About CARE

CARE is a global leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. We are known everywhere for our unshakeable commitment to defending the dignity of people. CARE works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice. We seek a world of hope, tolerance, and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and all people live with dignity and security. We put women and girls at the center of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE has been working in Uganda for over 50 years. In FY ending June 2020, CARE improved the lives of nearly one million people in Uganda (62% women). Our ambition for the next five years is to reach 5 million people, through lifesaving and gender transformative programs.

Project Summary

The Women and Youth Resilience Project (WAYREP) supports women and girls as well as young men in refugee, host, and urban communities to realize their rights through socio-economic strengthening, resilience building and reduction of Gender Based Violence (GBV). It contributes to SDG 5 “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” with a focus on ending all forms of discrimination and violence against all women and girls.  It is implemented in Arua city, Gulu city, and Terego district of Uganda, targeting urban communities as well as refugee communities in Omugo settlement as well as host communities.

Job Summary

As a member of the senior program team of WAYREP, the WEE&FI Specialist is responsible for providing technical support and leadership to the project economic empowerment component. He/she is responsible for supporting WAYREP to ensure its beneficiaries have increased capacity to access and utilize safe, sustainable, and dignified income-generating and livelihood opportunities both as an economic empowerment and also as a strategy to reduce high risks coping mechanisms, leading to GBV and various forms of abuse and exploitation. 

The incumbent will be responsible for designing and implementing Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) and Youth SLA (YSLAs) for refugee and displaced populations, including urban youth; Linking better performing groups to financial service providers for access to more formal financial services that can support the businesses and Income Generating Activities of select beneficiaries; designing and rolling out a Multi-Purpose Cash Transfer (MPCT) intervention targeting the most vulnerable and as a way of boosting their saving capacity and easing their enrolment in V/YSLAs; and rolling out a job placement and vocational training program. S/he also supports the MEAL function and ensures lessons learned and the impact of the above interventions during displacement and in the urban context are captured and disseminated.  

Specific Responsibilities

Responsibility 1: Provide technical leadership support to WAYREP on V/YSLAs in the urban and displacement contexts (20%)

·        Based on lessons learnt from CARE’s VSLA and YSLA methodologies, and results from the formative studies during the inception phase, adapt the V/YSLA methodology to propose an approach that will be relevant to the needs of targeted beneficiaries, with specific attention of what is required to create V/YSLAs with refugee youth, and with urban poor populations, particularly women.

·        Pilot test V/YSLAs that bring together refugees and host communities to create trust and social cohesion between these groups.

·        Adapt and ensure quality and relevance of the different curricula to be delivered to V/YSLAs:  life and soft skills (including building self-esteem and self-confidence of members, integrating GBV prevention activities, etc.), Women Leadership and PSS (in collaboration with Gender and GBV Specialist), V/YSLA management committee and governance training, financial literacy training, business development skills, etc. 

·        Train selected partners in the rollout of the above adapted V/YSLA methodologies and provide ongoing technical support to ensure timely and quality implementation, detecting what works, and what does not and proposing corrective measures.

Responsibility 2: Design and roll out a job placement and vocational training program (20%)

·        Identify youth with the potential to be linked to more “formal” job opportunities, particularly in the urban context, through the design and rollout of “job placement” program; this will include identifying youth and matching them with potential employers to gain practical work experience, developing a curriculum for youth and employers and training employers on expectations of the program, including on fair treatment and prevention of Sexual Harassment, Abuse and Exploitation at the workplace in collaboration with the Gender and GBV Specialist; 

·        Identify youth in need of vocational training and opportunities for vocational training, building on CARE’s youth skills model; design the training package, roll it out, and ensure close monitoring and oversight during the vocational training.

·        To the extent possible, link the vocational training and job placement by transitioning youth from vocational training to the job placement program. 

Responsibility 3: Support V/YSLA members to engage in micros and small businesses and form economically viable livelihood groups (20%)

• From V/YSLA members who took loans from V/YSLAs to invest in Income Generating Activities, identify individuals to be supported with the development of micro and small business ideas aligned with the market. Initial investments in these businesses are through the Loan Fund of the V/YSLAs but also with additional injections of start-up capital for those who start businesses as groups, which will be encouraged. 
• Support Y/VSLA members to start Livelihood groups, small businesses, and Income Generating Activities (IGA) as groups, including with non-members and particularly if these non-Y/VSLA members can bring expertise and/or capital (cash or in-kind) to the venture. Once organized in Livelihood groups, ensure appropriate technical, financial, and governance support is provided until the group can operate on its own.  
• Identify private sector actors, social enterprises (e.g., leveraging on partnership with Ashoka) who can be linked to the above livelihood groups, and micro and small businesses for access to markets, to technology, inputs, etc.

