Emergency Livelihood Advisor

Internal/External Vacancy Announcement

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is a non-profit organization working in 24 countries worldwide to eradicate poverty. In Ethiopia, we have been operating since 1974, engaged in short term emergency response and long-term development programs.

Our intervention in Ethiopia focuses on Climate Resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene; Gender-Based Violence; Peacebuilding; Faith-Based Climate Action; Humanitarian Emergency Response. In 2021, NCA/E has also launched a new initiative called Renewable Energy, Greening, and Sustainability Program.

We are currently operating in eight regions: Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, Gambella, Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s State, Sidama, and at the Federal level. To achieve our development goals, we work with faith based and non-faith-based actors that have demonstrated strong grassroots reach and influence in the society.

We are a member of the ACT Alliance, a coalition of organizations working together in over

140 countries to create positive and sustainable change in people’s lives.

For the new and expanding projects, NCA/E would like to invite interested and qualified applicants on the following positions.

Reporting to:     Humanitarian Program Head

Duty Station:     Addis Ababa with 40% travel to project sites

Length of Contract:         One year (with possibility of extension)

Job summary

Reporting to the Head of Humanitarian Program Head, the main role of the Advisor is to lead, guide and strategize the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all NCA initiated livelihood interventions in emergency/humanitarian response, post emergency recovery, disaster risk reduction, mitigation and resilience building programmes. S/he will proactively engage in influencing policies, strategies and practices, and also build institutional capacity of NCA and its partners to effectively respond to livelihood related needs. In addition, the overall objective of protecting, promoting and enhancing livelihoods of communities and their families recovering from disasters and to ensure that affected communities live in a more disaster resilient environment will be required from the position holder.

Role Dimensions

• Provide strategic leadership and guidance in designing effective livelihood projects both during emergencies/disasters and post-disaster recovery phases with long term perspective & linkage to longer term development within the framework of NCA Ethiopia’s Country Strategic Plan & NCA’s principles and values.
• In consultation with partners, planning and implementation of emergency and recovery livelihood response projects and set high quality performance targets ensuring adherence to national policy, strategy and technical standards, best practices and donor and internal guidelines.
• Regular participation in livelihood, agriculture, income generation, NFI and other emergency livelihood related national forums, platforms, networks and coordination meetings to ensure effective information sharing and flow within and outside NCA Ethiopia.
• To enhance understanding regarding standards and accountability in managing livelihood interventions during emergencies and disasters.
• To ensure effective communication and information sharing on emergency livelihood programming with in NCA Ethiopia.
• Actively participate in soliciting fund for emergency livelihood projects.
• Ensure development of core skills and competencies in emergency livelihoods among NCA Ethiopia staff in the Country Office, and Partner offices.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Coordinate and lead livelihood & recovery projects during planning, budget preparation, implementation, M&E and timely reporting ensuring quality and standards through enhanced partnership with NCA’s implementing partners, government and non- government partners at federal, regional and local levels and also civic organizations including CBOs.
• Assist in the development of guidelines, operational procedures and systems in conducting assessments, designing/planning projects, implementing, monitoring and evaluating livelihood focused humanitarian, recovery and post recovery responses.
• Organize training for NCA Ethiopia staff and partners to build core skills in livelihood/recovery with focus on DRR and resilience building.
• Provide direct hands-on technical support to NCA’s partners to manage emergency and recovery projects effectively and innovatively with focus on key technical areas including cash transfer programs.
• Ensure that livelihood projects are technically sound, environmentally friendly, socially, and cultural acceptable.
• Ensure effective partnership, networking and collaboration with government, NGOs, UN agencies, other international partners and local partners in the design and implementation of livelihood projects.
• Explore new project & programming opportunities and funding sources to ensure the growth and development of livelihoods and resilience focused programs and coordinating and supporting resource mobilization endeavour by liaising with staff at CO, and project partners.
• Ensure documentation of good practices in livelihood/recovery and effective communication of lessons within and outside NCA with the aim to enhance learning to improve future planning and programming and increase NCA’s profile in livelihood programming.
• Ensure the design and implementation of livelihood responses fully in compliance with SPHERE, LEGS & other international standards, national guidelines, and policies and also in line with humanitarian accountability principles, values and ACT code of conduct.
• Ensure mainstreaming of cross cutting issues mainly gender, environment, HIV & AIDS and disability in responses and also adoption of important approaches from NCA’s working document.
• Regular participation in national taskforces namely Agricultural Task Forces/clusters (ATF), DRM Technical Working Group, NFI/Shelter cluster and other livelihood focused national platforms/networks & ensuring effective information sharing and flow within NCA.
• Implementation of livelihood interventions needs close collaboration particularly with government and partners to ensure alignment of responses with government programmes such as PSNP, EGS and other safety net programs and with policies and strategies and this needs deeper understanding of the operating environment and systematic approach to integrate responses (esp. recovery activities) with that of other similar programs run by government.
• There is high level of dependency attitude among vulnerable households, and this is one of the key challenges for livelihood interventions and this needs to be dealt with carefully.

Communications and working relationships:

• Key internal contacts: Humanitarian Program Head, Programme Manager, Finance and Admin Manager, Finance and grant Head, Logistics Head, Contact persons of NCA’s partners and emergency Advisors.
• Key external contacts: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, ARRA (Administration for Refugees and Returnees Affairs), Credit and Micro Finance Institutions, other NGO’s, UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral donors, and other principal stakeholders Close working relations with staff in partner organizations
• Frequent liaison with external audiences, with UN clusters, government task forces, donors and specialist agencies such as UNOCHA, UNWOMEN, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNHCR, like-minded international and national NGOs and international and local partners active in the humanitarian sector
• The post holder line manages Livelihood officers seconded for NCA and closely work with other partners staff and other staff as required.

Behaviour:

• Exercising leadership and proactively engaging to lead others with limited external support.
• Excellent team player, facilitator, and practitioner of leading by example.
• Assertive and clear minded while communicating and giving direction.
• Able to lead multidisciplinary team sometimes under difficult circumstances.
• Positive thinker and forward looking.
• Keen/open to listen, to learn and share.
• Friendly, respectful, and fully committed to enforcing ACT Code of conduct and laws.

Physical Environment & Demands

• Willingness to multi-task and work on own initiative.
• Willingness to travel extensively up to 40% of his/her time.