Program Officer - Livelihoods at Mercy Corps

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on adolescent girls’ empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation.
• With the insurgency spilling over from the Northeast of Nigeria and causing displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs.
• With funding from institutional donors, foundations and private corporations, Mercy Corps continues to provide assistance to meet the basic needs of vulnerable populations in the areas of food security, shelter, water and sanitation, protection, and livelihoods.
• With the recognition of the protracted crisis in Northeast Nigeria, Mercy Corps’ strategy and expansion plans aim to address the root causes of the crisis and seek to build long term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion and social protection, and youth empowerment with emphasis on adolescent girls and boys.
• With multiple funding streams from large institutional donors and foundations, Mercy Corps’ programs in Northeast Nigeria continue to scale up and serve communities by transitioning them from humanitarian aid to early recovery programs.

General Position Summary
The Program Officer Livelihoods provides expert support to the livelihoods component of the program implementation and ensures the smooth running of the activities in compliance with program deliverables.

Essential Job Functions
Programmatic:

• Overseeing the implementation of the program livelihood activities in all program implementation states.
• Ensure the cohesion of the overall livelihoods approach through a close working relationship with the program manager.
• Apply well researched and thought out interventions to restart livelihood activities.
• Lead where necessary community meetings to identify Livelihoods priorities.
• Mitigation where necessary maintaining a clear impartial profile for Mercy Corps in confusions or disputes between community/association/group members.
• Liaise with local government maintaining an impartial profile for Mercy Corps based on the ethos of its humanitarian mission as an INGO.
• Conduct where necessary workshops to identify livelihoods priorities with key groups and to disseminate pertinent livelihoods information.
• Bring to the attention of the Program Manager areas where formal agreements should be made e.g. MOU’s.
• Conduct surveys, need assessments, data and information collection as and when required for the on-going program or future project proposals in livelihoods.
• Participate in NGO and INGO meetings on Livelihoods and represent MC as requested in coordination forums related to Livelihoods.
• Ensure all Livelihoods programs activities are in line with government strategy.
• Provides technical input on MC’s livelihoods programs including potential partnerships with local NGOs.
• Maintains links to sources of technical assistance and information and will disseminate technical information and assistance to program assistants where necessary.
• Maintain, monitor and measure project implementation data entry. Track project impact, standards, and operational compliance.
• Data-entry of program information, as assigned. Develop charts, statistical reports and data-bases as required by Program Manager.
• 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.
• Other duties as assigned.

Operational:

• Maintain procurement, financial, and administrative systems
• Provide ongoing support in maintaining these systems, problem-solving, and functioning as a focal point for communications with operations, human resources and finance team.
• Facilitate and organize all required meetings with internal departments as well as external contacts to communicate accurate and up-to-date information as and when required
• Assist in organizing all logistics for trainings, workshops, events and other activities including flight bookings and procuring office supplies.
• Assist in maintaining of work calendars (internal and external).
• Take meeting minutes and circulate to identify recipient lists as and when required.
• Assist in development of TORs and contracts for events and consultancies.

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.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.

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.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Program Assistants

Accountability:

• Reports Directly to: Program Manager
• Works Directly With: Finance, Program and Operation Teams.

Knowledge and Experience

• B.A/S in relevant field required; M.A/M.S/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; specifically, in livelihoods or economic recovery.
• Prior experience implementing livelihoods programs is required, preferably in a non-camp setting.
• 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

• Must be able to work independently and show initiative; experience with NGOs a plus. Community liaison skills necessary. Ability to supervise and support a diverse team .
• Must be able to multi task on a diverse range of technical supervision issues as well as supervising the daily smooth running of the Livelihoods activities