Cash & Economic Recovery Specialist – Latin America (Short-Term)

The Economic Recovery and Development Technical Unit (ERD TU) provides dynamic technical assistance, ensures innovation, and promotes sustainable and evidence-based practices with IRC’s offices around the world. We are committed to scaling-up cash assistance and is a global leader in supporting both rural and urban livelihoods to start, scale or strengthen income generation.

To support the start-up and scaling of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Livelihoods programming in Latin America, the team is recruiting a Regional Cash and Economic Recovery Specialist for a period of 6 months. The Specialist will work closely with regional ERD Technical Advisors (TAs) for the region to support multiple country teams and their partners in assessing, designing, and implementing high quality programs throughout the regions.

Based in a country within Latin America (Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela), the Specialist will provide regular in-person and remote support to targeted country offices and partner teams, with a focus on scaling up responses to client needs. The position will report both into the ERD TU and the Latin American regional team and will involve working closely with finance and supply chain teams and ERD teams. The Specialist will play a substantial role in supporting the scale up and implementation of quality cash and livelihoods programs, which will assist in strengthening IRC and partner staff capacity to deliver these programs.

This role will also be available to serve on IRC’s emergency roster for Latin American responses to assist IRC country teams and partners to: deliver CVA rapidly when crises happen, crafting or improving M&E systems, and enhancing CVA program operations.

Major Responsibilities:

•Assist teams in priority country offices in the assessment (including market assessments), design, technical proposal writing support, implementation, and monitoring of country CVA and livelihoods/employment programs.

•Support program delivery startup and/or scale up in relevant new and existing programs, assisting country teams where needed in troubleshooting implementation challenges, and using data to improve program design.

•Develop and familiarize staff with tools, resources and program guidance materials as needed, which will shed light on assessments, program implementation, or monitoring efforts, including cross-sectoral implementation of CVA and livelihoods programs, in close conjunction with program staff and regional M&E and ICT Coordinators.

•Collaborate with ERD TAs to develop and implement a capacity building plan for the Latin America region to ensure that all staff involved in CVA programming have appropriate related knowledge and skills. Where relevant, support SAP development, including cash scaling plans, alongside ERD TAs.

•Where not yet existing, support the development, adaptation, and standardization (if appropriate) of operating procedures for CVA implementation across the region; and support linkages with regional finance and supply chain teams to deliver high quality programming. Ensure country teams know IRC’s cash procedures and tools for country team-led future use.

•Work with relevant teams to develop (1) CVA preparedness plans and pre-positioning CVA programs to be prepared to rapidly and deliver CVA when emergencies happen and (2) CVA tracking systems and continuous monitoring of CVA activity plans.

•Support relevant country offices to adopt digital payment systems for the administration and processing of CVA programs. This includes enabling program teams to define digital payment needs and program requirements, identifying potential vendors, and contributing to the contracting process as well as developing systems and operating procedures to coordinate digital payments.

•In partnership with the ERD Technical Advisors that support the LatAm Region, coordinate and encourage sharing and learning between country programs in active cross-country and cross-sector communication, including sharing knowledge, skills, tools.

•Along with TAs and relevant regional staff, help establish and maintain IRC networks (regional and international) and curate effective relationships with IRC partners. Encourage increased client and partner-involved CVA and livelihoods program design processes.

•Where possible and relevant as identified by the region, support assessments, program design, and start-up activities for new regional emergency responses, including in locations where IRC does not yet have a presence, as applicable.

Job Requirements:

Language: Fluency in Spanish (native speaker from Latin America region preferred); working proficiency in written and spoken English

Education: Undergraduate degree in social science, international relations, humanitarian affairs, nutrition, food security, logistics, Business Administration, Financial Management, or related field and technical accreditation or equivalent

Work Experience: 3-6 years of work experience in the humanitarian or development sector with dynamic management and decision-making responsibility, including a minimum of 3 years of international experience in CVA activities, including mobile money and e-vouchers, and at least 1-2 years of livelihoods and employment support experience. Experience working in diverse emergency, recovery, post-conflict or development contexts.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

•Strong expressed interest in and experience with food security and livelihoods programs. An in-depth knowledge of implementing various types of CVA programs (conditional and unconditional grants, vouchers, Cash for work, etc.) in a variety of programming contexts.

•Experience in assessment, data collection and analysis skills, including needs assessments, market assessments and incorporation of gender analyses into assessment approaches.

•Outstanding communication and coordination capabilities and capability to operate independently and as a team member.

•Experience writing proposals for donor funded programs and grants.

•Using capacity building, facilitation and coordination skills is required. Dedicated to work across functions and sectors to build strong working relationships and ensure high-quality market-based program delivery.

•Dedication and passion for promoting anti-racism, decoloniality, inclusion, and equity in the workplace and in the sector.

Key Working Relationships:

•Position Reports to: Jointly into the ERD TU (STA or TA) and Regional Team (DRD)

•Position directly supervises: N/A

•Indirect Reporting: Other Internal and/or external contacts:

•Internal: LatAm Deputy Regional Directors, ERD Senior Technical Advisor for Cash and Emergencies, ERD Livelihoods TA, Regional Emergency Director, Regional M&E Advisor, Country-level SMTs, ERD Coordinators

•External: Cash Working Group Co-Leads, Regional leaders for CaLP Americas

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.These are Integrity, Equality, Service, 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, and Anti-Retaliation.

IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, Egalite, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles.

El IRC es un empleador de igualdad de oportunidades. El IRC considera a todos solicitantes en base a sus méritos sin importar raza, sexo, color de piel, nacionalidad, religión, orientación sexual, edad, estado civil, condición de veterano, discapacidad o cualquier otra característica protegida por la ley aplicable.

El IRC y los trabajadores del IRC deben adherirses a los valores y principios delineados en el IRC Way - Normas de Conducta Profesional, que son: Integridad, Servicio, Igualdad y Responsabilidad. En acuerdo con estos valores, el IRC opera y aplica las políticas sobre protección de beneficiarios contra la explotación y el abuso, protección de niños y niñas, anti acoso laboral, integridad fiscal y anti-represalias.