Recent Vacancies at Search for Common Ground (SFCG)

---

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and a European office in Brussels, Belgium, SFCG’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. SFCG seeks to help conflicting parties understand their differences and act on their commonalities. With a total of approximately 600 staff worldwide, SFCG implements projects from 55 offices in 34 countries, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. The organization is an exciting and rewarding place to work, with a dedicated and enthusiastic staff that is committed to its mission and values. You will be joining a highly motivated staff with a good team spirit and there will be opportunities to grow in the role. We are recruiting to fill the position below:     Job Title: Consultant (Strategic Development - Market Analyst) Location: Maiduguri, Borno Position Summary

• Our Strategic Development department is seeking a resultsoriented individual to serve as Market Analyst.
• This is a unique opportunity to achieve Objective 2 of the project which is aimed at empowering and supporting children associated with CJTF for increased employability.
• The Market Analyst is to conduct a market analysis in the communities in which children and youth will be reintegrated or disassociated.
• The purpose of the analysis is to better understand the local livelihood systems, household economies, and market opportunities so that appropriate and economically relevant training and economic reintegration opportunities can be sought for the children.
• The project will be implemented mainly in MMC, Jere, and Mafa Local Government areas, among other neighboring locations in Borno state.

About the Project

• The overall objective for the “Supporting the SocioEconomic Reintegration of Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups including the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in North East Nigeria” project is to support the longterm reintegration of children associated with vigilante groups (CJTF) in North East Nigeria. The 12 month project, funded by the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), is being implemented in Borno State, Nigeria. It is supported by three objectives:
  • Objective 1: To strengthen the resilience of children associated with CJTF in North East Nigeria.
  • Objective 2: To empower and support children associated with CJTF for increased employability.
  • Objective 3: To create a conducive environment and community support for the social and economic reintegration and separation of children associated with CJTF.
• The project builds Conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm principles into its wider approach. In addition, the Best Interest of the Child (BIC) principle as articulated in Article 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child will be the key and core guiding principle for the project.
• The project will also be carried out in an inclusive and genderpositive manner by prioritizing full and equal participation for girls and young women in the project activities, identifying gender dynamics of the conflict and the context of the communities, as well as adapting female participation strategies to ensure that girls are fully represented and substantively engaged.
• The project will also be guided by the Paris Principles and Guidelines on Children formerly associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups which promote an inclusive and communitybased approach to reintegration, including communitybased enterprise development for economic empowerment can that help minimize the impact  of stigmatization and tensions on children.

Roles and Responsibilties

• Consultant is responsible for collecting, analyzing and evaluating local data on existing and potential markets in Borno
• Identify and monitor competitors and research market conditions or changes that may affect sales. Study and report on the attractiveness and the dynamics of potential new local and export markets
• Identify the needs and demands of the local markets within the project communities.

Key activities, will include but are not limited to:

• Designing research projects, preparing questionnaires and samples analyses data, preparing reports, and presenting findings and recommendations to management
• Identification and assessments of the local artisans/small business owners in targeted communities
• Providing of data required for business’ sales plan, which aims to focus its resources on improving the sales and gaining an advantage over competitors
• Carrying out of industry analysis and global environmental analysis, and analyses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the business
• Analysis of marketing metrics to identify cause and effect relationships
• Evaluation of demographics, prices, distribution channels and marketing outlets
• Forecasting of marketing and sales trends
• Gathering data about consumers, competitors and market conditions
• Findings of the market analysis will inform the curriculum of the apprenticeships and microenterprise training planned on the project, as well as the selection of selfemployment and wageemployment businesses opportunities for reintegrated children. Findings from this market analysis, beyond being used to inform programme planning and implementation, will be shared widely with project participants and partners, and presented during SFCG Nigeria programs.
• The market analysis report - with sensitive details redacted - will eventually be published on SFCG’s website and shared with other learning networks in order to enhance the broader field of economic reintegration and peacebuilding in Nigeria and the world.

Methodology:

• The market analysis will adopt a mixed approach methodology, comprising of both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• The market analysis will primarily utilize a community based survey; however for triangulation and indepth understanding of the findings of the survey, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews will also be utilized.
• The market analysis will target community residents in the locations where the project is being implemented as listed above and as logistically feasible.

