NIGERIA – Food Security Livelihood Coordinator at Solidarites International

Desired start date: ASAP**
Duration of the mission: Until end of December 2020, high possibility of extension
**Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria, with regular visits on the field

Nigeria has been going through an acute political and military crisis for years, which has affected millions of lives. Solidarités International (SI) has been answering the needs of displaced populations, as well as host communities in the Borno State for almost 4 years. The targeted areas of intervention are WASH, shelter, logistics, food security and livelihood. 7 programs are currently running:

• Multi-sectorial project over 3 years in Monguno, Ngala, Askira/Uba and Hawul
• Logistic Platform project in Monguno
• Emergency WASH and Shelter response on all 4 Borno bases
• Emergency WASH in Health in Maiduguri and Monguno
• Emergency WASH in Maiduguri, Monguno and Dikwa
• WASH response for vulnerable IDPs and host communities in Dikwa
• Emergency WASH response for new onset manmade disaster in Ngala

To learn more about what we do in Nigeria, please click here.

More than 220 people (approx. 200 Nigerian staff and 20 international staff) are working on the Nigeria mission today. They are operating from 5 different locations:

• Liaison office: Abuja.
• Coordination office: Maiduguri.
• Operational bases: Maiduguri, Monguno, NGala and Dikwa.

The mission has a forecasted budget of more than EUR 11M. Europaid, ECHO, OFDA, CDC and the UN (NHF, WFP) currently fund it. SI is confident in the mission’s potential to grow in the upcoming years.

You’ll join one of the last humanitarian actors still operating in the area – thus remaining faithful to its mission: taking aid further.

ABOUT THE JOB

WHY WE NEED YOU

At SI, a FSL Coordinator is the Head of FSL Department. You will thus:

• Be the lead on the FSL strategy for the mission
• Guarantee the relevancy and the quality of the FSL projects and activities
• Proactively attend meetings with external bodies
• Manage your team: provide supervision, guidance, capacity building.

More specifically, you will be helping over 16 000 beneficiaries by overseeing the following:

• Distribution of food vouchers during lean season
• Income generating activities (kits distribution and training)
• Livestock distribution (sheeps and goats)
• Seeds and tools distribution to restart agricultural activities

You will be based in Maiduguri, and will be directly coordinating activities in two different areas: Monguno and Ngala. As a consequence, the job involves remote management, as well as regular visits to the field bases when relevant and allowed.

The FSL activities fall under a multi-sectorial project funded by EuropeAid. This project is planned over 3 years and has started in January 2018. SI is working in consortium with ALIMA who is lead on the partnership.

Please note that this is an expatriate position.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Ensure that the objectives defined in the proposal are met
• Guarantee the quality of the implemented program and suggests adjustments or developments to insure its relevance if applicable
• Represent SI in the Coordination Mechanism linked to the project, and coordinating with the other partners to ensure the relevancy of the project
• Be in charge of proposal development, reporting and communication
• Be responsible for coordination, assessment and development of FSL strategy
• Be the FSL technical advisor for the mission

THE MAIN CHALLENGES OF THIS POSITION

• There have been major HR gaps in the FSL department
• Participation in the strategic orientation of SI in the country and support the identification of uncovered needs and provision of risk analyses
• Support the harmonization of programmatic tools and guidelines across the teams and the bases
• Ensure strong external coordination with our consortium partner (ALIMA) and with E.U partners
• Facilitate the coordination with the authorities (3R Commissioner and Technical Line ministries)
• Enhance collaboration with MEAL & WASH departments as well as other departments
• Support strategic orientation for a smooth transitioning between emergency and post-crises context
• Support and define the reorientation of the project when necessary using the flexibility clause

PRIORITIES FOR THE 2/3 FIRST MONTHS

• Support the consolidation, definition or redefinition of operational strategy and modality of intervention through the form of comprehensive guideline and/or activity sheets
• Consolidate the approach and strategy for the targeting of new area of implementation and review the appropriateness of beneficiaries’ coverage per area and per activities.
• Follow-up SI coordination with line ministries and facilitate with ALIMA the coordination with the 3R
• Support and follow up the reorientation of some activities/location

YOUR PROFILE

Main skills needed

• University diploma in an FSL-related sector / discipline
• At least 2 years of experience as a Head of FSL department
• Strong experience of project cycle management,
• Good knowledge about cash based programs
• Ability to develop a strong understanding of the context and to make the project adaptive to the context evolution
• Experience in remote management
• Experience in volatile security contexts
• Ability and willingness to handle a high workload under pressure
• Fluent in English

Previous experience with SI is a plus, as well as a previous experience on early recovery and multi-sectorial project.

Do not apply if…

• You do not have the following: diplomatic skills, patience, perseverance / endurance, intercultural skills.
• You are scared when you hear the words “donors”, “external partners”, “capacity building”.
• You are not comfortable with processes, remote management, HQ involvement.
• You don’t like working in a fast paced-environment, you are not field-oriented or do not have a hands-on mentality.

SI WILL OFFER YOU

Salaried position
Salary: According to experience, starting from EUR 2640 gross per month (EUR 2400 base salary + 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly)

Monthly Per Diem: USD 600

SI covers accommodation costs and travel expenses between the expatriate’s country of residence and the mission.

Break policy

• 1 break of 7 working days every 3 months + USD 850 allowance (for each break).
• 1 day off per worked month.

Possibility to spend a weekend to Abuja every 6 weeks, on demand, and if allowed by context. Ticket paid by SI.

These days off, as well as the breaks, are not deducted from the paid leaves that are paid every months with your salary: they are offered by SI.

Social and medical cover:
Expatriates benefit from an insurance package which reimburses all healthcare expenses (including medical and surgical expenses, dental care and ophthalmological expenses, repatriation) and a welfare system including war risks. Essential vaccination and antimalarial treatment costs are refunded.

LIVING CONDITIONS

The FSL Co lives in SI’s compound – guest house (GH) with the other international staff. He/she has private room and shares the bathroom and the kitchen. The GH is next to the office and located in a residential area.

The expatriates are from different backgrounds and nationalities. They are hard-workers, highly involved in their jobs, but they are united and work well together. They also enjoy spending time together on a regular basis.

Despite the current political and humanitarian context in Borno state, Maiduguri provide proper living conditions. Electricity is available at the office and at the GH (except a small period during the night), communication and internet are available, either on the SI provided network or the 4G network. All essential goods (food, hygiene etc..) can be bought locally in the small shops around the office, or in the pre-validated supermarket. There is a dense social life in Maiduguri, and visits to other NGOs are possible, as well as some pre-validated places.

The constraints related to security do exist (movement restrictions, curfew at 9:30PM.), but they are bearable, as they allow personal activities. However, please note that the security constraints are more important when it comes to field deployments outside Maiduguri: stricter rules have to apply