Programme Coordinator, Livelihood at Christian Aid

Christian Aid (CA) is a UK-based international NGO, partnering with others to end poverty in Africa. At the heart of this vision is the transformation of the lives of people who live in poverty, empowering them to have a brighter future. Christian Aid works in more than 30 countries and has been operating in Nigeria since 2003. The Nigeria Country programme focuses on Community Health and HIV, Accountable Governance including humanitarian response and Gender.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Coordinator, Livelihood

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Type of Contract: Fixed Term
Contracted Hours: 35
Contract length: 9 months
Department: International
Reports to: Senior Programme Coordinator, Livelihood & Resilience
Salary Band: D
Competency Level: 2

Role Purpose

• Supports the development and implementation of all aspects of the Programme including performance management, assessments, designing, planning, implementation, monitoring staff capacity building, reporting and technical support to the agricultural recovery and sustainable livelihoods programme.
• To be responsible for supporting and managing Christian Aid partnerships and projects as well as the effective implementation of Livelihoods programme in Mafa LGA and other locations within Borno State and other states that Christian Aid is implementing livelihood.
• To contribute to the development of Christian Aid Livelihood and Resilience Strategy with a focus on both agriculture and non-agricultural based recovery initiatives for communities affected by conflict. Engage with relevant stakeholders and promote livelihood and resilience strategy with institutional donors.
• To contribute to the representation, brand management of the Christian Aid project portfolio, engage with and promote Programme communication and fundraising, with institutional donors.
• Understanding of the sustainable livelihoods framework, understanding of agricultural recovery, resilience framework, humanitarian preparedness and response, value chain analysis, farming as a business and engaging market player, rural finance, facilitating linkages and creating space for various players in the market to interact and enabling markets to work for the poor in fostering agricultural recovery.
• Technical responsibility for designing and implementing all project crop farming (Agronomic) activities in the target communities in Mafa LGA and other LGAs, both directly and indirectly through training/mentoring of project community volunteers and Program Assistants Agronomy (PAA), linking up with BOSADP, other NGOs and private sector actors at the community level.

Key Outcomes

• WFP Funded Livelihood and Resilience projects are successfully managed following both WFP and Christian Aid’s humanitarian policies and procedures.
• Christian Aid is represented at all levels, national and internationally.
• Oversee the timely field implementation of Livelihood and Resilience project according to proposals and ensure compliance with all donor requirements.
• Support the team in Mafa and other locations strengthen and promote community engagement processes in the project areas, particularly identifying project beneficiaries, assessing their needs, addressing, and resolving community issues.
• Compliance with financial policies and procedures especially regarding WFP coordination requirements and other donor projects, but including reporting requirements and contribution made to other team members in the development and implementation, staff capacity building and training
• Significant grant proposals focusing on broad sustainable livelihoods, agricultural recovery, resilience work, private sector partnerships and market systems development based on strong planning and evaluation procedures using Christian Aid’s internal systems.
• Communicate and coordinate with project staff on technical questions related to livelihoods, resilience building and agricultural recovery, work planning, programme implementation and provide technical support to developing policies, strategies and plans related to food security and livelihoods, resilience building and agricultural recovery.
• Participate in the recruitment, management and development of high performing team who are meeting their objectives and ensure a safe working environment for all people involved in project implementation and maintain the highest standards of behaviour when engaging with stakeholders and working with project beneficiaries.
• Identify and facilitate training of beneficiaries on all aspects of Agronomy and Forestry as required
• Facilitate Agronomy and Forestry related surveys in communities.
• Prepare action plans and provide direct support to beneficiaries and project assistants through visits, in line with the action plans and as required.
• Ensure all documentation, reports, and records from the community on agronomy and Forestry are maintained per agreed procedure, and information is provided on these community activities as required.
• Support beneficiaries and community groups to conduct assessments/project activities for all especially women in the communities.
• Work on relevant agronomic value chain actors and their service providers (Private BDS providers).
• Assess Livelihood, agriculture and Forestry needs based on a variety of sources, including assessments, technical data, early warning information, and reports from NGOs, the UN and other actors
• As a Livelihood and Resilience expert, coordinate on the general humanitarian response with all stakeholders including humanitarian actors, Missions, Embassies, host governments, NGOs, and donors.
• This includes representing Christian Aid in the Food sector cluster and working group meetings and donor meetings. This also includes engagement with networks to increase the profile and visibility of Christian Aid.
• Effective projects and programmes delivered with impact in line with agreed aims.
• Project proposals completed, based on strong planning and evaluation procedures using Christian
• Aid’s internal systems. Funds used for designated purposes.
• Manage the community project plans and make recommendations for approval of community project activities in relation to Agronomy and Forestry

Role Agility:

• Expected Travel Per Annum: Up to 75 days
• On call/unsocial hours: Yes
• Surge capacity for emergency responses: Choose an item.

In order to respond to ever changing demands within the environment, Christian Aid operates within an agile framework (both in workforce and operational) that requires from all employees, a high level of responsiveness and adaptiveness to processes and structures making flexibility and a project based working approach the norm. To sustain this system, managers may/will agree further details of specific tasks and duties as part of the performance agreement.  Any reasonable duty may be assigned that is consistent with the nature of the job and its level of responsibility, and employees may be required to change the focus of their role from time to time.

