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Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008, making landfall in Ayeyarwady Division and directly hitting the country’s largest city, Yangon. Forty townships in Yangon Division and seven townships in Ayeyarwady Division remain on the Government’s list of disaster areas. Assessment teams have reported major damage in affected areas, particularly the low-lying delta region, where the Cyclone’s impact was compounded by a storm surge. The total affected population is estimated at 2.5 million. The IRC first responded to Nagris on the 5 May and has slowly built up the scale of the response and is now working on the early recovery process.

IRC will focus on strengthening private capacity for life skills training to those affected by cyclone Nargis as such the IRC is currently recruiting a Livelihoods Development Advisor to assist in the furtherance of its goals.

The Role

IRC is seeking an experienced and proven professional with in-depth knowledge of the livelihoods context in Myanmar. IRC recognizes the importance of restoring sustainable livelihoods in the recovery process following events like Cyclone Nargis. The organization is reviewing the industries including, but limited to fishing, agriculture/farming, small business/trade, market analysis, and salt mining. As such the ideal candidate will:

• have served in an advisory capacity with relevant institutions and/or organizations;
• have sound technical knowledge of both the local context and of key issues within vocational education and skills training; and
• have access to an extensive network of connections with key stakeholders on this issue.

Responsibilities

• Provide advice and guidance regarding livelihoods in Myanmar.
• Assist in setting its strategic direction and map out activities.
• Ensure that activities planned successfully implement effective strategies to improve livelihoods for those affected by the cyclone.
• Serve as a member of the programme management team for the cyclone response with a focus on livelihoods.
• Develop working relationships with other program advisors and the coordination team providing management of training and livelihoods development.
• Mentor and act as an advisor to livelihoods national staff
• Advise the livelihoods team on the specific needs of training institutions as well as marketable skills and market trends within Myanmar.
• Assist the livelihoods team to identify existing livelihood development initiatives in the Ayeyarwady Division and ensure that the program and senior staff are familiar with major players within livelihoods development initiatives, important government and non-governmental organizations working, as well as community leaders and other people of influence in Myanmar.
• Liaise with the Early Recovery Cluster, UNDP, local government and other organizations active in the livelihood cluster.

Requirements

• Five or more years experience in working with market-linked vocational Myanmar or South East Asia.
• Degree in Development Studies, Education, Economics, Sociology, or related human development field.
• Experience/knowledge of religious, cultural and ethnic dynamics in the Delta region in Myanmar;
• Experience in designing and delivering vocational and professional education programs.
• Demonstrable capacity for working effectively in a close, multi-disciplinary cooperative team environment.
• Experience building the capacity of implementing staff and partners.
• Intimate familiarity with livelihoods strategies/Sustainable Livelihoods Approach.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Burmese.