Islamic Relief (IR)
Islamic Relief Worldwide is a UK based international relief and development charity, which aims to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest people.
Closing date: 17 Dec 2009 -- (CLOSED)
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) - Birmingham
Position: Sustainable Livelihoods Specialist
Reporting to: Head of the Middle East Eastern Europe Region
Staff Reporting: Manage short-term programme Consultants
Base Location: 30% Birmingham, UK, 70% Field
Job Purpose
Responsible for providing strategic direction and technical advice for the Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) teams and supporting them in the planning, designing, appraising, monitoring and evaluating Sustainable Livelihoods programmes.
Key Objectives
The Sustainable Livelihoods Specialist will strengthen the organisation’s position, performance and reputation through:
1. The coordination of IR’s participation at national and international networks, events, conferences and other public forums dealing with Sustainable Livelihoods issues. Hence, ensuring that IR is an active and positive participant in the same.
2. Strengthening IR’s visibility and contribution at public forums and with major institutional stakeholders, forging new and improved relations and partnerships appropriate to partners, offices and internal stakeholders.
3. Ensuring that Sustainable Livelihoods strategy is developed, compatible, and implemented efficiently.
4. Supporting the Head of Region in providing the IR family with strategic direction, timely reports and technical advice on issues related to IR partners and to institutions in the field of Sustainable Livelihoods.
Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
The Sustainable Livelihoods Specialist is accountable to fulfil his or her roles and responsibilities in line with IRW’s code of conduct, values and principles, and to report to the line-manager regularly on the basis of annually defined key performance indicators (KPIs).
1. STRATEGIC PLANNING INPUT TO IRW, REGIONAL TEAM AND COUNTRY OFFICES
- To provide overall strategic planning leadership and technical backing on Sustainable Livelihoods programmes to the Regional/Country Offices teams within IRW’s strategic parameters.
- To lead Regional Teams and Country Offices in the development of Sustainable Livelihoods for strategies at country and regional levels including annual and Business plans.
2. SUPPORT FUNDRAISING AND NETWORKING
- To represent IRW in Sustainable Livelihoods forums and contribute to technical interactions and discussions on the same.
- To provide the Regional Teams and Country Offices the expertise to identify potential donors in this area and to contribute to development of policy on major Sustainable Livelihoods issues and/or advocacy with a range of stakeholders in the country offices and regional departments.
- To build and strengthen significant relationships between IRW partners, INGOs, UN, institutional donors and relevant government departments.
- To lead and coordinate Country and Regional Teams for the development of Sustainable Livelihoods programmes and proposals targeting institutional funding.
3. SUPPORT PROGRAMMES DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION
- The post-holder is IRW’s key reference point for all Sustainable Livelihoods technical advice internally and externally; thereby, analyze, draw conclusions and make recommendations involving range of inputs to enhance programme delivery.
- To advise IRW and the Regional Teams on best practices and approaches to Sustainable Livelihoods programming.
- To provide support and guidance to IRW Regional Teams in areas of programme planning, design and implementation by ensuring that technical support is sensitive to socio-cultural background of targeted communities and institutions.
- To develop Sustainable Livelihoods and protection operational manuals and training modules to assist IRW in the provision of reliable Sustainable Livelihoods programmes.
- To lead the Regional teams to develop and put in place an effective system for the production of project documentation including proposals, reports, case studies, etc.
4. PROGRAMME MONITORING AND EVALUATION
- Lead the Regional Team to develop and use innovative approaches to monitor the performance of Sustainable Livelihoods programme.
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of Sustainable Livelihoods programmes under implementation in Country Offices.
- Lead the Regional Team to ensure the effectiveness, impact and direction of the Sustainable Livelihoods programmes are appropriately implemented, monitored, reviewed and evaluated on a continuous basis using the quality guidance of the IRW Policy and Procedures Manual and other international standards.
5. CAPACITY BUILDING
- To identify the needs and support development of staff and partners to increase their competence in Sustainable Livelihoods programmes.
- To participate in the recruitment, selection and induction of new Sustainable Livelihoods staff including De-briefing of those returning from deployments and assignments.
- To provide training to develop the capacity of IRW’s Sustainable Livelihoods teams.
- To assist in developing terms of references (TOR) for IRW’s Sustainable Livelihoods Consultants; manage them if required.
6. REPRESENTATION
- The Sustainable Livelihoods Specialist is the key technical person in IRW’s IPD. S/he is expected to carry out any other duties in line with the job purpose as requested by the IPD.
7. TRAVEL
- The Sustainable Livelihoods Specialist is expected to travel to IR Country Offices with specific TOR. This may be on a short notice and such visits could realistically last from several days to more than a month.
Requirements
1. A postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline with considerable overseas experience in a variety of countries and contexts of which a substantial part should involve sustainable livelihoods programme development and management.
2. Minimum 3 years years of an in-depth understanding of development and relief issues relating to Sustainable Livelihoods whereby able to provide guidance to programme staff on strategic development of the same.
3. Proven track record of working in Sustainable Livelihoods with INGOs in developing countries in Rehabilitation; development and emergency contexts.
4. Able to advise IRW teams in a consultative and supportive manner (demonstrable skills and experience in training, mentoring and coordinating of close/distant of teams)
5. Able to manage working relationships across IRW Units, Departments and Regions and countries.
6. Confident (and highly numerate) in preparing and coordinating budgets to support programme proposals.
7. Proven experience in monitoring and evaluation of programmes; use of quantitative and qualitative research data collection in support of programme development.
8. Strong and well developed analytical skills coupled with experience of writing reports that are usable by non-specialists.
9. Knowledge and familiarity with Sustainable Livelihoods approaches and tools.
10. Proven experience of developing quality proposals and securing funding from institutional donors (e.g. DFID, EC,ECHO etc)
11. Ability to initiate & plan work strategically, without supervision and to establish good working relationships with a variety of people.
13. To have good communication skills in spoken & written English, however knowledge in foreign language is desirable.
14. To have working knowledge of MS Office and CWD software technology.
Reference Code: RW_7Y6MGX-23
