Food Security and Livelihood Advisor – Middle East

Location:

Position Location:

Description

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Title:                            Food Security and Livelihood Advisor – Middle East

Department:                  Food Security and Livelihood

Location:                      Amman, Jordan. Can be home based up to a +/-2 hour time difference with Amman.

Reporting to:                Regional Program Director, with technical reporting to Global Livelihood Director

Direct reports:              Not Applicable

Budget responsibility:   Not Applicable

About Relief International

Relief International (RI) is a leading non-profit organization working in 15 countries globally to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and chronic poverty.

RI combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact and resilience. We focus on health/nutrition, education, economic opportunity, and water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) programming while integrating protection, environment/climate change, and conflict mitigation in partnership with the communities we serve.  We empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

RI includes the three corporate members of the RI Alliance: RI-US, RI-UK, and MRCA/RI-France. Under our alliance agreement, we operate as a single, shared management structure.

About our Programs

RI is active in 15 countries around the world, including some of the most fragile: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen.  Often, RI is the only organization providing assistance to highly vulnerable communities.

RI employs about 5,000 staff and auxiliary workers

97% of staff are local nationals and there are about 90 international (expat) staff.

2021 programs budget is about $125M

RI receives funding from a broad range of institutional donors – US, UK, Europe, and the UN, to delivery life-saving and resilience building programming with communities and local and international partners.  RI supports solutions that reinforce and improve upon existing in-country systems. Where such systems do not exist or are chronically underperforming, RI’s crisis response lays the foundation for long-term, sustainable change.

About the Middle East Region

RI in the Middle East has programs in six countries – Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Yemen, with a focus on the 4 main RI sectors: Health, WASH, Education and Economic Opportunity.

Relief International currently employs 3900 staff (direct and indirect) in the region and has a range of emergency response and development programs valued at 70 million USD on an annual basis.

Position Summary.

RI currently seeks a dynamic Food Security and Livelihood Advisor to support and strengthen RI FSL portfolio in the Middle East. The FSL Advisor will support programs across the Middle East Region to be attractive to multiple donors and take into account the fragile setting conditions and humanitarian development nexus. The FSL Advisor will work closely with the Regional Program Director, Country Offices and Global Livelihood Director to define the RI regional sectorial strategy and provide guidelines, capacity building, technical support for the design, implementation and monitoring of RI FSL interventions.

This position requires an individual who is abreast of various programmatic and strategic opportunities in the sector within the ME and who can actively contribute to identify opportunities to increase the resilience of target groups and communities taking into consideration also disaster risk and climate change vulnerabilities.

Key Responsibilities and Duties.

Technical Assistance

·    Develop a relevant Regional FSL strategy meeting the region humanitarian and development needs, linked with RI Global Strategy and  annual country strategies of the region, and with strategic policies, directions and positioning of the organization;

·    Develop a sectoral strategic partnership framework and plan, identify and engage potential sectoral strategic partners including private sector at regional level and support Country Offices at their level

·    Identify, propose, and support the design of country-specific or regional proposals in coordination with relevant colleagues at country, regional and global level

·    Provide technical expertise to support country teams in developing new programs in the FSL sector.

·    Analyze and summarize contextual opportunities and constraints for the livelihood sector within RI Country Offices in the Middle east, make recommendation for focus areas by sector and target beneficiaries

·    Support harmonization of programming and implementation approaches across the Middle East region as applicable.

·    Provide technical support to program teams consistent with relevant standards and ensure that program design and implementation creates no harm in the communities and has positive impact.

·    Conduct monthly meetings with country teams to support analysis of data in order to improve the program interventions.

·    Support Technical Assistance Department (TAD) at global level to develop standard operating procedures and guidance on technical topics.

Program Quality

·      Provide technical support and recommendations for FSL programming in the Middle East to maximize impact towards the communities we serve

·      Provide input into quality standards and tools developed by the global TAD team.

·      In coordination with the TAD team, develop and follow up on quality benchmarks. Support in country roll out and support quarterly review with development of improvement plans if needed

·      Provide direction to technical teams to ensure assessments adequately inform new programming and capture the impact of RI current programs.

·      Support project teams to develop job descriptions, recruit, and train qualified staff.

·      Revise program reports and other types of reports.

·      In collaboration with country offices, prepare lessons learnt, identify best practices, case studies and learning opportunities, and lead on internal and external dissemination of the learning material developed

·      Work in collaboration with AIM department to ensure all CO FSL programs have information systems that are fit for purpose.

