Project Facilitator, Transforming Vaccine Delivery System - CARE International

CARE International in Ghana is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the position of Project Facilitator for Transforming the Vaccine Delivery System PROJECT.

Transforming the vaccine delivery system in for Chicken and Goats in Ghana is a 3- year research project funded by the International Development Research Centre. The project will test two innovative approaches for vaccine delivery — one gender accommodative and one gender transformative — by adapting CARE’s Gender Transformative Farmer Field and Business School approach to facilitating women’s sustained involvement in livestock vaccination. Both approaches address the practical barriers to access as well as the gender-based barriers, such as gender norms on decision-making and women’s mobility.

The project has the potential to generate knowledge on many fronts, including technical, physical (mobility), and socio-economic factors (access to credit, beliefs, and norms) and how these interplay to affect the adoption of vaccines. The project will be implemented in the Bawku West and Pusiga Districts.

JOB SUMMARY

The project facilitator for the project will be the lead person on the project facilitating the implementation of project activities in the Bawku West/ Pusiga District. His/Her primary responsibility will be to facilitate the implementation of Chicken and Goats vaccine delivery activities through the use of tested CARE models such as Farmer Field and Business School, Village Savings and Loans Association and other appropriate models aimed at addressing women’s needs in the Poultry and Small Ruminant Sector. S/he will support the implementation of work plans developed with communities and stakeholders and ensure the field implementation of project activities and M&E plans.

In collaboration with other stakeholders in the district, the project facilitator will ensure cross learning among different initiatives that are geared towards improving the livelihoods of women smallholder farmers. With the support of the Principal Investigator s/he will document experiences from the implementation of the project for sharing at various levels. The position is based in Bawku West / Pusiga District but will be required to travel from time to time to Tamale for work. The Project Facilitator will report directly to the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer who will be based in the Tamale Sub-Office.  

Key Responsibilities 

• Mobilise communities for the implementation of the Project using FFBS as a major platform for capacity building.
• Organize community meetings to sensitize communities on the Transforming the Vaccine Delivery System Project.
• Support in conducting trainings on Good Husbandry Practices for Chicken and Small Ruminants for participating groups. 
• Facilitate capacity building programmes for various groups the project is working with i.e producer groups, marketing committees, male gender champions etc. 
• Mobilise community leaders and existing institutions such as TA to provide the requisite support for implementation of project activities. 
• Ensure production and dissemination of relevant, quality and user friendly information from the project.
• Collaborate with Department of Agriculture, Cowtribe Technologies and key stakeholders to implement Vaccinne Delivery and FFBS activities in project communities.
• Ensure that gender, nutrition and livestock marketing issues are integrated into FFBS activities.
• Strengthen relationship and linkages between key stakeholders in the Chicken and Small Ruminant Sector.
• Collaborate with colleagues, Communities and others to plan, implement,  monitor and evaluate project activities, so as to ensure the effective and efficient achievement of project objectives.
• Responsible for maintaining relationships with DoA, DAs, District Food Security Networks at District level. 
• Attend and contribute to local and sectoral meetings, and arrange to participate in appropriate public relations events. 
• Participate in rolling out project M&E activities such as administration of Participatory Performance Tracker and Gender Progress Marker.

Required Skills or Experience

• A minimum qualification of a first degree in a relevant discipline such as Agriculture, Animal Science, Agronomy, Agric Extension and Training.
• Three years of relevant working experience, including a minimum of two years of field practical experience in working with rural communities, including women groups.
• Strong experience and knowledge of PLA tools and training methodologies, community mobilization
• Proven experience and understanding of nutrition and food security issues linked to gender and women’s empowerment.  
• Experience of working with partners.
• Proven and demonstrable facilitation skills, negotiation skills and networking skills including facilitating change, innovation and initiating action.
• Commitment to and understanding of a process and livelihood approach to development. 
• Excellent professionalism, relationship building and communication skills
• Adherence to CARE’s core values and competencies 
• Good spoken English and excellent English writing skills
• Computer skills that must include Microsoft Office and Excel
• Good report writing; and Excellent presentation skills