Responsibility 4:  Provide technical leadership and support to linkages of V/YSLAs to Formal Financial Institutions (10%)

·        Support linkages of best-performing and “mature” V/YSLAs with formal Finance Service Providers (FSPs). This will include identifying suitable FSPs, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and adequate user-friendly products (e.g., E-wallets, etc.).

·        Training and provision of ongoing technical support and accompaniment to implementing partners involved in supporting linkages activities. 

·        Collaborate with partners to identify FSPs, MNOs, and adequate products; support the signing of agreements of selected FSPs & MNOs and implementation of these agreements, with customer protection always at the centers.

·        With support from Gender and GBV Specialists, ensure training of FSPs and MNOs on gender barriers to financial services is conducted.

·        Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of linkages’ component, including monitoring of Do No Harm to ensure linked groups and/or individuals do not get indebted.

Responsibility 5:  Technical leadership in the rollout of Multi-Purpose Cash Transfers (MPCT) 10%

• Based on a feasibility study for MPCTs in relation to V/YSLAs at the inception phase and guidelines from the Cash Technical Working Group, support implementing partners to establish criteria and identify the most vulnerable individuals in need of MPCTs to join V/YSLAs (to increase their saving capacity and enable them to join V/YSLAs without reverting to high risks coping strategies). 
• Identify and select service providers for roll out of MPCT; draft MOU and ensure MOU implementation is monitored once signed; Immediately report any problem and propose corrective actions, if needed. 
• Work closely with the M&E team to track the use of MPCT and confirm the extent to which it provides a social protection platform for targeted beneficiaries and enables enrolment in V/YSLAs. 
• Closely monitor any potential unintended effects of MPCT, including risks of abuse, exploitation or GBV; Document and share lessons learned with the project team, Cash Technical Working Group at national level, and Uganda Cash NGO Working Group that

Responsibility 6: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) 10%

·        Train to implement partners in the use of SAVIX, the global Management Information System for VSLAs, and ensure IPs report all V/YSLA activities (# of groups, # of members, groups performance indicators etc.) in SAVIX. 

·        Support team to monitor the quality and impact of the implementation of all Economic Empowerment and Financial Inclusion activities, ensuring data is tracked by age, gender, origin, livelihood group, rural versus urban etc.).

·        Contributes to generating and documenting lessons learned and knowledge on all economic empowerment and financial inclusion activities with particular attention to documenting and tracking the impact of economic empowerment on resilience and reduction of GBV risks; on implementing YSLAs in the urban context and with displaced populations, and on the linkages between V/YSLAs and MPCTs.

Responsibility 7: Promote Gender Equity and Diversity & Safeguarding Practices all the time (5%)

• Practice a behavior that is consistent with CARE’s core values, and promotion of gender equity and diversity goals.
• Plays a leadership role in identifying and implementing initiatives that enhance CARE’s commitment to gender and diversity.
• Adhere to CARE Safeguarding policies and procedures, Protection from Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse and Child Abuse, the anti-discrimination and harassment policy, The code of conduct, and the organization's values are always adhered to.

 Responsibility 8: Any other responsibility as may be assigned by the Supervisor (5%)

 Job and Person Specification (requirements)

• Bachelor’s degree in microfinance, Business Administration, entrepreneurship, agriculture, agribusiness, or related field. A postgraduate diploma in this field is a MUST.
• Advanced technical knowledge and at least 6 years of hands-on proven practical professional experience in women's economic empowerment programs, particularly Y/VSLAs, enterprise management, vocational skills program, and cash transfer.
• Excellent teamwork, networking, and collaboration skills with a wide range of actors, both within the CARE International network, including CARE Austria.
• Ability to network, build relationships and establish collaboration with different partners, agencies local and international networks.
• Strong commitment to Gender Equity and Diversity (GED).
• Strong interpersonal communication and facilitation skills
• Knowledge of Monitoring and Evaluation including report writing, documentation, and presentation.