Role Context:

• The role works within the International Programmes role family positioned in Maiduguri; the role is part of the wider Nigeria Country Humanitarian Response Team. The role works closely and directly with The Senior Programme Coordinator (SPC) Livelihood and Resilience based in
• Maiduguri and Humanitarian Response Manager as well as other colleagues from the Nigeria team in the design, proposal development for fundraising, implementation, and monitoring of key outcomes.
• The position will be based in Maiduguri, Nigeria with frequent trips to other project locations in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa of Nigeria.
• The role holder will directly line manage and support all the livelihood Programme staff based in Maiduguri and working for Mafa project and externally support SPC Livelihoods to represent CA in Sustainable Livelihoods, Agricultural Recovery and Resilience.
• In addition, working with humanitarian markets, private sector, value chain and market system development and encouraging entrepreneurial approaches based on WFP, FAO and other donor-funded agricultural recovery requirements.
• Furthermore, support the livelihood programme team reporting in accordance with Christian Aid’s and donor requirements. The role should provide community project supervision, promotes and values participatory approaches at the community level throughout the projects’ cycle, awareness-raising and sensitisation, and all related program activities, Pre and Post Agronomic activities Monitoring (PAM) of agronomic activities as well as monitoring and evaluation under the direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator.
• During the absence of the Program Coordinator, the POA will wholly be accountable for the project under the direct supervision of the Senior Programme Coordinator Maiduguri.

Work Relationships

• External: Represents Christian Aid with external actors including donors and government. Working closely with local and State governments stakeholder partners, LGA Agricultural Extension Officers, WFP and FAO Counterparts, Food Security Cluster Counterparts to ensure effective management and coordination of the programmes focusing on sustainable and livelihoods, resilience building, inclusive market development and entrepreneurship building
• Internal: Works with the Maiduguri team and relevant country departments.
• Number of Direct Reports: 4
• Overall People Management Responsibility: 4

Decision Making:
Budgetary / Savings Responsibility:

• Make decisions day-to-day decisions which ensure that all livelihood and resilience projects are implemented in a very highly effective and efficient manner.
• Required to make significant decisions on programme work in the field special focus on
• Agricultural and Non-agricultural based Livelihoods and Resilience building based on Christian Aid strategic direction in Nigeria.
• Leads Mafa project team and ensures the workgroup is effectively managed.
• Support the Senior Programme Coordinator (SPC) Livelihood and Resilience on WFP livelihood and resilience project budget tracking and other assignments

Analytical Skills:

• The post holder is responsible for overall field level livelihood and resilience project and is expected to work with initiative and innovation, using their analytical skills and make recommendations in close consultation with The Senior Programme Coordinator (SPC) Livelihood and Resilience to the humanitarian response manager and country team.
• Role holder must have the ability to collect and analyse data/intelligence from Agricultural Interventions, Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, Resilience analyses and interventions

Developing self and Others:

• The post holder is expected to line manage 4 staff (Agronomy Assistant, Forestry Assistant, IGA/VSLA Officer and Aquaculture Officer)
• The post holder is expected to work independently with support from the Senior Programme Coordinator (SPC) Livelihood and Resilience who provides leadership and influencing strategies within the team and ensuring the upholding of humanitarian standards and principles by Christian Aid staff and partners. Key skills required are being able to effectively manage from a distance as well as be able to influence the decisions of colleagues at all level range of seniority levels.
• May have the direct responsibility for developing, coaching, and motivating one or more staff, undertakes performance reviews and development of action plans to improve the performance of others, whether staff or volunteers.
• Support the subject matter specialist on the Mafa Livelihoods Project and the entire team to better understand work on enabling poor people to strengthen their Sustainable Livelihoods, Resilience through accessing competitive markets and to adopt entrepreneurial approaches. Leading in developing staff and partners understanding of the Sustainable livelihood and the resilience framework.

Applied Skills / Knowledge and Expertise
Essential:

• A Degree in a discipline related to Agricultural Extension, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Development Economics, Agriculture, Food Security and Disaster Risk Management or relevant discipline with at least 3 years of experience. A postgraduate qualification is an added advantage.
• Alternatively, Graduate qualification in any of Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Development Economics, Agriculture, Food Security and / Sociology with at least 6 years’ experience in Livelihood Sector.
• This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to work hard and achieve results in a demanding, fast-paced, and often insecure environment.
• Good interpersonal, organizational and communication skills.
• Have strong problem-solving abilities and capacity to solve complex issues related to projects’ delivery.
• Knowledge of capacity building tools; of Sphere and Red Cross Code of Conduct; of HAP standards.
• Detail orientation and ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Knowledge of the local language like Kanuri and Hausa an added advantage.
• At least 5 years of experience in Livelihoods, Market-driven approaches, cash for work programming, post-conflict agricultural recovery with an understanding of agricultural extension and communication, entrepreneurship, agricultural nutrition intervention and vocational training.
• Minimum one-year aid-related International NGO experience in North-East Nigeria.
• Project management skills.
• Good knowledge of and experience working with IDPs in Nigeria.
• Good understanding of gender-sensitive programming.

Desirable:

• Specialized qualification/Experience in Livelihoods and Resilience programmes in emergency and/or rural development work.
• Ability to speak and understand basic Hausa
• Understanding of the political, social, and economic context of the region and the humanitarian/development issues and challenges it faces of peace building and conflict resolution.
• Upholding the Humanitarian Principles and affirmatively engage the most vulnerable community members while valuing inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, agility, collaboration, innovation, and sustainability.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

Application Deadline 3rd April, 2022.