Job Summary
About the Company
Silver Jubilee Development Agency (SJDA) was established in 1984 and incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee under section 23 of the Companies Act 1913 (now, section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017) on October 30, 1984. The objective of establishing SJDA is to promote the socio-economic progress of the communities by developing and supporting programmes and institutions.
Programme Overview
The Poverty Elimination (PE) Programme is SJDA’s integrated, institutional response to improve the Quality of Life of underprivileged community members by supporting families to increase their income. The PE Programme is a flagship initiative to reduce multidimensional poverty in local communities in Pakistan. It focuses on enabling vulnerable families to move out of poverty through targeted interventions in income generation, access to finance, education, skills development, health, and social protection. The programme aligns with the global vision of driving sustainable poverty elimination and promoting resilience through economic empowerment and social inclusion.
The programme aims to:
- Increase the Employment and Self-Employment opportunities;
- Support to establish small enterprises;
- Improve Agriculture productivity;
- Improve Livestock breeding/rearing.
Position Summary
SJDA is seeking applications for the position of Family Mentor with expertise in working closely with families for their holistic development.
The position will provide case management services and serve as the single point of contact for program families. They will build rapport with each family member – children and adults alike. They will empower families to articulate their immediate needs, goals, and aspirations. Once the family has a plan, the Family Mentor will be their guide, connecting them to the support and services they need to achieve it, tracking progress, and providing emotional support during difficult periods.
Position Locations:
- This position will be based in Sherqila, Ghizer (Ishkoman Punial Region)
- The candidate can be transferred to any other location within the region as per the requirements of the program, with the same terms and conditions of employment.
Reporting Relationships:
The position will report to the Assistant Program Manager and will work in close coordination with them or any other person designated by them.
Role and Responsibilities:
The Family Mentor will provide holistic, comprehensive case management services to families enrolled in the program, including needs assessment, goal setting, case planning, monitoring, progress tracking, advocacy, referrals, and coordination with the economic development team for job placement and/or entrepreneurship.
Family Support:
- Serve as a single point of contact for the family, ensuring access and coordination of the appropriate support and services at the right time
- Build and nurture relationships with each member of the family to foster a culture of open communication and responsiveness.
- Discuss and understand the situation of the families, their current capacities, future aspirations, and their development potential.
- Conduct regular home visits of the beneficiary family according to the visit frequency as agreed with the Supervisor.
- Provide basic psychosocial support, financial literacy, and other types of counseling as needed, such as hygiene/cleanliness, nutritious diet, and cooking, etc.
- Facilitate families to set their development goals at the family as well as individual levels.
- Facilitate families to develop their Family Development Plans (FDPs) and economic feasibility to achieve their social and economic development goals.
- Work as advocates for the families to present and approve FDPs from the Governance Committees.
- Ensure the provision of socio-economic support (financial and non-financial) to the families in line with the approved FDPs.
- Support and guide families through all stages of development (crisis, stabilization, development, and self-sustained progress) across all domains of need, including physical and mental health, education (including ECD), livelihoods development, and access to finance, safe and stable housing, food security, as well as participation in community life, etc.
- Ensure that all members of the family take ownership of their progress and the family’s progress.
- Educate and follow up with the families to use the supported amount (loan and grant) prudently for the intended purpose only and discourage any misuse. Also, educate them on the importance of repaying the loan amount regularly in accordance with the repayment schedule to maintain a positive repayment history.
- Refer, as necessary, unique or complex cases to the Supervisor for additional assistance and guidance.
- Raise any concerns or issues about service providers to the Supervisor immediately, in line with program Policies and Procedures.
Career Development Support:
- Provide individual career development and transformational support by assessing beneficiaries’ abilities, skills, and interests, correlating this with market demand and future trends.
- Identify barriers to employment and/or entrepreneurship and assist in overcoming such obstacles.
- Support beneficiaries in developing economic action plans and provide mentorship in achieving their goals.
- Help beneficiaries in availing financing options from banks for their economic pathways
- Provide support to beneficiaries in job searching, resume writing, and appearing in interviews.
- Support beneficiaries in developing feasibility studies for entrepreneurship options, and support them in presenting their case to banks in securing financial options.
- Provide financial literacy to manage business finances and personal finances, including guidance on family budgeting.
Monitoring & Reporting:
- Engage families for their baseline, end-line, and impact assessment surveys.
- Ensure comprehensive and consistent quality documentation of all elements of the program, from home visit logs and referrals to impact evaluation metrics.
- Keep a journal of experiences, interactions, and interventions at the individual level and family level.
- Participate in reflection sessions convened by the Supervisors regularly for qualitative data gathering, enhancement of program design, and troubleshooting.
- Track the progress of families against set goals.
Voluntary Engagement:
- Assist the Supervisor in mobilizing, training, and managing volunteer resources.
- Build and nurture relationships with the local community and local institutions to foster a culture of open communication and responsiveness.
- Ensure all groups are represented and take ownership of community-level interventions, wherever needed.
- Be poverty scouts – look out for people with financial challenges who may need support for family development but do not know who to ask for help or are embarrassed to do so.
Required Skills
Skills and Qualifications:
Master’s Degree (16 years of education) from a HEC-approved institution or an internationally recognized university in social or management sciences.
Professional Experience:
- Have a minimum of three years of work experience in a similar capacity, preferably in the development sector.
Language Proficiency:
- Strong communication skills in English and Urdu, with mandatory proficiency in local languages.
Travel:
- Frequent travel within the region and across the region.
- Requires a flexible schedule to accommodate a non-traditional work week, including some evenings and weekends.
Profile, Skills, and Attitudes:
- Professional experience in dealing with issues of poverty and socio-economic challenges.
- Exhibits leadership in the community and enjoys trust from a variety of stakeholders.
- Comfort with technology for data gathering and documentation.
- Ability to handle sensitive information.
- Ability to engage with the community professionally and cordially.
- Ability to work effectively and collaboratively in teams.
- Practice self-care and know personal limits.
- Ready to relocate to any other area as per the needs of the program.
- Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Good command of English, Urdu, and the local language.