ETHIOPIAN CENTER FOR DISABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT (ECDD)

EXTERNAL VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

INCLUSIVE LIVELIHOOD PROJECT OFFICER

The Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) is an Ethiopian non-governmental, non-religious, non-profit development organization established in 2005. ECDD works collaboratively with other organizations to promote, facilitate, and build organizational capacity for “Disability Inclusive Development” in Ethiopia – the inclusion of disability issues and persons with disabilities and their families in mainstream government service delivery and development organization programs. ECDD was re-registered on 17 May 2019 as a local CSO, Registration No. 0321, with the Civil Society Organizations Agency under the Organizations of Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019. ECDD envisions an inclusive Ethiopia, where children, youth and adults with disabilities, regardless of gender or kind of disability, as well as their parents and families, enjoy the same rights and have access to the same health, educational and social services, training and work opportunities enjoyed by other citizens. ECDD is implementing projects in 6 regions of the country and in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa city administrations.

ECDD is in the process to launch phase-II project entitled ‘Promoting the Livelihood of Persons with Disabilities Through Membership in Village Saving and Loan Associations/VSLAs Programme’ in collaboration with CBM Ethiopia. The project aimed to Improve economic and social situation of persons with disabilities and their families in rural communities in Ethiopia through membership in mainstream and disability-specific VSLAs. The project will mainly focus in promoting, facilitating and building the institutional capacity of selected International and national NGOs, CBID programs, DPOs and government bureaus that engaged in supporting VSLAs for the inclusion of youth and adults with disabilities in existing and new VSLAs in two intervention regions (Amhara and Tigray).

General Description

ECDD Inclusive Livelihoods Officer is required to coordinate all livelihood-related activities in Tigray region. The Inclusive Livelihoods Officer, based in Mekelle, works under the overall authority of the ECDD Program Director (PD), reports directly to the ECDD Livelihood Team Lead (LTL)/Regional Program Manager (RPM), working in close collaboration with the inclusive Project Officers of other ECDD inclusive livelihoods projects.  The Livelihoods Officer is responsible for coordinating the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all livelihood-related activities of the region.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUSIVE LIVELIHOOD OFFICER

1.    Support and follow-up CPOs (Cooperating Partner Organizations/INGOs), DPOs (Organizations of Persons with Disabilities), CBOs (Community Based Organizations), CBID (Community Based Integrated Development) programs, Micro finance Institutions (MFIs) and Government Bureaus to promote inclusive VSLAs;

2.    Work with LTL and RPM in identifying capacity gaps of partners; design and implement most feasible capacity building   activities based on identified gaps and project indicators;

3.    Organize and provide various capacity building trainings (DIAT, IVSLA, BBS/BDS etc) to different partners/stakeholders, VSLAs and IGA members in intervention areas;

4.    Support and follow-up existing VSLAs; facilitate the establishment of inclusive and disability-specific VSLAs; graduate and promote VSLAs in to cooperatives/union and support groups to access loan;

5.    Provide technical support and supervise overall operations of livelihood projects in the region through regular onsite visit, monitoring and address challenges identified;

6.    Work with the LTL and RPM to hold regular meetings and liaise with partners (CPOs, DPOs, CBOs, FBOs, MFIs, CBIDs programs and Regional/Woreda level government bureaus) to promote and facilitate disability inclusive VSLAs and IGAs;

7.    Regularly collect, document and review inclusive VSLAs community level data disaggregated by age, gender, and types of disability through tracking excel and VSLA Management Information System (MIS);

1. Work and consult with other ECDD Project Officers in order to create program level synergy while implementing activities in Tigray region;
2. Consult with the Regional Labor and Social Affairs Agency (BoLSA) and the Urban Food Security and Job Creation Development Agency in order to align ECDD livelihood-related activities with Regional Government plans and programs;
3. Consult with BoLSA personnel in target zones and towns on how to promote and support income-generating activities of groups of persons with disabilities;
4.  In consultation with BoLSA experts, INGOs, CSOs, FBOs and DPOs, identify youth and adults seeking mainstream vocational skills training, employment or income-generating activities in RDM Program target zones and towns;
5. Identify livelihood-related activities of INGOS, CSOs, FBOs, CBID and DPOs in the Region and promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities;
6.  In cooperation with the Abilis Facilitator and LTL, support the implementation of the grant-making activities of the ECDD Abilis Project in the Region;

14. Prepare, compile and document various project related reports that are timely and of high quality based on the key project indicators and reporting formats as required by the donor and ECDD;

15. Prepare, compile and document success stories and best practices;

1. Undertake such other tasks as may be assigned by the team lead, ECDD Regional Program Manager and/or the ECDD Program Director.

Qualifications:

1.    Education – BA degree in a social science field, cooperatives, business management, economics, is preferred

2.    Professional experience – minimum 3 years of experience in a field related to income generating activities (saving groups) or vocational skills training; implementation of donor-funded project(s),

3.    Previous work experience desirable in a saving groups, TVET institution or business

4.    Previous experience of working with persons with disabilities is desirable

5.    Good communication skills, interpersonal relationships, team work and training provision skills

6.    Able and willing to travel frequently to target woredas and communities

7.    Competence in the use of computer applications

8.    Fluency in English, Tigrigna and Amharic languages, Sign Language skill desirable

Qualified individuals with disabilities, especially women, are encouraged to apply.  ECDD gives priority in employment to qualified candidates with disabilities.  ECDD will meet any and all required disability adjustment costs to enable individuals with disabilities to meet the requirements of the position.

The ECDD Inclusive Livelihood Officer must live, or plan to live full-time in Mekele.

Duty Station: Mekelle

Number of positions: One