Livelihoods Officer

Description

Hello Hello!  Alight is recruiting a Livelihoods Officer for our program based in Nakivale. You’re interested in joining us? Welcome, we’re happy you’re here!

Alight (formerly American Refugee Committee) provides health care and clean water, shelter, protection, and economic opportunity to more than 3.5 million people in 20 countries each year. ALIGHT is and always has been about amazing global citizens taking action to change our world. Today, we’re facing challenging global humanitarian crises that require 21st Century solutions. But we’ve found that co-creating together with impassioned, dedicated people, limited only by their own imaginations, remains the key to designing new solutions that resonate. We still believe that Alight should exist, first and foremost, as a platform for realizing the goodwill of everyday people – people from Sweden to Somalia, Minnesota to Malaysia, and Uganda to the U.S.

When you join us, you’ll find…

A team with deep experience in co-designing solutions that create new value around the world. We know we need to always be better, and we believe in the power and abundance of everyday people, everywhere, to change the world with us.

A culture of radical accountability to our customers –as we help build a meaningful life for and with the displaced, we ask them what they want and then deliver on it.

An organization that refuses to settle for anything less than delivering human-worthy services.

If you believe in an abundant world full of amazing people who want to help; in the simple human justice to build a life; and in doing a better thing, then read on!

What we do in Uganda

Alight Uganda works with its partners and constituencies to provide opportunities and expertise to refugees, displaced people and host communities – to better survive conflicts and crisis, and to rebuild lives of dignity, health, security and self-sufficiency. Alight has consistently operated in Uganda since 1994, and today has a strong and committed team of over three hundred personnel who include full time staff and temporary workers, and hundreds of community volunteers – implementing programs in Protection, GBV, Child Protection, Community Based Protection, Legal assistance, MHPSS, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Shelter and general Infrastructure, Clean Energy, and Livelihoods/Economic Resilience. Our work in Uganda currently covers six refugee settlements and five transit centres including border points and their generous Ugandan-host communities. And we are always looking to deepen our work and, jointly with our partners, offer lasting impact with and for the communities we serve!

About the Position

The Livelihoods Officer  reports to the Team Leader. He/She monitors and evaluate livelihoods activities, focusing on identifying potential markets and regularly tracking income levels, savings, and reinvestment plans for beneficiaries to promote business growth and increased income. Oversee the development of business, savings, and expense plans for livelihoods groups, emphasizing market integration for both refugee and host communities, and regional markets when relevant and also  participates in proposal development, and ensure active ALIGHT participation in relevant working groups.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Monitor and evaluate livelihoods activities planning and implementation, with a focus on identification of potential markets for livelihoods beneficiaries and the regular and active monitoring of livelihoods group income level, savings plans, and reinvestment planning to promote business growth and increased income for beneficiaries;
• Oversee the processes by which livelihoods groups develop viable business, savings, and expenses plans, with heavy focus on integration of livelihoods activities in local markets, both refugee and host community, and, where relevant, regional markets;
• Provide direct supervision to Livelihoods Assistants ensuring active supervision, capacity building, and sharing of knowledge / best practices;
• Lead at the site level the development and implementation of livelihoods assessments, rapid surveys, and provide insight on opportunities for livelihoods promotion which reflect local capacities, resources, and aspirations of beneficiaries;
• Oversee the use of materials provided to livelihoods beneficiaries, and ensure via frequent site visits the proper application of livelihoods implements by beneficiaries;
• Ensure, in consultation with community-level leadership, that livelihoods activities slated for implementation are culturally relevant, effective, and reflective of community-level planning for livelihoods promotion;
• Develop effective work and procurement plan for the sector, ensuring hitting of targets and deadlines;
• Write quality monthly and quarterly progress reports for submission to donors and stakeholders, with an emphasis on concise quality reporting of both challenges and achievements within the sector works;
• Participate actively in livelihoods proposal development;
• Ensure ALIGHT active participation at any and all livelihoods working groups / coordination groups at site level, and, when requested, at national or regional level;
• At site-level, lead livelihoods strategy formation, constantly pushing to maximize both value for dollar of livelihoods activities as well as pushing for innovation within the sector works;
• Any other duties assigned by the Supervisor.

Requirements

Must have aminum of a bachelor’s degree in Community or Rural Development, Agricultural Development, Business, or related field. Master’s degree or equivalent experience is preferred;

• Five years working experience in Livelihoods programming. Specific experience in micro-enterprise development, market-oriented livelihoods promotion, and other innovative approached to humanitarian livelihoods service delivery is an advantage;

• Experience contributing to livelihoods strategy development and proposal writing preferred;

• Experience in project report writing, as well as tracking relevant livelihoods promotion indicators in real time to permit project modification / redirection to increase viability and output of livelihoods activities, is required;

• Experience working with the forming and monitoring of livelihoods groups and activities essential;

• Knowledge of VSLA, SACCO, and other savings and loan models is essential;

• Must be fluent in written and spoken English. Language skills of populations ARC serves and surrounding host communities extremely beneficial (e.g. Kiswahili, Luo, Nuer, Kinyarwanda, Somali, etc.)

• Motorbike riding experience and permit preferable

Behavioral Competences 

• Strong analytical, written and verbal skills;

• High level of integrity, accountability and responsibility;

• Good interpersonal skills and ability and inclination to work in / with teams;

• High level of self-drive, discipline and desire to achieve;

• Ability to work with minimal supervision, hit deadlines, and produce high-quality outputs.

I have understood my responsibilities as stated above and hereby agree and sign to adhere and to execute them to the best of my ability.