REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

LIBERIA AGENCY FOR COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

(LACE)

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Youth Opportunities Project (YOP) ID #:P146827 –CN#:5621-LR

Background

The Government of Liberia, with support from the World Bank, will implement a Youth Opportunities Project (YOP). The project development objective is to improve access to income generation opportunities for targeted youth and strengthen the Government’s capacity to implement its cash transfer program. The 5-year project comprises of four major components namely: i) Pre-employment Social Support and Household Enterprises for Urban Youth; ii) Productive Public Works and Life Skills Support; iii) Capacity and Systems Building for Cash Transfer; and iv) Project Implementation and Coordination.

The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS); Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP); and the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE). LACE will be responsible to implement the Productive Public Works and Life Skills Training for Rural Youth, as well as the Household Enterprise Support for Urban Youth sub-components. The Productive Public Works and Life Skills Training sub-component will provide support to 10,000 poor and vulnerable youth in rural areas across the country to engage in community farm activities while the Household Enterprise Support Subcomponent will provide support to 3000 youth in Montserrado County to establish new businesses or expand existing ones.

To effectively implement its components, LACE is setting up a Project Technical Team (PTT) that will oversee implementation of activities under the Project and provide linkages to other subcomponents and implementing partners. Given the above, LACE seeks the servicesof qualified individuals for the following positions;

POSITION #1: PROJECT TECHICAL TEAM MANAGER

Location: Monrovia, Liberia

Duration:This assignment is for 12 months with possibility for extension subject to satisfactory performance.

Objectives of the Assignment:

The Project Technical Team Manager (PTTM) will regularly oversee the day-to-day activities of the Household Enterprise Support sub-component as well as serve as head of the LACE Project Technical Team (PTT) andcoordinate the implementation of activities under all components of YOP designated to LACE as per the project Subsidiary Agreement.

Scope of Assignment:

The Project Technical Team Manager shall:

  • Supervise Service Providers (SP) in the implementation activities of the Household Enterprise subcomponent;
  • Ensure that SPs are provided with the technical support needed to deliver good quality services throughout the project;
  • Serve as Secretary to the County Steering Committee (CSC) for meeting relating to the Household Enterprise subcomponent and support them in the performance of their roles and responsibilities, including identifying registration centers for the beneficiary recruitment process for this subcomponent;
  • Work with CSC to identify and secure appropriate physical space/locations for the youth group to develop their enterprises;
  • Jointly review sub-project proposals of youth groups with SP, providing technical oversight on the process and decide whether the proposals meet the approval criteria;
  • Provide guidance to SP on how youth groups subproject proposals that do not meet approval criteria can be improved;
  • Maintain records summarizing the subproject proposals that meet approval criteria, the proposed subproject activities and youth engaged in each subproject;
  • Jointly work with the YOP Project Coordinator to convene meetings for the appraisal of the subprojects by the County Steering Committee;
  • Prepare and submit records to the County Steering Committee for the subproject appraisal;
  • Jointly work with the SP and the CSC to launch subprojects at an official annual ceremony;
  • Ensure that SPs properly support youth to access to appropriate skills development/training opportunities;
  • Supervise orientation workshops and provide technical input as and when necessary;
  • Convene periodic meetings with SP to review subcomponent implementation activities particularly focusing on timely achievement of agreed milestones;
  • Provide technical and administrative support to the implementation of the Productive Public Works subcomponent;
  • Provide quality quarterly report on the two subcomponents in a timely manner to the PMT;

Administration

  • Serve as Head of the Project Technical Team, overseeing the overall implementation of all subcomponents, including planning, monitoring and evaluation of implementation activities, finance, human resources, logistics, assets and security.
  • Lead the development work and rollout plans, procurement plans, and budgets for all subcomponents under the PTT.
  • Conduct periodic staff meetings to review progress on the implementation of subcomponents.
  • Work closely with the Senior Program Officer of the PMT to ensure that implementation is in line with project plans and that regular updates are provided to Executive Director of LACE and the Project National Coordinator.
  • Attend relevant coordination meetings called by the PMT and provide feedback to the Executive Director of LACE and the Project Technical Team. In collaboration with the MYS PMT, take lead in the recruitment of all service providers implementing activities of the two subcomponents under LACE.
  • Undertake annual staff performance appraisals for all staff of the PTT and provide feedback to individual staff and the Executive Director of LACE.
  • Perform any other tasksas may be assigned.

