Humanitarian Food Security & Livelihoods Sector Manager at Save The Children

Ref Id: 200005HU
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employee Status: Fixed Term

The Organisation

• We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better health care, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realize the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.
• We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
  • No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
  • All children learn from quality basic education and that,
  • Violence against children is no longer tolerated
• We know that great people make a great organization and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
• Save the Children is committed to ensuring that all our personnel and programmes are absolutely safe for children.
• We undertake rigorous procedures to ensure that only people suitable to work with children are allowed to join our organization and all candidates will, therefore, be subject to this scrutiny.
• We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Child Safeguarding:

• Level 3.  The responsibilities of this post may require the post holder to have regular contact with children and young people. In the overseas context, all posts are considered to be level 3.
• As part of these responsibilities, the post holder will support the establishment of child safeguarding systems, promote a culture of keeping children safe, and ensure that potential harm to children (by our own staff and/or as a result of how we do our work) is identified and addressed on an ongoing basis.  The post holder should report and respond to interventions as determined by position related responsibilities identified in the Child Safeguarding Policy.

The Role

• The Humanitarian FSL Sector Manager will act as the operational and technical lead on all Food Security and Livelihoods-related matters for the Northeast Humanitarian Response.
• He/she will be expected, with limited support, to lead on FSL-related assessments, programme implementation and closely work with the head of FSL on to inform new programme design and implementation at proposal and strategy level, as well as support on fundraising, recruitment and procurement, liaising and linking with other sectors as appropriate.
• In addition, the Humanitarian FSL Manager will oversee the monitoring & evaluation of FSL activities and take the lead on the FSL cluster coordination.
• The Humanitarian FSL Sector Manager will also be expected to play a leadership role within a response team, supporting and building the capacity of colleagues.

Main Responsibilities
Programme Management Support:

• Lead on technical FSL assessments (including market assessment) in coordination with other SC thematic areas and/or other external sector agencies, ensuring assessment findings are documented and that all assessments include a specific analysis of children’s needs.
• Working with the  Programme Operations Manager and Head of FSL to develop sector response plans, FSL Strategy, manage budgets and contribute to Save the Children’s overall response and recovery strategy.
• Working closely with the Program Operations Manager and Head of FSL support fundraising for FSL, including the development of high-quality concept notes and proposals, and engagement with donors’ Technical Advisers in country.
• Prepare and oversee programme implementation to ensure appropriate and timely delivery of programme activities (for example, monitoring against logframes, individual performance management and work plans).
• Prepare timely programme and donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal SC requirements and any relevant external donor requirements.
• Working closely with the HR team, identify FSL staffing needs (both national and international) for emergency programmes, and ensure rapid recruitment, induction and training of new staff.
• Identify programme supplies needs and coordinate with the logistics team to put in place a sensible phased procurement plan.
• Work with finance and other teams to ensure appropriate modality of aid transfer and an accountable cash transfer mechanism is in place.
• Working closely with the Monitoring & Evaluation team put in place a sector M & E plan, IPTT, ensuring this links to reporting requirements, and capacity build technical field staff in carrying out the work.
• Working closely with the Accountability lead put in place accountability CFM mechanism, 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, CHS and Red Cross Code of Conduct.

Capacity Building:

• Identify learning and training opportunities for Save the Children staff and partners and work as a mentor and role model for less experienced staff.
• Build capacities of government and ministries staff.
• Build the capacity of local partners’ staff.
• Build the capacity of other core sectors for fluid integration.

Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:

• Ensure that Save the Children's work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies and Government, and take a leadership role within Interagency Coordination Forums, ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed. This may involve taking the lead in coordination working groups.
• Take steps to document lessons learned for wider dissemination.
• In collaboration with senior programme staff, assist in advocacy activities that target decision-makers at all levels.
• In collaboration with FSL SC colleagues, feed in learning, experiences and evidence to relevant global advocacy objectives.
• To identify opportunities and material to contribute to communications and media work, acting as a spokesperson when required.
• Facilitate field visits by donors and Save the Children Member representatives

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.

Qualifications and Experience
Essential:

• Significant management experience working in emergency response, including direct experience in implementing cash transfer programmes, market analysis and economic recovery.
• Significant management experience of at least 5 years post NYSC working in an emergency response contexts or fragile states
• Previous first phase emergency response experience is essential
• Education to MSc / MA / level in a relevant subject or equivalent field experience
• Previous experience of managing a team
• Previous experience of project management
• Experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
• Demonstrated monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to work both in 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 extremely 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:

• Language skills in Hausa
• Knowledge and / or experience in using HEA, COD and EMMA / MIFIRA
• Familiarity with nutrition surveys
• Experience or knowledge of working and living in Northeast Nigeria
• Specific experience of designing and managing DFID, GAC, USAID, OFDA, EU and ECHO projects
• Specific experience of working in consortia projects.

Core Behaviours
Understanding humanitarian contexts and application of humanitarian principles:

• Able to assess and analyse key issues in the humanitarian situation and formulate actions around them
• Actively engages in disaster coordination mechanisms and interagency cooperation
• Leads on the development of an organisational response based on an understanding of the contexts.

Achieving Results Effectively:

• Ensures beneficiary and partner feedback is incorporated into programme design, planning and learning
• Demonstrates flexibility to adapt plans and make decisions in rapidly changing environments
• Actively manages risk and takes action to reduce risk
• Makes changes to improve performance as a result of information received
• Document lessons learned and apply them to future projects.

Maintaining and developing collaborative relationships:

• Develops strategies for teams to work across traditional boundaries, working in diverse environments
• Establishes clear objectives with teams and individuals and monitors progress and performance
• Fosters collaborative, transparent and accountable relationships through partners
• Uses negotiation and conflict resolution skills to support positive outcomes.

Operating safely and securely:

• Demonstrates an understanding of wider UN/NGO security coordination and how the organisation can benefit from, and contribute to, those mechanisms
• Undertakes effective risk assessments and develops contingency plans
• Takes appropriate, coordinated and consistent action to handle situations of personal risk and risk for others
• Reduces vulnerability by complying with safety and security protocols set by the organisation.

Managing yourself in a pressured and changing environment:

• Remains focused on the objectives and goals in a rapidly changing environment
• Able to identify, and act on, low levels of resilience in others.

Leadership: Action; Thinking; Self; Inspiring; Developing Others:

• Builds own awareness of the bigger global picture by using a broad range of sources to gather data
• Demonstrates managerial courage by confronting difficult situations and seeking resolution, and stating willingness to champion ideas
• Actively contributes to a team environment where team members feel able to contribute, champion or challenge decisions
• Takes responsibility for own development, and actively takes steps to better understand and address own strengths and weaknesses.
• Openly talks about doing things differently, pushing the boundaries and ways of working
• Gives constructive feedback to enhance the capabilities and responsibilities of team members for the purpose of their development.

Works to ensure that the workplace is inclusive and the talents of individuals are harnessed to achieve individuals and organisational success.