Job Title:  Program Officer –Economic Inclusion (2 Job Opportunities)

Organisation: AVSI

Duty Station:  Kyaka II Refugee Settlement/Kyegegwa & Kyangwali Refugee Settlement/Kikuube Uganda

About US:

AVSI is an international NGO with headquarters in Italy, which has been active in Uganda since 1984. Its current activities are focused in the areas of education, health, livelihoods, and protection, nutrition and refugee programs in Uganda.

Programme Background:

AVSI, as leader of a consortium including DAI Global LLC, Makerere University, Innovations for Poverty (IPA), and RELARLE, is implementing the IKEA Foundation funded “Sustainable Market Inclusive Livelihood Pathways to Self-Reliance” (SMILES) project in Kyegegwa and Kikuube Districts in western Uganda targeting refugees and surrounding host communities in Kyaka II and Kyangwali Refugee Settlements.

Job Summary:  AVSI is seeking to recruit suitably qualified personnel for the positions of Program Officer – Economic Inclusion, to contribute to the implementation of the “Sustainable Market Inclusive Livelihood Pathways to Self-Reliance” (SMILES) project’s interventions targeting refugees and host populations in and around Kyaka II and Kyangwali Refugee Settlements. Reporting to the Deputy Chief of Party, the successful candidates will be based in Kyaka II or Kyangwali Refugee Settlements in Kyegegwa/Kikuube Districts with possible movements within the project’s implementation area.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Technical Advisor – Economic Inclusion, and Technical Advisor Agriculture, and Technical Advisor – Market Systems Development to conduct market & value chain analysis, labor market analysis, and services mapping in the targeted refugee settlements & host community.
• Strengthen the capacity of households to participate in various economic activities by increasing their skills base (market based business and technical skills), assisting in identifying viable value chains/business opportunities, including ensuring that households are provided with relevant business coaching.
• Conduct orientation and trainings for coaches and the community-based trainers/ facilitators and provide regular mentorship and guidance on economic/ livelihood related themes
• Provide mentorship and guidance to households a long a pathway that includes goal setting and development and implementation of Household Development Plans.
• Facilitate linkage of households to both formal and informal financial support mechanisms. Assist in designing strategies to ensure that beneficiary households are effectively enrolled in Village Savings and Loan Associations and are linked to needed bank and other financial and government services.
• Take lead in implementing AVSI’s core activities under livelihoods thematic area such as the cash transfers, apprenticeships and formal skills training for youths, provision of consumption support, increasing access by households to economic resources and appropriate asset packages.
• Assist the Technical Advisors – Economic Inclusion, Agriculture, and Market Systems Development to identify & document best practices & lessons learned from the project that can be widely shared in publications, communication materials, & conferences. Champion learning with project staff and coaches and proactively identify issues and concerns and use participatory processes to overcome implementation obstacles.
• Assist in designing strategies to improve access by households to markets. Take lead in forming production and marketing groups, establishment of market information service, training and undertaking actions aimed at improving postharvest handling practices and access to markets.
• Identify, assess, initiate and strengthen partnerships relevant to livelihoods, applying appropriate partnership concepts, tools and approaches.
• Coordinate the identification, assessment and enrolment of ultra-poor refugee and host community households into the project.
• Identify and mainstream gender and diversity issues consistently across the livelihood interventions, paying special attention to the need for gender analysis, gender equality, promotion and protection of human rights, empowerment of women and girls.
• Work with M&E team to update beneficiary records regularly;
• Coordinate routine data collection action activities;
• Under the direction of the supervisor and with support of other Program Officers and Technical Advisors, monitor and support the implementation of project activities and carry out needed capacity building of the frontline workforce and beneficiary households;
• Perform other duties within the area of responsibility as requested by the supervisor.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The ideal candidate must hold a Degree in agriculture, economics, international development or a field related is required;
• A post graduate diploma in project planning and management is an added advantage;
• At least three years of progressively responsible work experience in similar projects with a reputable local and/or international NGO required;
• Project implementation experience in livelihoods, including financial inclusion, vocational training, income generation, and agricultural production required.
• Experience working with refugees is desirable;
• Supervisory experience and management and team building skills;
• Excellent planning and organization skills;
• Flexibility to work both in a team and independently;
• MEAL skills and experience;
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information management systems;
• Willingness to be based in rural setting with frequent travel within the implementation area;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to write reports
• Cultural sensitivity, patience and flexibility;
• Required Language: English fluency with excellent oral and writing skills is required. Knowledge of Kiswahili/French or any of the local languages i.e. Runyankore, Rutooro, Runyoro, Luo, Kigegere and Kinyabwisha is highly essential.

How to Apply:

Application letters, accompanied with updated Curriculum Vitae indicating 3 work-related referees, plus copies of relevant certificates, should be addressed to:

The AVSI Country Representative, AVSI Foundation, P.O. Box 6785, Kampala, Uganda and sent to hr.kampala@avsi.org indicating the e-mail subject as ‘Application for Program Officer – Economic Inclusion’.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Deadline:  Friday 21^st October,2022 (5.00 pm)

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