ROLE PURPOSE: 

The VSLA Officer is primarily responsible for leading the ground level implementation of activities pertaining to establishing and running the Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and providing support to establishing and monitoring the progress of the school gardens under the livelihood work stream of the PALAM/A II project. The role of the post holder is to work with the School Meal Providers (SMPs) and respective School Development Committee (SDC) to establish, run and monitor VSLAs to save and obtain low interest productive loans for SMPs to support their daily operations in providing school meals.  In addition, s/he will closely be coordinating with the Sarvodaya staff to ensure smooth implementation of school gardening activities in the schools. 

The role holder reports directly to the Technical Specialist – Livelihoods and will work closely with the MEAL coordinators at the field to generate evidence of quality implementation through case studies, capturing best practices/learning, and ongoing monitoring assessments. The role includes collaboration with Field Managers, Community Mobilizers, partner staff and other external stakeholders as necessary to ensure sustainability.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: 

Quality implementation of Project activities as per the activity plan and coordination with the Technical Specialist – Livelihoods, the VSLA Officer will,

• Facilitate the formation and operation of VSLA groups within target SMPs groups and provide ongoing technical guidance.
• Coordinate the beneficiary selection of the VSLA and livelihood components of the PALAMA project
• Deliver training modules on the VSLA methodology, financial literacy, basic business development skills, governance, and leadership to both SMPs and local stakeholders. 
• Conduct regular visits to the community and facilitate community meetings to ensure that all VSLA and livelihood related activities are implemented effectively
• Establish a strong relationship with community members, local leaders (school leaders), and other stakeholders to ensure integrated planning, resource leverage, community ownership and sustainability of the VSLA interventions.
• Organize and report on provincial/district events for smooth program operation.
• Track the progress of savings, loans and livelihoods development of SMPs and Support the monitoring of the project activities related to VSLA and livelihood
• Ensure healthy Savings & Loans processes of the VSLAs. 
• Lead and develop high-quality reports related to the VSLA and livelihood activities related to the project
• Document best practices, lessons learned, and success stories from field activities to foster program learning and experience sharing for improvements. 
• Ensure that mature VSLA groups are linked with formal microfinance institutions (MFIs) or banks for access to loans and other financial services.
• Anticipate potential risks and challenges related to VSLA groups and act effectively to overcome obstacles.

QUALIFICATIONS 

• A higher national diploma in a relevant field i.e. Sociology, Community Development, Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, or Microfinance. Bachelor’s degree will be an added advantage
• Basic qualification in Accounting and Finance 

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential 

• At least 1-3 years of demonstrable experience in implementing savings group models, livelihood interventions, and community mobilization.
• Experience in Book-keeping 
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in working with communities
• Strong facilitation, mentoring, and training skills. 
• Strong results orientation with the ability to challenge existing mindsets. 
• Excellent spoken and written skills in English, Sinhala and/or Tamil is desirable.  
• Demonstrated experience in monitoring and evaluation (DM&E) of savings group projects.
• Proficiency in computer skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and potentially digital saving platforms 
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work in cross-cultural, low-resource environments. 
• A good understanding of the mandate of Save the Children, commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of Save the Children, and its humanitarian standards such as Child Safeguarding and the Code of Conduct.