Location: Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Organization: SOS Children’s Villages International (SOS CVI)
Deadline: August 15, 2025
Job Description
Who we are
SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia is an International Non-governmental organization and a member of SOS Children’s Villages International Federation. We started our humanitarian work in Ethiopia with the opening of our first Village in Mekelle, Northern part of Ethiopia in 1974. Since then, we have expanded our programs to different regions where there are significant needs for intervention and where we believe we can work in partnership with all relevant actors to bring sustainable positive outcomes for children’s and young people.
Today, we have grown significantly to meet the persistent challenges that confront Ethiopian children who have lost parental care and those that are at risk of losing their parental care. Working in close collaboration with international donors, local government and community based organizations across seven program locations; we aspire that every child grows up with love, respect and security.
What we provide?
An amazing work environment that promotes personal growth through providing professional space to grow and advance your career!
Your role?
Under the supervision of the Project Coordinator, the Food Security and Livelihoods Officer is responsible for leading the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of food security and livelihoods interventions within the project area. The role focuses on enhancing household resilience through a combination of agriculture, vocational training, cash-based support, and enterprise development.
The incumbent is responsible for the deliver timely support such as food aid, climate -resilient seeds, livestock rehabilitation and cash transfer to vulnerable households. In addition the position holder will facilitate and strengthen of VSLA’s and vocational skill and provide guidance and training to program participants.
The incumbent is required to carry out his/her duties following the SOS CV Safeguarding policies and regulations, the Code of Conduct, the values-based competency frame “Living our Values” and any further international and local regulation that influences safeguarding at SOS CV.’
PRIORITY TASK AND RESPONSIBILITY
Project Implementation
- Provide quality technical support and ensure effective implementation of livelihood activities as per the set plan of action.
- Deliver food aid to severely food-insecure households for three months, ensuring sustenance until the next harvest season.
- Distribute climate-resilient seed packages (e.g., drought-tolerant crops like teff and sorghum) to targeted households.
- Provide training for farmers in conservation agriculture and utilization of drought-resilient seeds.
- Provide livestock rehabilitation support (e.g., goats, sheep, hens) to vulnerable families, including veterinary care training.
- Provide need-based cash support to vulnerable children and families.
- Train youth and women in market-driven vocational skills that enhance employability and income generation.
- Provide technical support and guidance to project area agriculture staff and field facilitators.
- Ensure quality and appropriateness of livelihood interventions, especially those targeting women and food-insecure households.
- Ensure all livelihood activities are implemented in a coordinated, harmonized, and gender-sensitive manner.
- Support implementation of income-generating activities (IGAs) based on local context and market potential.
Community Engagement and Empowerment
- Set up and support Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) to facilitate community-managed micro-enterprise startups.
- Provide startup capital and coaching support to VSLA groups to initiate small-scale business ventures.
- Facilitate the establishment and strengthening of producer groups, women’s associations, and youth groups for livelihoods and resilience.
- Promote inclusive targeting of the most vulnerable: women, youth, persons with disabilities, and food-insecure households.
Partner Management
- To ensure that all activities related to livelihood are implemented in a coordinated and harmonized manner.
- Works closely with project area Agriculture Office and other government partners and community-level institutions to promote livelihood interventions with targeted households.
- Participate in the food security and livelihood assessments carried out in project operational areas.
- Coordinates quarterly review meetings with the government stakeholders and partners.
- Participate in food security and livelihoods assessments and analysis in the project operational areas.
- Engage in sectoral coordination forums and working groups at woreda and regional levels.
- Liaise with private sector actors to enhance market linkages for agricultural and vocational products/services.
Capacity Strengthening
- Responsible for capacity building of field staff and government partners using relevant tools and technical approaches.
- Conduct training needs assessments to identify knowledge gaps in implementing partners and community institutions.
- Provide business skills training for micro-entrepreneurs and IGAs with identified gaps, enhancing operational efficiency and sustainability.
- Support all training, workshops, and community events, including planning, facilitation, and follow-up.
- Train community groups (e.g., cooperatives, VSLAs) on group dynamics, leadership, and financial literacy.
Monitoring and EVALUATION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEARNING
- Monitor progress of livelihood activities and provide regular feedback and recommendations to project management.
- Conduct supportive supervision of field-level activities, ensuring compliance with quality standards and budgets.
- Ensure a robust M&E system is in place, including tools to track output, outcome, and impact indicators related to livelihoods.
- Integrate community feedback mechanisms to improve relevance and responsiveness of services.
- Contribute to periodic assessments, midline and endline evaluations, and learning reviews.
Reporting and documentation
- Participate in documentation and dissemination of lessons learned, best practices, and success stories.
- Keep updated on sectoral developments, including innovations in climate-smart agriculture, cash-based programming, and livelihoods.
- Prepare and submit timely monthly and quarterly progress reports to the Project Coordinator.
- Support proposal writing and donor reporting by providing relevant technical and contextual inputs.
- Coordinate and facilitate quarterly review and planning meetings with partners and stakeholders.
