Project Coordinator at Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA)

ALIMA in Nigeria

• The humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s northeast and the Lake Chad region is one of the most severe ongoing crises in the world, now entering in its ninth year and shows no sign of abating.
• In 2021, at least 8.7 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in the worst affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. Up to 5.1 million people risk being critically food insecure during the next lean season (June - August 2021), a level similar to 2016-2017 when famine was looming over Borno State.
• Nigeria is now facing a second wave of COVID-19 infections. Borno, Adamawa, Yobe states have recorded new cases. Aid actors are intensifying actions and prevention measures.
• Despite challenges including humanitarian space reduction, aid workers had already provided around 5 million people with life-saving assistance in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in 2020.
• Conflict, explosive remnants of war and insecurity have cut people off from their main means of livelihoods-farming and fishing. This causes major food insecurity in north-east Nigeria, which COVID-19’s effects on incomes have exacerbated: despite good crop yields, food insecurity is rising.
• Findings of the October2020 Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis projected that about 5.1 million people in the three states will be food-insecure in the lean season between June and August 2021 – a 19% and 34% increase on the 2020 (after COVID-19 June CH Update) and 2019 figures respectively.
• According to the Nutrition and Food Security Surveillance Round 9, conducted in October 2020, the level of acute malnutrition increased in all the three states compared to 2019. Global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates of 10.7% were recorded in Borno, 7.5% in Adamawa and 13.6% in Yobe.
• According to the survey, several LGAs had high pockets of global acute malnutrition of above the 15% threshold (emergency phase), including Gubio, Magumeri, Mobbar and Bayo in Borno State and all LGAs in northern Yobe. Movement restrictions and insecurity continue to hamper the ability of IDPs, returnees and the host communities to access basic services, livelihoods, and land for farming and grazing. This means that more people will rely on humanitarian aid to survive in 2021.
• In 2017, ALIMA continued to implement projects in Muna Garage in Jere LGA, where ALIMA performs general consultations for children under 5 and provides Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) to pregnant and lactating women (antenatal and postnatal consultations).
• An Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Program (OTP) is also available for children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the clinic, where women and caretakers are trained to screen their children for malnutrition using the MUAC tape.
• In Maiduguri MC, where ALIMA is working in partnership with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), the Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center (ITFC) manages children under 5 suffering from SAM with medical complications in a 50-bed capacity building.
• In December 2020, ALIMA conducted a needs assessment survey in the north of Yobe where a high level of acute malnutrition was recorded by nutrition sector. The results of this survey prompted ALIMA to open a nutrition and health project covering the Kasasuwa LGA, one of the most affected LGAs and where there was a gap. This project started in May 2021 and fund by ECHO aim to support Karasuwa health facilities and improve access to nutrition and health services including pediatrics healthcare and reproductive health.
• ALIMA also support COVID-19 vaccination in Borno and Yobe with focus on most vulnerables.
• In parallel ALIMA is opening an emergency nutrition project in Katsina state and is present is Owo state since 2018 for Lassa fever response and research.

Post Typology:
Mission Location:

• Project Coordinator - Mission Location: Nigeria, Gashua, Yobe State
• Project: North Yobe and support to Covid 19 vaccination (Damaturu, Yusufari, Gashua and Jajimaji).

Management Lines
Line Manager:

• Head of Mission

Line Management:

• 1 Medical Referent
• 1 Nurse activity Manager
• 1 Admin Supervisor
• 1 Logistic Supervisor

Protection of Beneficiaries and Community Members:

• Level 3: As part of his/her duties, the job holder will visit programs and come into contact with children and/or vulnerable adults. Therefore, a criminal record check or a certificate of good conduct will be required. In situations where the impossibility of providing a criminal record or a certificate of good conduct is found, a declaration of honor will be requested.

Mission and Main Activities

• The Project Coordinator is responsible for ALIMA operational response in the Project. In close collaboration with the mission coordination team, define and plan the Project objectives and priorities, identifying population’s health and humanitarian needs, analyzing the context and the humanitarian issues at stake, the risks and constraints and calculating human and financial needs. Coordinate, in close collaboration with the Head of Mission, its implementation in order to efficiently ensure the goals as well as to improve targeted population’s health conditions and humanitarian situation.