Selection Criteria

The Project Technical Team managershall have:

  • Master’s Degree in Business Management, Project Management, Economics, Trade and Commerce, or in any of the Social Sciences or other related technical areas.
  • 7 or more years’ experience in managing similar projects, with specific experience managing Enterprise Development and Youth Employment projects in both urban and rural areas;
  • Successful experience working with Social Safety Nets projects or related programs;
  • Might have worked or implemented projects funded by International Organizations, preferably World Bank;
  • Fluency in written and spoken English with good working knowledge of MS-office;
  • Ability to write clear and concise reports; and ability to integrate project team and resolve conflicts;
  • Demonstrated technical knowledge of Household Enterprise Development;
  • Demonstrated technical knowledge of effective monitoring and evaluation over projects; Experience in working in rural terrain in Liberia ;

POSITION #2 PROCUREMENT OFFICER

Location: Monrovia, Liberia

Duration:This assignment is for 12 months with possibility for extension subject to satisfactory performance.

Objectives of the Assignment:

The Objective of the assignment is to provide procurement support to the PTT ensuring all procurement activities are done in a timely manner and in line with GOL PPCC and World Bank Procurement Guidelines.

SCOPE OF ASSIGNMENT:

  • Assist LACE technical team in identifying the procurement needs and provide thenecessary technical inputs for preparation of the overall Procurement Plan for the activities implemented by LACE under the YOP. The Procurement Plan will include contract packaging, cost estimates & delivery time (of goods, work and consultant services), procurement methods, including selection of consultants, the need for prequalification, WB prior/post review arrangements, and key procurement processing dates until the completion of each contract;
  • Preparing the project’s necessary procurement documentation for goods including the preparation of Invitation for Bid advertisements, Request for Quotation documents, organizing and conducting bid openings, evaluation reports, obtaining the necessary clearances from the Procurement Review Committee (PRC) and No Objection Letters from the World Bank where required, arranging for the contract signing, and distribution to the appropriate authorities;
  • Preparing procurement documentation for consultant services including the preparation of General Procurement Notices (GPN), Specific Procurement Notices (SPNs), requests for Expressions of Interest (EOI) advertisements, evaluating EOIs and creating shortlists, liaising with the technical teams on the preparation of Terms of Reference, preparing Request for Proposal documents, evaluating proposals, drawing-up draft contracts, obtaining the necessary clearances from the World Bank where required, assisting in contract negotiations, making arrangements for contract signing, and distributing to the appropriate authorities;
  • Prepare minutes of negotiation and contract;
  • In consultation with technical officers, coordinate the preparation of Terms of Reference (TORs) for the preparation of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) on consulting assignments, and Specifications for the preparation of bidding documents for activities using standard documentation agreed with the funding agencies;
  • Ensuring all procurement activities are carried out in accordance with the agreed procedures, including the Financing Agreement; the World Bank Procurement and Consultants Guidelines; and Government of Liberia PPCC SOP.
  • Coordinating, monitoring and following up all procurement activities to enable timely processing of procurement that is required to be undertaken.
  • Establish and maintain procedures for the receiving, inspecting, testing and acceptance of goods.
  • For all procurement under the project, Monitoring the timelines of the procurement and delivery of goods and consultant services in accordance with the approved Procurement Plan and the Project Implementation Action Plan;
  • Ensuring an effective filing/record keeping system is established. Maintaining a contracts register with updated key procurement information of all the contracts procured under the Project. Providing the Independent Auditor with access to procurement records and documents.
  • Assisting the LACE TT in preparing monthly, quarterly, and yearly progress reports.
  • Providing procurement training to the relevant project staff to develop their procurement skills to a level where they are able to at least undertake simple procurement with minimal support required.
  • Perform any other tasks as may be required by the project.
  • Create procurement awareness to stakeholders.

