Jobs

Vacancies at Mercy Corps


Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we collaborate to put bold solutions into action - helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within, now and for the future. In Nigeria, Mercy Corps operates in over 13 states focusing on key thematic areas of humanitarian response, conflict mitigation and adolescent girls’ empowerment. We are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:     Job Title: Livelihood Officer, I-SING Location: Gombe Program/Department Summary

  • Creating Alternatives to Early Marriage for Adolescent Girls (CAEMAG) is a 1 year funded project funded by Ford Foundation. The position will be based in Gombe with travel to Biu on a regular basis.
  • The main office that houses majority of the staff is based in Biu thus the need to travel.
  • The project’s focus is to provide primarily out-of-school adolescent girls with the necessary vocational skills to start safe and economically viable income-generating activities.
  • The project works with IDPs, returnees and the host community. This program will leverage on the current I-SING program implemented in Borno and Gombe States.
General Position Summary
  • The Livelihoods Program officer, will be responsible for supporting activities in the intervention communities of the CAEMAG program.
  • S/He will be responsible for supporting the implementation of strategic, impactful, and high-quality programming. The project officer will report to the Program Manager and work collaboratively with fellow program staff.
  • S/he will work extensively with other sectors of the project to ensure that all activities are implemented successfully and timely.
Essential Job Responsibilities Strategy & Vision:
  • Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
  • Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.
Program Management:
  • Support ISING project management and administration of livelihood related activities including beneficiary identification, distribution site selection, planning and implementing the distributions, working with partners and facilitating monitoring.
  • Contribute to all ISING project fieldwork, including identifying target locations, beneficiaries and vendors, participating in distributions, monitoring and supporting beneficiaries during the shopping periods, coordinating with community leaders and other stakeholders and other field-based tasks as assigned.
  • Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
  • Contribute to effective program reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems for both internal and external use in coordination with the other program staff.
  • Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity, protection and capacity building into all livelihood activities as appropriate.
  • Conduct monitoring and data collection as directed by the ISING Program Manager, assisting with specific surveys or assessments as needed.
  • Contribute to providing the ISING Program Manager with up-to-date information on the affected and targeted community and coordinates beneficiary lists and numbers with different stakeholders.
  • Ensure the cohesion of the overall livelihoods approach through a close working relationship with the livelihoods SPO and the protection/gender team.
  • Contribute to applying well researched and thought out interventions to restart livelihood activities.
  • Lead where necessary community meetings to identify Livelihoods priorities related to ISING project.
  • Mitigation where necessary maintaining a clear impartial profile for Mercy Corps in confusions or disputes between community/association/group members.
  • Adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals;
  • Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in country of operation;
  • Other duties as assigned.
Finance & Compliance Management:
  • Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
  • Responsible for expenditure tracking of activities carried out in the field
Influence & Representation:
  • Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with the community, government and other stakeholder’s
  • Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets are met.
Security:
  • Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
Organizational Learning:
  • As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability to Beneficiaries:
  • Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
  • to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Supervisory Responsibility:
  • None
Accountability:
  • Reports Directly To: The Program Manager
  • Works Directly With: Deputy Program Manager, and with other I-SING officers in the program
Knowledge and Experience
  • BA/S in relevant field required; MA/MS/MBA or equivalent preferred.
  • 3 years of experience working on the development, implementation, administration and compliance of a field-based international development or humanitarian program; general program management experience required.
  • Prior experience implementing distributions is required, preferably in a non-camp setting. Experience with cash distributions strongly preferred.
  • Experience working with multiple stakeholders to identify beneficiaries according to criteria required.
  • Experience with conducting assessments, monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts required.
  • Experience representing the organization and its interests to a diverse range of local and international government officials, local civil society organizations, other international organizations, the media and the public.
  • Commitment to renewing and maintaining knowledge of best practices
  • Demonstrated training and facilitation experience
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Demonstrated strengths in analytical skills, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing
  • Strong interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills
  • Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills
  • Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa is required
Success Factors
  • Strong Work Ethic, having the ability to learn the most efficient way of learning the most efficient way to complete tasks and finding ways to save time while completing daily assignments.
  • Dependability and Responsibility, having the ability to come to work on time, are there when they are supposed to be, and are responsible for their actions and behavior. Adaptability, being adaptable and maintaining flexibility in completing tasks in an ever-changing workplace.
  • Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours .
  • Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
    Job Title: Program Officer, I-SING Location: Biu, Borno Program/Department Summary
  • I-SING project is a 2 year funded project by the EU- Trust fund. The position is based in Biu with travel to Gombe and Maiduguri on a regular basis.
