Company Vision

We seek a world of hope and inclusion, where poverty has been overcome and all people live with dignity and security.

Company Mission

CARE works around the globe to save lives and defeat poverty.

Job Description

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

CARE is a global leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to eradicating poverty. We are known everywhere for our unshakeable commitment to the dignity of people. CARE Tanzania is part of CARE International, with the vision to seek a world of hope and inclusion, where poverty has been overcome and all people live with dignity and security. CARE puts women and girls at the center, because poverty cannot be defeated until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE Tanzania and partners contribute to the empowerment of the most marginalized and vulnerable rural women and girls to exercise their rights.

 

PROJECT BACKGROUND

CARE Tanzania is implementing a phased-Her Money, Her Life (HMHL) project from December 2021 and currently the project is in the second year of the phase II. The overall development objective for phase II is to improve farmer livelihoods in tea, herbs and spices sourcing communities by engaging communities, government, and the private sector. CARE, Kazi Yetu Limited and other partners works together to incentivize and support women farmers to get connected into the specialty tea supply chain, herbs and spices; work with government to transform the higher level tea sub-sector through advocacy work and direct implementation through land acquisition, collective investment, and GAP training work; through existing VSLAs, provide unique training bundles and business mentorship, aligned with the depth and demand for priority buckets with nuanced men, women, boys and girls programming across all workstream on the Tanzania program; expand the VSLAs work through CARE’s VSLA methodology.

CARE and partners work to support women farmers, to acquire knowledge, access, and control of productive resources for increased productivity, income, and autonomy, to leverage the accumulated capital and revolving credit held by VSLAs. Improving productivity requires capital to access agricultural inputs, technologies, tools, machines and farm management and all these have been the major struggle of the farmers to support their investments. CARE applies an innovative Collective Investment Model, whereby VSLAs mobilize and pull together capital and utilize different platforms to incentivize women famers to invest and leverage their own capital to address key constraints, increasing market access and potential for women own agri-business. CARE’s VSLA approach is supported by Chomoka – an innovative digital platform that was launched in Tanzania in 2019.

CARE Tanzania seeks to recruit a self-motivated, results-driven, dynamic, suitably qualified, competent and dedicated Tanzanian to fill the following position.

POSITION TITLE: Project Coordinator-Collective Investment Agent for VSLA

REPORTS TO: Senior Project Manager

LOCATION: Rungwe

JOB SUMMARY

The Project Coordinator- CI Agent for VSLAs is expected to provide technical and operational leadership and support to VSLAs and similar saving and groups in such a way that the farmers in the project areas increase financial resilience and invest into profitable and environmentally sustainable enterprises.  With an intention to support their tea, herbs and spices value chains’ development by improving in processing, tools, including their post-harvest handling approaches, access to capital and saving ability. She/he is expected to maintain effective working relationships with other project staff including close working relationship and capacity building to Kazi Yetu Limited officers on VSLA approach and collective investment innovation to help women groups to take forward these initiatives beyond the lifetime of the project and CARE.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

1. VSLA strengthening and provision of appropriate interventions as per VSLA needs (Digital, Credit, Entrepreneurship and Market).

• Arrange all HMHL VSLAs into segmented tiers and ensure that groups receive the right interventions to support growth.
• Conduct a comparative study for individuals in CI versus individuals in VSLAs assessing incomes, individual investments, and other opportunities (non-monetary) to measure the effectiveness of CI and Agrifund.
• In collaboration with “Her Money, Her Life” project team and allied partners (Kazi Yetu, Tea Board and TASHTDA), design and implement a business model that will affect rural community positive tea agricultural transformation through involvement in resilient agricultural practice (RAP) and climate smart agriculture (CSA).
• Build positive relationships with men and boys, women and girls, their families and community leaders by being visible, accessible, and contactable for the ultimate success of Her Money, Her Life and other CARE projects.
• Support VSL groups in developing individual field business cases and plans and creating links with key service providers, with a focus on financial service providers.
• To develop various tools and validate graduation criteria per each VSLA segment as well as develop the growth plans with VSLAs including the business plans/grants and proposals.

2. Capacity Building and technical support to the cluster team and partners.

• Develop, monitor, and review cluster project annual, semi-annual and quarterly costed plans as well as coordinate all cluster project field offices and fleet as per CARE Tz policies and procedures.
• Motivate the sub-grantees implementation partners, ensuring they have clear work plans and objectives and receive consistent supervision and advisory support.
• Onboard VSLAs to ChomokaV2 during this total transition period with Ensibuuko, also ensure the integration of a ChomokaV2 digital ledger and E-mazao digital marketplace is finalized by end of bridge year.
• Facilitate transformation of saving groups (SGs) and formation of VSLAs to successful groups (including cash box, constitution, election of office bearers and key/box holders) following the digital platform of ChomokaV2, digital ledger and E-Mazao.
• Coaching and mentoring local service providers on capital access, market linkages and entrepreneurship.
• Promote to VSLAs the use of digital ledger—ChomokaV2, awareness raising on collective investment. Advise on the possible opportunities that are beneficial and provide viable return on investment (RoI).

