Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) Adviser at Save The Children

Role Purpose

• The Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) Adviser provides strategic and technical support to Save the Children Nigeria’s Food Security and Livelihoods programming.
• The post-holder will ensure the quality and impact of the design and delivery of FSL programming across both humanitarian and development contexts, with a particular focus on ensuring innovative quality approaches in nexus programming.
• The post-holder will ensure sectoral representation and coordination with the government and fellow development and humanitarian actors, including donors and multi-lateral institutions.
• The post-holder will also play a leading role in identifying and developing private sector partnerships.
• The post-holder will lead on sectoral needs assessments, facilitate cross-sectoral programme design and budgeting, ensure linkages amongst FSL, education, adolescent development and nutrition programming and support fundraising, program kick-offs, recruitment, and procurement processes.
• The post-holder will be expected to analyse capacity building needs of existing project teams and design and support capacity building plans and trainings for those staff.

Role Dimensions

• The role is expected to foster relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including Save the Children members, the Country Office Programme Development & Quality team, advocacy colleagues, Regional Advisors, technical counterparts in other organisation, donors etc.
• The role is also expected to engage with internal technical working groups, in particular with the FSL Humanitarian Technical WG, and communities of practice.

Key Areas of Accountability

Programme Development and Quality Programming Support:

• Provide overall strategic leadership on Save the Children Nigeria’s Food Security and Livelihoods portfolio across the development and humanitarian context, including youth empowerment and employment, resilience, and social protection sub-themes
• Lead, in close collaboration with other thematic/technical teams and the Operations team, to ensure that high quality, cost-effective, innovative, and sustainable private sector oriented FSL programmes are developed and implemented in line with Country Annual Plans and the Country Strategic Plan
• Lead on defining the strategic axis of interventions on resilience, early warning systems, social protection, and on youth and vulnerable population livelihood support, encompassing the preparation of situational and needs analyses, gathering and analysing primary and secondary data, producing policy formulations, as well as establishing indicators, across the FSL portfolio
• Work with other thematic leads, the Head of Business Development, Operations, and field teams to develop sector response plans, new proposals, and master budgets
• Lead on technical FSL assessments, including market and service provider assessments, ensuring assessment findings are thorough and documented and that all assessments include a specific analysis of children’s needs; work to ensure coordination and learning from multiple assessments led by other government, UN and NGO partners
• Working closely with the PDQ, Ops and Field teams, support program development and resource mobilisation for FSL programming, including the development of high-quality concept notes and proposals, and engagement with government, strategic partners, and donor Technical Advisers in country
• Support Operations and Field Teams to ensure timely and quality programme implementation to ensure impactful and timely delivery of programme activities, including monitoring against log frames, contributing to individual performance management and work plans
• Lead on technical programme review processes and participate in integrated programming reviews
• Work and support field teams to prepare timely programme and donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal SC requirements and any relevant external donor requirements
• Work closely with the Operations and HR teams to identify FSL staffing needs (both national and international) for emergency programmes, and contribute to ensuring rapid and comprehensive recruitment, induction, and training of new staff
• In the design stage identify programme supply needs with the operations and design team and develop procurement plans
• Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team to put in place a sector M&E plan, ensuring this links to reporting requirements, and capacity build technical field staff in carrying out the work
• Work closely with the Head of MEAL to put in place accountability activities for your thematic area, ensuring that feedback from all relevant stakeholders is considered in programme design
• To ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian relief are maintained in accordance with the Sphere Charter, the Red Cross Code of Conduct, and the Core Humanitarian Standards. 

Capacity Building:

• Identify learning and training opportunities for Save the Children staff and partners and work as a coach, mentor and role model for the FSL team. 

Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:

• Ensure that Save the Children's work is coordinated with Government plans and the efforts of other agencies
• Take a leadership role within interagency coordination fora, ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed. This may involve acting as a co-lead in coordination working groups
• Develop and oversee the technical components of Save the Children Nigeria's FSL, youth empowerment and employment, and social protection research agenda in collaboration with the MEAL team, ensuring the publication of results and use of generated research and evidence
• Work in close collaboration with the Advocacy, Campaign and Communications Department to advocate for relevant policy change, regulation and local ordinances with national and local government stakeholders and civil society
• In collaboration with senior programme staff and partners, assist in advocacy activities that target decision-makers at all levels
• Contribute to learning, experiences, and evidence relevant to global advocacy objectives
• Contribute to communications and media work, acting as a spokesperson when required, identifying opportunities, material, and information for communications work. 

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

Additional Job Responsibilities:

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Qualifications

• Education to M.Sc / MA Level in a relevant subject or equivalent field experience.

Experience / Skills:

Essential:

• Significant senior level experience working in FSL programming, including direct experience in implementing cash transfer programmes, youth programming, market analysis and economic recovery, including project management
• Proven experience in developing and managing high quality, innovative and cost-effective technical FSL projects in nexus programming, preferably protracted crises areas and with International NGOs
• Previous first phase emergency response experience
• Previous experience in managing a team and coaching
• Experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
• Demonstrated monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to work in both an advisory and a hands-on implementation capacity
• Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach staff
• Experience of representation and ability to represent SC effectively in external forums
• Experience of preparing successful funding proposals for donors
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports
• Excellent communication skills with a high level of written and spoken English
• Strong influencing skills and experience in advocacy
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• The capacity and willingness to be flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances
• Commitment to the aims and principles of SC. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support. 

Desirable:

• Familiarity with market system development, value chains and private sector engagement
• Familiarity with Food security and nutrition surveys
• Specific experience in designing and managing FCDO, USAID, BHA, BPRM, EU and ECHO projects
• Specific experience of working in consortia projects

Behaviours (Values in Practice):

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities—giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future oriented, thinks strategically and at-scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity.