Latest Vacancies at Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)

Type of Role: Advocacy Policy and Research
Start Date: 2nd Week of August

Descrioption

• As a VSO volunteer you’ll live and work in some of the world’s poorest communities. By sharing your unique skills and experience you’ll help generate new ideas and new ways of doing things, helping the communities you work in lift themselves out of poverty
• We’re not about delivering quick fixes, but instead we focus on long-lasting, sustainable change, that will impact generations to come
• Join us as a VSO volunteer and help us work towards our vision of a world without poverty.

Role Overview

• The Social Accountability Advisor will work with program team to build up and retain capacity for social accountability programming within the VSO Nigeria
• The role will provide support to VSO’s Programme Managers in participatory approaches and transformational programme design, and methodological support in and social accountability analysis
• Additional support in other areas may be needed, such as power, stakeholder mapping, resilience and systems approaches to development.

Competencies and Behaviour
At VSO we believe progress is only possible by working together. Whether you want to join us as an employee, or as a volunteer working in your own country, overseas or online, our selection process includes an assessment based on these core competencies:

• Ability to be open minded and respectful
• Ability to be resilient and adaptive to new situations
• Ability to facilitate positive change and build sustainable working relationships
• Ability to seek and share knowledge

Allowance

• As a VSO volunteer, you will be sharing your skills with local communities on a full time basis
• VSO will cover your travel, vaccinations, accommodation, and medical insurance costs, along with a local living allowance which will be paid in local currency
• This allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home
• You will also receive some financial support to contribute to your on-going expenses at home.

Accommodation

• VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.

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Type of Role: Advocacy Policy and Research
Start Date: September 2018
Duration: 1 Year

Job Purpose

• The Social Inclusion and Gender expert will take the lead in carrying out Social Inclusion and Gender (SIG) assessments and review for VSO Nigeria.
• The expert will be required to carry out actors aimed at understanding factors of social Inclusion and gender within health, Livelihood, and Education systems.
• The analysis will inform our Signature Programmes.
• The primary and secondary research on SIG, and facilitate meetings with partners.       

Responsibilities
These are subject to change - the final work plan will be subject to agreement between the volunteer, and VSO Nigeria at the start of the placement:

• Lead and facilitate on the Social Inclusion and Gender analysis (SIG) across programming in Nigeria.
• Carry out primary and secondary research on SIG and use the findings to inform the analysis and contribution to SP development
• Lead on evidence gathering and documentation of SIG factors, reflect on the social, economic and environmental factors as it relates to individuals and groups and recommend how it can be embedded in VSO Nigeria Signature Programmes
• To identify and analyse underlying factors that facilitate inclusion and the relationship with poverty and marginalisation
• Support M&E to articulate robust theories of change for Signature Programmes
• Work with the Programmes team to reflect on issues of Social Inclusion and Gender in development, and help the team to apply the SIG to its current Inclusive Education and Secure Livelihoods programmes     initiation. Excellent spoken and written English Excellent leadership and inter-personal skills.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Research Plan and Analysis for SIG
• SIG assessment
• Primary and secondary SIG report findings with recommendations for programming    

Competencies
Building and Sustaining working relationships:

• The social skills to build and actively maintain working relationships that foster teamwork and collaboration with others for the benefit of a common goal.

Open Minded and Respectful:

• A non-judgemental approach that values other people and culture:

Seeking and Sharing Knowledge:

• Recognition that learning is a two-way and continuous process.:

Facilitating Positive Change:

• The ability to analyse problems and develop lasting solutions in line with VSO approaches.

Adaptability:

• A flexible approach and the ability to adapt behaviour to different situations.

Resilience:

• The self-confidence to work with a variety of situations, diverse people and ambiguity.

Essential

• Bachelor's Degree in Social and Gender Studies
• 6 years working experience in the field of Social and Gender Studies desirable
• Demonstrated skills and experience in Gender analysis and social inclusion
• Demonstrated capacity to work in organization gender assessment and to work in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and various stakeholders
• Experience in conducting participatory research at the organization, programs and community level
• Demonstrated skills in working independently, fixing deadlines and reaching goals.
• Proven track record of securing external funding and grants though proposal writing
• Knowledge and skills in networking and collaboration
• Must have good facilitation and training skills
• Creativity and innovation in project       

Desirable

• Experience in dealing with local NGOs and government departments would be desirable
• Speak fluent, Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo
• Being up-to-date on the current thinking in international development and approaches to poverty      

Personal considerations:

• In addition to the job description, the following information should be used when considering whether a placement is suitable for you.

 Personal health considerations:

• If you have a significant current or past medical condition and/or you have general concerns about staying healthy as a volunteer, please use this information to assess whether this placement will be suitable for you. All volunteers require medical clearance from a VSO medical adviser before they are able to take up a placement with VSO. Occasionally, VSO may consider that this placement is too great a risk for you in terms of your personal health and you would be advised to consider a different placement. For further guidance about medical assessment and volunteering with a medical condition please see thefrequently asked questions on VSO website.

Access to medical care and support:

• The standard and quality of local medical care and support available at this placement will depend on its location within the country. Health facilities are likely to be more poorly resourced in rural areas in terms of medical expertise, equipment, infrastructure and regular supplies of medication.
• However, this may not be the case in the capital city or in a larger town, where in some countries there may be a reasonable standard of medical care.
• The following gives you an indication of where the placement is in relation to the country office and how easy it would be to make the journey if you were ill. Extra care just like in any other situation will be necessary in matters of security. This placement will be in either Nairobi, Pretoria, Bangkok or Kingston - UK.