Technical Advisor for Livelihoods and Economic Opportunities

Pact Overview:

At the heart of Pact is the promise of a better tomorrow. A nonprofit international development organization founded in 1971, Pact works on the ground in nearly 40 countries to improve the lives of those who are challenged by poverty and marginalization. We serve these communities because we envision a world where everyone owns their future. To do this, we build systemic solutions in partnership with local organizations, businesses, and governments that create sustainable and resilient communities where those we serve are heard, capable, and vibrant.

Pact is a recognized global leader in international development. Our staff have a range of expertise in areas including public health, capacity development, livelihoods and economic opportunities, governance and civil society, natural resource management, fragile states and conflict mitigation, monitoring and evaluation, small-scale and artisanal mining, microfinance and more. This expertise is combined in Pact’s unique integrated approach, which focuses on systemic changes needed to improve people’s lives.

Department Overview:
Pact exists to help create a world where those who are poor and marginalized exercise their voice, build their own solutions, and take ownership of their future. The Integrated Program Advancement team contributes to this by:

• Delivering on our promise to global quality and impact via integrated programs
• Growing & diversifying our global portfolio integrating the private, public and social sectors
• Promoting our work globally to influence the private, public and social sectors**Position Purpose**
  The position supports the Livelihoods & Economic Opportunities (LEO) team within the larger Integrated Program Advancement group. The LEO Advisor is responsible for providing support and leadership for Pact’s global Livelihoods & Economic Opportunities portfolio while staying true to Pact’s integrated development approach. S/he provides key input into existing and proposed Pact LEO related work and supports a global “community of practice” made up of professionals from within and outside Pact to help advance the state of livelihoods and economic opportunities at Pact. S/he provides strategic support to a portfolio of projects, develops tools and materials, and trains and mentors staff globally. The Advisor reports to the Global Technical Advisor for Livelihood and Economic Empowerment/and/or his/her designee

Key Responsibilities
Delivering on our promise to global quality and impact via integrated programs (50 %)

• Provide technical and strategic support to Pact’s work in Livelihoods & Economic Opportunities including financial inclusion, savings groups, digital finance, market access, economic strengthening for orphans and vulnerable children and youth to ensure quality and program standards in line with globally-recognized best practices;
• Provide ongoing technical (or start-up) support to country offices by helping to develop work plans and technical solicitations; share tools and materials from other similar projects within and outside of Pact; orient and train new program staff, and assist field teams to implement initial project activities;
• Facilitate access through partner and stakeholder organizations to a full range of economic strengthening options for households (i.e. market opportunities, group savings, financial literacy and access, income generation, micro-enterprise development training, farming-as-a-business, employability, etc.);
• Ensure continuous adherence to globally recognized best practices;
• Support country offices through remote and in-person mentoring, training and knowledge transfer around LEO tools and approaches;
• Collaborate closely with other technical teams (Health, Governance, Capacity Development, Corporate Engagement, Mines to Markets, Pact Ventures, Innovations) to ensure livelihoods and economic development aspects are integrated into project delivery.
• Provide LEO inputs into project work planning, tool development, research initiatives, learning reviews and stories, and project reports.
• Support research related to livelihoods and economic opportunities, for example reliability and validity studies of tools, economic research, local market analysis, etc.
• Draft articles, blogs, and other types of materials for internal and external publications.

• Work closely with Global Technical Advisor for Livelihood and Economic Empowerment, Senior NRM Officer; Senior LEO Director and other IPA team members to ensure integration across sectors and core competencies;
  Growing & diversifying our global portfolio integrating the private, public and social sectors (35%)

• Ensure proposals submitted and programs led by Pact involving livelihoods/economic development work are technically sound, capitalize upon learning from other parts of Pact and the wider sector, are gender-sensitive and promote equitable programming;

• Support new approaches that contribute to Pact’s transformation to the fourth sector.

• Co-lead and/or champion economic development/ household economic strengthening innovations and specifically in partnership with other organizations, support of self-sustainable economic empowerment models and use of mobile technology e.g. MYWORTH app& related platforms
  Promoting our work globally to influence the private, public and social sectors (15%)

• Play a representational role for Pact in relevant fora and working with field offices to increase their representation in global, regional, and local events;

• Track industry trends, new approaches and general innovations, best practices and provide input and recommendations per current and changing learnings and thinking;

• Monitor and maintain relevant manuals, training materials and reports;

• Develop toolkits, edit/review donor reports, create and revise conference and presentation material, and provide other support for projects/countries assigned;

• Support a dynamic community of practice of staff worldwide that serves to ensure continuous learning around livelihoods and economic development across Pact;

• Collect success stories, tools, and project innovations that can be tested and used in other contexts;

• Coordinate efforts to identify and document best practices from Pact’s programming;

• Support the design of, and where necessary lead, Learning Reviews in close collaboration with the Results and Measurement team as well as country office staff;

• Deliver e-learning, including through webinars, video courses, podcasts, social networking platforms, and infographics.

• Support the Global Technical Advisor for Livelihood and Economic Empowerment, Senior NRM Officer and Senior LEO Director with tasks as assigned

• Basic Requirements

• Masters or other advanced degree in international development, economics, business or public management or a related field.

• A minimum of 6 years related experience in implementing livelihoods/economic development-related projects in a variety of settings

• Understanding of, and experience with, full process of new business development, from pre-positioning to writing.

• Established facilitation and project management skills

• Demonstrated ability to create and maintain effective working relationships with country teams, stakeholders, NGO partners, and international donors

• Willingness and ability to travel frequently, sometimes on short notice (<30-40%)

• Ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks

• Strong written and verbal English communication skills

• Proficiency with MS Office tools including spreadsheet and database skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in at last one other language
• Substantial demonstrated experience in leveraging private sector partnerships and resources for creation of business opportunities, business mentorship and skills training, market access, strategies to strengthen household resilience, etc.
• Demonstrated flexibility, adaptability and ability to perform and collaborate under challenging conditions

Please apply at

http://pactworld.force.com/careers/VanaHCM__Job_Detail?Id=a33f1000000YsNv