Job location:     This position is based in Dublin HQ applying a hybrid-working model (working from the Concern Dublin office at least two days per week). Substantial (30%) overseas travel is a part of this role.

Pay Band: Band 5 (€49,905 - €58,711)

Contract: Two years, fixed term

Job Purpose:

Concern Worldwide is a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and the elimination of extreme poverty in the world's poorest countries. Concern is headquartered in Dublin with other principal offices in London, New York, Belfast, and Seoul and in each of the countries of operation.

Concern Worldwide works to develop and scale up effective, evidence-based interventions to promote sustainable livelihoods, particularly among the extremely poor and vulnerable. The organisation actively supports programmes in 24 countries in the Livelihoods (including Agriculture, Food Security, Social Protection, Markets and Cash, Climate Change Adaptation and Environment), Health (including Maternal and Newborn Health, Nutrition and WASH) and Education. Concern currently supports livelihood programmes in emergency, transition and development contexts in all countries of operation.

The Livelihoods Adviser will be an active part of Concern's global Livelihood Team and will sit within the Strategy, Advocacy and Learning (SAL) department. S/he will closely liaise with the other Advisers in the head office food security and livelihoods team. The adviser's primary responsibility is to ensure that Concern country programmes are enabled to deliver high-quality Livelihood interventions aligned to Concern's Livelihood Strategy. S/he will be expected to provide strategic and technical support to Concern's Livelihood work across the range of countries in which Concern works—emergency, fragile/ transitional and stable development contexts—with a special focus on the inclusion of those living in extreme poverty. S/he also contributes to organizational learning through documentation of best practices and development of tools/ resources designed for Concern programme staff in the field and internal and external dissemination and advocacy.

Up to 30% international travel is anticipated for this position.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic and technical support on livelihood programming to country teams to assist with programme design, implementation, and improving the measurement of the impact of Concern's Food Security and Livelihoods work, including unintended impacts and less common aspects such as social cohesion.
• Develop further Concern's thinking on the role of enhancing and diversifying livelihood options as a measure to increase resilience to hazards such as conflict and climate change in the countries in which we work.
• Build the technical capacity of Concern country teams through remote support and country visits including formal trainings, webinars, workshops, remote mentoring, programme reviews and evaluations, production and sharing of key technical resources.
• Synthesize and document practical evidence and learning from our programmes; identify ways to apply it in a timely fashion to improve policy and practice within and beyond Concern.
• Provide general support to Concern's programmes such as leading on Contextual Analysis, Conflict Analysis, and assessing market systems.
• Support and develop relationships with other agencies in the area of livelihoods in general, including research institutes, technical working groups and represent Concern in national, regional and international fora as required.
• Support countries with the development of new proposals in line with the organizational strategic plan.
• Support the Advocacy unit to feed into international policy discussions related to livelihoods especially around Concern's three advocacy themes – hunger, conflict, climate change.
• Support the prioritization, design, implementation and dissemination of operational research in livelihoods undertaken within Concern programmes – in collaboration with field teams and research partners.
• Support the recruitment of country programme staff and engage in multi-sectoral/ inter-departmental initiatives such as staff induction, M&E guidance, etc.
• Potentially be deployed to support emergency responses for up to six weeks.

Skills and Experience Required:

Essential:

• A postgraduate degree in a livelihoods related field (agronomy, food security, ecology, social science, economics, development studies, or related field).
• A minimum of five years' experience working in the area of livelihoods in an NGO, development agency or the private sector, three of which should have been based in a developing country in Sub Saharan Africa or Asia.
• Experience in implementing livelihood programmes with a sound understanding of at least three of the following areas: Agriculture, Food Security, Social Protection, Market System Development, Cash and Voucher Assistance, Climate Change Adaptation and Environment.
• Strong understanding of livelihood programming in fragile and resource poor settings. Prior experience in emergency, conflict settings, or fragile states.
• Strong understanding of gender issues in relation to livelihoods programmes and practical ways to promote gender equality within them.
• Experience working in integrated, multi-sectoral programmes. Ability to work both as part of a team and independently. Adaptable to evolving work priorities and schedules.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and writing skills in English and French.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 30% in fragile and conflict affected contexts, sometimes on short notice.

Desirable:

• Experience in market systems development approach – assessing markets, developing value chains, working with various market actors including the private sector.
• Understanding of adaptive programme management concepts such as anticipatory action (AA), crisis modifier, early warning early action (EWEA).
• Experience in supporting the roll out of cross cutting approaches within livelihoods (e.g. conflict, environment, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), equality, protection).
• Experience in livelihoods analysis, field surveys, use of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools, and nutrition sensitive programming.
• Experience working with research institutions, coordination fora and other relevant international livelihoods institutions.
• Prior work experience with Concern either in one of the head offices or country programmes.

To apply:  

Les candidatures en français sont les bienenues.

CVs should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date.

Candidates must be legally entitled to work in Ireland at the time of application.