Field Office Coordinator at Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

The field office coordinator is responsible to provide efficient support to project implementation in Monguno field Office. It will predominantly include cooperation with all local stakeholders and partners, serving as the primary point of contact for NRC with participants.

The Field Office Coordinator, through cooperation and with support of technical and other field staff, will contribute towards assessments, selection of participants for all NRC projects in the field office; support for the delivery of humanitarian aid and support for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of these activities.

The Field Office Coordinator will also facilitate information flow between field office staff, local authorities, communities’ participants, and other relevant stakeholders, as appropriate. Moreover, the Field Office Coordinator will contribute to enhancing community acceptances and expanding access area of operation in Monguno.

The following is a brief description of the role.

Generic responsibilities

These responsibilities shall be the same for all positions with the same title. The responsibilities shall be short and essential. Details belong in the Work and Development plan.

• Line management for field staff such as Finance, HR & Admin and Logistics/ICT and coordination of program staff
• Manage and coordinate activities HR & Admin, finance, logistics and security tasks of the field office 
• Ensure adherence to NRC policies, handbooks, procedures, and SOPs/guidelines
• Ensure adherence to Security and Risk Management policy and procedures
• Coordinate and assist with budgets and costs for the field office’s shared costs and support functions
• Provide support in the training and development of staff
• Provide support to project implementation at field office level 
• Coordinate representation meetings with the UN, partners, and authorities 
• Promote the rights of IDPs/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy

Specific responsibilities 

These responsibilities shall be adapted to the particularities of the job location and context, phase of operation, strategic focus, and type of programme intervention. This section shall be revised whenever a new employee is hired or the context changes significantly. 

Operational Management:

• Responsible for providing effective and efficient support to field-based staff in implementing NRC projects, in close coordination and collaboration with CC Project Managers.
• Responsible for providing timely and methodical updates regarding the context, needs, and trends to the Area Manager.
• Responsible for budget management at field office level, in line with the approved authorization table and ensure appropriate burn-rates are maintained and that solutions to over/under expenditure are applied.
• Support the field-based staff, by reporting on potential conflicts of interest, fraud, protection concerns, and any other effects related to NRC’s assistance.
• Support dedicated NRC safety and security staff in information collection and sharing to ensure the safety of NRC staff and participants.
• Ensure security guidelines and security risk assessments are implemented and regularly updated for all project locations.
• Ensure all relevant stakeholders are included in the planning and implementation of projects as appropriate.
• Under the line management of the Area Manager and close cooperation with CC Project Managers/Coordinator, contribute towards drawing up plans, proposals and budgets for new projects/extensions of projects in conjunction with the relevant team, both program and support staff.
• Closely monitor the field implementation and ensure the quality programming along with timely completion of the project's deliverable
• Support multi-sectoral emergency preparedness and response as required by the context and management. 
• Ensure appropriate Financial and Logistical NRC systems/ procedures are in place, maintained and adhered to so that all field office support functions are carried out effectively and efficiently.
• Ensure regular communications between the Area Office and field office support functions are maintained.
• Responsible for ensuring timely submission of cash forecast to the Area Office.
• Responsible for preparation of projected expenditures on a monthly basis (cash book management).
• Responsible for accurate budget control and overall responsibility for financial management at the project site in line with active projects.
• Plan staff requirements and, and as agreed with Area Manager liaise with HR department for support.
• Responsible for appraisals as per NRC’s standard requirements and procedures.
• Ensure all new team members are adequately briefed on arrival in the field and departing team members are debriefed.
• Responsible for facilitating capacity development and training of all personnel.
• Responsible for attending meetings and coordination fora, representing NRC strictly within the limit set out by the Area Manager.
• Act as the main point of contact for NRC with members of the public, beneficiaries, local authorities, I/NGOs, and any other persons or organizations at field level
• In line with NRC’s standards, ensure communication plans are implemented, stakeholders are informed on NRC’s activities, and the organization is well accepted by communities.
• In charge of producing weekly and monthly reports, flash reports and any other reports as requested by the Area manager.

Safety and Security:

• Support dedicated NRC safety and security staff in information collection and sharing to ensure the safety of NRC staff and participants.
• Ensure security guidelines and security risk assessments are implemented and regularly updated for all project locations.

Program Development:

• Ensure all relevant stakeholders are included in the planning and implementation of projects as appropriate.
• Under the line management of the Area Manager and close cooperation with CC Project Managers/Coordinator, contribute towards drawing up plans, proposals and budgets for new projects/extensions of projects in conjunction with the relevant team, both program and support staff.
• Closely monitor the field implementation and ensure the quality programming along with timely completion of the project's deliverable
• Support multi-sectoral emergency preparedness and response as required by the context and management. 

Logistics and Finance:

• Ensure appropriate Financial and Logistical NRC systems/ procedures are in place, maintained and adhered to so that all field office support functions are carried out effectively and efficiently.
• Ensure regular communications between the Area Office and field office support functions are maintained.
• Responsible for ensuring timely submission of cash forecast to the Area Office.
• Responsible for preparation of projected expenditures on a monthly basis (cash book management).
• Responsible for accurate budget control and overall responsibility for financial management at the project site in line with active projects.

Human Resource and Administration Management:

• Plan staff requirements and, and as agreed with Area Manager liaise with HR department for support.
• Responsible for appraisals as per NRC’s standard requirements and procedures.
• Ensure all new team members are adequately briefed on arrival in the field and departing team members are debriefed.
• Responsible for facilitating capacity development and training of all personnel.

Coordination and Representation:

• Responsible for attending meetings and coordination fora, representing NRC strictly within the limit set out by the Area Manager.
• Act as the main point of contact for NRC with members of the public, beneficiaries, local authorities, I/NGOs, and any other persons or organizations at field level
• In line with NRC’s standards, ensure communication plans are implemented, stakeholders are informed on NRC’s activities, and the organization is well accepted by communities.
• In charge of producing weekly and monthly reports, flash reports and any other reports as requested by the Area manager.

QUALIFICATIONS

Generic professional competencies: 

• Strong understanding of humanitarian response architecture, particularly in terms of emergency response and humanitarian protection.
• Previous experience working in complex contexts.
• Demonstrated experience and understanding of Management and Project Cycle Management in general.
• Fluency in English (both written and verbal).
• Computer literate in Microsoft Office, including strong skills in Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Good leadership and management skills.

Context/ Specific Skills, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in social science, Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics and Business Management.
• At least 3 years’ experience in similar role in a humanitarian and/or recovery context
• Knowledge of the context in northern Nigeria, Monguno in particular.
• Experience in support functions such as Logistics, Finance, or HR is an advantage.
• Experience in context analysis and humanitarian needs assessment, project monitoring and evaluation, and program development.
• Experience of coordination and representation, including with local authorities, I/NGOs, and communities.
• Ability to build relationships quickly with a wide range of people, both internally and externally.
• Strong ability to organize a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Fluency in local languages.