Deliverables The market analysis deliverables are:

• An inception report detailing the proposed method, study matrix, data collection tools and work plan. It is to be approved by SFCG before starting data collection.
• Draft report for review by SFCG staff and other stakeholders.
• Final Report (maximum 30 pages, excluding appendices), consisting of, but not limited to: Executive Summary, Methodology, Findings and Analysis, Conclusions, Lessons Learned and Recommendations. The report should be structured according to the evaluation questions.
• A 3pages summary with key findings and recommendations.
• Appendices, including data collection tools and list of interviewees.
• A power point presentation of the report.

Qualifications Education:

• Graduate degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Business Administration, or related disciplines

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years’ work experience in livelihoods and market research in a reputable manufacturing, retail, wholesale company or trade and industry associations, market research firms, advertising agencies, governmental or private nonprofit agencies
• Experience in market research relating to local economies, livelihoods, and indigenous businesses.

Other Relevant Requirements:

• Demonstrated knowledge of consumer behavior, psychology & sociology
• Experience with mixed methods
• Strong analytical skills, highly numerate with excellent knowledge of statistics and data analysis
• Excellent written communication and report writing skills in English
• Prior work experience in North East Nigeria
• Ability to communicate fluently in Hausa and Kanuri
• Ability to be flexible with time and work schedule
• Membership of related professional bodies such as the Nigeria Market Research Association will be an added advantage

Logistical Support

• SFCG will provide the following logistical support to the consultant;
• Transmission of background materials (project proposal, meeting notes, etc.)
• Availability of meeting rooms in Maiduguri
• Meeting arrangements with stakeholders and beneficiaries as requested by the consultant
• Support of a SFCG Field Officer for introductions to key stakeholders and equivalent

Timeframe:

• The market analysis will take place between July and August, 2018, with the final deliverables due end of 31st August, 2018.

Interested and qualified candidates should:Click here to apply   Application Deadline 10th July, 2018.     Job Title: Developmental Evaluation Consultant Location: Maiduguri, Borno Position Summary

• Our Strategic Development department is seeking a results-oriented individual to serve as a Developmental Evaluator. This is a unique opportunity to be a core member of the project team, focusing on capturing innovative, strategic and timely learning, as well as provide ongoing advice and evidence-based program suggestions to the program team and the management.
• S/he shall incorporate findings into reports outlining critical evidence, lessons learned, and adaptive management best-practices. Moreover, s/he shall write case studies/success stories to document project outcomes of critical processes such as: dialogue process and shift in relationships between stakeholders within communities.
• These case studies will be supported with quantitative and qualitative data, and will be shared with communities, local partners, and with DRL.
• As the project is mid-way into implementation, the embedded evaluator will be continuing the DE approach, drawing from and improving upon what previously had been done on DE on the project.

About the Project It is constructed on existing initiatives of supporting an overarching community-owned peace architecture in North Eastern Nigeria. The project builds on a process of convening and training influential local leaders for community dialogue-to-action processes in order to promote increased collaboration and confidence in insecure areas, supported through a suite of media and community activities, and strengthening structures to work with the state and linking them to civil society groups. A core component is an early warning/ early response system to identify emerging conflict threats and appropriate solutions. The project also develops strategies to increase learning and building capacity of partners engaged in the project. The goal of the project is: Expanding and strengthening early warning and early response processes to enhance community and state actors’ ability to protect citizens in Borno and Adamawa States. It is supported by three specific objectives:

• Objective 1: Reinforce and expand a community-based early warning and early response system;
• Objective 2: Strengthen engagement between state and local actors to secure communities;
• Objective 3: Strengthen Partners’ Capacity to Support and Monitor Early Warning Systems

Specificity of the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan:

• Given the innovative nature of the project, and the fluidity of the implementation zones, there is an important learning and adaptation approach.
• Through active monitoring and evaluation processes, the project seeks to continually identify and adapt lessons learned to develop activities, identify shortcomings and opportunities to address drivers and risks in the region.
• Lessons learned and best practices will be use to adapt the program design to ensure it is as effective and impactful as possible. Data generated from the monitoring and evaluation will also be shared, when relevant, both at Local Government Area (LGA) level through Community Security Architecture Dialogue and at State level through Peace Architecture Dialogues.
• Lastly, lessons learned from the project shall be used to support the institutionalization of EW/ER systems and inform similar interventions in Nigeria and elsewhere.
• SFCG follows monitoring and evaluation (M&E) best practices based on an inclusive participatory process for engaging and sharing with the State Department, local partners, and the peacebuilding community.  Included in this project are two important complementary and evaluation element that will capture emerging lessons learned and measure the projects’ expected impact, namely a developmental evaluation and a quasi-experimental evaluation.