Major Responsibilities

• Supervise the political and humanitarian situation in the project’s area in order to ensure that ALIMA's charter, policies and image are respected with regards to national employees, populations, authorities and partners
• Together with the project team, evaluate needs by identifying the population’s health status, by analysing the context (environment, actors involved, negotiations for access etc.) and associated risks and constraints in order to define priorities and projects goals and to calculate material, human and financial resources needed
• Together with the project team and the Head of Mission monitor the security situation in the area of intervention, propose security guidelines and guarantee their implementation in order to ensure the security if the project team.
• Propose and carry out exploratory missions, according to Head of Mission’s indications, in order to better comprehend context, priorities, constraints and population needs
• Ensure a data collection and epidemiological surveillance system, in agreement with the Medical Coordinator, in order to define medical and technical programs and preventive protocols for the targeted population
• Steer and supervise the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project in collaboration with the project team and according to the internal and donor indicators in order to evaluate the level of achievement of the project objectives.
• Provide reporting to the coordination team on project’s evolution and propose corrections if needed
• Elaborate the Project’s institutional memory, keeping written records (and file them) on its development, in order to broadcast ALIMA achievements and improve awareness
• In coordination with the Administration Manager and Activity Managers, plan and organise the organizational charts, plan and distribute tasks and workload among the teams, guiding their understanding of the issues linked to the Project and the Mission through regular working meetings and feedback, in order to ensure an efficient deployment of the resources and the achievement of the expected goals
• Inform the field team on the instructions given by the mission coordination promoting fluent, smooth written and oral communication and information flow and ensuring confidentiality and full compliance with security rules and medical ethics
• Supervise full implementation of safety and health protocols, reporting the Medical Coordination on risky behaviors’, in order to ensure safe working conditions for the project staff
• Be responsible of the proper application of HR policies and associated processes (recruitment, training, briefing/debriefing, evaluation, potential, detection, staff’s development and internal communication) in order to ensure both the sizing and the amount of knowledge required for the activities he/she is accountable for
• In coordination with the Administration Manager and Activity Managers, identify training needs, provide individual follow up and coaching, carry out end of mission evaluation of the team members and lead internal communication initiatives in order to facilitate people’s integration and professional development and to maximize their capabilities and commitment to ALIMA values and project’s goals.
• Supervise the project material resources put at ALIMA’s disposition in order to ensure correct use and its longevity.
• Supervise all orders (medical and logistical) and the Project’s purchases as well as the financial indicators, with the support of the coordination, in order ensure efficiency and early detect deviations and its causes.
• Implementation of prevention measures against abuse of power, gender-based and sexual violence:
  • Ensures that his/her team, partners and community members are aware of ALIMA's policy and have access to information (complaint escalation mechanism, focal point...).
  • Facilitates the organization of training and awareness sessions
  • Implements standards related to the prevention of abuse of power, gender-based violence and sexual violence.
  • Ensures that team members and partners involved in the project (Ministry of Health, national partners, etc.) follow training and awareness sessions and apply the rules for preventing abuse.
  • Contributes to creating and maintaining a nurturing and protective environment for his/her team, community members and project partners. 

Experience and Skills

• University Degree or diploma/degree desirable.
• Strong experience in security management and networking.
• Previous experience in humanitarian aid
• Experiences with international medical NGOs & experience in project management desirable.
• Management skills (desirable)
• Essential computer literacy (word, excel and internet)
• English essential, local language is an asset (Hausa, Kanuri…). Speaking French is an asset
• Essential, computer literacy (word, excel, internet)
• Strong communication skills
• Negotiation skills
• Strong interpersonal skills, teamwork.
• Flexible, patient and adaptable to a changing environments
• Ability to work under pressure with numerous deadlines, etc.

Salary
Depending on experience + per diem.

ALIMA pays for:

• Travel costs between the expatriate’s country of origin and the mission location
• Accommodation costs
• Medical cover from the first day of the contract to a month after the date of departure from the mission country for the employee
• Evacuation of the employee.