Natural Resource Management (NRM) Advisor at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

The Natural Resource Management (NRM) Advisor will provide strategic advice, analysis, and direction to the communities, and local governance structures on a range of NRM-related issues concerning policy, management and development, land & water use, environment and conservation, and research and development. The NRM Advisor will lead, monitor, and report on the climate approaches and NRM compliance. He/she will lead project formulation and implementation to ensure that climate and NRM requirements are met. The NRM Advisor will lead the identification and establishment of natural resource management committees and will work closely in synergy with the Senior Program Officer to identify and implement immediate conflict prevention or mitigation measures, such as the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure along transhumance corridors. Also, the NRM Advisor will be the custodian of community action plans which lays the foundation for the implementation of social cohesion and infrastructure projects by collaborating closely with the Infrastructure Advisor who leads the final execution of specific community projects. The NRM Advisor in collaboration with the communications team will disseminate key findings and lessons learned in research briefs, white papers, and reports.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning 

• Lead in the design, implementation, and interpretation of the community natural resource maps, and communicate the key findings and implications to internal and external audiences.
• Ensure timely provision of strategic technical advice including the appropriate documentation and dissemination of processes and results to the program team, community stakeholders, and external partners.
• Contribute to conducting community-level natural resource situational analysis and dissemination to stakeholders. Carry out documentation of best practices.
• Assist to develop and institute a simple yet robust NRM monitoring plan.

Capacity building

• Assess training needs of project staff, government staff, and beneficiaries; develop appropriate training curriculum, training material, and support training implementation.
• Provide technical backstopping to the project staff in NRM, particularly in the areas of planning and implementing community-based natural resource management initiatives, and development of operational action plans.
• Contribute to developing technical guidelines, manuals, handbooks, and information materials relevant to project implementation and building capacity of project staff, government staff, and community beneficiaries.

Program Implementation

• Support in the identification of the targeted intervention sites and program participants and help formulate indicative project activities. Coordination of the overall site selection process for all on-the-ground interventions (in consultation with stakeholders)
• Review costed community action plans for implementation.
• Support the development of ToRs of technical consultancies related to the subject matter.

 Program Quality Oversight

• Review of national, and local policy and legislative frameworks related to land use planning (including the possibility of conservation/restoration), commodity production, water management, and sustainable forest management, identification of trends and opportunities for change.
• Review of relevant past and ongoing initiatives for lessons learned and synergies.
• Profiling of the delineated project landscape, including working with the state governments e.g., Land & Survey, Forestry sectors on mapping current land use and natural resource management.

Technical Leadership

• Provide safeguard and gender implementation support to the project and wider program team to enhance project and initiative quality and ensure compliance with internal policies and procedures, including advice on improving implementation to meet project targets and compliance.

Team Management

• Sustain a work environment of mutual respect you and other team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide other team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to the project implementation.

Influence and Representation

• Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with Consortium partners, local governments, and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure project implementation targets and technical quality standards are met.
• Participate in coordination meetings and workshops for the project at both Local and State levels as delegated.

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum BA/S in relevant field or another similar field; MA/MS/MBA or equivalent preferred in, Natural Resources Management, Environment Sciences, related Biological Management, or other related fields.
• Minimum of 4 years of working experience in a similar context and issues.
• Familiarity with global and localized climate change priorities, standards, and compliance requirements
• Familiarity with global NRM and climate frameworks that can be adopted for the management of local resource-related issues.
• Good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues in a highly insecure environment.
• Previous experience in implementation, monitoring, and evaluating sustainable NRM management.
• Demonstrated capability in policy formulation.
• Expertise in forestry, water, and land management and development.
• Understanding of national and regional/global issues related to NRM.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to motivate, inspire and promote teamwork in an interdisciplinary, multicultural, context.
• Experience in supporting institutional capacity building.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Excellent writing, editing, and analytical skills and ability to formulate well-targeted documents.
• Strong negotiation and coordination skills.
• Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa is a plus.