LIVELIHOOD & ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OFFICER

SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES GHANA is a child welfare organization that provides a stable Family-Like Care (FLC) for children in need. We also provide social services for families at risk through our Family Strengthening Projects. Currently, we operate in four locations; Tema, Asiakwa, Kumasi, Tamale with the National Office in Accra. Applications are invited from suitably qualified and dynamic persons for appointment as:

Livelihood and Economic Empowerment Officer

Duty Post: Kumasi

Position Summary:
The Livelihood/Economic Empowerment Programme Officer is responsible for providing technical expertise to the community-based partners, economic empowerment groups, young people and caregivers in the area of livelihoods (also referred to as economic empowerment). He/she will work closely with other actors in developing sustainable livelihoods at individual, family and community levels. The Livelihood /Economic Empowerment Programme Officer is expected to facilitate the development of anticipatory, absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities of caregivers, young people and communities for resilient livelihoods against shocks and stresses. The Livelihood/Economic Empowerment Programme Officer also works closely with community-based partners, government, CSOs, business corporates, faith-based institutions/NGOs, traditional leadership, etc. to enhance livelihoods at individual, family and community levels.
Main duties and responsibilities including key tasks:

1.0 Programme participation
• Participate in the formation and development of economic empowerment, self-help groups, associations and cooperatives;
• Participate in the recruitment of programme participants.
• Support Community Task Forces in the identification of programme participants.
• Facilitate active participation of children and young people in economic empowerment processes, including MA employability and entrepreneurship initiatives such as YouthCan!
• Facilitate the formation and functioning of family support groups.
• Facilitate the identification and training of community facilitators in Family Development Planning.
• Maintain and update information on economic empowerment of programme participants.

2.0 Programme Planning and budgeting.
• Facilitate the conducting of community livelihood research
• Facilitate the conducting of skills market research
• Facilitate the development of livelihood development strategy in alignment with existing MA initiatives such as YouthCan! (including employability and entrepreneurship).
• Lead in the budgeting of programme economic empowerment activities;
• Support Community Task Force, families and communities in the assessment of root causes leading to child abandonment at family and community levels through use of appropriate participatory tools.
• Support the development of an appropriate action plan to meet the needs of each household and community.
• Facilitate the identification of opportunities and mobilization of local resources for the action plan to meet the needs of each household and community.
• Support the preparation of individualized family development plans.
• Support the preparation of community development plans
• Facilitate the development of emergency preparedness plans against potential disasters.
• Facilitate gender balance planning and decision making in all programme processes.

3.0 Project implementation and reporting
• Promote innovation and digitalisation of economic empowerment initiatives
• Promote sustainable green and blue economic initiatives
• Promote gender inclusive livelihood development approaches;
• Promote use of modern farming practice and techniques to transform targeted families and communities from subsistence to commercial farming.
• Facilitate the formation of community-based trainer of trainers in agronomy, natural resource management and business/entrepreneurship development.
• Facilitate the development of value chains in identified community and family enterprises
• Facilitate the conducting of cost benefit analysis of FS programme investment in economic empowerment of caregivers, young people and communities
• Conduct field monitoring and reporting of economic empowerment
• Report on the project progress as per required reporting schedule.

4.0 Capacity Building and mentorship of Caregivers, young people and community
• Identify skills and knowledge gaps in employability and entrepreneurship and ensure necessary corrective measures are taken to fill the identified gaps;
• Communicate and collaborate with existing MA Ghana employability and entrepreneurship initiatives to fill the identified gaps e.g. with YouthCan! )
• Facilitate the formation and development of viable small-medium scale businesses with good business plan and link them to other funding source for business scaling-up and expansion;
• Implement skills-based innovative sustainable livelihood community initiatives that have a direct and immediate or short-term positive effect on the family and community socio-economic wellbeing, aiming to reduce family and community vulnerability and increasing their chances of being self-reliant.
• Promote Environmental conservation (e.g. Training on Energy stove, Tree planting)

