Project Officer Livestock/Aquaculture/Aquaculture at Concern for Women and Children Development Foundation (COWACDI)

Qualification:                B.Sc./HND.

Experience:                   3 years

Vacancy:                       1

Contract Duration:       10 Months

 Start Date:                   ASAP

Role purpose

The Project Officer Livestock/Aquaculture will be responsible for designing and implementing all project activities in the target communities both directly and indirectly through training/mentoring of project community volunteers and Program Assistants Livestock/Aquaculture, linking up with BOSADP, other NGOs and private sector actors at the community level.

The role shall provide community project supervision, promote and value participatory approaches at the community level throughout the projects’ cycle, awareness-raising and sensitisation, and all related program activities, Pre and Post Livestock/Aquaculture activities Monitoring of Livestock/Aquaculture activities as well as monitoring and evaluation under the direct supervision of the Project Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate initial community entry activities, mapping, and assessments.
• Manage the community project plans and make recommendations for approval of community project Livestock/Aquaculture activities.
• Organize and initiate training of beneficiaries of Livestock/Aquaculture management.
• Facilitate surveys related to Livestock/Aquaculture interventions in communities.
• Prepare action plans and provide direct support to beneficiaries through visits, in line with the action plans, etc.
• Initiate/facilitate links and referrals relationships between the beneficiaries and community groups and local sources of support.
• Ensure all documentation, reports, and records on Livestock/Aquaculture activities from the community are maintained per agreed procedure, and information is provided on community activities as required.
• Co-facilitate step-down trainings on Livestock/Aquaculture activities with beneficiaries and community groups on various topics, as outlined in the implementation plan.
• Support beneficiaries and community groups to conduct assessments/project on Livestock/Aquaculture activities to all special women in the communities.
• Work on relevant Livestock/Aquaculture value chain actors and their service providers.
• Support activities on community disaster risk reduction, famer field schools, asset transfer and revolving fund management, community-based saving and lending groups opportunities
• Ensure data collection of Livestock/Aquaculture activities under technical guidance of the M&E officer.
• To respond to ever changing demands within the environment, COWACDI operates within an agile framework (both in workforce and operational) that requires from all employees, a high level of responsiveness and adaptiveness to processes and structures making flexibility and a project based working approach the norm. To sustain this system, managers may/will agree further details of specific tasks and duties as part of the performance agreement. Any reasonable duty may be assigned that is consistent with the nature of the job and its level of responsibility, and employees may be required to change the focus of their role from time to time.

APPLIED SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE

Essential Requirement

Some of the essential skills required are:

• Level of Education –Degree, in Vet Medicine, Animal production, health, science and any relevant field with at least 3 years’ experience
• Must have substantial experience in implementing community-level development projects, using participatory engagement and grassroots mobilization techniques.
• Experience working on Livestock/Aquaculture value chain actors and their service providers (Private BDS providers)
• Sound experience working on disaster risk reduction, farmer field schools, asset transfer and revolving fund management, community-based saving, and lending groups.
• Excellent training and facilitation skills with a wide variety of groups having diverse experiences, backgrounds, skills, and education levels.
• Experience in handling grants to local groups, ensuring appropriate basic documentation and accountability at the community/field level.
• Excellent verbal communication and listening skills.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft word, excel, power point.
• Language Requirements: Spoken English-Excellent; Written English-Good (ability to type and prepare reports and other documents as needed.)
• Must be able to speak at least one local language predominant in that state (Kanuri and Hausa).

ROLE REQUIREMENT

Build partnerships.

• Take on different work when necessary to achieve a team or organisational goal.
• Actively consult with others to ensure you understand their needs or goals.
• Listen to and take on board fresh perspectives and views even if you initially disagree with them.
• Maintain on-going relationships with individuals and contacts through networks, based on mutual rapport and respect.

Communicate effectively.

• Make complex things simple for the benefit of others.
• Actively listen and question to check your understanding and draw out others when they are not expressing themselves clearly or seem to be holding back.
• Be sensitive to what others may be feeling, based on what they say, how they say it and their non-verbal behaviour, adapting your style and approach to fit.
• Address difficult issues when they arise, being honest and open.

Steward resources

• Implement ways to reduce the inefficient use of resources or pass the ideas on to someone who can make them happen.
• Estimate the resources needed to achieve your own work plans or objectives and to deliver them in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
• Set and communicate realistic timelines for achieving tasks, working out how best to adapt as priorities change or unforeseen circumstances arise.

Deliver results.

• Prioritise, plan, and monitor own work to meet own and team deliverables to agreed performance or quality standards.
• Acknowledge others’ priorities whilst being prepared to say “no” if there are genuine reasons why their needs cannot be met.
• Use logical processes and relevant tools and techniques to report on information or analyse options.
• Make timely and considered recommendations or decisions based on analysis of available data, information and evidence.

Realise potential.

• Evaluate your own work and actively address gaps in knowledge and skills, without prompting.
• Recognise how you react to feedback and manage reactions positively, acting on specific feedback from others.
• Share your knowledge where it will help others to be more effective.
• Provide instruction, constructive feedback and guidance to others to help them learn.
• Strive for improvement.
• Constructively challenge existing practice.
• Seek better ways of doing things, considering the possible implications.
• Make positive suggestions on a way forward when faced with challenges even if these falls outside own scope of work.
• Look inside and outside COWACDI for new ideas and evaluate them for own work

Analytical skills

• The post holder is expected to work on complex issues in Livestock/Aquacultures and livelihood in general.  Problems and issues, risks and benefits may have implications across several project components. 
• The post holder is required to develop new ways of doing things to better meet program goals requiring creative or analytical ability. 

Decision making

• Budgetary/savings responsibility: Make decisions day-to-day decisions which ensure that all Livestock/Aquaculture activities are implemented in a very highly effective and efficient manner.
• Required to make significant decisions on programme work in the field with special focus on Livestock/Aquaculture based on project requirement and COWACDI’s strategic direction.
• Leads project team and ensures the team is effectively managed.
• Support the Project Manager on project budget tracking in relation to Livestock/Aquaculture and other tasks assigned.

Desirable

• Involvement in relevant value chain projects, and/or those involving vulnerable people, especially those with asset/cash transfer components and/or interventions.
• Experience in engaging directly with vulnerable people, facilitating women activities and/or facilitating vulnerable people’s participation in meetings, discussions, etc.
• Involvement in projects and/or initiatives that address issues of power, diversity, exclusion, participation, and gender.
• Ability to multi-task, engage in long-term planning, meet deadlines, and handles last-minute demands; exercise patience, and adapt to changing circumstances.

Relationships

• External: Build strong relationships with partners, networks, donors, stakeholders, and community beneficiaries
• Internal: Build a strong relationship with program departments, MEAL officers, program managers, M&E units, and all staff.