Senior Officer, Job Creation at Mercy Corps

Program/Department Summary

• The Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE) Programme is an initiative to improve learning outcomes and the economic status of marginalized adolescent girls aged 16-19 in the Northern Nigerian states of Kano and Kaduna, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the metropolis of Lagos, Nigeria.
• ENGINE through funding from the UK Department for International Development’s Girls Education Challenge, the Coca-Cola Company and other stakeholders supported over 18,000 marginalized girls to reduce education and financial barriers in its first implementation phase.
• In its second phase, ENGINE 2 will facilitate transition of these girls into functional literacy, numeracy and scale up their business opportunities and linkages.
• ENGINE 2 will further increase girls’ and young women’s access to:
  • Financial education and life skills;
  • Peer to peer networks and mentoring; and
  • Direct assets (materials and savings).
• Beneficiaries will be integrated into value chains as well as conduct other market-driven employment opportunities.
• ENGINE 2 will also work with girls in formal and informal education to increase their learning opportunities and outcomes to prepare them for future economic activities and work in the policy environment to provide an enabling environment for girls to flourish in their chosen pathways.

General Position Summary

• The Senior Officer Job Creation will support in leading the development and implementation of activities that transition girls in school or in informal education into economic activities including paid employment positions.
• These include into existing value chains of Nigerian-based companies and market driven employment and entrepreneurship activities; and apprenticeship/internship opportunities.
• This position requires being responsible for the overall oversight of all aspects of ENGINE 2 job creation programming, including assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, capacity building of Mercy Corps staff, reporting, and ongoing evaluation.
• These activities should be in line with government policies, as well as Mercy Corps’ corporate engagement and education strategies.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision:

• Develop overall vision and strategic plan for engaging business owners and employers who will act as supervisors to project beneficiaries integrated into the programme.
• Identify, assess, and recommend potential business owners and employers.
• Act as primary liaison between Mercy Corps via the ENGINE 2 project and business owners/employers.

Program Management:

• Develop draft MOUs that will be agreed with the potential business owners and employers.
• Ensure that participating business owners and employers are formally briefed and adhere to stipulations and guidelines in the MOU.
• Advocate for the inclusion of marginalized girls and for girls to be active in non-traditional sectors at the household and community level and within Nigerian vocational and skills-based education.
• Maintain a database of participating business owners and employers.
• Facilitate quarterly review meetings with participating business owners and employers to identify emerging challenge
• In collaboration with the Monitoring Evaluation and Learning team, implement relevant surveys, need assessments (including Matching Interest to Work (MIW)), data and information collection for on-going monitoring in project states of implementation.
• Maintain links and keep current on up-to-date best practices around innovative strategies of promoting girls’ transition from education (both formal & non-formal) to employment or business; disseminate technical information and assistance where necessary.
• Coordinate closely with other ENGINE 2 personnel to ensure all objectives of the proposal and activities are met.
• Organizes site-visits to the projects sites; and host visitors and consultants, as needed.

Team Management:

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Supervise, and orient new team members as necessary.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts and help team members identify problem-solving options.

Finance & Compliance Management:

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence & Representation:

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with private sector, communities, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Proactively form relationships with private sector actors to complement DfID funding.
• Participate in education coordination and other donor coordination meetings or workshops and/or as requested by the PPP Advisor.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies
• Work closely with Mercy Corps Nigeria country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that ensure the safety and security of the team in all aspects of its implementation process.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
• to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Knowledge and Experience

• Master’s Degree or its equivalent in a related field.
• At least 3 years’ experience in Job Creation activities for marginalized adolescent girls; with an additional one year in a technical coordination role of integrating relevant project beneficiaries into business/employment in line with need assessment analysis.
• At least three years’ experience in design, implementation, and management of job creation programmes.
• Experience leading program activities as part of a donor-funded project within an emerging market.
• Experience in working with stakeholders to facilitate job opportunities for project beneficiaries.
• Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues in high security environment.
• Experience working in Northern Nigeria strongly preferred.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English required, including report development, writing and editing.
• Hausa language skills preferred
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Demonstrated experience working with country-level ministries and government officials, Ministry of Labour & Productivity experience preferred.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will combine exceptional leadership, management and technical skills with a focus on innovative interventions to engage adolescent girls in informal education and skills building linked with private sector entrepreneurship and employment opportunities in a culturally and religiously conservative environment. 
• S/he will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative and complex programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.
• The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.