Deputy Director Development INGO FORUM at Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Duties and Responsibilities

• Compliance with and adherence with NRC policies, tools, handbooks, guidelines and procedures
• Provide imputes to programme strategies, Country Strategy and Plan of Action
• Ensure optimal use of resources within allocated project budget
• Ensure that capacity building is provided to staff within defined line management responsibility
• Represent NIF in defined area of expertise
• Coordinate NIF members through planning of regular action-oriented meetings and identify gaps, duplication and opportunities for enhancing information exchange, inter-agency assessments or analysis, problem solving, joined up responses and common messaging on development
• Ensure regular high-level representation in key development decision-making platforms, exchanges, thematic discussions, planning sessions and other mechanisms that impact development operations.
• Chair the Development Working Group meetings and act as a technical support on critical topics including: sustainable development goals, health, resilience, policy environment, public sector reforms and private engagement.
• Engagement & Partnership with the development community in high level meetings including with government, donors and diplomatic officials e.g. Dev Partners Group
• Lead in implementation of Advocacy Strategy while mobilizing and leveraging support from member organizations.
• Ensure timely response to requests for help and information from member organizations, non-member organizations and other stakeholders, such as donors, governments and UN agencies. Often this requires a high degree of coordination and the collection of sensitive information.
• Identify opportunities for strengthening development practices, as well as opportunities for promoting recognition and collective engagement on key development issues
• Represent NIF on relevant development coordination platforms, ensuring that linkages between NIF and other development initiatives are established and maintained.
• Direct bilateral engagement and cooperation with strategic players, including donors’ community, UN agencies, private sector, International financial institutions and relevant international and national agencies/institutions
• Facilitate structured and effective information exchange both between internal INGO partners/members, and with external partners (NNGOs, UN, Government, private sector etc).
• Ensure compliance with donor and host agency (in this case, NRC) regulations
• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership

Qualifications

• Experience from working within technical expertise area in a humanitarian/ recovery context
• Previous experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
• Advanced university degree in public policy, international development, political science, international relations, journalism, social sciences, international development or related technical field or undergraduate degree with significant field experience in development or resilience contexts
• Demonstrated minimum experience of 7 years in managing development programs or high level representation and engagement
• Demonstrated understanding of the development environment and coordination architecture and key stakeholders
• Knowledge and understanding of key thematic priority areas including Education, Finance, Governance, Public Health and the sustainable development goals.
• Proven relationship building skills and ability to facilitate common space between disparate views and agendas.
• Public speaking skills
• Experience in developing advocacy strategies and stakeholder maps.
• Applied knowledge and experience of working in Nigeria
• Prior experience in managing INGO Consortia/fora desirable
• Written and spoken fluency in English.
• Strong data analytical and interpretation skills.
• Excellent writing, editing and analytical skills and ability to formulate well-targeted strategic documents.

Personal Qualities

• Planning and delivering results
• Empowering and building trust
• Communicating with impact and respect
• Handling insecure environment

Commencement: May 2020
Duration: 12 months
Salary/benefits: According to NRC’s general directions of grade level 10
Duty station: Abuja, with frequent travels. Travel outside Abuja is dependent on changing security conditions, especially for certain roads in the area.
An approved health certificate will be requested before the contract start.