Selection Criteria

The Project Procurement Officer shall have:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Procurement, Business Administration, Economics, or related discipline field; (Master’s degree in Public Administration or MBA is an added advantage).
  • At least 3 years of relevant procurement experience under World Bank funded projects;
  • Professional certification in Procurement Management training from a recognized institution ;
  • Knowledge of spreadsheet & database packages;
  • Fluency in written and oral English;

POSITION #3 PRODUCTIVE PUBLIC WORKS OFFICER

Location: Monrovia, Liberia

Duration:This assignment is for 12 months with possibility for extension subject to satisfactory performance.

Objectives of the Assignment:

The objective of the assignment is to provide supervision and technical support at the national level to Project County Coordinators in the implementation of the Productive Public Works and Life Skills sub-component of YOP.

Scope of Assignment:

The Productive Public Works Officer shall:

  • Provide technical support to County Coordinators in the implementation of youth community farming activities, e.g planning, monitoring and evaluation of Community Facilitators (CFs) and beneficiary youth group activities.
  • Ensure the planning and implementation of Productive Public Works and Life Skills Training activities are carried out in consonance with the guidelines and procedures laid out in the YOP POM.
  • Provide guidance to County Coordinator to facilitate stakeholder consultations at both county and district levels to solicit political buy-in for the selection of subproject districts and communities
  • Attend county and district stakeholder consultation meetings when and where feasible and provide technical support.
  • Facilitate the planning and execution of relevant trainings and workshops, particularly Inception Workshops preceding recruitment of beneficiaries.
  • Participate in the review and approval of beneficiary youth groups’ subproject proposals at the national level and advice accordingly; ensuring every subproject proposal certifies the Environmental and Social Safeguard standards.
  • Work with project M&E Officer to design quality Assurance Checklist or tools (incorporate Environmental and Social Safe Guard elements) and disseminate to County Coordinators for the supervision and monitoring of Productive Public Works and Life Skills Training Support activities in the counties.
  • Participate in YOP quarterly review meetings and provide update on the Productive Public Works and Life Skills subcomponent.
  • Undertake quarterly field visits to validate the work of CFs and County Coordinators.
  • Represent LACE Technical Team at Agriculture Sector meetings at the national level
  • Produce quarterly reports covering all activities of the Productive Public Works and Life Skills subcomponent

Environmental & Social Safeguards Compliance

  • Work with M&E Officer and Project County Coordinators to roll out Environmental andSocial Safeguard tools with County Coordinators and CFs at Inception workshops.
  • Obtain periodic updates from World Bank Liberia Country Office Environmental andSocial Safe Guard Specialist on changes in the Environmental and Social Safeguard guidelines and share with County Coordinators either during field supervision and review meetings or through other means.
  • Ensure hands- on- training or mentoring of County Coordinators and CFs on all Environmental and Social Safeguard tools in order to empower them identify, document and report all environmental & safeguard issues during the implementation of the subcomponent activities in a timely manner.
  • Conduct Environmental and Social Safeguard workshop for LACE Technical Team during project subcomponent Review meetings.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The Productive Public Works & Safeguard Officer shall have:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, Economics, and Development studies or in any of the Social Sciences or other related technical area. Master Degree in any above disciplines will be an added advantage.
  • At least 7 years of experience in managing similar community driven and rural development projects. Experience working on World Bank projects is desirable.
  • Experience in working with Youth empowerment and employment programs(Social Safety nets);
  • Fluency in written and spoken English; and high skills written and oral communication; and Must be computer literate;
  • Travel experience to the fifteen counties in Liberia; cultural awareness;
  • Must have Environment & Social Safeguard management knowledge and skills; and
  • Demonstrated applied knowledge of successful project management skills.

