Purpose of the position:
The position provides leadership and technical excellence to the West Africa region’s Food Security Livelihoods & Resilience sector, leveraging both internal and external stakeholders to maximize their contribution to child well-being. Grows the Food Security Livelihoods & Resilience portfolio through new business development including grants, contracts, and strategic partnerships. Supports documenting impact, writing reports, proposals, success stories, putting together presentations, participating in strategy development, program/ project design and evaluations. Oversees World Vision’s sector programming to ensure that it reflects the organizational distinctive of Christ-centered, community-empowering, and child-focused in its standards and practices and the highest technical standards are met in its programming. Builds WV’s reputation in the sector, creates partnerships and innovative approaches, and strengthens and mobilizes WV’s sector community of practice to execute excellence in programming that demonstrates evidence of impact. Positions and brands WV as a leading child-focused organization and represents WV at high-level regional platforms and other external engagement forums.
Key Responsibilities
Set Strategic Priorities
- Define WV West Africa Region Livelihoods & Resilience sector vision, regional sectoral approach, and targets in alignment with the National Office and Regional strategy.
- Provides thought leadership in their respective area of expertise both within and outside World Vision
- Supports quality programming, gathering evidence of impact, policy and advocacy-related work
- Ensures alignment of sector approaches and core project models to Partnership and National Office strategy.
- Ensure the regional sectoral approach is aligned at all levels; from supporting sector fundraising through sector programming and integrated with other sectors and lines of ministry.
- Ensures overall compliance with Partnership standards and external donor standards
- Support National Offices to develop locally led innovations a in sector programming
Capacity Building
- Promotes a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the region
- Internally benchmark capabilities, processes, and systems in Livelihoods & Resilience programming against market and industry standards Determines the technical capacity needs for the region
Ensure Program Quality and Impact
- Maintains a regional and global view of the sector across the region in collaboration with the partnership global sector lead.
- Ensures accountability in the provision of technical services and programme implementation for regional and globally agreed standards, sector approaches and core project models
- Build an understanding of the current sectoral footprint and identify opportunities for further impact.
- Maintain a view of funding opportunities to support program opportunities.
- Evaluate the extent to which funding opportunities meet strategic priorities and impact CWB.
- Ensure accountability by using Evidence and Learning, analysis, and interpretation of data to provide regional evidence of impact for the sector.
- Coordinates closely with Support Offices (and GC where appropriate) sector team engagement and partners.
- Provides technical writing support for reports, proposals, presentations, donor engagement materials (white papers, concept notes, theories of change, etc.), success stories, impact reports, evaluation reports, etc.
Resources Mobilization and External Engagement
- Work in close collaboration with Regional Resource Development Director to support TOC Design, provide high quality technical inputs into national office and regional grant proposals and concepts, support review of program design ensuring quality results frameworks and log-frames.
- Support prepositioning and donor engagement as regional Food Security & Livelihoods lead and where necessary participate in donor co-creation session and joint fundraising efforts
- Build knowledge of donor expectations and guidelines around Food Security & Livelihoods during strategy development, donor landscaping, proposal development and review in collaboration with WARO Resource Development Director
- Support partnering efforts with local partners, research institutions, other NGOs, etc.) for the purpose of fundraising and quality program delivery/implementation.
- Supports Regional Advocacy Advisor in building World Vision’s influence, advocacy, partnerships and technical branding reputation externally.
- Participates in high-level regional and international meetings, forums, webinars and conferences as required.
- Provides technical support to regional and Global Campaigns
General Responsibilities
- Perform any other tasks assigned by the Regional leadership.
Qualifications: Education/Knowledge/Technical Skills and Experience
The following may be acquired through a combination of formal or self-education, prior experience, or on-the-job training:
Essential:
- Master’s degree in economics, social sciences, international development or a closely related field the sector-related expertise area.
- In-depth knowledge/expertise in sector programming including evidence-based best practices.
- Proven livelihoods subject matter expert with a minimum of 12 years of experience designing and leading regional or global livelihoods programming in a developing context including West and Central Africa region.
- Strong experience developing strategy and policy within the International NGO sector or a development agency such as the United Nations.
- Strong experience and proven skills in leading a team of technical professionals and growing a global livelihoods portfolio.
- Strong experience in working with grant-funded programs by bilateral and multilateral donors
- Strong experience and proven skills in working effectively to advance priorities and achieve change, in situations without direct authority in which influence, relationships, and technical quality are needed to succeed.
- Demonstrated ability to strategically grow technical portfolio through new business development, partnerships, grants and contracts.
- Strong experience and proven skills in external engagement that contributes to change in policy and practice and builds WV’s reputation as a leader in the industry.
- Experience in working with faith, faith actors and faith-related issues in development Experience of humanitarian and fragile contexts.
- Recent and extensive experience living and working in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Effective in written and verbal communication in French and English. Additional languages representative of the countries WV serves in an advantage.
- Fluent in both French and English
Preferred:
- Masters in economics, social sciences, international development or a closely related field required, with a strong preference for relevant doctoral-level degree.
- Proven experience developing new food security, livelihoods and resilience products and growing livelihoods and resilience programs in a variety of contexts.
- Experience working with and managing large grants in sector programming for major bilateral and multilateral donors.
- Experience growing a diverse global portfolio through new business development, strategic positioning, grants, contracts and partnerships.
- Previous experience working in a Country Office/National Office or Regional Office setting will be advantageous.
- Experience working in fragile, conflict, post-conflict and/or difficult operating environments is preferred.
- West Africa experience preferred. Female applicants are encouraged to apply.
- Strong preference for multi-lingual candidates, language skills representative of the countries WV serves is an advantage. Strong preference for French-speaking candidates (bilingual and or multi-lingual candidates will be advantageous).
Working Environment / Conditions:
- The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 30% of the time.
- This role involves being part of a virtual, geographically dispersed team
Eligible interested applicants must submit their resumes and covert letters to [email protected]
