Livelihood & Entrepreneurship Specialist

War Child Canada is a registered Canadian charity based in Toronto that works to accelerate peace and disrupt the cycle of violence by investing in and empowering local communities to build brighter futures through comprehensive, evidence-informed programs that foster resilience, self-reliance, and self-determination.

War Child Canada is globally recognized for our grassroots, community-driven model of humanitarian action that’s rooted in collaboration and entirely locally led. We have developed a solid track record of long-term, sustainable impact supporting children and families living in areas dominated by conflict and crises.

War Child’s flagship Afghanistan program advances social impact in the lives of vulnerable children, women, and their families through its humanitarian and development programming in Protection, Health, Education and Livelihood sectors in various provinces of Afghanistan.

The Livelihood & Entrepreneurship Specialist is responsible for leading the planning, implementation, and quality assurance of the project's livelihoods and entrepreneurship component. The position oversees the delivery of market-driven vocational skills training, entrepreneurship and Business Development Services (BDS), financial literacy, employability, employment support, youth business grants, and women-led home-based income-generating activities (IGAs) to enhance beneficiaries' income-generating opportunities and economic resilience.

The Specialist conducts labour market and value chain assessments, develops and updates technical guidelines and SOPs for vocational training, youth business grants, women-led home-based IGAs, and employment support, and develops and refines training materials for BDS, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and employability skills. The role provides Training of Trainers (ToT), technical support, and coaching to project staff and partners, strengthens partnerships with training providers and the private sector, supervises project staff, and ensures the quality, timely implementation, monitoring, reporting, and donor compliance of project activities in line with organizational policies and project objectives.

Responsibilities

·       Lead the planning, implementation, and technical oversight of livelihoods, vocational skills training, entrepreneurship, and Business Development Services (BDS) activities in line with project objectives and donor requirements.

·       Conduct, oversee and support labor market studies, livelihood and entrepreneurship and employment support interventions

·       Develop guidelines for Vocational Training, Entrepreneurship/ Youth business grants, women home-based IGA and Employment support. 

·       Develop and update training plans, curricula, and materials for vocational skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, employability, and business management.

·       Develop, review and refine training materials on BDS and Employability skills and provide team with ToT training and technical support

·       Supervise and provide technical guidance to Livelihood and BDS Officers, trainers, and other project staff to ensure high-quality implementation.

·       Coordinate the selection and placement of beneficiaries in vocational training centers, workshops, apprenticeships, internships, and employment opportunities.

·       Establish and maintain partnerships with government authorities, TVET providers, private sector employers, financial institutions, business associations, and other stakeholders to strengthen livelihoods and entrepreneurship interventions.

·       Oversee the delivery of entrepreneurship and BDS training, coaching, and mentoring to support business start-up, growth, and sustainability.

·       Monitor the quality and progress of training and livelihood activities through regular field visits and provide technical support to address implementation challenges.

·       Ensure accurate beneficiary records, training documentation, and project data are maintained and contribute to high-quality narrative and technical reports.

·       Work closely with the MEAL, finance, procurement, and operations teams to ensure effective planning, monitoring, budgeting, and implementation of project activities.

·       Ensure compliance with organizational policies, safeguarding standards, donor regulations, and project guidelines throughout implementation.

·       Document best practices, lessons learned, and success stories, and contribute to proposal development, project design, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

·       Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor to support the successful implementation of the project

· 

Qualification:

·       Bachelor’s degree in economics, Business Administration, International Development, TVET, or a related field, with a minimum of five (10) years of relevant professional experience.

·       Professional certification in TVET (e.g., Technical and Vocational Education Diplomas) is preferred.

·       An additional qualification or certificate in TVET, BDS, or Marketing is an advantage.

Experience:

·       Experience in managing humanitarian or development projects, with a focus on youth development, migration, returnees, protection, or emergency response.

·       Demonstrated experience in project planning, implementation, and monitoring, particularly in disaster or conflict-affected settings.

·       Proven experience in the delivery and management of BDS, VT, and TVET programs

·       Strong experience in engaging with stakeholders, including local authorities, INGOs, and UN agencies.

·       Prior experience in team supervision, capacity building, and fostering professional relationships.

·       Familiarity with community-based approaches, including beneficiary selection, accountability mechanisms, and safeguarding practices.

·       Have relative experience working with reporting and data collection tools such as Kobo, Survey Monkey, Google forms etc. 

Skills and Abilities:

·       Strong understanding of local contexts, including cultural and political dynamics in Afghanistan.

·       Proficiency in English, Dari and Pashto. Proficiency in other languages will be considered a plus point.

·       Strong reporting, presentation, training facilitation, and budgeting skills.

•      Strong inter-personal and communication skills, ability to work under stressful conditions, and able to meet tight deadlines.   

War Child Canada is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified Afghan women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Interested applicants are invited to complete the application process using the link below. If the link does not work when clicked, please copy and paste it into your browser's address bar:

https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/x/3QUAKLuq