Livelihoods Specialist, USAID Ethiopia Highlands Resilience Activity

Overview

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

**_Please Note: This position is contingent upon award and USAID approval with an anticipated start date of mid-to-late 2023.

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Global Communities brings together local ingenuity and global insights to save lives, advance equity and secure strong futures. We achieve this mission in collaboration with a wide range of public and private sector partners, including communities directly affected by poverty, disasters and conflict. We support communities at the forefront of their own development in more than 35 countries, partnering with local leaders, governments, civil society and the private sector to achieve a shared vision of a more just, prosperous and equitable global community.

Global Communities positively welcomes and seeks applications from all sections of society.  We are committed to a work environment that respects the dignity and worth of everyone and offers equal opportunity.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

Global Communities is seeking a dynamic, experienced Livelihoods Specialist to work with a multi-sectoral team in Ethiopia that will, if awarded, deliver on a 5-year USAID-funded Highlands Resilience Activity (HRA). HRA will be designed to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable PSNP households in ways that ultimately lead to improved and sustained PSNP graduation rates. This multifaceted activity is expected to be a major component in USAID’s contribution to improving Ethiopia’s ability to improve resilience and enhance economic growth in the highland’s regions.

The Livelihoods Specialist will be part of a key national leadership team directly tasked with leading the program’s efforts to improve on-farm, off-farm, and employment outcomes for PSNP recipients in targeted communities.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Global Communities seeks candidates who can distinguish themselves through the following characteristics:

• Has strong development experience in improving rural livelihood systems and opportunities.
• Embraces the concept of agile management and are willing to support the kind of dynamic processes and structures that enable teams to iterate, collaborate, learn and adapt.
• Is committed to, and can demonstrate success in, advancing gender equity within the project technical areas (food security, resilience, economic empowerment, crisis response).

Responsibilities

• Serve as the livelihoods lead with a direct focus on enabling PSNP recipients to improve incomes sustainably.
• Work alongside colleagues to support and promote a livelihoods response: develop implementation plans, technical guidelines, and learning tools; identify and resolve challenges; promote learning and quality improvements throughout the project.
• Provide technical support and strengthen capacities of program teams and partners (public, private, non-profit) to ensure project activities are effectively delivered and continually improved.
• Ensure strong linkages and integration with other program components and cross cutting areas (conflict sensitivity; gender; youth and environment and climate change).
• Contribute to project activity monitoring, including quarterly and annual reporting.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Agricultural Economics/Agriculture, Rural Development, Economics, or related fields preferred
• Minimum 5 years demonstrated experience with USG or other similar development projects focusing on livelihoods (preferably with experience related to on-farm, off-farm and employment livelihoods), resilience and vulnerable households, with understanding of the Ethiopian context
• Demonstrated ability to work and coordinate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, including national and local government, donors, community-based organizations, and the private sector.
• Spoken and written proficiency in English
• Knowledge of livelihoods ecosystem as well as the Productive Safety Net Program in Ethiopia is an advantage.
• Strong project management and budgeting skills.
• Understanding of quality monitoring and evaluation and basic understanding of statistics.
• Experience applying development approaches that promote gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and youth engagement.