Job Description

About Self Help Africa and the Project:

Self Help Africa (SHA) is an international NGO dedicated to the vision of an economically thriving and resilient rural Africa. We have 50 years of experience working with smallholder farmers, farmer associations, cooperatives and agribusinesses across Africa to help farmers grow and sell more food, improve diets, diversify incomes and make their livelihoods more sustainable and resilient to external shocks. SHA also builds awareness of issues affecting smallholders and represent their interests at policy and institutional level.

SHA is a core member of The Gorta Group which is composed of a group of innovative organizations driving sustainable economic and social change across Africa. Comprising Self Help Africa, Partner Africa and TruTrade, the Gorta Group combines expertise in market-based solutions to poverty and rural development; climate change mitigation and resilience; trade facilitation and farmer and worker rights; underpinned by an inclusive ethos that specifically targets women and youth. In August 2021, United Purpose joined the Gorta Group, which operates as Self Help Africa (SHA), bringing together two organizations with proud histories of assisting those in greatest need. United Purpose, formerly Concern Universal, has worked for more than 40 years as a leader in community-led development and grassroots innovation. SHA now has over 700 staff worldwide, as a result of the merger, and a global turnover of over €40m. We are currently implementing a portfolio of 80 projects in Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia funded by a variety of institutional and private donors including the European Union, Irish Aid and World Food Programme. In 2020, we supported close to eight million people in rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil and Bangladesh.

SHA-Ethiopia currently seeks to recruit a project manager/team leader who will provide guidance and other technical support on the Rural Resilience Initiative (R4) project implemented in 16 woredas of Amhara region financed by WFP.

The goal of the R4 project is to improve food security, nutrition and livelihoods of over 54,000 smallholder farmers vulnerable to climate-related shocks. This will be realized by achieving four inter-related outcomes/components:

• Component 1) Risk Reduction – improved natural resource management and disaster risk reduction through asset rehabilitation and creation.

• Component 2) Risk Transfer – Assist farmers in coping and stimulating faster recovery to extreme climate events;

• Component 3) Risk Retention – strengthen financial literacy, savings capacity of food insecure households; and

• Component 4) Prudent Risk Taking – Enhanced smallholder access to microloans/credit and technical assistance to diversify and increase their incomes

Job Purpose:

The position holder – working at field level - will be responsible for project implementation and ensuring the quality and effectiveness of the R4 project within his/her designated geographical area including project implementation, day-to-day monitoring, and reporting. The incumbent will be responsible for achievement of overall physical and qualitative targets mentioned in the project document.

S/he will provide technical support to community development facilitators and volunteer field agents/community facilitators; mobilize and sensitize communities; and liaise with all relevant stakeholders. 

Key Responsibilities:

Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

• In close coordination with Project Manager and Cluster Coordinator, provide technical support and monitoring of the project field level activities under his/her assigned areas;

• Ensure all the four R4 project components are effectively undertaken in close collaboration with major project partners and stakeholders

• Organise, participate in and support trainings, community-based dialogue sessions, resource and beneficiary assessments and other capacity-building activities, as and when required.

• Facilitate, organize, and plan watershed approach natural resource management in collaboration with government partners and beneficiaries

• Organize training for project field staff and beneficiaries to build core skills in livelihood concept, food security, DRR and resilience building;

• Liaise with local / kebele level organisation and community-based organizations (CBOs) such as VESA and RuSACCOs;

• Facilitate the establishment/strengthen of local level CBOs

• Make regular visits and consultation to project beneficiaries and ensure delivery of project inputs on timely basis;

• Ensure the PM and Cluster Coordinator are kept informed about project progress (weekly plan and achievements);

• Ensure that sex-disaggregated beneficiary data collected and submitted to the Cluster Coordinator/PM, and provide required information to produce progress report in accordance to the reporting template and within their reporting schedule.

• Facilitate the implementation of project activities are carried out in accordance with the agreed LoA with the donor, work-plans and project proposal

• Identify livelihood opportunities and impediments for selected IGAs and develop strategies to solve bottleneck and to capture opportunities together with other project team members and stakeholders;

• Ensuring capacity development training, business plan preparation and handholding of farmers’ enterprises, business management start-up training, marketing, financial and digital literacy, value chain development, etc.

• Project management related to distribution of input provision, backward linkages and forward market linkages activities

• Support the establishment of revolving funds for identified IGAs in the project area;

• Provide support for field finance teams in providing financial documents that help for settlement purpose. 

• In collaboration with the PM/Cluster coordinator, coordinate the operations of the community development facilitators, volunteer community facilitators, and other project team;

• Monitor groups and individual project target beneficiaries application of knowledge and skills transfer from trainings for attitude and behaviour transformation, changes in production and income  levels;

• Ensure gender, nutrition and environmental aspects are mainstreamed in all project activities;

• Establish and maintain good working relations with government partners at zone and district level as well as other collaborators in this project;

• Manage minor financial payments when there is a need

• Perform any other duties assigned by the Cluster Coordinator/PM within the area of technical competence.

Key Relationships:

Internal

• Cluster Coordinator (Line Manager)

• Project Manager

• R4 Project Team,

• SHA Ethiopia Country Office

External

• Project Donor

• Local Government Authorities,

• Financial Institutions,

• Other International and Local NGOs,

• Private Sector Organisations,

• Business Advisors and Mentors.

Department: Programmes

Contract Type: One and half years fixed term contract

Reports to: Cluster Coordinator

Required Qty: 11

Location: Different locations (Libokemkem, Ebinat, Shebel Berenta, Enebsie Sar Midir, Goncha Siso Enebsie, Tenta, Mekidela, Kelala, Jamma, Woreilu, Legehida, Legambo, Mehal Saiynt, Saint Ajbar, Borena, and Gishe Rabel woredas) in South Gonder, East Gojam, South Wolo and North Shewa zones of Amhara region

Job Requirements

Qualifications/Knowledge and Experience

Essential:

• BSc/BA degree in Agriculture, Rural Development, Development studies, Economics, Food Security, Disaster Risk Management, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management, cooperative development, Sociology, or other related fields 

• At least five years relevant working experience in livelihood, food security, resilience building, climate change adaptation, natural resource management or other relevant fields

• Equipped with sufficient level of awareness of Early warning concepts; agriculture, Disaster risk management practice and knowhow; food security and livelihoods framework and Gender

• Good inter-personal and communication skills

• Capacity and maturity to establish and maintain links with government officials, smallholder farmers and private sector

• Ability to organise and manage events like farmers’ field days, trainings, and workshops

• Excellent oral and written communication skills;

• Computer literacy, particularly in MS Word and MS Excel

• Ability to work independently in a timely and organized manner;

Desirables:

• Demonstrate capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time to meet goals in a high-pressure environment;

• Proven ability to work in multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder working environments;

• Experience working in an NGO setting;

• Ability to work and act under pressure;

• Motorbike license

How to Apply

Interested applicants can apply using THIS LINK

Any candidate offered a job with Self Help Africa will be expected to sign Self Help Africa’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

Specific roles may require police vetting.

Self Help Africa strives to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. Women candidates are highly encouraged