Save the Children is currently recruiting a Community/Business Development and Livelihoods Specialist for the Increasing Economic and Social Empowerment for Adolescent Girls and Vulnerable Women (EMPOWER) program that will reduce child labor in targeted rural areas in Zambia. The Community/Business Development and Livelihoods Specialist will assist in making sure the program’s objectives are met. The Community/Business Development and Livelihoods Specialist will increase livelihood opportunities for vulnerable women, whose households have children that are at risk of entering child labor. The Community/Business Development and Livelihoods Specialist will also increase public awareness on child labor and gender equality and will collaborate with the local government and the private sector to promote acceptable work for adolescent girls and vulnerable women.
Since 1989, Save the Children in Zambia has been collaborating with organizations and networks that work for children's rights by developing their organizational capacity, knowledge skills, systems and practice. Save the Children aims to build a strong and sustainable civil society that plays an effective role in advocacy and monitoring of children's rights.
Essential Duties, Responsibilities and Impact
The specific duties of the Community/Business Development and Livelihoods Specialist will include, but are not limited to:
- Providing strategic leadership for programmatic components designed to strengthen the livelihoods of vulnerable women and their households, guiding planning, implementation, and monitoring of programmatic activities and spending.
- Supporting the development and/or adaptation of training materials in conjunction with project staff and relevant authorities, and designing, facilitate ToTs for Save the Children and partner staff.
- Representing the project to, and ensuring close coordination with, relevant local government authorities, the private sector and civil society Organizations.
- Ensuring timely, accurate, and meaningful reporting on project activities that allows staff to learn from results and use them to improve operations
- Provide technical assistance to project staff, assessing strengths and weaknesses in implementation and facilitating teams to act on these assessments
- Coordinating closely with project M&E staff and potentially external researchers on data collection to measure impacts as well as track program graduates and employment opportunities.
Required Background and Experience, Skills and Behaviors
- Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, or a similar field is required, Master’s degree is preferred.
- Minimum of three years of experience in a leadership positions responsible for developing livelihood interventions and the technical aspects related to the strategy, including life skills training, micro-lending, savings programs, micro-insurance, micro-franchising, village savings and loan programs, financial literacy, adult literacy, employment generation, alternative/additional income generation, job placement support, modern job search methods training, entrepreneurship, Occupation Safety and Health (OSH) training, and labor market analysis.
- Minimum of three years of experience in a consultative/advisory position responsible for building public private partnerships to achieve common goals, identify problems and challenges, develop focused strategies, lay out actionable plans and recommendations, and define and identify roles and responsibilities.
- Proven success in establishing partnerships, with the significant ability to develop networks, build alliances, collaborate across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.
- Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, and achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
- Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
- Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
- Proficient with common software Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Internet.
- Child-sensitive and committed to respecting and promoting Save the Children’s child safeguarding policy.
- Flexible to work in rural environments under sometimes difficult conditions. Out-of-station travel expected ~50%.
- Experience managing and monitoring integrated US Government programs and budgets strongly preferred
- Proficiency in one or more of Zambia’s major languages (Bemba, Kaonde, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga) is required. English proficiency is recommended.
Employee Type
Full-Time Regular
Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries, including the United States. We aim to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education and economic opportunities. In times of acute crisis, we mobilize rapid assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters. Each year, we and our partners reach millions of children in communities around the world. Join our dedicated and diverse staff in their work to improve the well-being of children everywhere.
Save the Children provides an attractive benefits package including competitive salaries, a matching retirement plan, health and welfare benefits, life insurance, an employee assistance program, generous time off and much more. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.
