Description

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability. FUNCTION: Heifer International is seeking a Community Visioning Lead (CVL) for a USAID-funded food aid and market systems-oriented livestock project in Zimbabwe. The CVL will be responsible for engaging with communities in a sustained, collaborative, and participatory process to identify challenges. The CVL will facilitate dialogue on the group and individual aspirations and potential pathways to reach their aspirations in the context of limitations. The CVL will support the Project Team and provide overall leadership and operational support for this project. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER TRAITS: Excellent management and leadership skills, Energetic, Positive, Collaborative, Values-Oriented Local applicants strongly encouraged to apply. RESPONSIBILITIES & DELIVERABLES Provide overall technical leadership and oversight in the domains of participatory learning to achieve the results of the project.

• Successful results at project end (annually)
• Project implementation is consistently in compliance with USAID rules, regulations and protocols.
• Quality of services is maintained at the highest standard
• Timely technical feedback on program operations.
• Representation in technical meetings.

Lead a shared visioning process for collective action.

• Capture learnings related to an integrated gender and youth approach
• Consult, coordinate and engage various actors who can contribute their perspectives, articulate aspirations, define individual and communal strengths and hoped-for contributions, voice concerns, and highlight successes.

Contribute towards the timely delivery of all project results and delivery of reports as well as strong compliance with USG funding regulations;

• Appropriate, compliant and timely documentation and dissemination of key results and deliverables for maximum project impact and business development internally and with donor

Responsible for the generation of local solutions and strategies for addressing food and nutrition security issues and mobilizing communities to work jointly to address these issues, building on existing cohesion among community members, fostering cohesion where it is weak, and ensuring psychological safety of poor and marginalized people to participate, contribute, and feel integrated.

•  The strategy of engagement for community and local stakeholders articulated and implemented with the support of the Project Team.
• Safeguards for beneficiaries are integrated appropriately into the project design and activities

Work closely with the Food Security Technical Lead to ensure that the implementation meets the needs of the targeted communities and aligns with participant aspirations.

• The iterative strategy is developed and implemented throughout the life of the project to ensure beneficiary needs are recognized and met.
• In collaboration with the Food Security Technical Lead and Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation Lead, the CVL will engage communities in sustained participatory learning throughout the life of the program to guide any necessary adaptation to the program and address challenges articulated by the project participants in their journey to realize development aspirations.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in social science, international development, or related field
• Seven (7) years or more of progressively responsible work experience in community visioning and social mobilization with particular experience in facilitating transformational leadership and shared visioning with communities
• Skills in participatory learning and action and facilitating collaborative problem-solving
• The ability to foster commitment and build capacity among activity staff and in-country actors to ensure gender and youth integration and empowerment;
• In-depth understanding of food security programming.
• In depth knowledge of the local operating environment in Zimbabwe, is desirable. Ability to speak Shona or Ndebele highly desireable.

Most Critical Proficiencies:

• Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills;
• Understanding of the local context in Zimbabwe and/or the region
• High level of maturity, good judgment, flexibility and integrity of character;
• Demonstrated ability to implement systems and procedures and the ability to effectively communicate these to program/technical staff in order to ensure their compliance;

Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands:

• Excellent interpersonal relationship skills, including demonstrated leadership and team-building with staff and partners at all levels;
• Develop an understanding of and become a strong proponent of Heifer’s s Values-Based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) throughout her/his tenure as CVL.
• Proven teamwork and cooperatively with a diverse staff.
• Constant face-to-face, telephone and electronic communication with colleagues and the general public.
• May require constant sitting; working at a computer and focusing for extended periods of time and performing office environment activities while on the road and/or in remote conditions.
• Working with sensitive information and maintaining confidentiality.
• Ability to manage and execute multiple tasks with little supervision while meeting sometimes inflexible deadlines.