Senior Economic Empowerment Manager

Background/IRC Summary:  The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 20 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

IRC has been working in Pakistan for over 40 years, and manages and delivers large, complex programs to meet the needs in health, education, protection, environmental health, and livelihoods for displaced, poor, and disaster-affected communities. IRC works in partnership with local government and non-governmental organizations and is currently present in 4 provinces including Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the newly Merged Districts of KP – Ex Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Job Overview/Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is seeking a dynamic and self-motivated individual for the position of “Economic Empowerment Manager” for a five-year USAID-funded Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Project in selected districts of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Newley Merged Districts. The project focuses on implementing interventions to achieve the strategic objective of promoting women’s social and economic empowerment through safe and dignified access to livelihood opportunities, information, resources, and services. These interventions will stimulate women’s economic and social empowerment and prepare a foundation for integrating interventions to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV). 

Under the supervision of a Business Development Specialist, the Economic Empowerment Manager’s primary responsibility will be to coordinate skill development, value chain development, design, arrange and conduct training related to Women’s Employment and Entrepreneurship. S/he will be liaising with partner organizations and relevant stakeholders ensuring r their timely delivery of services.

Major Responsibilities:

·         Support implementing partners in implementing the activities related to skills development, employment, entrepreneurship, value chain development, and related training responsive to the context of KP/NDMA’s

·         Support implementing partners and relevant government authorities in the preparation and implementation plan of strengthening TVET institutions and community-based centers.

·         Supporting the establishment of relationship and collaboration with employers and their representatives to foster their active participation as key stakeholders in the project implementation

·         Support implementing partners in identifying and placing the women/girls/males on appropriate job and internship with relevant employers

·         Support partners in the proper implementation of value chains’ (both on & Off-farm) interventions and their strengthening

·         Prepare appropriate strategies for financing microenterprise development with respect to NMDs

·         Guide partners and relevant stakeholders for timely delivery of targets/services as per agreed annual work plan.

·         Contribute to drafting a detailed WEE work plan and assuring regular monitoring of project implementation.

·         Participate in monitoring and regular evaluation of the project activities, report on the progress achieved, and preparing updates of the project output tracker.

·         Help foster exchanges of information and lessons learned, identify new strategies and actions to improve the delivery of services, and to achieve the project objectives.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

·         Support and implement in conducting training and preparation of Capacity Building activities related to skill and value chain development in collaboration with Implementing Partners.

·         Develop progress reports and share them with the Line Manager.

·         Perform any assigned task by the supervisor.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to Business Development Specialist, WEE/Skills Development Coordinator (technical reporting) Position directly supervises:  Training Officer, skill Development

Job Requirements:

a)      Education:

·         Master’s degree in development studies, Agriculture Economics with experience in social work and/or other relevant disciplines

b)      Work Experience:

·         Work experience of 5 or more years having considerable command over microenterprise development, income generation activities, skill development, value chain development, TNAs, PRA tools, and techniques, designing and conducting training with sector experience 3 years

·         Residence of Newly Merged areas (NMDs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and working experience in relevant sectors, managing field staff, community groups/elders, and networking with government representatives at various levels will be preferred.

c)      Skills & competencies:

·         Capacity to manage and develop micro-enterprises, identify marketable trades, relevant training institutions, placement of trainees with relevant employers for internship and job placement

·         Support the implementing partners in identifying potential clients/beneficiaries for relevant marketable skills and value chain development

·         Skills in conducting training, monitor IP training activity, and ability to implement coaching interventions

·         Strong coordination skills with the ability to manage information (report writing and presentations).

·         Excellent facilitation, communication, and interpersonal skills

·         Respectful of local norms and culture, and willing to follow these norms while in the field

·         Good computer skills (MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

·         Good communication and presentation skills.

Language Skills:  English, Urdu, Pashto preferred

Others:  

The IRC Core Values and Commitments

·         The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.

·         IRC is committed to ensuring that IRC staff is suitable to work with children and have the knowledge s/he needs to uphold and abide by the IRC’s Child Safeguarding Policy.

o   Level of interaction with children: Less frequent direct contact with children

·         IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures and actions demonstrate this commitment.

Women candidates, minorities and persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply.