Head of Mission Assistant at Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA)

Location: Maiduguri, Borno

Context
ALIMA supports two health and nutrition projects in Borno State, in Monguno and Maiduguri. Following a United Nations alert in May about the dire situation of people displaced by conflict in northeastern Nigeria, ALIMA conducted an exploratory mission in Monguno, a city in Borno State where more than 100,000 displaced people are seeking refuge. Working alongside the Ministry of Health, ALIMA vaccinated children against measles. ALIMA found that more than 40% of children were suffering from acute malnutrition, 13 % of whom were suffering from severe acute malnutrition and at a high risk of death.

Faced with this major emergency, ALIMA deployed additional resources and has now opened 5 clinics to provide urgent medical care to displaced people in Monguno. ALIMA teams on the field are providing over 1,000 medical consultations per day, a figure that reveals how alarming the health situation is and the lack of other actors in Monguno, since ALIMA is the only INGO to cover health and nutrition at the moment for over 150,000 people, all the more that internally displaced people are continuing to arrive in Monguno every day.

Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, has seen its population more than double with the influx of people displaced from other areas of the state. Especially in Muna where about 50 000 IDP moved into the Muna Garage camp and all around, the bad sanitarian, medical and nutritional situation has to be addressed. ALIMA is opening a clinic by the end of August, and already provide general consultations for children and adults. Malnutrition cases are managed by the teams, but a larger screening would show how numerous they really are. ALIMA plans to enlarge its activities to provision of services for pregnant women and capacity to take in charge victims of sexual violences.

ALIMA’s teams in Nigeria represent 15 expatriates, and planned to reach 17 by beginning of September: 10 and soon 11 in Maiduguri/Muna, and 5 soon 6 in Monguno.

Mission and Main Activities

• The Head of Mission Assistant provides support to the mission by assisting the Head of Mission in the administrative part of coordination tasks, ensuring a smooth relation with local and national authorities, contributing to the context analysis and follow-up, providing translations and interpreting in order to facilitate coordination tasks in the mission.

The Head of Mission Assistant reports directly to the Head of Mission. He/She:

• Assists the HoM in the context analysis, disseminate relevant context information to the coordination team, regularly inform them on key issues, update general information on the context for ALIMA internal documents ;
• Keep good knowledge of counterparts in different administrations and file field contacts (other NGO’s, UN agencies, local authorities…) verifying that they are easily accessible in order to facilitate contacts and meetings ;
• At the request of the HoM, represents ALIMA in meetings (NGO, official bodies, administration…);
• At the request of the HoM, prepare and conduct an information briefing focusing on the country context for ALIMA Staff ;
• Supports the Head of Mission in the preparation of project proposals and project reports for donors ;
• Performs data collection and research concerning local and international context, with regards to security, medical, nutritional and humanitarian issues, in order to provide reliable information for further decision-making ;
• Supports the Head of Mission and field coordinators in the analysis of the data collected, in order to better orientate the projects, to provide an optimal response to population needs;
• Compiles and submits for HOM’s clearance regular updates of the ongoing activities and plans of NGO’s, UN, ICRC, donors, authorities and other actors on lobby, policy and operational plans and initiatives in order to adequate ALIMA’s activities and objectives;
• Ensures smooth working relationship with local authorities, other NGO’s, local communities and other actors, in order to facilitate ALIMA teams a better access to the population and improve ALIMA activities’ coordination with third parties ;
• Participates in the elaboration and updating of the Country Risk Analysis.

Requirements
You have…

• A University Degree in the field of Project Management, Humanitarian Affairs, International Relations, Political Science or any other relevant education;
• A previous experience in the humanitarian is an asset;
• Computer skills: Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Database management is an asset;
• Excellent language skills (English mandatory; French is an asset).

Experience and Skills:
You are...

• Quick to learn
• Good at listening
• Creative and open minded
• Interested in medical humanitarian operations and research
• You are capable of making decisions when it is necessary, whether it is easy or not
• You know how to help people around you see the big picture and take it into account when they make decisions
• You love diversity in your work and are very flexible and agile
• You do not avoid conflict, and even more, you know how to deal with conflict whether you like it or not
• You think a job well done means planning, anticipation, organisation and communication.

Conditions

• Contract term: contract under French law, contract length: 6 months, renewable.
• Position to be filled: ASAP
• Salary: depending on experience + per diem

ALIMA pays for:

• Travel costs between the expatriate’s country of origin and the mission location
• Accommodation costs
• Medical cover from the first day of the contract to a month after the date of departure from the mission country for the employee.
• Evacuation of the employee.