Facilitator / State Level Facilitator at Committed To Good (CTG)

Team management: No direct Reports.
Duration: Up to 6 months (@21.75days/month)
Project reporting: Chief of Field Office (CFO) or his/her Officer in Charge.
Start date: 01/07/2021

Overview of Position

• Our client in Nigeria supports the host government to achieve planned results for children and women. The programme needs to intensify and sustain technical support for intensive social mobilization with focus on ensuring improved coordination and partnership with key community leaders of under-served populations in high-risk areas.
• One of the key approaches in community mobilization is the identification, sensitization and engagement of prominent influencers in under-served and mobile communities. Insecurity and difficulty to access to some hard-to-reach areas by our client’s staff coupled with increasing demand for monitoring programme implementation had contributed to the development of the concept to engage 3rd party monitoring - facilitators. Effective polio eradication campaign was another key reason for involving facilitators to ensure that every child is vaccinated for polio, including in hard-to-reach areas. However, the idea was expanded to also engage facilitators in and monitoring functions for other programme activities especially but not limited to assist with the monitoring and delivery of programmes in those areas that are inaccessible to our client’s staff.

Role Objectives:

• Facilitators are expected to carry out a range of duties, as outlined below, to support our client’s work in monitoring projects and programmes in areas that are not accessible to our client’s staff or hard to reach areas in the LGAs. Facilitators are identified among Nigerian citizens with specific experience and a thorough knowledge of the territory in which they operate, based on their residency and/or work experience.

Key Competencies
LGA Facilitator:

• Coordinates our client’s supported activities in the LGA level with relevant authorities/MDAs in the LGA.
• Closely works with the State Level Facilitators and provide necessary input in preparation of programme implementation reports.
• Undertakes regular situation monitoring in specific areas based on specific requests, to assess the overall situation and any unmet needs of women and children in these areas.
• Undertakes regular field visits to monitor projects/programmes. Field monitoring will focus on:
  • Assessing project/programme implementation according to the PCA (Programme Cooperation Agreement) or SSFA (Small-Scale Funding Agreement), or corporate and service contracts (construction of schools, health facilities, WASH facilities and so on), emerging issues, and regular programme implementation at the LGA level.
  • Verification of supplies delivered and works undertaken, including reported progress on delays and bottlenecks;
  • Post-distribution monitoring of supplies to assess the beneficiaries’ views in terms of quality, timeliness and relevance of supplies delivered.
  • Monitoring the overall performance of project/programme implementation.
  • Reporting any actual or potential deviation from implementation plans through a report following the required format, and at a frequency guided by the duration of the project.
• Verifies and validates data in progress reports prepared by implementing partners.
• Communicates, coordinates programme activities, if required with implementing partners, in consultation with the respective our client's Chief of Field Office or his/her delegate.
• Any other programme specific related task assigned by supervisor.
• Following any field visit, the facilitator produces programme implementation report/meetings reports on a monthly basis including field trips according to a standard format and submits the report to his/her supervisor, however, urgent issues should be escalated to the supervisors immediately. If requested, the facilitator also provides immediate update to his/her supervisor by phone/email. When submitting monthly reports, they should also submit their monthly claims/reimbursement, if any, with supporting documents.

State Facilitator:
State facilitators are expected to carry out a range of duties and responsibilities, as outlined below, to support our client’s work at the State level specially in coordination and monitoring of the programme activities in areas that are being implemented in the State including hard to reach and the areas that are not accessible to our client’s staff. State Facilitators are identified among Nigerian citizens with specific expertise and a thorough knowledge of the territory in which they operate, based on their residency and/or work experience.

• Coordinates all the activities at the State level with all MDAs/other stakeholders concerned for all the programmes being implemented in the state and works as a contact person for our client’s supported programmes in the State.
• Undertakes regular situation monitoring in specific areas based on specific requests, to assess the overall situation and any unmet needs of women and children in these areas in State where they are located.
• Undertakes regular field visits to monitor projects/programmes in the LGAs under the state in collaboration and consultation with the our client’s Programme Specialists/Officers concerned in the FO. Field monitoring will focus on:
  • Assessing project/programme implementation according to the PCA (Programme Cooperation Agreement) or SSFA (Small-Scale Funding Agreement), any emerging issues and corporate or service contracts and regular programme implementation through MDAs;
  • Verification of supplies delivered, any delays and bottlenecks at the State and LGA level in collaboration with the LGA Facilitators and local authorities as appropriate; They will need to use agreed programme and end user supply monitoring format to be jointly developed with programme sections.
  • Post-distribution monitoring of supplies to assess the beneficiaries' views in terms of quality, timeliness and relevance of supplies delivered in the communities in different LGAs.
• Following any field visit or getting reporting from the LGA facilitators, the State facilitator produces programme implementation report/meetings reports on a monthly basis including field trips according to a standard format and submits the report to his/her supervisor, however, urgent issues should be escalated to the supervisors immediately. If requested, the facilitator also provides immediate update to his/her supervisor by phone/email. When submitting monthly reports, they should also submit their monthly claims/reimbursement, if any, with supporting documents.
• Monitors the overall performance of project/programme implementation and validates the data in the progress reports prepared by implementing partners. Reports any actual or potential deviation from implementation plans for all the programmes in the State in consultation and coordination with programme implementing partners, MDAs and other IPs.
• Coordinates if required with implementing partners, and provides expert technical support to implementing partners, MDAs and counterparts in the respective subject matter area, to ensure effective and efficient implementation of our client-supported programmes, in consultation with the respective our client's Chief of Field Office and Programme Specialists/Officers on different programmes.
• Perform any other duties as may be required and assigned by the CFO or Programme Specialists/Officers.

Required Qualifications and Competencies - LGA Facilitators
Education:

• University degree in a field related to the scope of work.

Work Experience:

• At least 2 to 3 years of progressively responsible relevant work experience in project/programme management, monitoring and reporting, community development work and community mobilization.
• Experience in collecting and compiling quantitative and qualitative data.
• Experience working with UN or NGO.

Language:

• Fluency both verbal and written in English and the local language. Local language of the area where the Facilitator is to be deployed is essential.

Required Competencies:

• Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to analyse diverse and complex information from a wide range of sources to make analytical statements to inform decision-making.
• Good report writing skills.
• Capacity to work in an emergency context under stressful conditions and strict deadlines.
• Good communication and networking skills, including the ability to work in multidisciplinary teams as well as establishing and maintaining close working relationships with a variety of implementing partners including Government MDAs at the local level and counterparts at different levels.
• Good computer skills, including experience with various software applications such as MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint. 

Required Qualifications and Competencies - State Facilitators
Education:

• University degree in a field related to the scope of work (Scope to be defined).
• Master’s degree in the relevant field is desirable.

Work Experience:

• At least five years of progressively responsible relevant work experience in project/programme management, monitoring and reporting.
• Experience in collecting and compiling quantitative and qualitative data is an asset.
• Experience working in a humanitarian context is an asset.
• Experience working with UN or NGO programmes/projects is an asset.
• Experience in programme coordination and monitoring is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency both verbal and written in English and local language of the State/LGA. Local language of the area where the Facilitator is to be deployed is essential.

Required Competencies:

• Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to analyse diverse and complex information from a wide range of sources to make analytical statements to inform decision-making.
• Good report writing skills.
• Capacity to work in an emergency context under stressful conditions and strict deadlines.
• Good communication and networking skills, including the ability to work in multidisciplinary teams as well as establishing and maintaining close working relationships with a variety of implementing partners including Government MDAs at the local level and counterparts at different levels.
• Working with people and partnership/network skills
• Embracing diversity
• Good computer skills, including experience with various software applications such as MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.