Overall purpose of the role :
He/she will support SOMREP consortium’s efforts to promote an empowering policy and regulatory environment for sustainable economic growth by undertaking research, assembling emergent practice and advocacy with power holders. The position holder will develop partnerships with private sector counterparts to lower barriers for economic inclusion, promote business growth in the agricultural value-chain and enhance risk-sharing mechanisms and collaboration between private, public and community-level actors. He/she will lead the development of saving groups as a platform for economic opportunity and social transformation by designing referral pathways, monitoring and evaluating their effectiveness. The E&SE Technical Lead will establish collaborative working relationships with relevant government line ministries and local authorities to support members to implement projects, facilitate dialogues between entrepreneurs and other stakeholders, establish norms and frameworks for inclusive market participation of the most vulnerable, and monitor impact of technical approaches.
Responsibilities :
Lead in the development, refinement and harmonization of technical approaches, support implementation and monitoring of projects and identify best-practice :
- Develop/deliver standardized technical approaches and training for Market Systems approaches TVET and Business Skills Development, Producer/Marketing Committee Governance, Community Business Dialogue, and Private Sector Partnerships (training manuals, curricula, briefs) ;
- Develop standard design modules and budgets and review and advise members on the same during project design ;
- Lead engagement with local technical partner(s), to deliver the technical approach, ensuring linkages between rural and urban business development capacity development efforts ;
- Monitor quality of partners’ implementation, documenting challenges and successes for learning and marketing purposes ;
- Develop Village Savings & Loans Associations (VSLA) as a platform for sustainable economic opportunity and social transformation ;
- Develop standardized technical approaches and training for VSLAs, Rotational Loan Funds, Nutrition/Health, Life Skills and Social Empowerment Through Civic Engagement through Social Fund (training manuals, curriculum, briefs) ;
- Lead the roll-out of the Private Service Provider (PSP) module with technical partners and relevant line ministries for the development of a certification mechanism ;
- Manage the online database to track savings levels and the behavior of target populations (SAVIX) and develop new metrics with relevant regional/global stakeholders as required ;
- Ensure that the data from SAVIX is readily available to partners and other stakeholders, including the SomReP M&E team ;
- Lead engagement with financial institutions to promote the inclusion of savings group members in sustainable, formal and informal financial services ;
- Develop referral pathways, establish linkages between projects and monitor effectiveness (e.g. link cash programing to savings groups, savings groups to business development support and services, etc.) ;
- Document and disseminate best practice for learning and marketing purposes ;
Project Design, Monitoring, Implementation and Evaluation :
- Provide hands-on support to members to develop program designs and proposals ;
- Provide hands-on support to members to develop budgets and detailed implementation plans ;
- Take the lead in supporting SomReP members in collaboration with M&E Officers to develop M&E tools and project planning tools which are aligned to donor frameworks ;
- Provide technical support to proposal design and development ;
- Provide quantitative, qualitative and associated narrative reports to stakeholders, partners and others and ensure these are of the highest quality and standards ;
- Ensure evaluation results are shared with relevant partners and can be used effectively to inform project strategic redesign ;
- Ensure quality control in the Detailed Implementation Plans for SomReP funding by location/agencies ;
- Provide technical support during project implementation to ensure the projects meet or supersede established goals and resilience targets and standards ;
- Gather learning from SomReP and share across member agencies to improve programming.
Initiate, promote research and learning :
- In collaboration with Chief of Party and Quality Assurance & M&E, lead research agenda for sector by partnering with key stakeholders, identifying topics, drafting research questions/TOR, developing metrics and systems to measure resilience impact ;
- Ensure linkage with consortium members’ regional and global policy work on peri-urban resilience and work done by key technical institutions ;
- Lead learning initiatives, identifying/partnering with peers, setting agenda, plan, coordinate implementation of associated events ;
- Create linkages and opportunities with promising local and international research institutions ;
- Provide inputs to global and regional information-sharing networks to profile consortium’s learning, and ensure that learning from other countries (for instance Ethiopia, Kenya) informs the work of the SomReP consortium ;
- Participate in the development of policy and advocacy positions and support their dissemination to relevant actors ;
- Attend relevant conferences and seminars and read the latest resilience research to gain ideas for SomReP research which adds value to current understanding of resilience in Somalia ;
- Work with SomReP Advocacy & Communications Officer on strategy to develop and disseminate research findings according to the program’s learning & advocacy outcome. Develop content for tweets and post for SomReP website in real-time during learning moments ;
- Develop lessons learnt/emerging best practice content to share during Technical Working Group meetings ;
- Support innovation and learning between members by organizing exchange visits, joint learning events, technical briefs, and sharing of training materials.
Develop strategic partnerships with donors, SomReP internal stakeholders, and coordination mechanisms to raise the profile of SomReP resilience programming for marketing and fundraising purposes :
- Develop and maintain relationships with donors including; FAO, WFP, USAID, OFDA, ECHO, EC, SDC, DFAT, DANIDA bilateral, multilaterals, foundations, private sector and Support Offices for resilience, fundraising and networking ;
- Identify new fundraising opportunities and take lead in fundraising initiatives in resilience and livelihood sector ;
- Identify innovative fundraising sources to create new alliances ;
- Represent SomReP in strategic livelihood coordination forums at the national and international level ;
- Collaborate with Communications Department to market SomReP to potential donors and partners.
About you :
To be successful in this role we expect the following experience and technical competencies :
- A minimum of five years of technical experience in a senior program capacity working on food security and livelihood programming in the Horn of Africa; preferably with Somalia experience ;
- Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Business studies, economics, or other social sciences or related degree. A Master’s degree in developmental or social enterprise is highly desirable ;
- At minimum of three years’ experience in an advisory role in an NGO or public interest organization ;
- Experience of working in a consortium, coalition or partnership settings is highly desirable ;
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with multiple stakeholders ;
- Strong focus on innovation and learning, and proven ability to facilitate learning amongst a varied group of actors ;
- Proficiency in written and spoken English is critical; proficiency in Somali is desired ;
- Strong proven experience and technical capacity in monitoring, evaluation and measuring of impact of livelihood and/or resilience programming in a urban or peri-urban setting.
Moreover, in this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies :
- Striving for excellence : You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process ;
- Collaborating : You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback ;
- Taking the lead : You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation ;
- Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly ;
- Demonstrating integrity : Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
We offer :
Duration : 1 Year renewable subject to Performance and Funding.
Contract : Salary and conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment; Band Non-Manager G2
Start Date : 15th January 2021
Duty Station : Hargeisa with frequent travel in field offices in Somalia
Reporting : This position reports to Livelihood Technical Manager.
Commitments : DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework (http://www.drc.dk/HAF.4265.0.html). All DRC staff must be committed to the Red Cross Code of Conduct, as well as the Core Humanitarian Standards.
Gender Equality : DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In light of this, women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gender gap.
Equal Opportunities : DRC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status or other protected characteristics.
Applications :
Applicants must send a cover letter (max 1 page) and an updated CV (max 3 pages) in English. Cover letter should outline your personal motivation for applying and your key qualifications for the position. Apply online on our page Current Vacancies at www.drc.ngo. Applications sent by email will not be considered.
Closing date for applications : 22nd December 2020.
If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please visit drc.ngo/jobsupport.
By working in DRC, you will be joining a global workforce of around 8000 employees in 40 countries.
DRC’s capacity to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, IDP’s and other persons of concern depends on the ability of our staff to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. DRC conducts thorough and comprehensive background checks as part of the recruitment process.