United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Rural Livelihoods Officer

Location: London, UK, Washington DC or New York.

Salary: circa £40,000 per annum (London)

Contract: Permanent / Regular

Hours: Full time

Background

International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the largest humanitarian agencies in the world providing relief, rehabilitation, and post-conflict reconstruction support to families impacted by conflict and disasters. The IRC has worked for over seven decades and today is involved in over 25 conflict zones in the world. We address both the immediate, life-saving needs of conflict-affected people and the reconstruction needs in post-conflict societies. IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships, and accountability to those we serve.

The Economic Recovery and Development Unit (ERD) is responsible for providing dynamic, innovative support to IRC’s field offices for their economic and livelihoods programming in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The unit provides technical assistance, ensures innovation, promotes best practices, and helps to improve data collection and analysis for economic and livelihoods programming within the organization. Externally, the IRC has been a leader in developing and promoting responses to emergencies based on a good understanding of critical market systems supporting livelihoods protection, recovery and promotion without undermining local economies during the emergency and transition phases. The unit’s rural livelihoods team focuses in particular on agriculture and livestock and off-farm livelihoods in rural and peri-urban areas.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Rural Livelihoods Officer will play a critical role in ensuring continued scale up and capacity building to implement programs focused on food and nutrition security as well as agriculture and livestock. In particular, the position will focus on developing and promoting innovative ideas program approaches focused on rural finances and the adaptation of climate-smart inputs, techniques and technologies by people living in rural areas that IRC works in.

The position will work closely with relevant ERD technical advisors and country programs to assess, manage and communicate learning, contribute to advocacy efforts as well as develop and manage tools and research and support to related business development.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to Senior Technical Advisor for Rural Livelihoods, based in Berlin.
• No line management responsibility
• If based in London, indirect line management through Chief Policy Advisor Economic Programs
• Key internal contacts include finance, global supply chain, country office management, technical coordinators, other technical units
• Key external contacts include peer agencies

Key Accountabilities

1. Communications, Knowledge Management, Advocacy Support

• Track, collate and share relevant external research and tools capturing lessons learned and evidence related to rural livelihoods programming specifically focusing on financial inclusion, land rights, and climate-smart agriculture and livestock.
• Support the development of general country program briefs and technical briefs related rural livelihoods programming (rural finances, land rights, climate-smart agriculture and livestock etc.) through desk research and data and information gathering from implementing country offices.
• Working closely with the Enterprise Development and Employment Officer - Organize and manage the livelihoods team’s library with relevant tools, manuals, reports etc. as well as its intra-net page and regular communications tools
• Organize learning events (meetings, webinars, trainings or exchange opportunities) to mobilize cross-function and cross-office sharing and learning around food & nutrition security and agriculture programming
• Support the identification and preparation (talking points, briefs, communications material) of advocacy and networking opportunities on food/nutrition security and agriculture
• If based in London, represent IRC’s ERD program in relevant meetings and networking events in the UK

2. Technical Programming Support

• Support the identification and evidence review of food security and agriculture/livestock interventions, programs, techniques and technologies focusing in particular on rural finance, climate-adaptation, and land rights.
• Support the review, development and roll out of related guidance and training tools and resources to implement these interventions and programs.
• Provide direct training and resource development assistance to country programs as needed and identified by the country’s focal Technical advisor (TA)
• Support M&E, ICT and Gender Equality staff in their efforts to develop and promote the use of M&E and ICT tools at HQ and country level

3. Business Development Support

• Assist with the writing and preparation of grants, research articles, reports, or other outputs as needed

4. Others

• Other food security and agriculture programming tasks as needed

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in agriculture/agronomy/agricultural finance, environmental/climate science, economics, behavior change or international rural development
• Strong knowledge of agriculture/livestock, climate-adaptation and rural finance and market-based approaches highly desired.
• Experience of working in the humanitarian or development sector with progressive management and decision-making responsibility, including international experience implementing humanitarian and/or development programs.
• Experience working in diverse emergency, recovery post-conflict or development contexts preferred.
• Experience managing donor funded programs and grants, including budget management, work plans, reporting, and ensuring timely completion of deliverables preferred.
• Superior internal and external communication and coordination skills and capable of fostering strong cross-agency collaboration to achieve shared ambitions and goals.
• Excellent writing skills required and proven experience writing reports or documents for publication.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Working knowledge of French highly desirable

Working Environment:

• If based in London, 2-3 days of the week standard office work environment, the rest of the time home-based
• Occasional travel

Deadline for applications is 26^th April 2018. Interviews will take place on 3^rd and 4^th May 2018.

You must have the right to work in the UK.

IRC-UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all applicants and employees, and we seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability. IRC-UK welcomes applications from all candidates, including refugees who have the right to work in the UK.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the online recruitment process, please contact the UK HR team at applications@rescue-uk.org