  • The project’s focus is on adolescent girls and boys using the safe spaces model. The project works with IDPs, returnees and the host community. The overall objective of the program is to improve the safety, livelihoods and personal agency of adolescent girls in North East Nigeria.
General Position Summary
  • The project officer will be responsible for supporting activities in the intervention communities of ISING program. S/He will be responsible for supporting the implementation of strategic, impactful, and high-quality programming.
  • The project officer will report to the Deputy Programme Manager and work collaboratively with the Program Manager as well as fellow program staff.
  • S/he will work extensively with other sectors to ensure that all program activities are implemented successfully and timely.
Essential Job Responsibilities Strategy & Vision:
  • Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
  • Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.
Program Management:
  • Support in project start-up and ongoing project management and administration of activities including beneficiary identification, distribution site selection, planning and implementing the distributions, working with partners and facilitating
  • Contribute to all fieldwork, including identifying beneficiaries and vendors, participating in distributions, monitoring and supporting beneficiaries during the shopping periods, coordinating with community leaders and other stakeholders and other field-based tasks as assigned.
  • Ensure effective beneficiary targeting according to established vulnerability criteria.
  • Contribute to program reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems for both internal and external use in coordination with the other program staff.
  • Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
  • Conduct monitoring and data collection as directed by the Program Manager/Deputy, assisting with specific surveys or assessments as needed.
  • Contribute to providing the Deputy Program Manager with up-to-date information on the affected and targeted community and coordinates beneficiary lists and numbers with different stakeholders.
  • Adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals;
  • Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in country of operation;
  • Other duties as assigned.
Finance & Compliance Management:
  • Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
  • Responsible for expenditure tracking of activities carried out in the field
Influence & Representation:
  • Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with the community, government and other stakeholder’s
  • Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets are met.
Security:
  • Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
Organizational Learning:
  • As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability to Beneficiaries:
  • Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
  • to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Supervisory Responsibility:
  • The officer will supervise a team of community coordinators and mentors
Accountability:
  • Reports Directly To: The Deputy Program Manager
  • Works Directly With: Program Manager and with other I-SING officers in the program
Knowledge and Experience
  • Undergraduate Degree in any Social Sciences, Education etc is preferred
  • Previous working experience with women and girls is required
  • Knowledge of community participation approaches and conflict management skills
  • Ability to manage community volunteers and effective conflict management skills
  • Negotiation skills, especially while working with communities
  • Ability to organize and prioritize work, as well as meeting strict timelines
  • Experience in report writing is essential
  • Experience working in an NGO is an added advantage
Success Factors
  • Strong Work Ethic, having the ability to learn the most efficient way of learning the most efficient way to complete tasks and finding ways to save time while completing daily assignments.
  • Dependability and Responsibility, having the ability to come to work on time, are there when they are supposed to be, and are responsible for their actions and behavior.
  • Adaptability: being adaptable and maintaining flexibility in completing tasks in an ever-changing workplace.
  • Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours .
  • Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
    Job Title: I-SING Intern Location: Biu, Borno Program/ Department Summary
  • Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian program aims to provide assistance to populations affected by the crisis in Northeast Nigeria. With funding from humanitarian donors including OFDA, FFP, EU tryst Fund and ECHO, the humanitarian programs engage in several interventions including but not limited to food assistance, logistics and relief commodities, protection, livelihoods, WASH and capacity building of humanitarian response actors.
  • Mercy Corps plans to scale up and expand its humanitarian response in Northeast Nigeria to reach more beneficiaries with additional and varied assistance in a wider geographic area.
  • Mercy Corps plans to implement a program in 3 states “ISING” or Investing in the safety and integrity of Nigerian girls targeting adolescent girls and boys affected by the conflict in the Northeast.
Learning Objectives
  • This position will offer the intern an opportunity to understand what Mercy Corps stands for as well as understand the Humanitarian program in Borno State. Working in the I-SING department the Intern will be able to learn how to plan and prioritize work schedule in a fast demanding work environment, in addition to working with adolescents and the community in general.
  • The Intern will work with other team members in I-SING as well as other programs and should be able to develop good working relationship with the rest of the team.
  • Major part of the job responsibility will be to support in the monitoring of safe spaces and support with the logistical arrangements of moving to the field and participating in community sensitization.
Responsibilities
  • Under the direction of the Program Manager, the Intern will be responsible for the day to day support to the department specifically:
  • Work with the program assistant’s in collecting and compiling all the I-SING documents such as safe spaces data, beneficiary lists ensuring they are filed both ins hard and soft copy.
