Senior Project Officer at International Alert

SLOT:  - Two Positions

The Senior Project Officer will lead the planning, coordination, effective implementation, and monitoring of International Alert’s peacebuilding, governance, and climate change project in Benue or Sokoto State. He or she will ensure the day-to-day tracking/monitoring of project progress. technical support to implementing partners and other stakeholders, support in maintaining good working relations with local partners, donor and the relevant stakeholders and overall contribute to wider organisational goals within Alert.

The role is critical to ensuring high-quality project delivery, effective stakeholder engagement, compliance with donor requirements, and alignment with International Alert’s strategic objectives. The post holder will also oversee and support the work of local implementation partners.

Duties and Responsibilities

Effective implementation of project activities 

• Ensuring project strategies and activities are implemented in full compliance with the project document in collaboration with the partner under the guidance of the Project Manager.
• These will include to organize project activities and preparation of both narrative reports and expense justifications, review partners’ narrative reports, preparation and compiling case studies and stories of changes for dissemination and learning.
• Supporting all communications and outreach/field activities with focal points (staff from project partners) whenever necessary.
• Preparing and updating joint work plans between International Alert and partners, progress reports as well as other reports as may be required by the organization.
• Support in preparing analytical reviews and systematically capturing lessons learnt from the project implementation; identifying follow-up actions and provide substantial assistance in design of project documents.
• Preparation and compiling case studies and stories of changes for dissemination and learning.
• Support implementing partners to engage with government stakeholders at state and community level throughout the project implementation. 

Compliance and Partnership Coordination

• Ensure partners comply with Alert’s and donors’ administrative, financial, and logistical procedures, as well as relevant Nigerian laws.
• Coordinate activities using a participatory, community-driven approach to ensure meaningful engagement and sustainable results.
• Contribute to the design and adaptation of project strategies and activities to ensure they are conflict-sensitive and gender-responsive.

Day-to-day tracking/monitoring of project progress

• Supporting the development of action plans and work plans.
• Supporting in designing and implementing project monitoring plans and tools, to ensure the project outcomes are tracked and achieved on time, to quality standards and within agreed scope, in line with Alert’s project management systems.
• Track, monitor and report the project progress against project milestones and activities, against scheduled work plans and overall project objectives. 
• Source, collate and compile data and information to identify emerging issues to inform decision making.
• Providing technical support to Monitoring and Evaluation systems and processes of International Alert.
• Participating in project monitoring and evaluation exercises and draft reports.
• Identifies and recommends remedial measures to address problems in project implementation.
• Monitor project expenditures and ensure timely preparation and submission of fund requests.
• Collaborate with the finance team to review spending and develop budget realignments when necessary.
• Maintain a well-organized project filing system, ensuring effective documentation of project activities, M&E data, and meeting records.
• Ensure efficient and timely use of project resources in line with annual and quarterly work plans.

Technical support to implementing partners 

• Support partner and community structures to developing and/or adapting tools for data collection to be used in the M&E Framework. 
• Support in the capacity building of local partner and community structures on monitoring and evaluation data collection and analysis procedures and tools.
• Support in maintaining good working relations with local partner, donor and the relevant stakeholders. 
• Build positive working relationships with local partners and stakeholders and maintaining regular communication.

Contributing to wider organisational goals within Alert

• As part of the country programme team, promote conditions for effective teamwork and commitment to Alert’s values and operating principles.
• Ensure proper implementation of all relevant Alert finance, admin, security and HR policies, in close coordination with the Nigeria finance/ admin staff as well as Alert’s Africa Programme Finance and business partner.
• Perform any other tasks as may be reasonably required.

Travel requirements

This role is based in Benue and Sokoto State with frequent travel to project locations, including hard-to-reach areas.

Essential requirements

• Bachelor ’s degree level in development studies, peace and conflict transformation studies , project management or related social science field
• 7 years’ experience of project management at an NGO, with including ability to collate, analyse and report data in a clear and coherent manner and activity budget development.
• Proven experience implementing peacebuilding programmes in northern Nigeria.
• Demonstrated knowledge of community-based approaches to peacebuilding, governance, and climate change.
• Strong experience in stakeholder engagement and partner coordination.
• Excellent writing, editing, and report-writing skills.
• Strong organisational and time management abilities, with a proven capacity to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Deep understanding of the political, social, and economic context of peacebuilding and governance in Nigeria.
• Willingness and ability to travel to remote and potentially insecure areas
• Proven ability to build strong working relationships.
• Fluency in written and spoken English,
• Excellent interpersonal skills including sensitivity in cross cultural communications.
• Committed to International Alert organisational values and goals.
• Highly computer literate especially in using Word, PPT and Excel.
• Team Player and Able to work with minimum supervision.