Food Security Officer at Mercy Corps

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian program aims to provide assistance to populations affected by the crisis in Northeast Nigeria. With funding from the Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (BHA) for THRIVE, Mercy Corps will continue its engagement in consortium with CRS and other partners in several interventions including but not limited to food assistance, non-food items, protection, livelihoods, WASH, and capacity building of humanitarian response actors. Mercy Corps is scaling up and expanding its humanitarian response in Northeast Nigeria to reach more beneficiaries with additional assistance in a wider geographic area.
• With the insurgency affecting Northeast Nigeria and displacing millions of people, Mercy Corps is expanding its humanitarian programming to support the conflict-affected population. As a result of the wide-scale needs, Mercy Corps is scaling-up food security, non-food items, nutrition, protection, livelihoods, and water sanitation hygiene (WASH) activities in Jere Local Government Areas in Borno State to address emergency needs.

General Position Summary

• The Food Security Officers, under the supervision of the Senior Food Security Officer, will support the day-to-day implementation of Food Security Sector activities in Jere under the THRIVE Program.
• S/he will work closely with other sectors such as MEL, CASH, Nutrition and Livelihood ensuring smooth project implementation and delivery of program objectives.
• With the support of the Senior Program Officer - Food Security, s/he will ensure the day-to-day activities are implemented according to schedule, budget and required quality.

Essential Job Functions

• Implement all Food Security activities within the work plan and offering technical guidance to the team.
• Support the implementation of Food Security activities and ensure smooth coordination across sectors under THRIVE program.
• Develop activity work plans and manage day-to-day activity implementation related to Food Security.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to vulnerability criteria.
• Provide technical inputs on the execution of the implementation of Food security activities in a timely manner.
• Maintain filing of all Mercy Corps beneficiaries, and ensure all lists are well captured electronically and manually.
• Facilitate and co-facilitate community meetings, events and training as required.
• Coordinate with other sectors (Cash, Nutrition, Livelihoods, MEL, WASH) and support units to ensure activities are conducted within MC policy and with the maximum benefit to the program.
• Provide inputs to the design and implementation of trainings in any areas related to the program activities for staff, communities, and program beneficiaries.
• Regularly monitor and supervise redemption exercises as well as beneficiary targeting.
• Ensures beneficiary complaints mechanisms and Accountability to the Affected Population is addressed in the appropriate way that does not discredit the image of Mercy Corps.
• Ensure establishment and maintenance of relationships with communities, and local government in the target
• Ensure that key learnings are extracted from Food Security implementation and incorporate them in Food Security implementation and staff development processes.
• Provide systematic training and build the capacity of the food security teams.
• Represent Mercy Corps in relevant forums/clusters, including with national authorities and donors when required.
• To promote the Food security strategy and its understanding among the teams.
• To ensure high-quality implementation by working closely with the deputy team lead.
• Work with all program teams, M&E on food security monitoring including baselines, end-lines, midterm reviews, lesson learning exercises and evaluations and ensure learning informs programming.
• Responsible for monitoring the day-to-day activities in the field and initiating relevant assessments reports with proposals.
• Work with project teams on Value for Money and cost efficiency in regard to running food security activities.
• Remain updated on all relevant political and Government policy issues related to food security.
• Build and maintain good external relationships and coordination with relevant food security actors within and out of Maiduguri.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• None

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: Senior Food Security Program Officer
• Works Directly With: All program Staffs, M & E teams, MC beneficiaries, MC Partners.

Knowledge and Experience

• B.A / B.Sc. in Agriculture or any related discipline.
• 2 years of experience working on the development, implementation, administration and compliance of a field-based international development or humanitarian program; general gender and protection mainstreaming experience & knowledge required.
• At least 2 years of experience implementing Food Security and Nutrition program in the Northeast, Nigeria.
• Experience working with local partners especially market vendors is required.
• Experience with conducting gender analysis, protection assessments, monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts required.
• Demonstrated strengths in analytical skills, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing.
• Strong interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills.
• Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills.
• Fluency in English and Hausa is required.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive, and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building.
• S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level.
• Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.