The International Rescue Committee (IRC), one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, provides relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. Since 1992, the IRC has provided life-saving services to refugees and vulnerable local communities in Kenya. In Kenya, the IRC implements programs in the areas of integrated primary health care (including nutrition and HIV/AIDS); economic recovery and livelihoods; protection of rights; and women’s protection and empowerment in refugees camps as well as northern Kenya and Nairobi.
Through its Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) unit, the IRC is helping vulnerable refugees and host community members in Nairobi build their income and assets. The program works closely with local partners and private sector actors to offer employment and employability support. The program provides internal Business Skills training and business counseling and start-up capital through livelihoods centers and mobile services. Market based principles and coordination with the private sector are mainstreamed throughout approaches to ensure the most effective outcomes on employment, and client feedback and protection based needs are deeply incorporated to ensure holistic services. IRC is focused on encouraging the ability to become self-sufficient, particularly where livelihoods are concerned, for survivors of SGBV, youth, refugees preparing for repatriation, and other marginalized groups. IRC also focuses on economic empowerment approaches that foster gender equity and equality given that women and girls are even more vulnerable in situations of crisis and where marginalization happens.
The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of demonstrated experience in promoting livelihoods and economic empowerment for vulnerable youth and helping them develop market based technical, business and life skills. The Business Training and Apprenticeship Officer will directly deliver training content and guide clients through developing enterprise ideas and acquiring new skills.
Scope of Work
Business Enterprise officer is a key program staff who helps maintain program quality and compliance across all business enterprise activities, ensuring program approaches are clearly documented, understood by the program teams and implemented. S/he will conduct direct business skills training to clients, guide clients in developing business plans, conduct due diligence for business grants administration and offer administrative support in relation to ensuring smooth operations. S/he will offer technical support on approaches to efficiency and effectiveness of Business Enterprise pathway of the ERD program. S/he will also support the Urban Savings and Loans Associations (USLA) Monitors in formation of USALAs and training the associations on the USLA model. Alongside, s/he will support in vetting the USLAs for grant administration.
Specific Responsibilities
Program Planning
- Train program beneficiaries/clients on Business skills and life skills
- Support beneficiaries in developing business plans to be funded
- Follow up on clients whose businesses have been funded to offer support in areas of business sustainability and other areas of concern
- Liaise with the protection team to ensure refugees who are facing protection challenges are supported.
- Prepare periodic reports of progress of program activities
- Assist in context and stakeholder mapping and analysis to contribute to the conceptual development of Livelihoods Resource centers and mobile services.
- Help conduct outreach to community and local leaders, private sector partners and other stakeholders as directed by ERD management.
- Conduct outreach with small to medium employers to promote the IRC apprenticeship program and secure commitments from employers to host apprentices/interns, and follow up on needed documentation and planning.
Training Delivery and Enterprise and Skill Acquisition Support
- Schedule business and life skills training cohorts, ensuring all vocational training, apprenticeship and literacy beneficiaries receive introductory information sessions before starting other activities.
- Deliver training material to clients as the main trainer/facilitator, and schedule other trainers as necessary for specific cohorts or sessions.
- Support other program staff in delivering business and life skills sessions.
- Working with program staff to recommend clients for placement in apprenticeships and provide recommendations on matching them with employers.
- Provide introduction sessions to apprenticeship clients, including on attendance requirements and protection related issues, drawing in other staff as necessary
- Provide introduction sessions to apprenticeship host employers, including on attendance and time keeping and necessary documentation.
- Conduct weekly visit to apprenticeship sites to verify work conditions, verify the presence of beneficiary as well as troubleshooting as necessary on the working relationship.
- Conducts bi-weekly meetings with beneficiaries in the form of calls, interviews or focus group discussion as appropriate. Helps ensure that payment of beneficiaries is accurately processed;
- Under the direction of the ERD Manager, conduct individual business development sessions with clients and coach them through the development of a business plan and grant application.
Program Monitoring & Reporting
- Support monitoring of apprenticeship activities, conducting site visits and helping to troubleshoot any issues from clients or host employers.
- Coordinate closely with M&E and data staff on targeting, data collection, data systems and information management
- Contribute to baseline, interim and end line assessment efforts and program reporting, providing clear input on business training, micro enterprise and apprenticeship activities.
- Assist in the design, collection and analysis of data on local labor market, trends, and livelihoods profiles of specific urban areas (informal settlements, refugee centric areas), market opportunities and skills gaps, in order to identify demand-driven opportunities for job creation
Coordination
- Coordinate closely with IRC logistics, finance, and grants focal point to ensure timely and compliant program activities and expenditures
- Under the direction of the ERD Manager, help liaise with vocational training providers and apprenticeship host employers
- Support in identification and assessment of private sector partners for apprenticeship/employment, build relationships with the partners, and manage documentation of partnership engagement.
- Coordinate the activities of the Urban Savings and Loans monitors to ensure that the USLAs are well supported and monitored.
Other
- Any other duty assigned by the supervisor
Work Environment
The position will be based in IRC Kenya’s urban program field sites – Kawangware/Pangani/Kajiado. However, the role involves day to day field travel within Nairobi County and Kajiado for monitoring and other activities related to client support.
Qualifications
- Bachelor degree in Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration or equivalent
- At least 3 years of experience in livelihoods or community engagement programs or in private sector
- Demonstrated experience and capacity in training groups, and working with vulnerable populations
- Strong ability to work independently, organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail
- Experience working with Refugees in livelihoods programming
- VSLA experience
- Experience in administration and management of grants individuals and groups
- Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, creativity and flexibility
- NGO experience preferred
- Personal qualities: promotes collaboration and coordination within and across teams, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, extremely flexible and adaptable, ability to contribute across multiple activities and departments.
- Fluency in English and Kiswahili required
- Please make sure to include copy of Certificate of Good Conduct in your application.
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