Livelihоods Counsellor

Project Title: “Community Empowerment and Social Assistance to Refugees and Asylum Seekers”

Organization: “The Tenth of April”, UNHCR implementing partner

Job Title: Livelihoods Counsellor

Duty Station: Ukraine, Odesa

Duration: from the earliest convenience till 31Dec2019

Contract Type: contract of part-time employment (50%)

Background Information

Ukraine is a signatory to the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees and has relevant national legislative and procedural framework. Since 1994, UNHCR as an international humanitarian organization helps Ukrainian government to build the effective system of protection refugees. NGO “The Tenth of April” is a partner hired by UHNCR to undertake the assistance program in Odesa, Kherson and Mykolaiv.

One of the component of UNHCR protection program for refuges and asylum seekers is Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion. After fleeing war or persecution, the opportunity to work and earn a living is one of the most effective ways people can rebuild their lives with dignity and in peace. So, we work to promote economic inclusion of refugees, advocating their right to work and building their livelihoods through market-oriented programs.

The key activity to make employment in a host country accessible is studying local language. So far, the government has lack of capacity to organize accessible language courses for refugees, this function is undertaken by UNHCR.

One more activity aimed at refugees’ economic inclusion is providing the beneficiaries with self-reliance grants for the most prospective business start-ups.  

We are seeking a dynamic and proactive team player, with a strong interest in communication and self-development in refugee issues, to complete a year contract part-time employment as a Livelihood Counsellor.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Livelihood Counsellor as the team member is expected to:

- Organize language classes for refugees in accordance with their varied language levels and needs

- Monitor regularly the education process, ensure its accessibility and effectiveness

- Advertise the possibility of language education among refugees’ communities and empower refugees to study local language as the core way to their integration and peaceful co-existence in Ukraine as a host country

- Support the most motivated refugees with clear prospects in further long-term employment to be enrolled in intensive language courses under UNHCR costs

- Support UNHCR in monitoring of the implementing of the self-reliance grants as per monitoring schedule

- Assess the level of business activity and develop recommendations on how to make it sustainable and profitable  

- Report on developments and achievements in grant implementation

- Be responsible for preparing and keeping other relevant project documentation, such as correspondence, notifications, etc.

- In collaboration with other team members conduct other activities in order to find the best durable solution for the concerned population.

Qualifications Required:

• General understanding of the UNHCR mission and mandate.
• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business Administration, or other relevant field.
• Experience in refugees’ protection field is desirable but not essential. The individuals with background in education, social work, human rights, communications, advocacy, journalism, international relations, development studies or other relevant disciplines are encouraged to apply.
• The candidate is expected to have genuine desire to learn and adapt.
• Advanced knowledge of oral and written English and Ukrainian.
• Excellent computer skills (MS Office essential).

Skills Required:

• Tolerant behavior in order to respect individuals of various cultures, ages, genders, races, religions, traditions.
• Time Management Skills in order to analyse the workload, assign priorities, and maintain focus on productive endeavours.
• Team Working in order to work together on common tasks.
• Strong Communication Skills in order to counsel in a comprehensive and patient manner.
• Data Management Skills in order to keep relevant records and documents timely and accurately.
• Listening Skills in order to understand needs, demands and preferences of the project beneficiaries and stakeholders.
• Empathy in order to express genuine concern for the clients’ needs and willingness to respond.
• Psychological maturity to deal with vulnerable applicants.

Location:

The selected Livelihood Counsellor will be based with the project team in Odesa and work under the Project Manager supervision. 

Conditions:

The contract is expected to begin at the earliest convenience and be available till 31Dec2019. The role is part time (50%), the schedule is up to mutual agreement.  

How to apply:

Interested applicants should submit their letter of motivation and CV in English to [email protected] indicating “Livelihood Counsellor” in the subject of the email.

The deadline for applications is 31Jan2019.

“The Tenth of April” seeks to sustain its workforce diversity. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.