Livelihood Officer - BMZ at Plan International

Location: Mubi, Adamawa

Role Purpose

• Plan International Nigeria is seeking to engage a Livelihood and Cash Officer for the implementation of a multisector early recovery project - Reconstruction project for the improvement of basic and social services as well as livelihoods of conflict-affected populations in Borno and Adamawa states in Nigeria.
• This is a project with a duration of 30 months and is supported by BMZ with Funding from the German Government.
• The purpose of this role is to co-ordinate and manage livelihood training, saving groups (SGs) and cash based intervention activities in project locations in Mubi Field Office areas of responsibilities.
• The post holder will support the implementation process by working with team members, stakeholders and community members in accordance with Plan’s emergency response programme strategy in North East Nigeria.
• The Livelihood and Cash Officer will be supervised directly by the project coordinator with technical support and supervision from the Livelihood specialist.

Dimensions of Role

• Communicates with the project coordinator, across Plan International and with relevant stakeholders and beneficiaries.
• The post holder will support the establishment of a robust livelihood, market and cash sectoral system. 
• The post holder will interface and support programme team members and programme coordination.
• The role requires strong facilitation and organisational skills along with the ability to analyse and communicate complex information to all staff and stakeholders.
• The post holders will also contribute towards the capacity building of stakeholders and community based organisations.

Key Roles/Responsibilities
In collaboration with the Field Team and Livelihood/Cash Specialist, the Livelihood/Cash officer will:

• Implement livelihood and cash transfer programming for the humanitarian response and ensure beneficiaries are selected based on community based participatory criteria.
• Support community sensitization, mobilization, awareness creation and participatory decision.
• Collect and authenticate all information sheets (beneficiary lists, registration forms, distribution lists, and others) for delivery of livelihood intervention services;
• Support the development and implementation of Livelihood/ Cash component implementation plans to capture project performance and results, including data reporting, assessments, and all beneficiaries’ registration and in kind/cash distribution activities
• Support to ensure that livelihood/cash-specific elements of community and field level staff and volunteers capacity strengthening plans are successfully implemented.
• Report results of Livelihood/Cash activities by providing written documentation about progress toward achieving indicators/targets, as appropriate.
• Provide leadership at project location level on Livelihood/Cash activities to ensure project technical integrity to achieve project/program goal and corresponding objectives and targets
• Ensure high-quality implementation, in close collaboration with the field based team and sector specialist(s) and consistency in protocols, information and reporting systems
• Lead efforts at project location to conduct project interventions activities (livelihood/ cash), document results and provide feedback to stakeholders to guide decision-making
• Lead efforts to train field level staff and financial services agents to set-up systems for effective cash/in-kind distribution and crowd control at such events to facilitate record keeping
• Utilize the pre/post distribution assessment data collected to inform strategic decision-making and project planning
• Cultivate strategic sectors relationships and networks, and act as alternative representative of the livelihood and cash sector in FSSWG, ERLWG and CWG meetings, conferences, and presentations.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of Higher National Diploma/Bachelor Degree in the field of Sociology, Language Arts, Education, and Agriculture.
• Minimum of 1-year post NYSC working experience in Livelihood/Cash operation with an emergency or development program.
• Experience in VSLA formation and training including community mobilization and participatory decision making.
• Prior experience with Plan International as a volunteer or consultant – Preferred
• Demonstrated experience and capacity as enumerator conducting emergency assessments, field-level data collection, and experience analysing field data and concisely reporting on results.
• Experience of implementing livelihood projects e.g. conditional/unconditional cash grant; public works/ cash for work projects; Cash for nutrition (INP+CBT); agricultural support; home based skills development or income generation projects- Preferred.
• Strong understanding of youth and women employment, small and micro enterprise, education and vocational skills training and career counselling in livelihoods related enterprise.

Skills & Knowledge:

• Proven expertise and understanding of diverse cash transfer and Skill acquisition training modalities, policy and compliance requirement
• Expertise in quantitative and qualitative methodologies, research, reporting and presentation.
• Demonstrated strong management, coordination, teamwork and planning skills with proven ability to function effectively with multiple counterparts in private, public and NGO sectors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English including excellent facilitation skills and demonstrated technical writing skills for report writing.
• Familiarity with cash based transfer, group organizing and mobilization for safety net projects
• Ability to work effectively with diverse international teams.
• Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines and intense pressure to perform.
• Strong technical skills, including ability to utilization of digital platform for cash transfer.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office packages (Excel/Word document)
• Strong leadership skills including ability to influence a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to forge excellent relationships with participants in multi-ethnic, religious and early recovery context.
• A good understanding of best practices, techniques for achieving and sustaining youth's positive engagement.