Job Vacancies at Save the Children, 21st April, 2017
Save the Children is the leading independent
organization for children in need, with programs in over 120
countries, including the United States. We aim to inspire
breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to
achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by
improving their health,
education and economic opportunities. In
times of acute crisis, we mobilize rapid assistance to help
children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural
disasters. Each year, we and our partners reach millions of
children in communities around the world. Join our dedicated
and diverse staff in their work to improve the well-being of
children everywhere.
We are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:
Job Title: Policy Specialist
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Role Purpose
- The role of the policy and stakeholder engagement specialist is
to provide technical support to the National social investment programme
(SIP) team on policy analysis, new Programme development, advocacy
initiatives, strategy development and pro-poor governance agenda in the
delivery of basic social services with focus on improving quality,
efficiency, equity, access and sustainability to Services that will
positively impact on the life of the people children especially.
- Advocacy is central to achieving our ambitious goals for
children globally. Generating and marshalling evidence, including from
existing programme experiences; advocating with policy makers and
decision makers; generating political pressure and fostering an enabling
environment through public mobilisation; and using media to amplify our
messages are all essential parts of our influencing ‘toolkit’. Used
well, they can lead to changes in policy and practice by governments and
other actors that have lasting benefits for children, on a much bigger
scale than what we can achieve through our direct programme activities.
- This role is not rooted in a thematic specialism, but in
leadership and expertise in influencing policy and practice through
synergized advocacy and popular mobilization.
- The role will be located in Abuja with frequent support to other
states where the federal government is implementing the social
protection programmes.
Job Summary
- The Policy and stakeholder engagement specialist will provide
technical policy direction on child poverty in the design and
implementation of the national social protection programme using
evidence from existing child poverty programmes particularly the CDGP.
- The policy and stakeholder engagement specialist will provide
support in the development of strategies to address key governance and
accountability challenges in the country with particular focus to social
protection.
- S/he will support the team to come up with systems and tools
that will monitor the implementation of government’s plans and budgets.
- She/he will provide leadership in developing social protection
advocacy related issues to fit into DFID and SCI’s advocacy and campaign
strategy. S/he will also coordinate relationships with partners towards
advancement of DFID and SCI’s social protection targets.
- The specialist will lead on key analysis and research of
identified child-poverty issues in the country and produce documents and
reports to ensure management of such knowledge.
Specific Responsibilities Include:
- Provide technical support in reviewing government policies and budgets with particular reference to Social Protection.
- Provide leadership in the integration of good practices from
other child-poverty programmes into the new National social protection
programmes.
- Create strong linkages with other government child poverty units
/departments and, development partners to develop strategies and plans
for the National social Investment programmes.
- Direct the development and maintenance of sustained Partnerships
and Alliances with Civil Society organizations, media and other
partners to advance SCI’s /DFID child-poverty targets.
- Provide leadership in mobilization and capacity building of popular mass movements across Nigeria on issues of SIP.
- Keep abreast with new researches and policies on social
protection advocacy related issues across the country and
internationally.
- Provide support to the social protection team in forming strong alliance with identified stakeholders.
- Provide technical support in the design, development and
implantation of identified child-poverty strategies in the National
social protection programmes.
- Prepare advocacy materials to facilitate the advancement of the SIP targets
- Consolidate and share learning and knowledge generated on child-poverty advocacy related issues.
- Mainstream discussion and implementation of National Health Act
and social insurance into Government Social Protection plan and
implementation.
Key Relationships
- The post holder will work directly with the special advisor to the president on social investment.
- H/she will have to report to both the special advisor and also National Programme Manager CDGP.
- H/she will maintain a close working relationship with all the
coordinators of the social investment programmes in the country. S/he
should also maintain a close relationship with the CDGP team both at
national and state level.
- He/she will also liaise frequently with DFID programme supervisor
Qualifications Skills & Experience
General Skills:
- The post holder will possess a high degree of analytical skill,
political acumen, ability to facilitate change, ability to influence,
and ability to communicate key advocacy messages effectively and
convincingly to a diverse audience at local, national and international
levels.
Essential:
- Post Graduate degree in any social science field.
- 10 years substantial experience in advocacy and policy development / research in the development context.
- Good knowledge and understanding of inter governmental and multiple stakeholder relationship at Federal, State and Local levels
- Good understanding of strategies for achieving sustainable
policies through participatory processes, and the links with gender,
diversity and other aspects of identity.
- Excellent conceptual and analytical skills and demonstrable
ability to think strategically, innovatively and practically to ensure
achievement of desired change objectives.
- Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences at local, national and international levels.
- Ability to build and maintain relationships with partner
agencies and key contacts in the government, NGO, civil society and
media sectors.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to effectively handle multiple tasks and meet strict deadlines.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, flexibility, adaptability and ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
- Good understanding of the possibilities and tactics for
influencing decision and policy makers, politicians, donors, and other
key actors.
- Knowledge of the media and its role in raising awareness and shaping public policy.
- Ability to travel extensively both within and outside the country.
- Good computer skills (word processing, spreadsheets, email / internet).
- Fluent English language skills (written and verbal).
- Commitment to the values, mission, aims and policies of Save the Children.
- Skills in working with civil society and media towards promoting voice and accountability
Desirable:
- Experience in training facilitation techniques and influencing tactics.
- Prior work experience in advocacy in Nigeria.
