Livelihood Officer

The Livelihood Officer is responsible for strengthening household and community resilience through agricultural, livelihood, and disaster-response interventions in Neno District. The Officer serves as a bridge between communities experiencing poverty and climate vulnerability, and the government departments, and partner organizations working to address these challenges across the district.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Livelihood & Agricultural Resilience Programming
Supports the design and implementation of livelihood activities for APZU-identified vulnerable households, including agricultural inputs support (seeds, fertilizer, Goats), kitchen gardens, and small enterprise development aligned with Neno District development priorities.
Collaborates with the District Agricultural Development Office (DADO) and extension workers to promote climate-resilient agricultural practices among vulnerable communities, including APZU patients and their households.
Supports implementation of Economic Literacy and Income-Yielding Assets (ELIYA) and similar agricultural and economic empowerment programs operating in the district.
Maps livelihood opportunities and agricultural support institutions operating in and around Neno District and create functional referral linkages between vulnerable communities and these institutions.
Develops monthly activity work plans.
Disaster Response & Shock-Sensitive Social Protection
Coordinates APZU’s contribution to District Disaster Response mechanisms, working closely with the District Commissioner (DC) Office, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), and the national Disaster

Risk Management framework.
Supports delivery of emergency social protection measures during shocks (floods, droughts, disease outbreaks, economic crises), including coordination of cash transfers, food assistance, and temporary shelter support for disaster-affected patients and communities.
Maintains an up-to-date district shock and vulnerability profile, tracking climate and economic risks that may affect APZU patients and communities, and reporting this to the Social Support Manager for proactive program planning.
Supports integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR) principles into APZU community health programming, working with Community Health Workers to build community awareness of preparedness and resilience strategies.

Social Protection System Strengthening

Supports district and local government offices in enhancing community resilience to socioeconomic shocks among the poorest and most vulnerable, aligned with Malawi’s National Social Protection Policy .
Contributes to strengthening shock-sensitive social protection systems at district level by supporting the government to maintain updated beneficiary registries and link humanitarian and development responses.
Supports quality improvement and expanded coverage of social security services to address lifecycle risks, including support for early childhood development, woren’s economic empowerment, youth skills development, and services for people with disabilities.
Promotes nutrition-sensitive social protection by collaborating with multi-sector nutrition programs and government nutrition departments to support prevention and management of malnutrition among vulnerable groups (children under 5, TB patients, pregnant and lactating women, PLHIV).

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

Research, Data & Quality Improvement

Maintains records of all livelihood activities, household-level interventions, disaster response actions, stakeholder engagements, and partnership outcomes.
Prepares monthly and quarterly reports on livelihood and resilience activities, outcomes, challenges, and opportunities for the Social Medicine Manager and relevant program leads.
Participates in monthly data review meetings, contributing livelihood and community resilience data to inform program learning and adaptation.
Supports the development of case studies, learning briefs, and evidence to demonstrate the impact of livelihood and resilience interventions on patient health outcomes.

Resource Planning & Budget Oversight

Manages livelihood program budgets responsibly, ensuring expenditures on agricultural inputs, emergency response supplies, and community activities are documented and aligned with APZU financial policies.
Contributes to resource mobilization efforts by providing programmatic evidence to support grant proposals and funding applications related to livelihood, resilience, and social protection.

Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy, Rural Development, Agribusiness 3-5 years’ experience in social support, Agronomy, rural development or development programs