Position: Livelihood Officer

Working hours: Full time

Location: Raqqa

Gender: Female and Male

 Salary range: 1000 – 1300 USD + 80 USD allowances

General Context:

Un Ponte Per (UPP) is an Italian NGO established in 1991. It started its activities as “Un ponte per Baghdad”, in the aftermath of the first Gulf war, with the aim of organizing solidarity initiatives in support of the Iraqi civilian population. In subsequent years, UPP missions expanded to include Serbia and other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. The NGO aims at preventing armed conflicts, protecting human rights and supporting local civil society, especially in the Middle East, by promoting the nexus between its humanitarian, peacebuilding and development programs.

Since 2015, UPP has been one of the leading INGOs in the North East Syria (NES) response. Thanks to its close partnership with the Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC), UPP has been able to develop a comprehensive system of health services delivered in 26 facilities, including mobile units, hospitals, primary health care centers, and rural health posts. These function as the backbone of the basic healthcare system in the region, including an ambulances network managed by a centralized operational desk for emergency management and COVID-19 response.

Since 2017 UPP is also active in the Protection sector in NES, providing capacity building for local actors on Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response, Child Protection (CP), Psycho-social Support (PSS) and protection mainstreaming in health programs. UPP developed a strong partnership with the Houses of Women, identified as key community stakeholders in GBV response, with the local youth organization DOZ and the Women Protection Department of the Arab National Association, setting up a wider outreach network with a particular focus on awareness and campaigning against early and forced marriage. UPP also co-chairs the NES PSEA Network.

Since 2019 the UPP NES Mission built an Early-Recovery sector component focusing on capacity-building for Local Authorities and civil society, supporting municipalities in NES to establish links with corresponding public bodies in Europe. The intervention pivots on peer-to-peer trainings on waste management (with a strong focus on medical waste disposal), water infrastructure, urban planning and civil defense. 2021 UPP has launched the WaSH and Livelihood sectors under the largest consortium in Syria.

The team is mostly based in North East Syria (NES) with frequent visits to the project locations and is supported by an office based in Dohuk (Kurdistan Region of Iraq – KRI).

For further information please refer to ou r website: www.unponteper.it/en/

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Un Ponte Per also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job a’plicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

The LHH Officer will work in close coordination with Livelihoods Officer (WEST) and responsible of leading and supervising the LLH activities implemented in Raqqa and Hasakeh area, related to the support of existing women cooperatives and of new start-up businesses. She/He ensures that activities are carried out in a timely manner according to the work plan, and well as she/he ensures correct monitoring and supervision and technical quality.

In particular, she/he we be responsible of the following:

Activities technical supervision, implementation and technical quality:

– Leading and supervising, in coordination with ERLW Co., the implementation of the livelihood work plan in Raqqa and Hasakeh areas;

– Following up and coordinating through regular meetings;

– Support the ERLW Co. in the development and writing of SoPs and technical documents related to livelihood activities: beneficiaries’ selection criteria and processes, business evaluation and grant distribution, technical monitoring, referrals, etc.;

– Participate in the selection process of the new businesses to be supported, leading the communication with beneficiaries and participating in the evaluation of the business proposals received;

– Provide business development and management trainings to beneficiaries;

– Support of the Livelihoods Officer in technical monitoring process to the businesses supported, through regular field visits and collection and analysis of business performance’s data;

– Based on the data collected and direct observation, develop mentoring and capacity building plan for the businesses supported, both through individual and group support (ex. Further trainings, business mentoring, etc.);

– Assess specific capacity building needs, and, for those that cannot met with internal resources, lead the identification, hiring and management of short term technical trainers;

– Develop and supervise a capacity building plan for the women cooperatives supported in Hasakeh area, supporting the LLH Officer and involving external trainers if needed, carrying out also field visits in Hasakeh area according to needs.

Internal capacity building:

– Develop new training materials related to specific aspects of business management according to needs.

Reporting and data analysis:

– Regularly analyze the data collected on business performances and develop monthly technical reports;

– Provide technical inputs for LEARN project’s monthly report;

– Develop reports of training, meetings, field visits implemented and share it with relevant staff;

– Archive properly all the documents developed on the internal cloud;

– Develop other reporting and communication materials such as lessons learnt, success stories, best practices, etc.

Internal and external coordination:

Internally:

– Coordinate with LEARN program staff (PM, POs), also participating to project’s weekly meeting;

– Coordinate with MEAL department to set up and implement all monitoring activities needed in a timely manner (PDM, PIM, baseline/endline, etc.)

– Coordinate with logistic department for all logistic needs related to activities’ implementation (refreshments, venues, etc.);

– Coordinate with financial department to ensure that grant distribution is properly monitored from a financial point of view.

Externally:

– Regularly coordinate with LEARN consortium ERMS partners;

– Actively participate to ERL WG meetings representing UPP;

– Maintain regular coordination with other key stakeholders in Raqqa, such as Women committee, women council, other local and INGOs active in the livelihood sectors, etc.

New project development:

– Support the ERLW Co. in the development of new interventions and projects in the livelihood sector;

– Carry out need assessment and collect data and information to identify problems and challenges related to livelihood as well as possible solutions;

– Carry out meeting with key stakeholders and partners to plan projects’ intervention (results, activities, budgets, et