  • Under supervision raise PR’s for hotel bookings for any trainings and workshops
  • Track all the items that shall be purchased for the use of safe spaces such as training material, and refreshments
  • Support in conducting spot checks for mentors and coordinators, whilst collecting data on attendance
  • Support the protection officer in conducting community sensitization in identified communities
  • With the support of the assistant’s, track I-SING costs and take the department’s inventory and make request in time to ensure there is no stock out for the safe spaces
  • Support the M&E officer in data cleaning as requested
Deliverables
  • With the support of program officers, contribute to all fieldwork, including identifying beneficiaries, participating in distributions, monitoring and supporting beneficiaries during spot checks coordinating with community leaders and other stakeholders and other field-based tasks as assigned.
  • Support in conducting monitoring and data collection as directed by the Deputy Program Manager assisting with specific surveys or assessments as needed
  • Support the program assistants in tracking costs as well documentation and filing of all program related files
  • Work together with the team to develop movement plans, raise PR’s for materials and hall hire
Qualifications
  • BA/S in relevant field preferred
  • Good organization skills.
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Good oral and written skills and computer skills
  • Strong computer skills on MS office programs
  • Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa and Kanuri is required
Working Conditions
  • The program has lots of activities to be implemented that need to be completed within strict timelines. The intern will be expected to work beyond the normal working hours some days and should be able to cope with pressure of doing every task fast, effectively and efficiently.
  • Office space as well as working equipment is limited and Intern will have to cope with sharing space as well as equipment with the other team members.
  • Mercy Corps interns and volunteers represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
      Job Title: I-SING Intern Location: Gombe Program/Department Summary
  • Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian program aims to provide assistance to populations affected by the crisis in Northeast Nigeria. With funding from humanitarian donors including OFDA, FFP, EU tryst Fund and ECHO, the humanitarian programs engage in several interventions including but not limited to food assistance, logistics and relief commodities, protection, livelihoods, WASH and capacity building of humanitarian response actors.
  • Mercy Corps plans to scale up and expand its humanitarian response in Northeast Nigeria to reach more beneficiaries with additional and varied assistance in a wider geographic area.
  • Mercy Corps plans to implement a program in 3 states “ISING” or Investing in the safety and integrity of Nigerian girls targeting adolescent girls and boys affected by the conflict in the Northeast.
Learning Objectives
  • This position will offer the intern an opportunity to understand what Mercy Corps stands for as well as understand the Humanitarian program in Borno State. Working in the I-SING department the Intern will be able to learn how to plan and prioritize work schedule in a fast demanding work environment, in addition to working with adolescents and the community in general.
  • The Intern will work with other team members in I-SING as well as other programs and should be able to develop good working relationship with the rest of the team.
  • Major part of the job responsibility will be to support in the monitoring of safe spaces and support with the logistical arrangements of moving to the field and participating in community sensitization.
Responsibilities
  • Under the direction of the Program Manager, the Intern will be responsible for the day to day support to the department specifically:
  • Work with the program assistant’s in collecting and compiling all the I-SING documents such as safe spaces data, beneficiary lists ensuring they are filed both ins hard and soft copy.
  • Under supervision raise PR’s for hotel bookings for any trainings and workshops
  • Track all the items that shall be purchased for the use of safe spaces such as training material, and refreshments
  • Support in conducting spot checks for mentors and coordinators, whilst collecting data on attendance
  • Support the protection officer in conducting community sensitization in identified communities
  • With the support of the assistant’s, track I-SING costs and take the department’s inventory and make request in time to ensure there is no stock out for the safe spaces
  • Support the M&E officer in data cleaning as requested
Deliverables:
  • With the support of program officers, contribute to all fieldwork, including identifying beneficiaries, participating in distributions, monitoring and supporting beneficiaries during spot checks coordinating with community leaders and other stakeholders and other field-based tasks as assigned.
  • Support in conducting monitoring and data collection as directed by the Deputy Program Manager assisting with specific surveys or assessments as needed
  • Support the program assistants in tracking costs as well documentation and filing of all program related files
  • Work together with the team to develop movement plans, raise PR’s for materials and hall hire
Qualifications Ideal Candidate should possess the following qualifications:
  • BA/S in relevant field preferred
  • Good organization skills.
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Good oral and written skills and computer skills
  • Strong computer skills on MS office programs
  • Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa and Kanuri is required
Working Conditions
  • The program has lots of activities to be implemented that need to be completed within strict timelines.
  • The intern will be expected to work beyond the normal working hours some days and should be able to cope with pressure of doing every task fast, effectively and efficiently.
  • Office space as well as working equipment is limited and Intern will have to cope with sharing space as well as equipment with the other team members.
  • Mercy Corps interns and volunteers represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV's and Cover Letter in one document, addressing the position requirements to: [email protected] All applications must include the position title in the subject line. Note: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview and we are an equal opportunity organization so women are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.   Application Deadline: 11th October , 2017.