Agriculture Livelihoods Officer at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Job Ref Code: ALR80719
Location: Biu, Borno
Department: Programs
Reports To: Program Manager II - STaR
Supervises: Program Assistant Biu
Band: 7

Background

• CRS will implement a multi-million-dollar, multi-year Germany Government funded, KreditanstaltfürWiederaufbau (KFW)-managed ‘Stabilization and Reconciliation in the Lake Chad Region (STaR) Project’ in the North East of Nigeria. Through programming in agriculture & livelihoods, social cohesion, community infrastructure and local governance, the project is intended to contribute to the stabilization and reconciliation in the most affected regions of the Lake Chad Basin namely Borno and Adamawa in Nigeria, Diffa in Niger and, the Lake Region in Chad.

Job Summary

• The Agriculture / Livelihoods Officer will provide technical leadership, guidance and capacity strengthening to STaR project in the areas of agriculture-based livelihoods and food security.
• S/he will provide guidance in the implementation of STaR agriculture & livelihoods activities using CRS approaches and methodologies as articulated in the project proposal documentation to improve household food security and resilience of targeted communities. 
• Focus areas will include improved agricultural practices, increasing yields, diversification of livelihoods, value addition to existing agricultural produce, improved storage, strengthening of producer groups,agro enterprise, and collective marketing of focus crops.
• S/he will liaise with relevant government ministries, other technical experts and agencies working in the field of agriculture-based livelihoods.
• The position will liaise with private sector partners to deliver the market optimization model.

Key Outputs/Responsibilities
Project Implementation - 70% :

• Provide technical leadership and guidance in the assessment, planning and implementation of agriculture / livelihoods activities of STaR in the Northeast Region of Nigeria in collaboration with STaR’spartners and relevant government agencies.
• Ensure that agriculture-based livelihoods related activities are implemented in accordance with CRS standards and approaches.
• Under the direction of the Agriculture/Livelihoods Advisor, lead the design and development of capacity strengthening strategies, approaches and tools to support STaRpartners and relevant government agencies in the area of agricultural livelihoods.
• Lead STaR’s capacity development of producer groups and marketing committees.
• Develop Scopes of Work for short-term technical assistance/consultants in the area of agricultural livelihoods and food security livelihoods.
• Lead STaR Nigeria’s partnership with private sector players in the agriculture/livelihoods sector

Coordination and representation - 10%:

• Under the direction of the Program Manager, represent STaR and support coordination and representation aimed at ensuring STaR contributes to the overall delivery of CRS’ strategies in Nigeria, Niger and Chad.

MEAL and reporting - 20%:

• In coordination with the MEAL Officer, ensure timely and quality capturing of MEAL data on agricultural and livelihoods project components.
• Ensure timely completion of project performance tools including detailed implementation plans (DIPs) and indicator tracking tables (ITT).
• Provide regular (using standardized formats) and ad hoc reporting on implementation to the STaR leadership, CRS Nigeria leadership and the donor as directed by the Project Director.
• Provide guidance and technical assistance to implementing partners on the use and adoption of the latest tools and methodologies in all aspects of project management related to agriculture-based livelihoods, including monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) systems.

Background, Experience& Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Agronomy, Agricultural Economics, Crop/Animal Science or relevant field or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in management of agriculture production and/or value-chain activities in developing countries. Experience in Nigeria and particularly the North East will be a bonus.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing agriculture projects in rural and peri-urban settings.
• Demonstrated experience in training design, development of training curriculum, delivery and mentoring in subject matter relevant to this position.
• Experience with the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of sustainable agriculture development and food security
• Experience with market development approaches such as agricultural value-chain development (linking producers to markets) programming.
• Previous experience carrying out and using the results of technical capacity assessments in the areas of agricultural production, value-chain development, food security and related fields.
• Strong team player with the ability to take initiative and work well independently.
• Excellent verbal, interpersonal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, tact, and diplomacy.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Travel Required:

• 60%to field locations in Borno and Adamawa.

Key Working Relationships:

• Supervisory: Program Assistant Biu
• Internal: Agriculture/Livelihoods Adviser, Governance Adviser, Infrastructure Specialist, Social Cohesion Officer, MEAL Officer and SILC Officer
• External: government ministries departments and agencies, local and international NGOs, coordination platforms and working groups, community leaders

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

• These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results:
  • Trusting Relationships
  • Professional Growth
  • Partnership
  • Accountability