Microfinance Specialist/Trainer

Location: Gogrial East, South Sudan

Reports To: Sudan Country Director

Supervises: Program and field supervisors

Contract Length: 12 months (renewable)

Introduction

World Concern is an International Christian humanitarian relief and development organization working in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Established in 1955, World Concern works to alleviate suffering among the poor in developing countries and to address the root causes in each context.

The organization’s primary strategy is community-based integrated development. It works in multiple-sectors to build the capacity of village-based groups, non-governmental partners and other counterparts to lead and sustain their development.

World Concern is committed to best practices of inclusive, participatory and accountable relief and development programming and maintains rigorous standards of both financial, monitoring, reporting and all aspects of its programming. Program assistance is provided on the basis of need alone, without regard to race, creed or religion.

The Productive Assets Recovery and Institutional Strengthening (PARIS) project is an ongoing 3 year project that is funded by EC. The project is facilitating rural communities in Gogrial East, South Sudan recover from the effects of the 20 years of war through provision of support to their livelihood systems mainly agriculture, livestock production and enterprise development.

The project has a strong component of building local institutions as one way of enhancing sustainable community development.

Job Purpose:

To manage the microfinance sector of the project and be responsible for planning and execution of the sectoral project activities to fit coherently with other sector activities, World Concern Sudan Country strategy and the overall organizational goals, and achieve desired goals and objectives.

Summary of Main Responsibilities:

• Provide overall leadership and direct the successful implementation of PARIS Microfinance sector and roll out project activities within the project area as well as initiate sustainable economic activities that empower communities in focus;
• Ensure quality, focus and feasibility in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of PARIS Microfinance sector interventions in target communities;
• Ensure that the project interventions are designed and developed in conformity with World Concern ministry priorities and industry accepted norms and standards in community-based microfinance programming model;
• Actively engage with grass root communities to understand their needs and ensure project activities make the greatest impact among the beneficiaries served
• Identify and/or develop required project tools and methodological approaches, and provide technical assistance and training/capacity building to ensure project interventions achieve or surpass established objectives;
• Provide effective leadership to project staff and enhance a learning culture - based upon evidenced based best practices and industry standards - to enable project staff achieve established targets and standards;
• Impart appropriate mentoring, coaching and supervision among community resource persons in order to equip, motivate and empower them for program sustainability
• Ensure full compliance with project donor’s requirement in accordance with the project contract.
• Collaborate with other local development players and actors seeking and maximizing opportunities for synergy creation and efficiency in our programming.
• Coordinate different projects and activities in Gogrial East County to ensure their smooth implementation, harmony and optimum impact
• Function as the team leader for World Concern in Gogrial East County

Required Education, Skills & Experience:

• A relevant university degree, preferably in Social Sciences/Community Development/ entrepreneurship
• At least 3 years experience in managing a microfinance and micro enterprise development project targeting post conflict communities
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and analytical skills, adult training and community mobilization skills.
• Able to design and plan new projects using log frame methodology and implement the plans to achieve established objectives
• Must be disciplined, proactive, able to work with little supervision, and resolve conflicts.
• Proven ability to write project proposals and donor reports.
• Highly motivated in changing lives at the grassroots level and among people in a post-conflict area/country through transformational development processes
• Identification with the values of World Concern, commitment to leadership and mentoring skills and a strong willingness to learn, tolerate and deal with complex socio-political issues in a cross-cultural, sometimes, unstable environment.

All application letters, testimonials and detailed current CV’s together with the names of three referees (one of whom must be a Pastor) and a daytime telephone, should be emailed to worldconcernhr@wcdro.org not later than 25th April,2011.

Please quote the position in the subject matter of your email.

Those who will not have heard from us by 31st May, 2011 should consider themselves unsuccessful.