Information, Counselling & Legal Assistance (ICLA) Specialist at Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Job Identification: 7305
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Job Schedule: Full time
Job Category: Analysis and Assessment
Reports to: Head of Programme (HoP)
Supervision of: Housing, Land and Property (HLP) AoR Coordinator
Travel: Up to 50%
Project number: NFPX0000
Duration and type of contract: 12 months

Background

• Since 2015, NRC Nigeria has been working to help displacement affected communities meet their basic needs, improve their livelihoods, access essential services, and enhance their resilience to future shocks through our six core competencies: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Shelter, Education, Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA), Livelihoods and Food Security (LFS), Camp Management, and Protection. NRC provides immediate assistance during the onset of emergencies through the rapid response mechanism (RRM). In 2021, NRC reached over 269,000 people with assistance.
• The crisis in Nigeria is marked by violence against civilians causing acute humanitarian needs and displacement. In the North-East, the 13-year conflict has shattered lives, infrastructure, basic services, and social fabric, with some two million people internally displaced across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. In the north-west and north-central regions, violence and displacement are rooted in disputes over land and resources, which has been worsened by climate change. Many families have either lost identity papers while fleeing or never obtained them, hindering their ability to access essential services.
• A single document, such as a birth certificate for an ID, can determine the future of an entire family. Sadly, millions of displaced people in Nigeria do not have legal documents, blocking them from accessing essential services and their rights. Access to housing and land tenure remains a major challenge, and displacement sites often face the risk of eviction. NRC collaborates with the authorities to improve access to legal and civil documentation and provides counselling on legal issues including housing, land and property (HLP) rights for people affected by conflict.

Role and Responsibilities

• Identify country programme priorities, problems and challenges from an ICLA perspective and adopt a problem solving approach, solving them in collaboration with other core competencies, support department, and senior management
• Lead on assessment design and analysis for ICLA
• Support and contribute to multi sector assessments and response designs
• Assess and analyse context, identify constraints, opportunities, and priorities of the ICLA core competency
• Identify, monitor and evaluate risks, constraints, technical issues related to ICLA implementation for timely action by relevant management authority
• Enable and guide the mainstreaming of gender, protection and environment into the ICLA strategies and operational practices
• Lead on ICLA concept note and proposal developments
• Support and contribute to multi sector donor reports, both narrative and financial
• Liaise with relevant donors and representatives
• Support in the recruitment of ICLA staff and development of their work roles and responsibilities
• Promote culture of shared learning within the ICLA core competency and across core competencies
• Contribute to the strengthening of the position of NRC in Nigeria; liaising with relevant authorities, UN agencies, donors, other NGOs and partners, and social cohesion and protection sector actors
• Support the area teams with advice on ICLA project implementation challenges
• Ensure the coordination of Housing, Land and Property (HLP) working group under the national protection sector

Critical Interfaces:
By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Programme development: ICLA Regional and Global Advisers  {Region Central & West Africa(CWA)/Head Office(HO) Oslo}
• Proposal development: Area Managers,  CC Project Managers and Coordinators, Grants Coordinator
• Quality control/ support: Area Managers, M&E, Head of Support
• Capacity development: Project staff

Competencies:

• Minimum of 4 years of experience within human rights / legal assistance / displacement area of expertise in a humanitarian/recovery context
• Strong understanding of relevant human rights frameworks, including refugee rights, IDP rights and humanitarian law
• Solid knowledge of and experience applying protection principles within humanitarian responses
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
• Professional Fluency in English, both written and verbal

Context / Specific Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Knowledge of the context in Nigeria and/or the region
• Experience engaging in/related to legal reform processes
• Experience in gender issues and programming
• Experience from protection and advocacy work within ICLA/legal assistance sector
• Solid experience from managing and implementing ICLA-type of responses
• High level of experience in programming associated to legal assistance, HLP rights, and civil documentation
• Strong capacity in leading proposal development
• Documented experience working with donors and conversant with their technical frameworks, strategic priorities and reporting requirements (e.g. EU, AFD, NMFA, SIDA)
• Experience from leading multi sector assessments and analysis
• Ability to work closely together with other field staff and across sectors
• High level of communication, representation, analysis, drafting and negotiation skills

Behavioural Competencies:

• Working with people
• Handling insecure environments
• Strategic thinking
• Empowering and building trust
• Initiate action and change
• Analyzing.

What We Offer

• An opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause
• A chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields
• Grade 9 of NRC Salary Scale
• 12 months contract with possibility of extension