Job Title: Senior Partnership and Capacity Development Officer

Application Deadline: May 1, 2022

Overview of Helvetas and the Project

HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation is an independent development organization based in Switzerland and it has been operating for the last 65 years worldwide. HELVETAS is registered in Ethiopia as foreign organization with the Agency for Civil Society Organization to operate in the areas of Rural Infrastructure, Natural Resource Management, Support to CSO and Local Governments, Skill Development & Education and Emergency Response. See also. www.helvetas.org.

Under its Rural Infrastructure thematic area ‘Transformative Rural Access for Improved Livelihoods in Ethiopia (TRAIL)’ project (hereinafter called “the project”) aims to build the enabling environment to create first mile transport connectivity in rural Ethiopia. This will result in enhanced access to critical services and economic opportunities for remote communities. The project will develop capacities of actors within the rural access sector, institutionalize rural access for scale and build evidence and innovate for rural access development in the coming three years in Amhara, Oromia, Sidma, SNNPR, Somali and southwest Ethiopia regions.

There will be three regional teams i.e., one south- east team with a base in Addis Ababa covering Oromia and Somali, south - west with a base in Hawassa covering Sidma, SNNPR and Southwest regions and North team with the base in Bahir Dar and covering Amhara Region. All teams are provided guidance and strategic direction by the National Program Team in Addis Ababa. The senior partnership and capacity development officer will be member of national team.

Job Purposes

The purpose of the Senior Partnership and Capacity Development Officer is to lead and coordinate all partnership and capacity development aspect of the project. The incumbent will enhance partnership.

through providing high quality technical assistance and capacity building for field-based officers and partners at national and regional level. The incumbent will bring thematic competence in social and institutional development skills to ensure that all deliverables pertaining to building capacity and partnership development component are accomplished on time and according to approved scope of work.

The incumbent will lead, coordinate and support landscape analysis, need assessment, promotion of inclusion of trail bridges in government strategic plans & budget allocations, support establishment of Trail Bridge unit technical teams at national and regional level, support establishment and strengthening of trail bridge operation and maintenance, support local production of trail bridge construction materials, develop capacity of trail bridge construction and consulting firms, lead and conduct study’s, and generate lessons.

HELVETAS long term strategy is gradually handing over direct implementation and up-scaling responsibilities to appropriate capacitated partners and assuming advocacy and technical backstopping services. Hence the incumbent is expected to contribute and work in line with the long-term organizational strategy.

Duties and Responsibilities

Partnership and Capacity Strengthening

• Lead and coordinate intuitional capacity assessment in terms of scaling up rural transport infrastructure and identify existing strength, needs, and gaps in individual skills and organizational systems;
• Lead and Coordinate trail-bridge need assessment to provide government partners and other stakeholders with the information they need to prioritize rural access in plans and budgets in collaboration with senior Infrastructure development officer;
• Collaborate with partners and organizations and promotes effective linkages among multiple government, civil society and private sector actors;
• Lead and coordinate identification of government partners and private sector training and capacity development needs, and facilitate planning, organizing and overseeing appropriate training;
• Lead , coordinate and conduct capacity development of target community, government, private actors and community organization based on identified need, gaps and project plan;
• Promote internal learning and synergy as well as joint resources mobilization among actors towards the attainment of shared development results;
• Work closely with TVET and universities in developing appropriate human resource development training for the RTI sector;
• Undertake analytical work and provide technical guidance in the area of community mobilization and capacity building in the area of rural transport infrastructure focusing on and advice on how to ensure sustainability of benefits of trail bridges and foot trail networks;
• Conduct continues follow up to ensure trail bridge and trail network improvement skills, tools and resources are adapted and become normal operating procedures.

Project Implementation

• Guides and advises field-based officers to provide up to standard technical support;
• Develop standards, guidelines and processes which support the ongoing quality of capacity development approaches across the project outcomes and outputs;
• Support and advise the project and government partners to facilitate the implementation of Woreda development plans and design of sustainable strategies for operation and maintenance of resulting road infrastructures (trail brides and foot trail networks);
• Support establishment/strengthening of national, regional, zonal and Woreda level networks in the development and implementation of trail bridges and foot trail infrastructures;
• Provide capacity development ToT trainings and technical support for staff, government and privet sector;
• Closely work with Ethiopian rods administration, regional road bureaus, universities and technical vocational schools on area of developing standards, inclusion of trail bridge in education curriculum, embedding trail bridges in appropriate national institutions;
• Provide technical inputs to the RTI planning process to ensure that plans are realistic and take due account of the social development constraints and criteria to delivery of infrastructure;
• Prepare annual operation plan, report and update for partnership and capacity development component of the project;
• Ensure implementation of the project proceed according to approved work plan and correction are taken timely.

Quality Assurance, Documentation, and Reporting

• Contribute to organizational and sector-wide learning through good quality input for lessons learned, best practices, and evaluations etc. for all the components of the program for training, mobilization and IEC materials;
• Identify and anticipate potential risks and problems in a timely manner and advise the project on the implementation of mitigation measures and solutions;
• Work harmoniously with local government partners and other project team members to ensure projects are being delivered timely and effectively;
• Ensure that all projects regularly update and submit progress to intermediate milestones and set targets throughout the project cycle.

Job Requirements

Qualifications and Experience 

• BA in Social Work, Sociology, Social Work, community development, Development Studies, management, or related social science field to rural access;
• A minimum of 7 years work experience and of which 4 years NGO related work experience in partnership and capacity development, facilitation of community mobilization and institutional capacity development;
• Solid knowledge about capacity building approaches and working modalities;
• Demonstrated experience facilitating trainings, workshops and institutional building;
• Relevant experience working within a partnership agreement and/or a network including regional institutions;
• Understanding and knowledge of the Ethiopian Road Sector Development Program, working guidelines, standards, and specification;
• Excellent knowledge of conducting study, monitoring, and quality control.

Skills and Competencies Required

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills;
• Flexible, capable of working independently, high integrity, and hard-working;
• Fluent in spoken and written English.

Guiding Principle

In undertaking the work and carrying out the specific tasks and responsibilities, the employee will be abiding by the following guiding principles:

• Demonstrate a high level of integrity and ethics with due regard to organizational policies and procedures, working guidelines and the requirement of the job;
• Respect HELVETAS Ethiopia’s mission and values to serve economically poor and socially disadvantaged as well as have a high regard for the organization’s working culture;
• Adhere to the Country Program Strategy 2019-2023 (HELVETAS’ Gender and Social Equity Strategy and the Code of Conduct;
• Promulgate accountability, self-initiative and teamwork;
• Be committed and determined to improve the livelihoods of the target communities.

Working Conditions

This job will require field work in the Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, SNNPR, Somali and Southwest regions of Ethiopia. Because of the remoteness of the field work incumbent will expected to regularly travel to remote trail bridge sites.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to apply by sending their application and updated CV via email: HumanResources.ETH@helvetas.org Please make sure you write the position title and the duty station you are applying for in the subject line or through THIS LINK

NB: Women candidates are highly encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.