5.0. Facilitate families/caregivers, young people and CBPs to enhance income generation & food security
• Facilitate the accumulation and utilization of assets and savings by programme participants Assets, savings;
• Facilitate access of programme participants to government and other CSOs social safety net programme services;
• Facilitate programme participants to access affordable finance
• Facilitate programme participants to access local and international markets
• Facilitate programme participants to access economic empowerment support through self-help association/cooperatives (e.g. VSLAs/YSLAs)
• Facilitate programme participants to access insurance service
• Facilitate programme participants to access business based information
• Facilitate programme participants to access coaching, mentorship and business development services
• Facilitate programme participants to access employability and entrepreneurship networking opportunities,
• Facilitate programme participants to access business enabling partners
• Capacitate CBPs to conduct assessment of programme participants for economic empowerment support (that is, establish their credit-worthiness, trainability, reliability and willingness to engage in economic empowerment ventures);
• Capacitate CBPs to conduct community asset and skills mapping to come up with community asset and skills inventories
• Create and regularly update the records and database of economic empowerment programme participants;

6.0 Networking and Partnerships
• Facilitate stakeholder analysis within the programme, maintaining and updating stakeholders’ profiles.
• Collaborate and build relationships with key partners, community development structures, other NGOs and government departments for effective service delivery to programme participants.
• Network & collaborate with government, CSOs, business enabling partners and other relevant stakeholders in the Programme Area.
• Facilitate the development of the functional and financial sustainability of community based partners.
• Represent the FSP in livelihood development sector related forums.
• Engagement with key stakeholders for influence, learning and resource development for livelihood development
7.0. Monitoring and Evaluation
• Facilitate participatory monitoring and evaluation of the programme interventions.
• Facilitate regular data collection through appropriate monitoring tools on programme interventions.
• Organize and facilitate regular project reviews with Community Family Development Planning Facilitators and other service providers on FSP livelihood development projects.
• Carry out regular home visits to families on the economic empowerment programme and write community and home visit reports.
• Carry out regular visits to CBPs, family support groups and other partners in the respective community for timely and relevant programme support.
• Facilitate sharing of best livelihood development practice amongst family and community groups.

8.0 Resource Management.
• Ensuring that every family group and other respective community development structures have and maintain stock books.
• Submission of signed distribution list to Finance on all programme items received by participants in the community.
• Adherence to internal controls.

9.0 Documentation, reporting and knowledge Management
• Document community, family and young people success stories on livelihood interventions.
• Prepare and submit comprehensive progress reports, specific activity reports, and any other reports when necessary to his / her supervisor in a timely manner.
• Participate in Annual & Bi-annual reviews of economic empowerment project objectives
• Take lead in documentation and sharing of best practices concerning livelihood development projects.
10. Child Safeguarding responsibility
• Raising awareness of the principles of the SOS Child Protection Policy to all co-workers, stakeholders and SOS beneficiaries
• Preventing and mitigating all possible risks in the area of Child Safeguarding in all livelihood interventions
• Reporting immediately on any issue related to Child abuse/ violence/ neglect/ mistreatment involving a SOS personnel
• Maintain high level of confidentiality while handling Child Safeguarding concerns

 

Required qualifications, and experience

Degree in business and entrepreneurship and related social and natural sciences/disciplines such as Economics, entrepreneurship, Agriculture, Agri-business, Rural Development, Business Administration, Social work, Sociology, Development Studies, or any other relevant discipline etc.
At least 3 years of professional work experience in Project Management, livelihood development or Microfinance enterprise development.
Experience in community work and engagement Agricultural, Economic Development and Livelihood is and added advantage.
Experience in Climate Smart Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, micro finance and strong agribusiness skills.

 

Competencies- knowledge, skills, abilities
Sound understanding of child rights, child development, family and community development, rights based programming and management of CBPs.
•Good communication and reporting skills, computer literate, understanding and ability to apply community development participatory methodologies, ability to work with minimum supervision.
Self-starter, ability to work in a team
•Experience of data collection, collation, analysis, and report writing
•Strong leadership, organizational and analytical skills, and ability to work under pressure
•Track record demonstrating high integrity, innovativeness, creativity, reliability and dependable
•Team player, Self-motivator, able to work with limited supervision.
•Track record demonstrating high integrity, reliability and dependable
•Ability to work with minimal supervision.
Effective in written and verbal communication in official language of the country. Ability to communicate in applicable local language(s) is an added advantage

Other mandatory requirements

• Police clearance as per local child protection policies/Act

SOS Children’s Villages Ghana is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom SOS Children’s Villages Ghana engages. The Organisation expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our Code of Conduct. We place high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. SOS Children’s Villages Ghana is committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.