Project Officer at Mercy Corps

Location: Adamawa
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Reports Directly To: Protection Coordinator
Works Directly With: Finance, Program and Operation Teams.

Program/Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on women’s empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the north east of Nigeria and causing displacement of over a million individual, Mercy Corps is addressing the rising humanitarian needs among displaced households and vulnerable host communities through program interventions in the Northeast. With current funding from OFDA, FFP, CERF and ECHO and ongoing opportunities from other donors, all Mercy Corps interventions in the Northeast are implemented with plans for scale-up.
• The current funding opportunity’s goal in Gombe is to support economic opportunities, food security and protection among conflict-affected populations, and to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian agencies and the quality of information gathering in Nigeria. The current funding opportunity’s goal in Adamawa is to provide a package of relief interventions designed to help conflict affected communities in central Adamawa meet their basic needs in livelihoods restoration, water and sanitation and protection. Expansion into other affected states is also planned for the humanitarian response team.

General Position Summary

• The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer will support the program teams with technical oversight and direction on all monitoring and evaluation needs across implementing area.
• S/he will be responsible for timely and quality reporting and ensuring efficient and effective M&E systems are in place.
• The M&E Officer will be responsible for providing program staff with the information and training to capture monitoring metrics regularly and efficiently.
• S/he will coordinate with program staff regularly providing technical oversight, problem-solving and support.
• S/he will be responsible for learning and applying new learnings to M&E systems.

Essential Job Functions

• Support in project start-up and ongoing project management and administration of activities including beneficiary identification, distribution site selection, planning and implementing the distributions, working with partners and facilitating monitoring.
• Contribute to all field work, including identifying beneficiaries and vendors, participating in distributions, monitoring and supporting beneficiaries during the shopping periods, coordinating with community leaders and other stakeholders and other field-based tasks as assigned.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Contribute to effective program reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems for both internal and external use in coordination with the other program staff.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Conduct monitoring and data collection as directed by the Program Coordinator Manager, assisting with specific surveys or assessments as needed.
• Contribute to providing the Program Coordinator with up-to-date information on the affected and targeted community and coordinates beneficiary lists and numbers with different stakeholders.
• Adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals;
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in country of operation;
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S in relevant field required; MA/MS/MBA or equivalent preferred.
• 3 years of experience working on the development, implementation, administration and compliance of a field-based international development or humanitarian program; general program management experience required.
• Prior experience implementing distributions is required, preferably in a non-camp setting. Experience with cash distributions strongly preferred.
• Experience working with multiple stakeholders to identify beneficiaries according to criteria required.
• Experience with running assessments, monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts required.
• Experience representing the organization and its interests to a diverse range of local and international government officials, local civil society organizations, other international organizations, the media and the public.
• Commitment to renewing and maintaining knowledge of best practices
• Demonstrated training and facilitation experience
• Ability to work under pressure
• Demonstrated strengths in analytical skills, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing
• Strong interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills
• Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills
• Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa is required.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will have a can-do attitude. Ideally s/he will have previous experience in working in large-scale emergency programs in insecure and conflict-affected contexts, including remote management and capacity development.
• S/he is a problem solver, who is adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity.
• S/he is an active listener and contributor, working to create a strong team share ideas and learn

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Location: Adamawa
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Reports Directly To: Protection Coordinator
Works Directly With: Finance, Program and Operation Teams.

Program/Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on women’s empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the north east of Nigeria and causing displacement of over a million individual, Mercy Corps is addressing the rising humanitarian needs among displaced households and vulnerable host communities through program interventions in the Northeast. With current funding from OFDA, FFP, CERF and ECHO and ongoing opportunities from other donors, all Mercy Corps interventions in the Northeast are implemented with plans for scale-up.
• The current funding opportunity’s goal in Gombe is to support economic opportunities, food security and protection among conflict-affected populations, and to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian agencies and the quality of information gathering in Nigeria. The current funding opportunity’s goal in Adamawa is to provide a package of relief interventions designed to help conflict affected communities in central Adamawa meet their basic needs in livelihoods restoration, water and sanitation and protection. Expansion into other affected states is also planned for the humanitarian response team.

General Position Summary

• The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer will support the program teams with technical oversight and direction on all monitoring and evaluation needs across implementing area.
• S/he will be responsible for timely and quality reporting and ensuring efficient and effective M&E systems are in place.
• The M&E Officer will be responsible for providing program staff with the information and training to capture monitoring metrics regularly and efficiently.
• S/he will coordinate with program staff regularly providing technical oversight, problem-solving and support.
• S/he will be responsible for learning and applying new learnings to M&E systems.

Essential Job Functions

• Support in project start-up and ongoing project management and administration of activities including beneficiary identification, distribution site selection, planning and implementing the distributions, working with partners and facilitating monitoring.
• Contribute to all field work, including identifying beneficiaries and vendors, participating in distributions, monitoring and supporting beneficiaries during the shopping periods, coordinating with community leaders and other stakeholders and other field-based tasks as assigned.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Contribute to effective program reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems for both internal and external use in coordination with the other program staff.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Conduct monitoring and data collection as directed by the Program Coordinator Manager, assisting with specific surveys or assessments as needed.
• Contribute to providing the Program Coordinator with up-to-date information on the affected and targeted community and coordinates beneficiary lists and numbers with different stakeholders.
• Adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals;
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in country of operation;
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S in relevant field required; MA/MS/MBA or equivalent preferred.
• 3 years of experience working on the development, implementation, administration and compliance of a field-based international development or humanitarian program; general program management experience required.
• Prior experience implementing distributions is required, preferably in a non-camp setting. Experience with cash distributions strongly preferred.
• Experience working with multiple stakeholders to identify beneficiaries according to criteria required.
• Experience with running assessments, monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts required.
• Experience representing the organization and its interests to a diverse range of local and international government officials, local civil society organizations, other international organizations, the media and the public.
• Commitment to renewing and maintaining knowledge of best practices
• Demonstrated training and facilitation experience
• Ability to work under pressure
• Demonstrated strengths in analytical skills, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing
• Strong interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills
• Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills
• Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa is required.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will have a can-do attitude. Ideally s/he will have previous experience in working in large-scale emergency programs in insecure and conflict-affected contexts, including remote management and capacity development.
• S/he is a problem solver, who is adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity.
• S/he is an active listener and contributor, working to create a strong team share ideas and learn