Development Officer – Economic Empowerment CARE Zambia

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 because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities.

CARE Zambia an International Non-Governmental relief and development organization with various projects in Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Muchinga, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-western, and Southern provinces of Zambia, has the following two vacancies available at Head Office in Lusaka and Choma respectively;

Job Title: Development Officer – Economic Empowerment

Reports to: Program Manager – Education and Empowerment

Location: Choma, Southern Province

Type of Contract: Fixed Term

Job Summary

The Development Officer – Economic Empowerment, will build on the VSLA model drive innovation and exploration of other viable options for economic empowerment that are available to young women, female headed households and young couples. The incumbent will provide training in financial literacy, develops VSLA groups, and orchestrates development of models that propel the groups to another level of organization and strategic goals. While primarily working within the confines of the Education and Empowerment Strategic Program Area, he/she shall, from time to time, provide cross-Strategic Program Area (SPA) support.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Develop training modules to promote financial literacy. The modules should be adapted to age and stage and other demographics of the target groups. And adaptation should be informed by needs assessment and evidence based best practice.
2. Conduct financial literacy training to target groups.
3. Develop VLSA groups, including training.
4. To the extent possible, explore and develop or adapt innovations to deliver better and rapidly scale up impact.
5. Conduct monitoring and reporting on the performance of VSLA groups.
6. Collaborate with technical colleagues to integrate other strategic interventions into VSLA groups.
7. Facilitate assessments, research, and consultations to identify other viable economic opportunities for the target groups.
8. Network and collaborate with other actors to strengthen the ability to achieve economic empowerment goals.
9. Document best practices and human-interest stories to publicize project achievements.
10. Participate in the CARE-wide as well as sector-wide forums, to share experiences, learn and influence.

Qualifications, experience, and personal attributes:

• Possess a university degree in business management, economics or relevant social sciences.
• 3 – 5 years’ experience in a similar role as described above.
• Experience in developing VSLAs and managing the full cycle, including monitoring and reporting. Experience with micro-finance and other Youth Economic Empowerment interventions is preferred.
• Well-developed facilitation skills. A TOT certificate is required.
• Skills and experience in developing manuals and training materials
• Skills in MS Excel
• Is self-directed, enjoys autonomy, and produces quality results with minimal supervision and/or support.
• Is resilient and able to thrive in a matrix structure and handle ambiguity with positivity.
• Invests in self-development, willing to learn, and continuously improves.

Contacts/Key Relationships 

• This role is expected to establish and maintain open, professional, and cordial relations with the Country Office internal, and external customers. These include and not limited to.

Internal

• Resource Mobilisation Manager, Strategic Program Area (SPA) Leads, MEAL unit, Technical Advisors, Project Managers,

External

• Populations of concern and their communities (including children, women, and girls); Civil Society Organisations; Departments and Agencies (MDAs); different levels of staff from partner and peer organisations.