Learning & Coordination Lead

Job Summary

Job Title:	Learning & Coordination Lead
Country:	Zimbabwe
Location:	Bulawayo
Reports to:	Team Leader

 

Overview / Objectives of the position:

GOAL is seeking for a qualified and experienced Learning and Coordination Lead for an anticipated SDC – funded Urban Resilience, Inclusion and Socio- Economic Empowerment (U-RISE) project in Zimbabwe. The project (4.5 – 12 years), aims to enhance the economic resilience and well-being of vulnerable urban communities in Zimbabwe’s secondary cities. This will be achieved through economic empowerment activities including developing technical and business skills, improving financial inclusion and promoting inclusive market participation of targeted project communities with focus in food systems and green value chains. In addition, the project aims to foster an enabling policy environment by addressing barriers to agriculture production, entrepreneurship, informal business operations and other economic opportunities in urban areas. The project also aims to support enhanced learning, knowledge sharing and coordination on urban resilience building in Zimbabwe.

The Learning & Coordination Lead is a member of the Programme Management Unit, reporting to the U-RISE Team leader and will drive knowledge management and collaborative learning. As a strategic facilitator, the role will lead on the generation of evidence-based insights, strengthen partnerships and improve coordination across different resilience-focused platforms, and facilitate synergies between U-RISE project and other urban initiatives and programmes in Zimbabwe.

This position is contingent upon receipt of funding and requires donor approval.

Duties & Responsibilities

1. Evidence Generation & Knowledge Management

• Establish and implement systems for systematic documentation of project outcomes, best practices, and lessons learned.
• Coordinate production of technical reports, case studies, and learning briefs, ensuring timely publication and dissemination to internal teams and external stakeholders including for policy influence.
• Curate an urban resilience knowledge base, accessible to program teams, government partners, donors, and the public.

1. Stakeholder Coordination & Collective Learning

• Facilitate regular stakeholder dialogues and coordination meetings within existing platforms (e.g., municipal urban forums, ZRBF Resilience Knowledge Hub, UN, ZAHA, etc.).
• Organize cross-sector learning events, webinars, and thematic working groups to identify and develop joint urban resilience approaches.
• Promote inclusive and mutually beneficial partnerships between government, private sector, civil society, UN agencies and INGOs to enhance urban resilience-focused learning and coordination.

1. Cross-Project & Global Learning Integration

• Support continuous learning by identifying linkages and synergies between SDC-funded programs in Zimbabwe and other global initiatives (UN Food Systems Summit, etc.).
• Facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges across projects and geographies.
• Provide strategic advice to program leadership on knowledge gaps, MEL findings, and learning priorities in line with the U-RISE learning agenda.

1. Capacity Development & CLA Integration

• Lead or support capacity-building for the U-RISE team and other practitioners on resilience, urban programming, adaptive management, etc.
• Integrate Adaptive Management tools, after-action reviews, and real-time learning mechanisms into projects together with the TL and MEAL Lead.
• Develop training materials and learning toolkits and support rollout of internal communities of practice.

1. Communications & Learning Leadership

• Package complex evidence into concise, engaging formats (e.g., infographics, policy briefings, slide decks) for different audiences.
• Maintain the urban resilience learning platform (e.g., online repository, blogs, newsletters) to support continuous stakeholder engagement.
• Act as the voice of collective learning, representing the program at donor coordination meetings, regional workshops, and conferences.

 

Safeguarding

Children and vulnerable adults a must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury and any other harm. One of the ways that GOAL shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.

 Accountability within GOAL

Alongside our safeguarding policy, GOAL is an equal opportunities employer and has a set of integrity policies. Any candidate offered a job with GOAL will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability:

• Comply with GOAL’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, Code of Conduct, health and safety, data protection and confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols.
• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area.
• Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a GOAL staff or partner.

 Knowledge and Experience

• Academic qualification in development, management, agriculture, economics, business resilience and/or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in managing similar complex programmes, a minimum of eight (8) years.
• Significant experience in resilience and systems-strengthening programming, private sector engagement, urban agriculture, inclusive employment, and/or other related fields, with demonstrated experience in urban contexts.
• Strong managerial and analytical skills, including results-oriented management, evidence use for learning and advocacy, strategic planning, human resources management, financial management, and reporting skills.
• Strong experience in steering and mentoring, capacity to anticipate issues and identify forward-looking solutions.
• Proven track record of cooperating with a large range of different stakeholders.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage complex teams, including problem solving skills, and capacity to meet deadlines and deliver quality deliverables to meet objectives; and
• Very strong written and verbal communication skills (proficiency in English)

Desired

• Previous experience with SDC and/or managing SDC programmes of similar complexity
• Proficiency in local languages an added advantage.

Summary of the desired candidate

The successful candidate will be a systems thinker with proven experience in knowledge management, urban and/or MSD programming, gender and youth integration, resilience, and stakeholder coordination. They will lead the systematic generation and dissemination of learning and evidence to inform adaptive programming and build a robust knowledge base for future urban resilience interventions in Zimbabwe. A skilled facilitator and communicator, capable of fostering collaboration across government, civil society, development partners, and the private sector. They will bring demonstrated experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder platforms, designing learning agendas, and cultivating partnerships around a common agenda.

This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available. GOAL reserves the right to change this document. Any published closing dates are estimated.  Due to the nature of GOAL’s work we aim to fill vacancies as quickly as possible.  This means that we will close adverts as soon as we have found the right candidate and this may be before the published closing date.  We would therefore advise interested applicants to submit an application as early as possible.

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