- Knowledge of the policies, functions, structures and
decision-making processes of key national institutions in Nigeria with
regard to child poverty and Social protection.
- Experience working with children will be an added advantage.
- Local language skills ( Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba)
Job Title: Consultant - Study on Strengthening the Community Volunteer Approach in the CDGP.
Location: Abuja
Background
- The Child Development Grant (CDG) Programme is a five-year DFID
funded programme, with Save the Children, ACF and the Government of
Nigeria being implemented in a total of 5 LGAs in Zamfara and Jigawa
States of Northern Nigeria, where high levels of child stunting is a
serious problem.
- The CDG Programme (CDGP) aims to remove the food security and
financial barriers to improving nutrition practices and preventing
stunting.
- These northern states are each characterized as conservative,
with a number of cultural dynamics that limit women’s involvement in
household and market level decision making and other markers of
empowerment.
- The CDGP works to remove the substantial financial barriers to
improving nutrition in the first “1000 days of life” (pregnant and
lactating women and children up to the age of 24 months) and is
delivering a behaviour change strategy to improve nutrition practices
and prevent stunting in children.
Purpose of the Consultancy
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide an in-depth analysis on
the current CV engagement in the CDGP programme as well as the framework
for strengthening the Community Volunteer Approach in CDGP in the
following areas of interest:
- Defining role and expectations
- Retaining and sustain providers (and how to deal with possible inequalities, such as with targeted CTs)
- Capacity building
- Measuring quality and impact of CV and CHEW efforts and
- Identification/Recruitment
- Program Design (recommendations for CDGP to put into action plan 2017-2019)
Main Tasks and Deliverables
- The Lead Consultant will be responsible for the Recruitment,
orientation, guidance and management of a Nigeria - based Field
Coordinator.
- Conduct with team additional analysis and field study composed
of qualitative interviews and a time allocation study. The time
allocation study will assess the level of effort of CVs in carrying out
their cash transfer and the BCC nutrition tasks. Information from the
time allocation study and qualitative interviews (key informants and
focus groups) will clarify urgent outstanding questions necessary for
short term program quality covering the key areas and questions below
- Recommend immediate short-term (by June 2017) and longer- term
(until July 2019) modifications to strengthen quality of the CV approach
in CDGP and prepare action plan.
- Review the draft SOPs for the CVs and provide suggestions to update generic JD from CV study.
- Highlight recommendations that would be suitable for advocacy
Expected Outputs:
- Final report with specific short and longer team recommendation that address the key areas if interest stated above
- Power point presentation of findings to CDGP and SCUK team in Abuja
Key Competencies
- Experience working with CV programmes in Africa. (Experience working with CV programmes in Nigeria would be an added advantage.
- 10 years working experience in international development
- Good qualitative research methods and analytical skills
- Evidence of similar work done
Job Title: Distribution Assistant
Location: Borno, Nigeria
Responsibilities
- The Distribution Assistant supports the BSFP Distribution
Officer and works with urban and rural communities at the grass root
level, stakeholders and partners, responsible for fulfilling his/her
assigned role within the distribution team to conduct sensitization,
mobilization, registration and delivering technical support and
oversight to targeted communities/groups to ensure that food/non-food
items are timely distributed to the deserving beneficiaries.
- Support the distribution team in setting up and executing
distributions of commodities to large numbers of beneficiaries in a safe
and expedient manner.
- Help direct beneficiaries from station to station within the distribution process as dictated by the Distribution Officer.
- Record in in official registration documents and on beneficiary
cards distributed amounts of commodities and ensure that such records
are properly cared for through the distribution process.
- Perform assigned tasks related to screening of children Under 5
(U5) for malnutrition using the simplified MUAC screening tape (with
instruction from nutrition team)
- Ensure that a beneficiary sharing groups receive the correct amount of commodity.
- Monitor group sharing process of commodities and ensure that equal shares are received by beneficiaries.
- Assisting with community sensitization/training on project activities on food utilization
- Register program beneficiaries in the targeted areas according to the designed targeting criteria
- Conduct verification of beneficiaries for purposes of minimizing inclusion/exclusion errors
- Under the guidance of the Distribution Officer, setting up a
proper distribution layout ensuring good of movement through the
process, maintain proper crowd control restrictions and limit situations
where too many people are inside the distribution exclusion zone at any
one time
- Assist the Distribution Officer in monitoring delivery of
commodities to distribution sites and ensure that the correct quantity
of commodities arrive and are of good standards
- Stay observant and report to Distribution Officer any site
security concerns and keep self and other team members out of harm’s way
- Any other assignments that may be assigned by the supervisor.
Requirements
- Minimum education of TBD by HR team based on Nigeria Context
- Ability to collect and record data documenting distribution
details especially as relates to commodity quantities and numbers of
beneficiaries
- Good communication skills with the rural community members, local and traditional leaders, good planning, reporting functions.
- Understanding of basic anti-fraud practices
- Prior experience in Humanitarian or International Development
programming with at least 1 year of field experience working with
beneficiaries, preferably on distribution projects
- Understanding of distribution best-practices
- Experience working in a conflict setting
- Excellent written and spoken English
Desirable:
- Previous experience in WFP, USDA or USAID/FFP programmes
- Experience in community mobilization and group organizational skills
- Understanding of basic nutrition concepts, screening stages of malnutrition
- Competence in Microsoft Office.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply
Application Deadline: 28th April, 2017.