Recruitment Notice: Technical Advisor on Cash

Requisition No: req43584

Job Title: Cash Technical Advisor, West Africa

Line of Business: Economic Recovery and Livelihoods

Contract Type: Regular

Employment Rate: Full Time

Open to Expats: No

Work Location: Yaounde, Cameroon

Terms and Conditions work: fully remote

Job Description

Background/IARC Summary:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive, recover and take control of their future. The IRC works to improve the safety, health, education, economic well-being and power of people in crisis-affected regions.

The Technical Unit for Economic Recovery and Development (ERD TU) is responsible for supporting the development, implementation and monitoring of client-centric programs such as, but not limited to, cash assistance and vouchers (CVA), rural and agricultural livelihoods, and enterprise development and employment promotion. The technical assistance provided by the Technical Support Unit to this wide variety of programs ensures quality and use of evidence-based practices, encourages innovation, diversity, equity and inclusion, and promotes data-driven management and decision-making.

Job Overview/Summary:
The Cash Technical Advisor will provide technical support in the design and development of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) activities as well as other DRE programs in Central Africa in order to ensure the most appropriate, effective and safe delivery of assistance to affected populations. They will also train their colleagues in several approaches to the CVA program. In addition, the incumbent will lead or support selected global and country initiatives to expand scale and quality in line with IRC’s LCA strategic objectives. The selected candidate should also be familiar with the operational aspects of LCA,

Specific responsibilities:
The Cash TA will spend at least 80% of their time providing in-person and remote technical assistance to their national colleagues on CVA and DRE, CVA programs across all sectors as well as the design, implementation and learning support for general economic programs. The TA portfolio will primarily focus on IRC programs in Central Africa, with potential support for other regions. This is a primarily program-focused position, with central responsibility focused on program quality. It is expected that TA will travel approximately 40% of the total time to national programs to support program quality and in-person capacity building. It can also mean deployments in response to emergency situations and can be done at very short notice. The remaining 20% ​​is spent on internal strategic work to improve the scale and quality of financial assistance programs globally, at the discretion of their line managers. The specific responsibilities of Technical Advisors are as follows:

Ensure program quality:
Contribute to the design, development and implementation of high quality DRE programs and CVA activities in other sectors (such as health, education, protection and governance ):
• Support assessments of basic needs, food security, livelihoods, quick market and labor markets, feasibility of VCA, including financial service providers, protection and gender-responsive assessments.
• Ensure that programs are aligned with IRC’s main DRE and CVA Theories of Change, appropriate to the context, selecting interventions based on the best available evidence and the IRC’s strategic action plan. National program.
• Ensure that programs respond to client needs and preferences and incorporate strong elements of promoting equality, inclusion, local partnership and the “Do no Harm” approach.
• Contribute to the design of theories of change, monitoring plans and logical frameworks, including the selection of indicators.
• Promote the IRC’s cash ambitions, including the use of digital payments, strong operational support systems and the alignment of CVA programs with social protection systems.
• Represent the IRC in the regional cash working group and relay information between the working group and the IRC country teams and regional management.
• Ensure a good analysis of the context, capacities and opportunities in order to contribute to the national strategic action plans (SAPs).

Engage in business development to deliver high-quality concept notes and proposals:
• Review the technical quality of DRE project proposals and proposals from other sectors with CVA and/or livelihoods components.
• Contribute to the decisions of approval or refusal of the proposals and the budgets necessary for the realization of the projects.
• In the event of staff shortages, write technical descriptions of proposals and provide support for the monitoring and evaluation aspects of DRE projects.
• Upon request, liaise with donors and conduct advocacy to support national programs.

Direct support to IRC country teams:
• Provide trainings based on the needs, capacities and preferences of the target group on topics such as basic and advanced cash programming, needs and market analysis, protection mainstreaming, analysis gender, etc.
• Communicate regularly with national program staff about DRE and other financial assistance programs, while providing expert advice and mentorship.
• Offer practical and timely advice to improve the quality and scale of DRE programs and financial assistance programs, overcoming barriers, adhering to IRC best practices and policies, etc.
• Help country teams contextualize and adapt global resources.

Regional Cash Focal Point:
• Keep abreast of contextual analyzes and data on crises in Central Africa, such as IPC data on food insecurity and other related sectoral and national trends stroke and food insecurity.
• Share knowledge and learning among IRC country teams in Central Africa and facilitate exchanges between teams.

