Economic Inclusion Policy and Development Officer – USA At Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion

Place: USA – Silver Spring, Maryland Starting date: As soon as possible

Type of contract: Open-ended contract Closing date for applications: October 24, 2021

“Outraged by the injustice faced by people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, we aspire to a world of solidarity and inclusion, enriched by our differences, where everyone can live in dignity”

Humanity & Inclusion (HI) is an independent and impartial aid and development organization with no religious or political affiliations operating in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable people to help meet their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.

Since the organization was first founded in 1982, we have set up development programs in more than 60 countries and responded to many emergencies. Today we have a budget of around 150 million euros, with 3500 employees worldwide.

The HI network is an organization made up of a Federation (with 2 operational HQs in Lyon and Brussels), 8 national associations (Germany, Belgium, Canada, United States, France, Luxembourg, United Kingdom and Switzerland) and the HI Institute on Humanitarian Action. All these entities work concertedly to implement HI’s international aid and development mandate.

The Federation is responsible for implementing the network’s social missions in around sixty countries. It operates under the names “Humanity & Inclusion” or “Handicap International” depending on the country.

The national associations are known as “Handicap International” in continental Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland) and “Humanity & Inclusion” in Canada, United Kingdom and United States. Each association has its own board of trustees.

For further information about the association: www.hi.org.

People with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

CONTEXT

HI works alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable groups taking actions and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs and to improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.

For 39 years, our teams and partners have demonstrated that solutions can be found, by working with the individuals, their families, and their communities, and by accounting for the human resources,

expertise and equipment available locally. The organization proposes a comprehensive approach to improve the living conditions of people with disabilities as well as vulnerable persons.

At the moment, within the BANEREI (Basic needs, Economic Recovery and Economic Inclusion) unit, out of a team of 7 members, there are 1,5 Economic Inclusion specialists supporting programs and projects across 42 countries.

As Economic Inclusion Policy and Development Office, you would bring new skills and expertise to this expanding area and support the Economic Inclusion team with the development of new projects, leading specifically on larger scale project development. Now that disability mainstreaming is becoming more popular amongst general education partners, you will help building new consortiums particularly in the North American context (in terms of donors and partners). You will also contribute to the technical guidance of HI programmes on the subject of economic inclusion.

You will be a member of the BANEREI team, under the management of the BANEREI Manager, based in Lyon, under the wider Social & Inclusion Division, whose director is in Lyon.

The successful candidate will also report to the U.S. Executive Director of Humanity & Inclusion.

OBJECTIVES

You will provide technical support and engage in communication and advocacy in Economic Inclusion, respecting HI’s mandate, policies and technical positioning. The main aim is to develop and expand the HI’s profile and impact through:

· Developing new business development opportunities and promoting HI’s Economic Inclusion technical positioning approaches, know-how and expertise in relevant mainstream networks with the objective to form alliances and consortia. Economic Inclusion is one of the two main pillars within the new Social & Inclusion technical strategy and as part of this strategy, the Economic Inclusion sector has developed “value propositions” which sets out how HI adds value (on Wage employment; entrepreneurship and graduation model). Part of the role is to help work on, and promote, these “value propositions” within the “go to market” aspects and to support on the development of a strong framework of action.

· Contributing to influencing donor and stakeholder policies including states, practices and budget priorities to improve Economic inclusion of vulnerable groups and particularly People with disabilities;

· Contributing to develop quality standards and support their implementation at the field level particularly in relation with the Economic Inclusion 3 value propositions.

In all the areas of responsibility below, you will work closely with the other members of the Economic Inclusion and BANEREI team, but will take a lead on the overall business development aspect.

In this part, your main responsibilities will be:

· Expertise in Economic Inclusion

· Business Development and Technical Assistance opportunities

· Policy influence

DESIRED PROFILE

You have/are/demonstrate/like:

· A Master’s Degree in economy related, University degree in international development or any relevant area especially in relation to disability and inclusion

· Practical hands on experience in working on economic inclusion , employment or livelihoods programs for marginalized groups including people with disabilities

· Working collaboratively with other services (e.g. social , protection, health, , etc…)

· Proven experience of working in low / middle income country contexts.

· Strong understanding and experience of grant and business development proposal processes

· Strong background experience in networking, building partnerships and policy development in the field of economy

· Strong experience in communicating key ideas to a wide audience

· Experience providing technical support and oversight to economic inclusion programs

• Experience in developing technical materials including tools, guidance, and training materials
• You have excellent written and oral communications and networking skills, capacity to transfer skills and train or coach others

· Fluent in English – basic knowledge in French – Other languages (arabic, Spanish…) would be an asset

CONDITIONS OF THE POSITION

· Type of contract: open-ended contract

· The successful candidate will regularly travel internationally, including to Europe/North America as well as to countries of intervention (covid restrictions permitting)

· HI is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. HI is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free of discrimination based on any grounds.

These grounds generally include race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information or carrier status, pregnancy, victims of domestic violence, military status, alienage, citizenship status, or any other legally protected status. Applicants for employment are recruited and hired based on their qualifications for the job. Promotion decisions will be made without discrimination and based on performance and qualifications.

· Reminder: Pre-existing authorization to work in the United States is required. Applicants without existing work permission in the United States should not apply. Humanity & Inclusion is happy to meet any reasonable accommodations that an applicant requires.

All applicants must indicate that they have read and understood Humanity & Inclusion’s safeguarding policies:

· Child Protection

· Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

· Anti-Fraud, Bribery, and Corruption

ABOUT THE U.S. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION The U.S. National Association of Humanity & Inclusion, a 501(c)3 organization with an independent Board of Directors, is a constituent member of the Humanity & Inclusion Network. Humanity & Inclusion U.S. has offices in Silver Spring, MD. The mission is to support the work of the HI Network by administering grants and contracts, raising awareness of the needs among the populations we serve, mobilizing private and public financial support, representing Humanity & Inclusion with national, international bilateral and

multilateral institutions based in the U.S., facilitating the recruitment of personnel, and raising the organization’s profile. Humanity & Inclusion U.S. also engages in education programs with the general public and advocates for U.S. accession to the landmine and cluster munitions treaties, as well as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The organization raises approximately $30 million per year, of which 98 percent derives from grants and cooperative agreements with the U.S. Government. The organization conducts active outreach to the U.S. public through digital and other media.**