business and life skills, entrepreneurial development skill, business counseling, and related topics.

·         Develop work plans (Weekly, Monthly and Quarterly) to ensure effective implementation the project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan.

·         Conduct labor Market Assessment (LMA) and identify new business potentials, and youth skills and resources gaps faced and explore the potentials and opportunities,

·         Provide the required technical guidance and support to target clients for the proper implementation of skill development and employment pathway.

·         Effectively support to maintain the quality of livelihoods program – youth skill development and employment pathways, entrepreneurship, enterprise development, financial inclusion/savings, micro-franchising, and other related activities

·         Ensure the interventions are build skills, confidence, and readiness of youth to engage in education or employment through peer mentoring sessions, intensive programs, and individualized services.

·         Properly and effectively plan and implement vocational/technical pathways (shorter vocational route) that qualify youth for both technician work and higher education, or apprenticeship.

·         Establish and strengthen partnership and linkage with TVET, employers and enterprises, SME, and relevant Government offices to ensure immediate outcomes for the trained youth in the labor market.

·         Link the youth with financial service providers and ensure their financial inclusion and access working capital to start and own a business

·         Regularly monitor and follow up and provide technical support to youth skill development and employment and related activities of the project and ensure the quality.

Key technical tasks and areas of Accountability

·         Participate and give technical inputs in the design and preparation of new livelihood proposal,

·         Prepare and put in place program detail implementation workplan and make sure that the respective team members are aware and understand well and properly implement.

·         Ensure the proper planning, implementation, and monitoring of the program specifically youth skill development and employment as per DIP and IRC standard quality and procedure.

·         Ensure the full participation and engagement of key partners (ARRA, donor, Government offices, the community, and target clients) in all stages of program management cycle.

·         Ensure partners are familiar with the program purpose, interventions, strategy and expected outcome and requirements to improve the livelihood of target clients.

·         Ensure physical target achievements are as agreed; and review regularly the progress and maintain regular update of the workplan and track outputs.

·         Lead and handle as well as technically responsible in undertaking skill development and employment and livelihood pathway of young men and female.

·         Ensure project implementation is on time, target and budget as describe in the grant, and take required action to ensure timely implementation of activities wherever necessary.

·         Facilitate and provide business and life skills trainings to the youth to enhance their skills for exploring employment opportunities and become competent employees or venture into self-employment endeavors.

·         Establish sound partnership and working collaboration with the existing TVET and other Business process outsourcing (BPO) and other service providers in the operational areas.

·         Facilitate and conduct assessment jointly with TVET and other pertinent partners to identify viable and potential sectors for business development and employment to the youth, and provide inputs for the development of relevant trainings curriculum and topics,

·         Plan and facilitate capacity building support of TVET for ensuring that learning opportunities are safe, high quality, and responsive to labor market needs after through assessing and identifying the gaps

·         Arrange relevant short-term vocational skill trainings for youth (refugee, host communities and IDPs) at the existing TVET to develop their capacity and skills in marketable sectors to access and engage in decent work opportunities.

·         Facilitate and establish private and public partnership forum to create enabling environment for youth skill development and employment

·         Ensure closely collaborate and work with other project staff within IRC and other partner agencies, the government, private sector, and community groups.

·         Ensure quality implementation of the intervention to build youth skills, confidence, and readiness to engage in education or employment through our peer mentoring sessions, intensive programs, and individualized services.

·         Ensure all due dates anticipated and are met without delay per the grant contracts,

·         Supervise that all activities are important to community needs; and gender issues promote the full and equal participation of women in all aspects and make sure that the program is an opportunity for peace making, not community division.

·         Ensure physical target achievements are as agreed; and review regularly the progress and maintain regular update of the workplan and track outputs.

·         Properly budget plan and forecast monthly cash requirements and submit on time.

·         Closely supervises and review the budget implementation and the spending together with the finance, grant, and project team, and identify areas that need revision, and as necessary, prepare appropriate revisions and adjustments and communicate the responsible supervisor,

·         Prepare accurate and precise procurement and recruitment requests on time; and provide the require technical support and follow for timely procurement and delivery of quality items.

·         Coordinate with support departments such as supply chain, HR, and finance that matters the program.

·         Layout and plan team movements; and ensure proper management and use of the assets.

·         Undertake regular appraisals of staff and ensure capacity building among staff in relevant sectors.

·         Ensure the communities (refugees and host community), the government offices and agencies (ARRA), civil society organizations, and relevant partners are adequately participated and involved in program design, implementation, and monitoring stages.

Accountability

• Reports to the Senior Livelihood Programme Manager
• Supervises livelihood assistant and the team members.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Documentation and Reporting.

·         Ensure external and internal visibility activities properly handle in collaboration with relevant internal deportment team.

·         Timely prepare and submit quality and insightful program progress narrative reporting and financial accounting to IRC (internal), donor, and partners on time.

·         Ensure that an effective monitoring and evaluation system is in place to measure results and outcome of the program.

·         Conduct ongoing monitoring and assessments and provide clear analysis of the context

·         Provide regular support and technical supervision and advice support to partners, the communities, and field staffs

·         Organize regular project coordination and review meetings with project team and partners.

·         Represent the field office with partners, ARRA, UN agencies, donors, and other NGO staff at field level as appropriate.

·         Host and handle donor visits and give accurate update:

Coordination.

·         Ensure that IRC is adequately represented in formal coordination activities specifically on youth employment and skill development including clusters, working group and refugee coordination meetings, local authority and informally recognized by partners including local NGOs, INGOs and UN and other players in the operation areas.

·         Establish relationships and coordinate with partners (local leaders, relevant local/ district/region authority/departments, ARRA/UNHCR, microfinance institutions, etc.),

·         Participate in field level coordination meeting with self- administration and other agencies.

Integrity:

·         Honest, encourages willingness and clarity; demonstrates the highest levels of integrity.

Equal Opportunities:

·         The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the IRC Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Overall:

·         Working for the best of your ability and demonstrate high levels of dedication to IRC and our vision, mission, and values to ensure the objectives of your role and the country programs are met.

·         Ensure the effective and efficient use of all IRC resources to keep costs low and ensure safety in the workplace.

·         BA/BSc degree in livelihood development, Rural development, International Development, Economics, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics, and/or related relevant field of studies.

Minimum Experience Required:

·         Two years of confirmed experience with the first degree.

·         At least 1 year of youth skill and entrepreneur development and employment pathway

·         Substantive knowledge and experience of sustainable livelihoods, youth employment and resilience programs management.

·         Proven record of effective management: planning, monitoring, budget oversight, logistics, particularly in unstable environment.

·         Validated experience of integrating gender, protection, and diversity into emergency response programs.

·         Confirmed donor reporting skills distinct

·         NGO experience is a plus.

Skills Required

·         Validated technical and professional skills in youth development pathway, on farm, off farm and employment pathways, internarial and business development, LMA assessment, Youth Employment,

·         Relevant and effective communication and mobilization skills to work with the local and refugee community, and local Government and other stakeholders

·         Project planning and implementation experience, and proposal and report writing skills

·         Experience of working in various settings

·         Excellent representational skills

·         Proficient spoken and written English.

·         Effective communication internally and externally towards government and NGOs, donors, etc.

Preferable

·         Experience of working in various settings including refugees and IDPs

·         Builds and maintains effective relationships, with colleagues, IRC Members, and external partners

·         Values diversity, acknowledges it as a source of driven strength

·         Good listener and easy to talk