Resilience & Private Sector Engagement Program Manager at Oxfam

Location: Abuja with 70% of the time on travels to Adamawa, Kebbi and Taraba States
Internal Job Grade: C1- national
Contract type: 1 Year Fixed Term
Job Family: Program
Reporting to: Head of Programs
Annual Budget: €5-6 million annually

Job Purpose

• The jobholder will drive initiatives on resilience building (community capacity building on climate, conflict and economic related shocks) and private sector engagement (Value Chain) for Oxfam Nigeria. Oxfam implements two EU funded projects on resilience building in Northern Nigeria: Pro Resilience Action (PROACT) in Adamawa & Kebbi,  and Produce, Feed & Sell (PROSELL) in Taraba State.
• While spearheading all Oxfam resilience building and private sector engagement in Nigeria, the jobholder will primarily manage PROACT in Adamawa and Kebbi while providing oversight to PROSELL by ensuring that the best practices on PROACT are well documented and replicated in Taraba State. The jobholder is also expected to replicate the model across other States of Nigeria as well as West Africa Region.
• Oxfam Nigeria is embarking on the development of critical country strategy documents over the next several months. The Programme Manager – Resilience and Private Sector Engagement will provide oversight for all field level programme implementation thus deputising for the Head of Programs on these projects.
• The jobholder is also expected to turbocharge strengthening the relationship between Oxfam and  the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Federal Ministry of Environment and Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.

Dimensions
For Proact (65%):

• Coordination and delivery of agreed plans and strategies to achieve significant impact from PROACT project units and meet targets
• Establish and maintain effective partnerships with NGOs and government bodies to increase national resource mobilization and long-term sustainability for PROACT in Adamawa and Kebbi
• Work as part of the Program Management Team (PMT) in Nigeria and lead PROACT management team in the maintenance of existing and creation of new private sector partnerships
• Input into and influence long term vision on GROW campaign, inequality in the food system and World Influencing Network (WIN) in Nigeria
• Play an active role in campaign and advocacy through personal contacts and co-ordination of allies at national and occasionally regional level.
• Produce, assimilate, analyse and use project information from varied and diverse sources to provide in-depth analysis in the specific project unit or policy area.
• Represent Oxfam in coordination meetings and some external relationships in relation to the PROACT.
• Ensures that the notion of “women’s rights at the heart of our work” is present in all work s/he takes forward. Assess food security situation, designing, implementing and scaling up of Food Security and Livelihoods programs when acute emergencies are forecast as required.
• Working autonomously with significant financial, human resource, and representational responsibility.

FOR Prosell (35%):

• Lead on Oxfam Private Sector engagement strategy development
• Bringing expertise in at least two commodities value chains, the jobholder is expected to create new and/or transfer  existing private sector partnerships around relevant value chains in/to Taraba State
• Provides technical and strategic advisory services to PROSELL Manager on coordinating farmer mobilization, awareness creation at all levels, training of farmers in best agronomic practices, post-harvesting handling, and agriculture enterprise curriculum
• Advises PROSELL Manager on managing farmer-agribusiness company relationships, dissemination of improved technologies and new practices relevant to value chain actors such as buyers to improve competitiveness at farm level and the rest of the value chain.
• Advises PROSELL Manager on planning, implementation, and monitoring of commodity value chain specific activities as well as managing the work of short-term service providers

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Strategic leadership:

• Provide strategic analysis and direction through high quality advice, analysis of food security trends, and synthesis of learning from external sources and our programs to help the organisation make strategic program, policy and campaign choices.
• Keep up to date with national and regional trends in the area of resilient livelihoods, food security and agricultural value chain development in order to fully understand the context within which Oxfam operates (present and future).
• Support gathering and sharing of good practice within thematic groups that are integrating disaster risk reduction, social protection/safety nets and sustainable livelihoods approaches to work in areas of chronic poverty and inequality.
• Actively represent Oxfam in the Cadre Harmonise analysis, Food Security Cluster and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Federal Ministry of Environment policy engagement at the national level.
• Explore innovative strategies to plant millions of trees across Adamawa, Kebbi and Taraba States
• Facilitate capacity strengthening for teams on conflict sensitivity programming.
• Facilitate learning and contribute to knowledge management across our program, Oxfam International, and with partners and external organisations.

Programme management and implementation:

• As a member of the Programme Management Team (PMT), contribute to overall development of longer-term strategy and management of the Oxfam programme in Nigeria
• Ensure PROACT achieves its planned outcomes, and provide an effective framework for project work
• Anticipate and pro-actively share information within the Nigeria  and PROACT project teams and ensure that team members are coordinating effectively over activity planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning
• Ensure adherence to Oxfam quality standards and integration of best practice in livelihood programme in close liaison with Oxfam technical advisers, finance, MEAL and other support staff
• Ensure that PROSELL management information systems are maintained accurately and up to date
• Ensure delivery of PROSELL and PROACT project reports and donor reports to quality standards and deadlines
• Commission and supervise research or analysis to underpin programming and advocacy on rural livelihood and related areas
• Share information within region and to other Oxfam colleagues related to PROSELL and PROACT and advocacy issues in Nigeria
• Facilitate the implementation of counter-fraud, anti-aid diversion and safeguarding recommendations for operational excellence.
• Ensure adequate complaint and response mechanism is in place and functioning

Partnership management and external relationships:

• Work with the Head of Programs to design Oxfam Nigeria Private Sector Engagement Strategy
• Scan the private and public sector, CSOs and INGOs for viable partnerships
• Build and manage relationships and partnerships with producer organisations, NGOs, research institutions, private sector and other key stakeholders in the Agricultural and rural sectors in Nigeria.
• Provide and facilitate technical support, training and information to partners to enable them to effectively use Oxfam resources and best practices in project implementation
• Represent Oxfam in coordination meetings related to PROSELL/PROACT at the Federal level and some external relationships with donors and other key stakeholders

People management:

• Line manage PROACT project staffs in Adamawa and Kebbi State and PROSELL Project Manager in TARABA.
• Provide and facilitate technical support, training and information to PROACT project staff and partners to enable them to effectively use Oxfam resources as well as best practices in programme planning and implementation.
• Ensure that trainings on Oxfam Code of Conduct for staff and non-Oxfam staff involved in PROSELL/PROACT implementation is rolled out.

Financial management:

• Ensure that budgets are drawn up for all activities, and that costs are kept within budgets, doing a monthly budget monitoring (Budget Vs Actuals), quarterly analysis of trends and timely budget reallocation.
• Develop a supply plan and manage procurement in compliance with donor requirements and in relevance with time bound agricultural activities with minimum to zero waiver.

Fundraising:

• Constantly scanning the donor and private sector landscape for opportunities
• Prepare capacity statements, concept notes and project proposals ensuring they are aimed at achieving resilient income and food security for small holder farmers especially women and youth
• Ensure that proposals developed for specific calls are in line with co-financing targets and priorities of the PROACT project.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, mid-term and annual reports to be submitted to Oxfam and existing as well as potential donors.

Persons’ Specification
Education
Essential:

• Master’s degree in Agriculture, Agri-economics, Ffood Security, Climate Change or a related field of study

Knowledge & Experience:

• 8-10 years of field experience in food security, agriculture, and resilient livelihoods, including experience in emergency response and recovery following natural disaster and social protection/safety nets.
• Minimum of 8 years “hands-on” working experience of managing development programmes; 3 years of managing livelihoods and agricultural projects including ability to integrate private sector, rural financial management and nutrition components especially within an NGO setting in a coordinating capacity.
• A minimum of 2 years leadership experience in an international organisation providing oversight for teams.
• Knowledge of market-based agriculture especially the value chain approach, rural financial services and promotional nutrition interventions
• Excellent knowledge of the political economy in Nigeria, politically astute, with a good understanding of key external organisations, how they operate and make decisions, and the country development context
• Experience in budgeting, budget monitoring and expenditure forecasting.
• Demonstrated experience of integrating Gender and Diversity issues in market based rural agricultural sector
• Demonstrable experience of working with and managing local Civil Society partners, donor funding management and reporting

Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent analytical and critical thinking ability.
• Strong skills in market based agricultural models and value chain approach from smallholder farmers’ perspective
• Commitment to and knowledge of working with partner-led operational approaches, developing and supporting partner organisations to achieve direct impact and results relating to the programme objectives
• High levels of strategic and people management skills, able to support and mentor teams in their professional and personal growth and use a variety of strategies and approaches to motivate teams
• Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English, with high impact influencing and persuasive skills an able to represent Oxfam to donors and external institutions
• Experience and ability to work well in, manage and lead large project teams and steer them to achieve and deliver results.
• Ability to work effectively with others persuading, influencing, negotiating and supporting, following as required in order to achieve targets
• Ability to manage competing tasks; ability to prioritise and produce high level output consistently.
• Strong analytical skills and experience using a computerised information management system (Ms. Word, Excel etc.)
• Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting women’s rights and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work
• Understanding of and commitment to Oxfam’s One Program Approach (linking humanitarian, development & influencing work)

Key Behavioural Competencies:

• Decisiveness: We are comfortable to make transparent decisions and to adapt decision making modes to the context and needs.
• Influencing: We have the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organization We spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities, we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.
• Humility: We put ‘we’ before ‘me’ and place an emphasis on the power of the collective, nurture the team and play to the strengths of each individual. We are not concerned with hierarchical power, and we engage with, trust and value the knowledge and expertise of others across all levels of the organization.
• Relationship Building: We understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. We have the ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organization.
• Listening: We are good listeners who can see where deeper levels of thoughts and tacit assumptions differ. Our messages to others are clear and consider different preferences.
• Mutual Accountability: We can explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our organizational values.  We are ready to be held to account for what we do and how we behave, as we are also holding others to account in a consistent manner.
• Agility, Complexity, and Ambiguity:  We scan the environment, anticipate changes, are comfortable with lack of clarity and deal with a large number of elements interacting in diverse and unpredictable ways.
• Systems Thinking: We view problems as parts of an overall system and in their relation to the whole system, rather than reacting to a specific part, outcome or event in isolation. We focus on cyclical rather than linear cause and effect. By consistently practicing systems thinking we are aware of and manage well unintended consequences of organizational decisions and actions.
• Strategic Thinking and Judgment: We use judgment, weighing risk against the imperative to act. We make decisions consistent with organizational strategies and values.
• Vision Setting: We have the ability to identify and lead visionary initiatives that are beneficial for our organization and we set high-level direction through a visioning process that engages the organization and diverse external stakeholders.
• Self-Awareness: We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.
• Enabling: We all work to effectively empower and enable others to deliver the organizations goals through creating conditions of success. We passionately invest in others by developing their careers, not only their skills for the job.  We provide freedom; demonstrate belief and trust provide appropriate support.