3. Evidence & Learning (M&E and Program Quality)

• To facilitate the learning process and exchange ideas/lessons/best practices in project sites.
• Ensure documentation of evidence and learning for example success stories, case studies, key lessons and lessons are well documented for project improvement including support documentation of Agrifund impact and learning in project site.
• To support the CCROs acquisition to women whose villages have gone up to stage 4 of acquisition process, conduct an internal study on the impact of CCROs on collective investment.
• Provide support during baseline, midterm and end-line evaluations by providing inputs to programming approaches, tools, and activity implementation.
• Working closely with MEAL and PQ units to implement program activities and carry joint monitoring for troubleshooting.
• Work with the Project Manager and Program Director to ensure that regular project and program reports are of high quality and submitted on time.
• Collaborate with MEAL Coordinator, MEAL and PQ teams to upload recruited Village Saving and Loan Association Groups and participate in all field monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Ensure tracking of VSL group performance through the online systems in collaboration with CARE country office Information Management Systems.

4. Promote Women and Girls’ Equality

• To conduct the women, respond survey both qualitative & quantitative at the cluster level and facilitate women, girls, men and boys training by using engage male and boys approach in HMHL interventions areas.
• Ensure VSLA interventions remain appropriate to the changing needs of women in relation to project context and the impact evaluation by ensuring that women practice behaviors that are consistent with CARE’s core values and promotion of women, girls, men and boys and diversity goals.
• Ensure that women and girls; and men and boys and the role of women in tea value chains is mapped, understood and promoted the different actors.
• Be proactive in ensuring that CARE’s core values, code of conduct, and principles of women and girls’ equity are upheld throughout area of responsibility and provide leadership to others
• Able and informed about critical issues surfacing women and girls’ related issues with special focus on women and girls and propose mainstreamed sustainable solution.
• Enable identifications of vulnerable farmers especially women in engaging in various programme activities including meetings, leadership positions and as beneficiaries.
• Advise the Sr. Project Manager on various ways to create awareness to women and girls and the general community to participate in various programme initiatives.

 

5. Maintain relationship with Key partners and stakeholders (LGAs) at region and district level.

• Play an active role in strengthening partnerships, overseeing planning, gathering and dissemination of information vital for strategic execution of the project.
• Foster coordination and collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including government authorities, NGOs, and implementing partners, to enhance co-creation of women led solutions.  Participate in local related coordination mechanisms, working groups, and networks.
• Conduct quarterly program performance reviews and learning sessions with local service providers and other stakeholders and monitor implementation of actions.
•       Work collaboratively with the women development partners to cultivate context-appropriate VSLAs for women and girls.
• Identify and build strategic linkages, relations, collaborations and networks with partners and other stakeholders in implementation as well as ensure CORE Project activities are integrated or synchronized with ongoing CARE and government interventions to ensure sustainability and avoid duplication.
• Act as the focal point for information sharing within project sites between CARE, CBTs, VSLAs, Kazi Yetu, Government, and other key partners in supporting towards project success.
• Support and participate to regular reflection sessions on program initiatives including women development forum, women, girls, men and boys challenges, and frontline national development initiatives.
• EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor’s degree in Rural development, Project Planning and Management, Community development or any other relevant social science qualification
• Any international training certificate/certification related to VSLAs, and entrepreneurship programming is an added advantage

 

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Education/Training

• Minimum 5 years working experience around women and tea sector development and formation of saving groups whereas experience in forming VSLA will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in conducting training and sensitization sessions on socioeconomic activities engagement with specific emphasis on women and girls’ development and community wellbeing.
• Minimum 3 years’ practical experience interacting with rural community and sharing critical agendas towards leveraging sustainable development.

 Experience/Technical skills

 Required

•     Extensive experience in saving groups formation, including capacity building to members, sensitization training provision and promotion of women, girls, men and boys equity and equality.
• Knowledge on VSLA model and saving groups management in rural settings with specific focus on women and girls.
• Knowledge of community development, climate change, human rights, land rights, project planning and management, administration.
• Experience in working with village representatives, government staff and government authorities.
• Practical research undertaking, survey and community information gathering and analysis.

Desired

• Good understanding of saving groups and women dynamics in the region particularly around; economic development, women, girls, men and boys, land rights, climate change, sustainable livelihoods and development.
• Ability to build a good rapport with community leaders/ heads, women and women integrated groups, to gain their trust and confidence and understand the world from their perspective (sympathize).
• Ability to work and communicate with a range of stakeholders including policymakers and government officials, NGOs, the media, community representatives.
• Strong presentation and reporting skills including Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email and Internet usage.
• Ability to thrive in team environments with a strong understanding of team diversities. Firm belief in teamwork, women and girls’ equality, sensitivity to HIV/AIDS and participatory approach to sustainable development.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with a fluent writing style, good knowledge and practical use of both English and Kiswahili.
• Ability to respond to critical issues that hinder smooth thrive of socioeconomic initiatives by proposing effective methodologies or/and approach to solving women socioeconomic challenges.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

• Relationship Building – Builds trust with community, partner, and institutional actors.
• Communication – Communicates clearly and respectfully with diverse stakeholders.
• Delivering Results – Strong execution capacity; sees initiatives through to measurable outcomes.
• Influencing and Advocacy – Effectively represents organizational priorities, builds consensus among diverse stakeholders and advances financial inclusion agendas within FSPs and other partners.
• Inclusion & Women, girls, men and boys Sensitivity – Fosters inclusive and culturally relevant approaches to financial access.
• Adaptability – Responds to evolving needs with flexibility and creative solutions.

MODE OF APPLICATIONS

Apply using the link below

https://royalty.thorn-soft.com/recruitment/

 Include names of at least 3 reputable referees from previous jobs (preferably line Managers).

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

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