FSL Officer - Agroforestry at Action Against Hunger | ACF-International

Location: Bade, Yobe
Job type: Full Time
Experience level: Mid Level
Direct Line Manager: FSL Sector Manager
Starting date: as soon as possible

Tasks & Responsibilities
Objective 1 - Provide support to the FSL Sector Manager in the implementation of Agro component of the program, and specifically undertake Agricultural Activity interventions at LGA level:

• Facilitate community mobilization meetings for community-led agriculture activities (vegetable production, dry season farming, compost making, tree seedlings nursery) in collaboration with the assistance of the FSL sector Manager;
• Work with community leaders to ensure identification and selection of the most vulnerable IDPs and host communities and provide information to ensure accountability, fairness and transparency during the implementation of activities.
• Work closely with community structures to follow up on implementation of Agriculture planned activities with the support from the Sector Manager.
• Support in the implementation of Agriculture capacity building initiatives including facilitating field training Workshops for the target beneficiaries at the LGA level.
• Provide technical guidance in implementing agricultural activities as defined in the FSL programme in close collaboration with the agro assistant and Community stakeholders.
• Contribute to developing and implementing detailed work plan for FSL team at LGA level activities in collaboration with Agro Assistants.
• Contribute to organizational and sector-wide learning through documentation of lessons learnt, best practices, and evaluations from the Agro component of the project
• Contribute to preparing FSL internal and external reports including case studies and success stories etc.

Objective 2 - Collect information and data on Agriculture Activities at LGA level through surveys, assessments, regular post distribution monitoring and field supervision visits of beneficiary households:

• Supervise and collect information to ensure that the surveillance of the Agriculture Activity situation in the area of implementation of the program is achieving the expected result, when required.
• Supervise and collect the required information in the field to facilitate the capacity building and training program, with the support of the Agroforestry Assistants.
• Support the M&E team in analysis of beneficiary data collection through the various tools that the department uses.
• Coordinate closely with the Sector Manager to ensure that cross LGA programs are being implemented in synergy.
• Coordinate closely with the FSL (CBT and IGA), Nutrition, WASH teams in different LGAs on cross-learning with the aim of revising and improving approaches.
• Participate in and inform longer-term discussions with the program team (FSL, WASH and nutrition) regarding program implementation strategy.
• Support M&E team in activities monitoring (beneficiary targeting, identification, registration and training; market and livelihood assessments; baseline and end-line surveys, post distribution monitoring, price monitoring, field monitoring visits, focused group discussions, etc)
• Contribute to the development of tools to monitor and improve the quality of FSL programming.
• Support the preparation of documentation required for the implementation of field activities.
• Ensure harmonization of program operating plans and protocols across the program as well as the mission, with the help of technical support from Sector Manager, review tools and approaches, and ensure that technical standards, guidelines and methodologies are communicated and understood. 

Objective 3 - Mobilization and awareness-raising about the organization, program objectives and activities to local authorities and the population, and act as a link between the organization and the beneficiaries (at LGA level):

• Contribute to the development of project community mobilisation strategies for targeting and registration of beneficiaries for the Agroforestry, Economic and Livelihoods Restoration.
• Implement sensitisation activities for targeted communities about Agriculture Activities and strengthening livelihood restoration activities with support from relevant State, LGA and community stakeholders, in feasible livelihood restoration activities at LGA level.
• Support in the verification of the beneficiaries to ensure the identification and selection of the most vulnerable population is verified based on the project proposal and the organization's policies before agriculture intervention is made.
• Support the Sector Manager in ensuring that targeting of beneficiaries to receive Agriculture interventions are carried out in a transparent way which guarantees protection and gender sensitivity in the field way and with the active participation of women, men and minority members of communities.
• Facilitate good working relationship between state, LGA, community-level stakeholders and target beneficiaries.

Objective 4 - Participate in regular internal and external coordination meeting for the program at LGA and state levels when required:

• Collaborate with all other AAH departments and sectors to ensure the project activities are integrated in line with Logistics, Finance, HR and security procedures and SoPs.
• Collaboration with other partners including relevant state government ministries, Borno State Agricultural Development Program, Chad Basin Development Authority, INGOs, NGOs, CBOs and the UN working in assigned LGA.
• Work in collaboration with the communities and local leaders at all stages of project implementation.
• Ensure that the project (implementation of agricultural activities) is well represented in regular LGA level meetings and forums.
• Ensure proper records are kept of all expenditure and usage of materials, and cash advances received from finance are properly retired after each activity.
• Ensure that documentation is properly done for all cash distributed (donation certificates, delivery notes, beneficiary lists and supply request order).
• Preparation of weekly movement plan for assigned LGA according to the team planning and sharing with Sector Manager.

Objective 5 - Reporting and Documentation:

• Coordinate with Agriculture assistants to compile and submit monthly activity reports
• To provide reports according to the request of the Sector Manager (Monthly APR updates, success stories, case studies etc.)
• Participate in writing situation reports with information on food security, security information at the community as needed and/or requested including, but not limited to: Compiles weekly and monthly reports and ensuring timely submission of such written reports to the Sector Manager Social Protection for consolidation and sharing with the Multi-sector PM

Internal & External Relationship
Internal:

• Sector Manager: hierarchical relationship o Sector Manager: Technical oversight, technical support, coaching
• Area Program Manager: exchange of information, reporting, collaboration, coordination
• Other social protection Officers and Project Officers: WASH/Nut/M&E: exchange of information on programs, coordination and monitoring and evaluation (integrated approach)
• Support departments: collaboration and exchange of information

External:

• Local authorities : communication, exchange of information in collaboration with the Sector Manager
• Local Technical Coordination: lobbying, and leadership
• Other NGOs: partnerships and technical exchanges or sharing of experience
• Population and beneficiaries: definition of needs, targeting, communication and exchange of information
• Participate actively in Food Security Working Group, Cash Transfer Working Group, OCHA meetings, INGO forum, 
• Local and state government: Engage with stakeholders in coordination with FieldCo,
• APM, Sector Manager and other LGA officers

Position Requirement
Qualifications:

• B.Sc in Agriculture or Development Studies e.g. Agro-Economy, Natural Resource Management, Anthropology, Disaster Risk Management etc.
• Minimum of two years’ work experience in humanitarian contexts, with at least 1 year in conflict/insecure contexts.

Skills & Experience:
Essential:

• Professional, motivated, open, creative, mature, responsible, flexible and, culturally sensitive
• Excellent team, budget and project management and representation competencies
• Previous experience with food security and livelihoods programming.
• Microsoft Office Skills (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Willing and able to be based and travel regularly within remote areas, where services are limited.
• Fluency in English
• Commitment to ACF mission, values and policy

Preferred:

• Previous experience managing FSL interventions (i.e. cash based transfer, IGA, agriculture/livelihoods)
• Previous experience with ACF o Experience implementing programming on behalf of the donor (i.e. SDC, USAID, ECHO, DFID, CIDA) funded
• activities
• Fluency in Hausa and other local languages (Fulani and Kanuri).

Remuneration
Minimum Basic Salary: N236,585 per month