Livelihood/IGA Officer at Smiling Hearts Initiatives International

• Qualification         BA/BSc/HND
• Experience           2 years

Overall:

• Ensure that you work to the best of your ability and demonstrate high levels of commitment to Smiling Hearts Initiatives Int. and our vision, mission, and values to ensure the objectives of your role and the country programme are met.
• Ensure the effective and efficient use of all Smiling Hearts Initiatives Int. resources to keep costs low and ensure safety in the workplace; and.
• Comply with the requirements of SHI’s Child Safeguarding Policy to ensure maximum protection for children.

Main Responsibilities

• Providing relief intervention to vulnerable and food insecure households using available resources through donor regulated modalities.
• Provide support to the identification, engagement and training of market vendors while providing linkages between the vendors and the beneficiaries, as well as improving local economy
• Organize the training of the selected households on business planning, record keeping and micro enterprise management
• Facilitate the provision of income generating equipment to the selected households
• Conduct the implementation and monitoring of all activities, at field level, as laid out in the plan of action.
• Assist in the registration of target families, ensuring that the data is collected and is recorded appropriately
• Assist the Project manager and National Coordinator in the preparation of project plans, budgets and all documents contributing towards an overall project implementation.
• Coordinate activities with local authorities, community leaders and members, other implementing actors and partners at the local level.
• With the support of Project Manager, support project implementation to ensure timely delivery of project activities (for example, monitoring against log frames, individual performance management work plans).
• With support from the Accountability Lead ensure accountability is enforced in all project activities as well as ensuring that feedback from children and their families is considered in project design/implementation.
• To ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian relief are maintained in accordance with the Sphere standards.

• Conduct vulnerability mapping with community representatives to identify the most vulnerable new arrival IDP in communities of implementation.
• Develop strategies to address the economic barriers impeding the IDPs’ access to their basic needs (WASH, Food, protection, etc) in collaboration with the community representatives.
• Implement viable income generating activities (IGAs) programs for IDP new arrival HHs, to allow families to be able to cover their basic needs

Capacity Building:

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Identify any gaps or capacity needs within the team and ensure training and capacity building are incorporated into program planning.

Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:

• Ensure that SHI's work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies and Government, and support the FSL Manager to attend sector coordination meetings and represent SHI in other meetings including coordination working groups within the IDP camps and host communities or target project sites.

Core Behaviours
Understanding humanitarian contexts and application of humanitarian principles:

• Participates in disaster coordination mechanisms and interagency cooperation
• Recognize opportunities to evolve the current humanitarian portfolio into a more effective and impactful portfolio addressing the changing needs of conflict-affected populations.
• Contribute to SHI’s strategy development.

Achieving results effectively:

• Ensures efficient and transparent use of resources in accordance with internal controls
• Establishes staff engagement mechanisms.
• Addresses difficult situations and makes tough decisions confidently and calmly
• Considers the wider impact of decisions to be made in the short and long-term.
• Continuously provides feedback and updates to achieve improved results
• Coordinates with stakeholders to avoid duplication and maximize resources
• Documents lessons learned and applied them to future projects.

Maintaining and developing collaborative relationships:

• Establishes and maintains clear communication and dialogue with disaster and conflict affected people and other stakeholders
• Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with communities, local authorities and other stakeholders.
• Ensure effective coordination with relevant working groups, UN, ICRC, and colleagues I/NGO agencies.

Qualifications & Experience
Essential:

• Substantial experience of working in FSL, nutrition experience
• Education to BSc/BA level in Agriculture/Nutrition and in relevant subject or equivalent field experience.
• Previous experience of project management and implementation
• Experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation
• Experience of training and capacity building staff
• Some experience of representation and ability to represent SHI effectively in external forums.
• Knowledge of institutional donors (UN, INGOs, and other Agencies) and experience of developing proposals.
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports
• Excellent communication and strong influencing skills
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• A high level of written and spoken English
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to the aims and principles of SHI. In particular, a good understanding of the SHI mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support
• Knowledge of and adherence to SHI’s Code of Conduct understands other international development guidelines.