Turkey: Livelihoods Officer

Job Title: Livelihoods Officer
Duty Station: Gaziantep
Deadline to apply: 10 February 2017

CARE International in Turkey, together with local Syrian NGO implementing partners, is providing much needed humanitarian assistance to alleviate the impact of the crisis in Syria in a highly complex, fluid, remote-management environment. Due to access and security issues, CARE is working exclusively through partners to deliver aid in northern Syria.

Protracted conflict in Syria has exposed people to recurring shocks and undermined coping capacities at personal, household, community and societal levels, resulting in loss of livelihoods, breakdown of economy and market functions, increased vulnerability to inherent protection risks and changing gender roles. The Livelihoods Officer will work on a 3.5 year DfID funded program with the aim of assisting families affected by conflict and displacement to achieve a greater level of resilience, through an intervention that mitigates protection risks and negative coping mechanisms and participate in economic life. Key outputs to support these outcomes are that vulnerable households are supported through:

1.Provision of temporary income opportunities.
2.Provision of multipurpose cash/voucher grants enabling them to meet their essential needs; NFIs and food assistance.
3.Formation of value chain plan to be implemented in targeted Syrian sub-districts to restore and expand livelihoods at the community level in the long term
4.Provision of protection related information and access to specialised protection services and the capacity building of key CBO and NGO partners in protection is supported
5.Provision of rapid humanitarian response
I – Position Summary

The Role

The Livelihoods Officer role reports to the Economic Development Manager, who, in turn, reports to the Program Manager. The Livelihoods Officer will work collaboratively with other relevant program team members and units for the Whole of Syria response, including close consultation with CARE’s regional Value Chain Advisor and in close coordination with livelihoods actors responding to the needs in northern Syria. Recognising the extremely high levels of need in Syria and INGOs’ collective responsibility to address them, CARE has been increasing our efforts to ensure that we reach as many people as possible. This is done with a combination of programmes, addressing urgent needs, as well as ensuring that resilience is built and livelihoods are protected. In our cross border projects CARE works with local and international partners to improve both the scale and quality of the response. We are also providing technical expertise as global leaders in developing best practice, tools, and resources.
The Livelihood Officer will be responsible to help drive the project forward in everything; starting from planning to implementation of project activities. The project officer should provide vital assistance to the Economic Development Manager and is responsible for monitoring project schedule, budget, preparing project progress reports and liaising with key stakeholders. food security/livelihood programs such as cash-based assistance, in line with CARE’s guidelines and standards. He/she will be in charge to contribute of building the capacity of partners and CARE staff, including remote management.
The position will be based in Gaziantep, Turkey and involve signification coordination with operating hubs involved in the Syria response in Beirut and Amman. Syria is an extremely complex operating environment, the current security rating for Syria is Extreme, and our programs are currently operated through local partners (although we aim to establish physical presence as/when feasible). Thus, the Livelihood Officer will be required to follow the Safety and Security procedures at all times.
II – Specific Areas of Responsibility – Expected Outcomes/Outputs of Role

Planning, Monitoring and Reporting:
•Develop the costed annual work plan for the project component for which he/she is responsible with support from the line manager.
•Review and revise this plan each month with the line manager.
•Monitor the implementation of the plan in line with donor and CARE requirements including proposing any necessary changes.
•Report to the line manager on progress including contributing to donor reports
•Ensures compliance with all donor requirements and regulations.
•Keep necessary data records, beneficiary information and documentation
•In cooperation with line manager, properly documents the achievements and lessons of the project activities and disseminates to partners. This includes registering assistance on beneficiary databases.
•Work as a team player providing relevant information assistance to colleagues and ensuring project components for which she or he is responsible are interlinked.
•Maintain all relevant project documents in electronic and paper files (reports, contracts, agreements, correspondence, meeting notes, training materials.
Capacity Building of Implementing Partners
•Contribute to develop appropriate targeting criteria and mechanisms to ensure the needs of identified vulnerable groups are met.
•Monitor field teams including setting work schedules and smooth coordination with partners and other community stakeholders.
•Ensure (with input from CARE’s line manager) that work procedures and if relevant standard operating procedures (SOPs) are in place, understood and being carried out.
•Monitor the work of the partner team through regular reports, key project documentation (case notes and reports, meeting notes, project visit reports, activities report, photos and so on).
•Ensure project components are recorded by the team e.g. beneficiaries recorded on database if required.
•Provide partner staff with the required technical and logistics support as required;
•Manage/co-ordinate ongoing relationships with organizations at local and national level.
•Explore new opportunities for engagement with organizations at local and national level in line with CARE priorities and principles. Drive these relationships to maximize impact on livelihoods programs.
•Working with CARE staff, ensure that there is due diligence work undertaken to assess partners and potential partners.
Project Implementation
•Participate in the program review, design and implementation plans to identify the beneficiaries and their needs.
•Facilitate the implementation of income generating projects.
•Contribute and participate in the mid-term and final evaluations
•Effectively document all information related to project successes and best practices, videos, and most significant change stories on the project in the selected sectors, and document and report initial market assessment findings.
•Encourage active engagement of women and youth in the implementation of livelihodd activities
•Provide coaching on production, value chains, markets etc to build local capacity for understanding and connecting with markets.
•Provide support for organizing visits, meeting, events, trainings and workshop.
Networking and Coordination
•Liaise with local partners, NGOs, and other relevant entities for coordination and implementation, including with relevant clusters.
•Represent CARE in livelihood meetings.
•Provide briefings to the Program Manager and other staff as appropriate on the progress of project implementation.
•Liaises with other stakeholders and partners to ensure coordination, presents CARE’s work and ensure coherence of the project with other similar activities;
•Helps facilitate and participate in project meetings and visits.
•Ensure communication and joint working with other CARE projects and teams.

III. Qualification and skills
Essential
Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Community Development, Social Sciences, Business Administration or combination of relevant Education and Experience
•At least 2-3 years of experience in food security/livelihood related field, particularly in designing and implementing innovative programing such as cash transfers in fragile states emergency or development context.
•At least 2 years of experience in market price analysis and monitoring.
•At least 2 years of experience in income generating projects.
•At least 2 years of experience in CASH for Work program.

Desired
•Ability to speak Arabic
•Experience of remote management methodologies
•Experience of working with local partners
•Experience in in technical capacity building, including supervision, training and coaching staff and partners in FSL.
•Experience in writing well-argues assessments and project report.
IV – Work conditions
Duty station: Based in Gaziantep with occasional travel to regional meetings.

Contract length: 12 months (1 March 2017- 2018)

REPORTING LINES: Post holder reports to: Economic Development Manager

Works with: Country Director, ACD/PS, Program team members for cross border programs; relevant Program Support unit team members, Finance Staff, Regional Program Management Unit, CARE member partners (CMPs) partner organisations.

Interested candidates please send a Curriculum Vitae in English and a Cover letter (in a separate file of no more than one A4 page) describing how your skills and experience match the requirements of this post, to the following e-mail address: TURCAREHR@care.org

Applications in languages other than English will not be reviewed.
Make sure to include [200117-1 Livelihoods Officer] in the subject line of your application. Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.

Our diversity is our strength; we encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences, particularly women, to apply.

NOTE: All candidates must be eligible to work in Turkey or have Residency/valid passport/diploma …etc.

* *CARE International is an Equal Opportunity Employer **