Other Duties
- Perform other related tasks as assigned by the supervisor or program management.
SAFEGUARDING
- Ensure adherence to SOS CV policies such as the Code of Conduct, Safeguarding Standards and others as well as the minimum standards of humanitarian relief
- Ensure that all support is provided in the best interest of the child.
- Responsible for taking part in awareness-raising sessions and capacity building training in relation to Safeguarding and Code of Conduct and to protect children and young people from all forms of abuse, abandonment, exploitation, violence and discrimination
- Support children, young people and program participants to make them understand the Safeguarding risks and protection mechanisms
- Ensure proper safeguarding procedures and policies are in place to protect programme participant children, young persons, adults and other stakeholders.
- Be vigilant about any possible form of abuse/harm, neglect, harassment, or exploitation against, children, youth and adults in personal and professional lives;
- Report any Incident Management Team or concern within 24 hours to the Incident Management Team, focal person or concerned party through the defined channels for reporting the allegation
Job Requirements
Up for the challenge…
Then check out our criteria’s:
MUST CRITERIA
- Education: degree in Agricultural Economics, Plant Science, Rural development, business management, Social Science or other relevant fields of study
- Experience: Minimum 4 years’ experience in the field of emergency livelihood and recovery situation and at least 2 years relevant experience in an international NGO or similar organization
- Proven experience in climate-resilient agriculture, cash transfer programming, and IGA or VSLA implementation.
- Good technical knowledge of policy and practice in the field of livelihoods, income generation, marketing, Value chains development as well as other cross cutting issues
- Solid knowledge of livelihoods frameworks, conservation agriculture, drought-tolerant seed systems, and livestock-based recovery.
- Familiarity with Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and micro-enterprise start-up processes.
- Demonstrated ability to organize, facilitate, and document community-based assessments and training events.
DESIRED CRITERIA
- Education: Master’s degree in Agriculture, Livelihoods, Development Studies, or related fields.
- Previous experience with INGOs or multi-sectoral humanitarian/development programs.
- Prior engagement in start-up capital disbursement, market system development, and entrepreneurship coaching.
- Experience conducting food security assessments and using tools.
- Understanding of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) frameworks.
- Demonstrated ability to lead multi-stakeholder coordination platforms or government task forces.
COMPETENCIES – KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES
- Understanding the organization and commitment to its vision and mission: able to clearly communicate SOS Children’s Villages Who We Are (Vision, Mission & Values), “Living our Values” policies and strategies in all areas.
- Child rights & child development: Working knowledge in all areas of child rights, child protection, child development, family & community development, and rights-based programming in a developing country.
- Livelihoods Programming: Demonstrates ability to integrate agriculture, vocational, and enterprise-based activities.
- VSLA & Microfinance Support: ability to set up VSLA groups; monitors performance; provides startup capital and business coaching.
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting: experience in preparing structured reports and using evidence to support the program.
- Community Engagement and Capacity Building: ability to build and maintain partnership with stakeholders such as schools, community and government stakeholders.
- Networking and Relationships Building: ability to build, maintain and leverage networks with local government, NGO communities’ leaders and other relevant stakeholders.
- Accountability and Result Orientation: ensure the ownership of task and meets deadlines effectively and monitor progress and communicate concerns proactively.
- Collaboration: driven to work with others, able to build partnerships and teamwork internally and externally.
- Training & Facilitation: Skills in delivering training to community volunteers, partners, and stakeholders, using participatory and adult-learning methods.
- Partnership Management: Effective coordination, communication, and relationship-building with implementing partners and community leaders.
- Integrity: able to state views openly and act in line with beliefs, maintain the organization’s values, maintain deadlines and commitments; have ethical standards, ability to gain the trust of co-workers, and desire to be of service.
- Communication: high-level written and verbal communication/presentation skills; ability to interact effectively with partners and staff at all levels; ability to represent the organization externally; exceptional ability to communicate consistently, clearly, and effectively with a range of stakeholders.
- Software: – Computer literacy (MS Office and MS Project, and other statistical softer wares such as STATA, and SPSS)
COMPETENCIES
Core Competency (these competencies are relevant for every co-worker):
- Kindness: Act with empathy towards everyone he/she works with.
- Continuous Learning: Make an effort to learn, understand and grow as a person, admitting your own mistakes.
- Inclusiveness: In any actions show respect and care for others.
- Initiative: speak up when things are not right, do not hesitate to act, and adapt to change when necessary.
- Results Orientation: look for solutions and focus on desired results.
How to Apply
Excited to take on a new Challenge…
Then send us your application (application letter, detailed CV containing contact details of their references) electronically through: SOS Children Villages Application portal (ICIMS).
Click to view our EVP Brochure.
Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia holds strict child safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy for conduct of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered. Parallel to technical competence, recruitment, selection, and hiring decisions will give due emphasis to assessing candidates value congruence and thorough background checks, and police clearance reference check processes.
SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia provides equal employment opportunities to all co-workers & qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or class.