Driver at Palladium Group

Project Overview and Role   

• This position supports the day to day logistical running of the programme, providing safe and efficient transport to all staff, consultants and partners of ECP
• The driver will be familiar with the Palladium Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Nigeria and will be trained to respond correctly in emergency situations and have a valid driving license at all times while employed as a driver
• They will also provide administrative and logistical support to the running of the programme as required and assigned by their line manager.

Authority Levels
Reporting Requirements:

• The driver reports to the National Logistics Officer (or State Admin Officer in Borno)

Signatory Authority:

• This position has no signatory authority but will be required to work closely with other team members who do have signatory authority and provide them sound recommendations. They will also work as part of the team to ensure that the variance of spend against forecast remains below 2% on a monthly basis, this is achieved by good communication of spend and anticipated spend against forecast to the Finance Officer.

Relationships
Teamwork & Mentoring:

• Familiarize yourself with the ToR of all your team leader and all your team members as well as key programme management frameworks: technical, financial and administrative policies and guidelines.
• Establish a good working relationship with the state finance officers, SPF.
• Establish working relationships with counterparts in PSAG pillars 1 and 3 if relevant
• Mentor other colleagues and contractors (within and outside of PSAG, and across states) – direct provision of guidance and support, consistent with ECP’s key values/principles. Encourage and nurture interest in programme work shown by direct reports.
• Actively contribute to Team-Building within the state team – use of shared mission, vision, values, identity/public profile, use of staff meetings, staff welfare, social events, formal and informal opportunities, etc, to reinforce teamwork. Actively contribute to a positive office culture within the joint Palladium office in your state (if applicable), and collaborate with other programmes to ensure operational synergies. Look out for, highlight and support resolution of internal challenges impacting on team performance.

Responsibilities
Vehicle Maintenance and Running:

• Undertake all vehicle checks following stipulated daily, weekly and monthly schedules.
• Report any vehicle defects to your line manager, immediately and in writing.
• Develop a basic understanding of vehicle mechanics for roadside repairs and to enable oversight of repairs by vendors.
• Inform your line manager of preferred/alternative suppliers of spare parts, vehicle maintenance/servicing and repairs. The procurement committee will then review whether this supplier should be included in the Preferred Suppliers List.
• Oversee vehicle maintenance and repairs by any supplier, and ensure compliance with vehicle warranty conditions.
• Ensure passenger welfare and service, including punctuality, good communication and courtesy to all passengers.
• Drive with due care and attention, paying attention to Nigerian Road Safety Laws and Standard Operating Procedures, with good communication and courtesy to other road-users.
• Ensure all necessary official documents are up to date and carried with the vehicle in an area with easy access, including legal documents, insurance certificates, ownership, valid license and programme ID card.
• Keep vehicle logbook up to date, ensure accurate data entry into the vehicle logbook to monitor fuel and oil consumption, log all unauthorized deviations from approved routes (requested by passengers during transit), and monitor mileage to plan for next servicing of vehicles.

Safety & Risk Management:

• Familiarization with the Palladium Standard Operating Procedures for Nigeria, paying particular attention to security related to road transportation and emergency responses including response to involvement in or support to a third party road traffic accident.
• Follow safety guidelines as stipulated in the Programme Operations Manual and comply with guidance given in the basic defensive driver training – including carrying safety triangle and fire extinguisher, driving with doors locked, adhering to the speed limit, and knowing where the emergency button is located in each vehicle.
• Logistical preparation of any trip prior to departure – timings of pick-ups, numbers of passengers, contact numbers of passengers to be picked, local route-planning (to avoid ‘go-slows’) and safety requirements of any equipment to be carried.
• Security planning of any trip prior to departure – checking safety of routes based on existing information from daily security updates and local knowledge (of office staff, passengers and other drivers), and ensuring all additional safety measures required for bank-runs and other movements of money using vehicles are in place.
• Carry a mobile phone (and a satellite phone where docking station is fitted in the vehicle) with sufficient credit in the vehicle at all times, and ensure emergency numbers are displayed on the dashboard in case of an accident.
• Undertake a programme of professional development on driving skills – basic defensive driver training and periodic refresher courses – and first aid training, and ensure the vehicle is fully stocked with a complete first aid box (ensuring that any medication and equipment are in date) before any trip.
• Ensure all passengers are aware of basic safety and security requirements and facilities available in the vehicle in an emergency (especially for new staff, consultants and visitors).
• Give special attention to the welfare and safety of new staff, consultants and visitors when ‘meeting and greeting’ for the first time to make them feel welcome and at ease.

Other:

• Provide administrative support to state programme activities as agreed with your line manager.

Compliance
Policies:

•  Agree that performance will be assessed based on these Terms of References.
• Understand that you will be expected to undertake any reasonable task as requested by the line manager. 
• Maintain and actively promote the implementation of Palladium’s Code of conduct, Diversity and Inclusion, Whistle-blowing and Child Protection, Safeguarding and Respectful Workplace policies
• It is the responsibility of the staff to constantly check for updates for these courses, instructions and briefs as they may arise. There is zero tolerance on defaulters.
• Ensure familiarity with all DFID and Palladium policies & procedures and check the ECP SharePoint regularly to ensure that any updates are also being implemented in a timely manner.
• Adhere to all stipulated PERL-ECP communications protocols regarding use of official email, Box, SharePoint/MIS, Twitter, Facebook, etc. accounts.
• Ensure all labor and finances relating to this role is accurately reported (using correct codes, inserting adequate comments) in timesheets, expense claims and cashbooks. 
• Ensure cost of all activities completed falls within that forecasted to ensure monthly variances of reimbursable income to DFID are kept below 2%.
• Work to place the programme’s core values/principles, approach, ethos and priorities above private interests while delivering to this role.

Requirements   
Minimum education and experience (required):

• Valid Driver’s licence
• At least 3 years of experience driving for an international company or donor funded programme
• At least a B score in the defensive driving training provided by Palladium within 6 months of employment.
• Previous training in defensive driving will be a recognized and considerable advantage.

Key Competencies and Professional Expertise:

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate with both national and international staff members
• Excellent security awareness with the ability to take decisions quickly in the event of being involved in an incident.
• Good understanding of Northeast terrain and location conflict dynamics including route networks and security dimension

Key Behaviors in Engaged Citizens:

• Accountability – Accountability entails being open and transparent in all our work, action and behavior.
• Sustainability – Keeping the process going or continuous is key.
• Respectfulness & Inclusiveness – Sensitivity to people, context and environment; everybody counts.
• Learning & Sharing – Everyone knows something and shares something.
• Teamwork – Recognizing everyone’s value and encouraging effective work in teams.
• Adaptive and Iterative – being politically smart and how well our systems and processes respond to changes is key.