GBV Officer - Damboa at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

The GBV Officer is responsible for working with caseworkers to ensure GBV case management support to survivors meets the inter-agency guidelines for case management and the minimum standards for child protection and Gender-Based Violence in humanitarian actions, she will be responsible for training such as psychological first aid, case management, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prevention and response. With the support of the GBV Coordinator, she will also advise and build the capacity of other sector teams on protection prevention, response, gender, and protection mainstreaming and best practices. She will report directly to the Protection/GBV Coordinator and will work closely with other sectors.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Provide technical oversight and capacity-building through training, mentorship, and on-the-job support for caseworkers on case management and referrals with support from the GBV coordinator.
• Supervise case management of Gender Based Violence incidences and ensure proper documentation, assessment, case plan implementation, follow up and information management of all GBV cases in line with GBVIMS.
• Organize weekly case management meetings with caseworkers and support staff in managing critical/complex cases.
• Represent Mercy Corps GBV program in case conference meetings with other service providers (Health, safety & security, protection, legal, etc.) and share experiences in managing critical cases.
• Contribute to the development of monthly outreach plans with other staff and community volunteers based on GBV case trends and ongoing needs of women and girls.
• Ensure community outreach on services available to GBV survivors.
• Contribute to proposal development activities through the provision of information and data on community feedback on the assessment of emerging needs.
• Contribute to the development of referral pathways to ensure community perspective is included. Ensure referral pathways are shared and understood within the community.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their roles/duties.
• Document and share relevant information that will inform the development of case studies and or success stories of the program.
• Maintain positive coordination and relationship with other partners in the field to promote a holistic approach to GBV case management.
• Participate in GBVIMS task force working meetings and share written minutes with the GBV Coordinator.
• Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with other staff and teams
• Establish and maintain effective program reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems (to track, analyze and report on results) for both internal and external use.
• Adhere to all MC policies related to security, operations and transport/ logistics information related to programming.
• Conduct herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Any other duties as assigned by the GBV Coordinator.

Program Management

• Oversee GBV program startup in Ngala and ongoing program management and administration of teams.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution process as well as psychosocial and capacity building of partners.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Fulfil Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

Team Management

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary (case workers, centre facilitators).

Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Draft and/or review the scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence & Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/Sc. in relevant field required.
• 3 years of experience working on GBV programming including providing psychosocial counselling for survivors of Gender Based Violence.
• Knowledge of international humanitarian standards for GBV prevention, protection, and response.
• A clear understanding of gender, abuse of power, and issues surrounding violence against women and girls.
• Experience with developing and implementing GBV programs, particularly conducting assessments, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with staff and other stakeholders.
• Experience in building staff capacity through training, coaching, mentoring, etc.
• Demonstrated understanding of the needs of survivors and ability to always maintain confidentiality and respect for clients.
• Demonstrated experience working with men to end violence against women and girls.
• Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills.
• Fluency in English and Hausa is required.