·      Promote and contribute to accountability plans and actions towards the communities we serve

Technical capacity building

·      Develop an RI Community of Practices for the Middle East i.e. though delivery of quarterly fora, sharing relevant technical standards and guidance, and develop/contribute to the FSL Toolbox.

·      Propose and implement capacity building activities aimed at enhancing skills

·      Share methods, approaches, and tools with RI colleagues across the region, and contribute toward RI’s regional response strategy by ensuring programmatic coherence, innovation and responsiveness.

·      Develop training materials and support country teams to deliver technical trainings, including routine training.

·      Support the Global Livelihood Director and Cash Advisor to develop a continuing training program for RI and partner staff.

·      Conduct quarterly supportive supervision visits to country offices. Deploy in country in case of needed support.

Representation/coordination with external actors

·      Identify opportunities i.e. conferences, regional meetings, etc. where to present RI FSL approaches

·      Represent RI at various technical sector meetings, regional meetings, webinars and learning events as required.

Safeguarding

·      Uphold and promote RI’s commitment to ensuring the safeguarding and safety of the vulnerable communities we serve.

·      Consistent with RI’s safeguarding and protection policies, ensure all people who come into contact with Relief International are as safe as possible.

Equity and Diversity commitment

·      Demonstrate sensitivity and understanding of systemic diversity and cultural differences.

·      Ensure that gender equity is addressed in our staffing and programming

Other related tasks that may from time to time

·      Uphold and promote RI’s commitment to ensuring the safeguarding and safety of the vulnerable communities we serve.

·      Consistent with RI’s safeguarding and protection policies, contribute to ensuring that all those who come into contact with Relief International staff and the communities we serve can be trusted to work safely with them

·      Support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and abuse and promotes the implementation of the Code of Conduct and safeguarding policies.

·      Work collaboratively with the Global Safeguarding Manager to advocate for the inclusion of safeguarding activities and resources within program

·      Ability to demonstrate knowledge of donor requirements of safeguarding standards and protection from exploitation and abuse

Culture and leadership

·      Ensure a positive and productive work environment which is free from harassment and bullying.

·      Ability to demonstrate sensitivity and understanding of diversity and cultural differences, gender issues and the commitment to equal opportunities

·      Ability to demonstrate and uphold RI’s values and ethics

Other duties as required for this role.

Role requirements.

Experience and skills required for the role.

·    University degree in agriculture, development economics, labour economics, social science, development studies, OR proven equivalent experience

·    At least 5 years’ experience in FSL programming (i.e. TVET, value chain evaluation and strengthening, social enterprise, social protection, graduation models, agriculture, climate change adaptation, cash, private sector partnerships, market systems development, etc.) in humanitarian and development settings.

·    Knowledge and experience in integrated approach (Health and Nutrition, WASH, Protection) is an asset.

·    Experience in nexus and resilience programming highly desired

·    Experience in working with private sector highly desired.

·    Experience in the Middle East highly desired

·    Able to transfer technical knowledge and skills and experience of coaching and capacity building of teams

·    Demonstrated experience in project design, proposal development and fundraising

·    Demonstrated experience conducting assessments i.e. for proposal development

·    Excellence in writing and presentation; strong interpersonal communication and ability to facilitate collaboration.

·    Experience in technical management of programs, coaching or capacity building of teams and M&E activities;

·    Strong skills in remote setting management;

·    Excellent English skills. Arabic preferred but not essential

·    Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and tasks efficiently;

·    Excellent time management skills and resourcefulness with strong attention to detail.

RI Values.

Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as well as “Do No Harm,” Relief International Values:

We value:

• Integrity
• Adaptability
• Collaboration
• Inclusivity
• Sustainability

How to apply.

To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button in the job advert page.

• You will be asked to upload a CV and Cover Letter.
• The cover letter should be no more than 1 page long and explain why you are interested in this post with Relief International and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

Please apply immediately as we will be reviewing applicants on a rolling basis, therefore may withdraw the position for the job board closing date.

Due to limited resources, only short-listed candidates will be contacted

Relief International has a zero-tolerance policy for unlawful harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse. Relief International is committed to protecting our staff and the communities we work with from abuse and harm including sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

All staff are expected to abide by our Code of Conduct.

Recruitment to all roles in Relief International include a criminal records self-declaration, references and other pre-employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checks.