Developmental Approach:

• A developmental evaluation (DE) approach is apt for the project considering the innovative aspects as well as its dynamic environment.
• The project is part of a highly complex system, and the evaluation shall explain how the issues are embedded in the system and how it can be part of the solution.
• It is critical to incorporate the concepts of systems and observe, document, and discuss, as it is frame through which problems and solutions can be understood.

Roles and Responsibilities The Developmental Evaluator will have overall responsibility for the design and implementation of the DE within the project and ensure its quality. She/ he will be responsible for the following:

• Collaboratively conceptualize and update the DE design (learning framework, methodology, reporting, etc.) using a participatory approach, including a  re-introduction workshop for SFCG, partners and other stakeholders;
• Update the living work plan for the DE and DE data collection tools;
• Conduct DE data analysis, document findings, and recommendations and share regularly with program staff and management for real-time and evidence-based decision making;
• Maintain a periodic field diary and work with program and DMEL staff to keep individual daily diaries during the project implementation, documenting incremental changes among participants.
• Record decision-making and other cores processes, program changes and/or changes in the environment in report logs (that track details of DE and document events that occur i.e. planned and unplanned and associated outcomes);
• Submit DE findings for incorporation into monthly reports, and elaborate DE reports every quarter which are shared with DRL outlining critical evidence, lessons learned, and adaptive management practices;
• Develop case studies to document project outcomes of critical processes such as: dialogue process and shift in relationships between stakeholders within communities;
• Provide DE related capacity building to SFCG staff and partners;
• Contribute to strengthening SFCG DMEL processes, including coaching of the DMEL team and embedding of DE in SFCG DMEL system.

Deliverables: Given the nature of the DE, deliverables are expected to evolve throughout the course of implementation and will be adjusted and negotiated on a rolling basis. Preliminary expected deliverables include, but are not limited to:

• The re-introduction workshop and after-action report regarding learnings, key findings, and results;
• Update DE design plan;
• Submission of a work plan for the DE;
• Monthly progress updates and quarterly DE reflection meetings and reports;
• Bimonthly meetings with Deputy Country Manager, the International Learning Team and DE Forum;
• Case studies;
• Final Developmental Evaluation report at the end of the project.

Qualifications Education:

• Graduate degree in Conflict Studies, International Development, Social Work, or other relevant degree;

Required Experience:

• Experience with evaluating complex systems and familiarity with developmental evaluation;
• Experience in international development, including programming and evaluation experience in peace-building, conflict resolution or other related sectors;

Other Relevant Requirements:

• Technical knowledge, skills and expertise in evaluation design, evaluating complexity, and multi-methods, in particular qualitative and participative methods;
• Analytical skills in qualitative and quantitative research and proficiency in Excel;
• Facilitation skills, particularly design and execution of stakeholder consultations;
• Excellent oral and written communication and report writing skills in English;
• Leadership and strategic thinking;

Added Advantage:

• Understanding and familiarity with North Eastern Nigeria and preferably prior working experience in the region;
• Speaker of Hausa and/ or Kanuri

Timeframe:

• The Developmental evaluator is part of the project and DMEL team, and reports the North East Head of Office. S/he has a close collaboration with the Country DMEL team and Regional Institutional Learning Team, and will provide services on a part time basis for 50 days in a year.
• This includes 5 days of physical work in Maiduguri or Yola as required with the project team every quarter. Other days of work will be required for report writing and participation in virtual meetings on Developmental Evaluation with Search Nigeria, Regional and HQ staff, and with the project donors as required.

Interested and qualified candidates should:Click here to apply   Application Deadline 16th July, 2018.

---