POSITION #4: MIS/PROGRAM ASSSISTANT

Location: Monrovia, Liberia

Duration:This assignment is for 12 months with possibility for extension subject to satisfactory performance.

Objectives of the Assignment:

This assignment is geared towards the provision of administrative and MIS database support to the Project Technical Team for the successful implementation of LACE YOP components.

Scope of the Assignment:

The MIS/Project Assistant shall carry on the following functions:

  • Assist in configuring Mobile Devices for ODK Collect Data Collection;
  • Assist in the development of data collection tools and instruments for the collection of relevant data on key indicators of the subcomponents;
  • Assist in uploading the completed questionnaires onto MIS platform;
  • Manage the MIS Platform and download database for data analysis;
  • Prepare monthly and quarterly report;
  • Contribute to the YOP database management at the MYS PMT by collecting andsubmitting relevant subcomponent data in a timely manner
  • Assist the MYS PMT and LTT to write quarterly report;
  • Assist in the management and maintenance of all computers within the MYS PMT and LACE TT;
  • Establish and maintain an effective record keeping system for the project;
  • Establish and maintain project asset registry and inventory of all office supplies
  • Ensure necessary office supplies are always available in adequate quantity;
  • Responsible for day-to-day project correspondences, information sharing and follow-upactions;
  • Assist in preparing evaluation reports, annual project reports, and update projects files;
  • Attend all project meetings, provide and circulate minutes in a timely manner;
  • Assist in collecting baseline and end line data for the Household Enterprise subcomponent, process the data and submit to MYS PMT;
  • In collaboration with other LACE TT members, supervise the activities of the Project drivers, ensuring that vehicle logs are correctly filled; vehicles are repaired or serviced in time, and data base in place to track vehicle maintenance; and
  • Perform other duties as may be required by the project.

Selection Criteria

  • Associate or Bachelor Degree in Business/Public Administration or any of the Social Sciences;
  • At least three 3-5 year experience in MIS/data operations, analysis and management, and administrative assistant work;
  • Knowledge and experience in data collection, processing, analysis and presentation ;
  • Advanced IT and MIS knowledge and skills, with successful prior experiences demonstrating these skills;
  • Computer literacy, with proficiency in Word, Excel, Access and other Windows & MS Office Suite.
  • Ability to write in a clear and concise manner and effectively communicate orally in English.

POSITION #5 M&E AND SAFEGUARD OFFICER

Location: Monrovia, Liberia

Duration:This assignment is for 12 months with possibility for extension subject to satisfactory performance.

Objectives of the Assignment:

The objective of the assignment is to monitor the implementation activities under all subcomponents designated to LACE, ensure compliance with all GoL and World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguards and provide updates on key performance indicators of the subcomponent in the project results framework.

Scope of Assignment:

The M&E/Safeguard officer will be responsible to carry out the following:

  • Design instruments for data collection on project development objective and key indicators;
  • Disseminate project Results Framework information with PMT members, Service Providers;
  • Work closely with M&E Officer at MYS to collect and collate data on the results framework quarterly;
  • Work with the MIS/PA to collect baseline and end line data for the Household Enterprise subcomponent.
  • Work with the Project County Coordinators to monitor and collect data on project implementation.
  • Verify and validate reports on project indicators submitted to the management team by Service Providers;
  • Monitor the performance of all Support Service Providers and Community Facilitators in the implementation of all components of YOP under LACE
  • Undertake periodic monitoring visits and organize timely feedback meetings with PMT;
  • Rollout Environmental and Social Safeguard instruments with PMT internally, and at stakeholder consultations during the selection of project communities;
  • Participate in sub-project proposals approval and ensure farm lands provided satisfy environmental and social safeguards requirements;
  • Participate in the production of Project quarterly reports;
  • Lead the preparation of Terms of Reference for project evaluation surveys and studies;
  • Lead the collation and production of Project quarterly reports for onward submission to the Program Coordinator, relevant steering committees, and the World Bank; perform any other duty as may be required by the project.

Environmental & Social Safeguards Compliance