Field Support Officer at Christian Aid

Location: Dikwa, Mongunu, Maiduguri & Shani, Borno
Department: International
Reports to: Senior Program Coordinator
Contracted hours: 35
Contract length: 5 months

Role purpose  

• The role holder will support Christian Aid’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria with special focuses on monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning sector interventions.
• She/he will support Christian Aid’s funded programmes which are implemented by Christian Aid and it partners in Borno and other northeast states.
• The role holder will assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of Christian Aid’s WASH/Food security and livelihoods & humanitarian response, providing effective and timely support (including capacity building) to liberated communities and partner organizations, enabling them to implement the rapid, effective and principled WASH/Food security and livelihood response to emergencies, and ensuring that this is in line with Christian Aid’s country strategy and Humanitarian Standards.
• The role holder will be representing CAID in sector working groups meetings/activities and engage in the right networks, while increasing the profile of CA Humanitarian and resilience work and its visibility in the region. 

Role Context  

• The role is in the WASH/Food security and livelihood program family.
• The role is key in developing and implementing programs strategy across a country program, region and division, whilst supporting on partner portfolio projects.
• The role is key in developing and implementing programme strategy across a country, region or division, whilst leading on partner portfolio projects.
• The role also manages a team who recommend projects to partners and engage in Christian Humanitarian response.
• The role ensures Christian Aid is represented appropriately and positive relationships are developed thorough the WASH/Food security and livelihood work that this role is involved in.
  

Key Outcomes 

• Project proposals prepared which are based on strong planning, monitoring and evaluation procedures and financial policies and procedures complied with including reporting requirements.
• WASH/Food security and livelihood strategic principled readily available cutting across all Christian Aid programs.
• Decisions on supporting projects informed by Christian Aid’s strategy and strategic focus areas and strong program of institutional support and strengthening for Partners in place.
• Strong linkages between partner work & WASH/Food security and livelihood within the UK and Ireland, developed through positive relations.
• Clear and timely policy positions developed for standing and emergency issues and humanitarian strategy developed for the region or continent which reflects country priorities.
• Strong synergy between regional or continental strategy and Corporate WASH/Food security and livelihood Priorities developed and strong development of relationships with partners, ecumenical networks, sector clusters, and policy makers in the program region, continent and globally.
• Partner and beneficiary engagement successfully led.

Role requirements
Relationships:

• External: Build  strong relationships with partners, networks, donors, stakeholders and community beneficiaries.
• Internal: Build strong relationship with program departments, FSL/WASH Staff, MEAL officers, program managers, M&E units and all in-country and global staff.

Decision Making:

• Make decisions in order to manage team effectively, from recruitment of volunteers and program staff to day to day management of team members.
• Also providing technical input and overall leadership to WASH/Food security and livelihood team.
• Day to day decision to ensure partner portfolio projects are running effectively and higher levels decisions on supporting the projects informed by Christian Aid's strategy and strategic focus areas.
• Makes decisions around project proposals, ensuring they are prepared and comply with reporting requirements.
• Make policy decisions that support standing and emergency issues.
• Contribute to shaping and implementing WASH/FSL strategy, making sound decisions to support this.

Analytical Skills:

• Works on complex specialist/ technical issues.  Problems and issue, risks and benefits may have implications across a number of departments.  
• Required to develop new ways of doing things to better meet program goals requiring substantial creative or analytical ability.

Developing self and others:  

• Has direct responsibility for developing, coaching and motivating a team or teams of colleagues/project team members.
• Focus will be on advising and guiding senior management on policy issues/high level procedures and direct line management responsibility may be limited. 

Person specification
Applied skills/knowledge and expertise:

Essential: 

• The post holder should have a first degree in social sciences or B.Sc in mathematics, management, sociology, business administration, public administration, economics, statistics, biostatistics, engineering with 2-3 years’ experience of working in humanitarian response with local and/international partner organizations.
• Strong positive attitude and ability to manage a wide range of issues of complicated procedures, indicated by 2-3 years learning period.  

Desirable:

• At least a 3 years humanitarian response experience in WASH/FSL programming.
• Familiar WASH/FSL context in the northeast Nigeria.
• Ability to communicate fluently in Hausa and English language.
• IT competency required Intermediate.

Competency profile
LEVEL 2: You are expected to be able to:

Build partnerships:

• Take on different work when necessary to achieve a team or organisational goal.
• Actively consult with others to ensure you understand their needs or goals.
• Listen to and take on board fresh perspectives and views even if you initially disagree with them.
• Maintain on-going relationships with individuals and contacts through networks, based on mutual rapport and respect. Communicate effectively.
• Make complex things simple for the benefit of others.
• Actively listen and question to check your understanding and draw out others when they are not expressing themselves clearly or seem to be holding back.
• Be sensitive to what others may be feeling, based on what they say, how they say it and their non-verbal behaviour, adapting your style and approach to fit.
• Address difficult issues when they arise, being honest and open.  Steward resources
• Implement ways to reduce the inefficient use of resources or pass the ideas on to someone who can make them happen.
• Estimate the resources needed to achieve your own work plans or objectives and to deliver them in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
• Set and communicate realistic timelines for achieving tasks, working out how best to adapt as priorities change or unforeseen circumstances arise. 

Deliver Results:

• Prioritise, plan and monitor own work to meet own and team deliverables to agreed performance or quality standards.
• Acknowledge others’ priorities whilst being prepared to say “no” if there are genuine reasons why their needs cannot be met.
• Use logical processes and relevant tools and techniques to report on information or analyse options.
• Make timely and considered recommendations or decisions based on analysis of available data, information and evidence.

Realise Potential:

• Evaluate your own work and actively address gaps in knowledge and skills, without prompting.
• Recognise how you react to feedback and manage reactions positively, acting on specific feedback from others.
• Share your knowledge where it will help others to be more effective.
• Provide instruction, constructive feedback and guidance to others to help them learn.

Strive for improvement:

• Constructively challenge existing practice.
• Seek better ways of doing things, taking into account the possible implications.
• Make positive suggestions on a way forward when faced with challenges even if these falls outside own scope of work.
• Look inside and outside Christian Aid for new ideas and evaluate them for own work.

Remuneration
N3,528,327.96