Support or lead strategic cash projects to improve the implementation of IRC’s cash programs globally, including operations:
• Work closely with other members of the Cash team on relevant strategic projects focused on improving IRC’s ability to scale and deliver high quality CVA programs.
• Cultivate relationships with supply chain and finance teams within IRC country teams in Central Africa to •
Implement IRC Treasury standard operating procedures.
• Support the conclusion of contracts with new financial service providers.
• Support electronic and paper voucher systems.
• Improve other operational aspects of CVA.
• Participate in continuing education courses and share knowledge and skills with other colleagues in the technical unit.

Key Working Relationships:
Position reports to: Senior Technical Advisor – Cash & Markets

Directly Supervised Position: N/A

Other Internal and/or External Contacts:
Internal: Close and regular relations with national teams and regional colleagues, as well as with colleagues from the ERD technical unit. Regular communication with technical advisors from other technical units, such as technical unit teams responsible for education, protection, health, governance, research, evaluation and learning , and gender equality. Interaction with internal IRC departments including Business Development, Procurement and Finance, External Relations and Advocacy.

External: Represent the IRC program at regional and global meetings, for example as Cash Focal Point for Central Africa, and at forums with donors, online forums, other non-governmental organizations, interagency groups and foundations.

Professional qualifications:
a. Education: Master’s degree/diploma in development, humanitarian affairs, economics, international relations or relevant field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

b. Professional Experience:
• A minimum of 7 years implementing and/or leading cash-based humanitarian programs in various crisis or post-crisis contexts.
• Experience in providing technical assistance and advice to a diverse team, including an ability to supervise staff in cross-cultural and remote settings.
• Experience in needs and market assessments, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of stroke programming to meet basic needs including food security, NFI, etc. as well as the development of technical tools and materials.
• Experience with finance and supply chain procedures is required for CVA.
• Experience in livelihoods programming, such as income generating activities, employability, village savings and loans associations (VSLAs),
• Experience in aligning CVA with social protection systems.

vs. Demonstrated skills and abilities:
• Knowledge of global stroke trends
• Experience in navigating the humanitarian system, including humanitarian principles, cash working groups (national and regional) and global models of provision of stroke.
• Proven skills in assessment, data collection and analysis, including needs assessment, market assessment and integration of gender, age and disability analysis into evaluations.
• Experience with a wide range of ACV delivery mechanisms (e.g. mobile money, bank transfers,
• Knowledge of the guidelines of the main institutional donors (eg BHA, ECHO, GFFO, FCDO, Sida, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience in developing funding proposals and budgets for a range of donors.
• Proven ability to work with different departments, functions and sectors to build strong working relationships with colleagues and external partners.
• Strong programme/technical, project design, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills.
• Strong communication, influencing, support and training skills to serve IRC country teams well.
• Excellent communication skills, which involves listening, interacting and communicating clearly with people of diverse nationalities and backgrounds, as well as high-level internal and external partners, demonstrating a high degree of integrity.
• Work productively and proactively within remote management teams and structures.
• If necessary, flexibility to work according to adapted schedules, depending on time zones.
• Have demonstrated a commitment to the “Do No Harm” approach, gender equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Experience with remote and face-to-face training, facilitation and engagement tools,
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills, with the ability to think and plan strategically.
• Demonstrated understanding of broader DRE programming, eg resilience building, gender responsive rural livelihoods, employment and entrepreneurship promotion, VSLAs, etc. .

d. Language skills: Fluency in English and French required

f. Work environment: Up to 40% of travel is expected, if Covid-19 restrictions allow.

Standards of Business Conduct and Commitment to Equality:
The IRC and its employees must adhere to the values ​​and principles set out in IRC Way – Standards of Professional Conduct. These values ​​and principles are integrity, service, equality and responsibility. In line with these values, the IRC applies policies to protect beneficiaries from exploitation and abuse, safeguard children, fight against harassment in the workplace, fiscal integrity and fight against retaliation.

The IRC is an equal opportunity employer. The IRC reviews all applicants on their merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, ‘marital status,

We offer benefits that help promote a supportive work environment, including parental leave, medical insurance, counseling services, gender-sensitive safety protocols, and more, depending of the country in which the selected candidate will be based.

We will ensure that people with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other employment benefits and privileges. Please contact us to request an accommodation.

Apply ONLY online by clicking on the link opposite:

https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/43584