Food Assistance Program Officer-Dikwa at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

The Food Assistance Program Officers, under the supervision of the Food Security Coordinator, will support the day-to-day implementation of Food Assistance activities in Dikwa under the BEGE Program. S/he will work closely with other sectors such as MEL, CASH, Nutrition and Livelihood ensuring smooth project implementation and delivery of program objectives. 

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Implement all Food assistance activities within the work plan and offer technical guidance to the team.
• Support the implementation of Food assistance activities and ensure smooth coordination across sectors under the BEGE program.
• Develop activity work plans and manage day-to-day activity implementation related to Food Assistance.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to vulnerability criteria.
• Conduct monthly food redemption across communities within the LGA.
• Provide technical inputs on the execution of the implementation of Food assistance activities in a timely manner.
• Coordinate with other sectors (Cash, Nutrition, Livelihoods, MEL, WASH) and support units to ensure activities are conducted within MC policy and with the maximum benefit to the program.
• Provide inputs to the design and implementation of training in any areas related to the program activities for staff, communities, and program beneficiaries.
• Regularly monitor and supervise redemption exercises as well as beneficiary targeting.
• Ensures beneficiary complaints mechanisms and Accountability to the Affected Population are addressed in the appropriate way that does not discredit the image of Mercy Corps.
• Ensure establishment and maintenance of relationships with communities, and local government in the target.
• Ensure that key learnings are extracted from Food assistance implementation and incorporate them in Food assistance implementation and staff development processes.
• Provide systematic training and build the capacity of the food assistance teams.
• Maintain filing of all Mercy Corps beneficiaries, and ensure all lists are well captured electronically and manually.
• Facilitate and co-facilitate community meetings, events and training as required.
• Represent Mercy Corps in relevant forums/clusters.
• Work with all program teams, and M&E on food assistance monitoring including baselines, end-lines, midterm reviews, lesson learning exercises and evaluations and ensure learning informs programming.
• Responsible for monitoring the day-to-day activities in the field and initiating relevant assessment reports with proposals.
• Build and maintain good external relationships and coordination with relevant food assistance actors within and out of Maiduguri.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Any Other duties as assigned

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: Transaction monitors.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Food Security Program Coordinator.

Works Directly with: All program Staff, M&E teams, MC beneficiaries, and MC Partners. 

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/Sc. in Agriculture or any related discipline.
• 2 years of experience working on the development, implementation, administration and compliance of a field-based international development or humanitarian program; general gender and protection mainstreaming experience & knowledge required.
• At least 2 years of experience implementing Food Assistance program in the Northeast, Nigeria.
• At least 2 years of experience implementing Supplementary Nutrition Assistance/fresh food and vegetables.
• Experience using voucher modality and knowledge of Nagis platform.
• Experience working with local partners, especially market vendors, is required.
• Experience with conducting gender analysis, protection assessments, monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts required.
• 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 and Hausa is required.