Job Openings at Finpact Development Foundation (FINDEF)

Position Summary:

S/He is responsible for providing strategic leadership, oversight, and management of all project activities. This individual ensures the project's alignment with donor requirements, driving efforts to combat child marriage, enhance girls’ education, and promote gender empowerment in line with the project's goals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic direction and leadership for the project, ensuring all activities contribute effectively to the overarching objectives of empowering adolescent girls and combating gender-based violence and child marriage.
• Oversee the development and implementation of the project's strategy and work plans.
• Monitor project progress against key performance indicators, making data-informed adjustments to strategy and implementation as necessary.
• Oversee the planning, implementation, and delivery of all program activities, ensuring they align with the project’s goals and timeline.
• Manage the field operations team, ensuring effective coordination and support for activities at the community level.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including community leaders, government officials and partner organizations, to ensure their active involvement and support for the program.
• Lead the preparation of program reports, documenting progress, challenges, and lessons learned for internal and external audiences, including donors and stakeholders.
• Lead risk management efforts, identifying potential challenges to project success and developing mitigation strategies.
• Facilitate capacity building and professional development opportunities for program staff to enhance their skills and effectiveness.
• Participate in strategic planning and review meetings, contributing to the continuous improvement and adaptation of program strategies based on emerging trends, needs, and best practices.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher in International Development, Education, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of experience in program management, ideally within the fields of child protection, gender empowerment, or education in Nothern Nigeria, with a preference for experience in Northwest Nigeria.
• Demonstrated experience in managing projects, preferably in Northwest Nigeria or similar contexts, with a proven track record of achieving results.
• Strong understanding of the socio-cultural, economic, and political context of Northwest Nigeria and the challenges faced by adolescent girls in the region.
• Strong leadership and team management skills, with a proven track record of motivating staff to achieve high performance.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to adapt strategies in response to changing circumstances.
• Fluency in English and Hausa, with proficiency in local languages considered a strong asset.
• Commitment to gender equality, child protection, and the empowerment of adolescent girls.

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Position Summary:

The Child Protection Officer is responsible for developing community-based child protection strategies, enhancing local capacities to prevent and respond to violence against adolescent girls, and collaborating with stakeholders to strengthen protection mechanisms.

 Key Responsibilities:

• Implement child protection strategies tailored to the needs of adolescent girls.
• Strengthen community-based child protection structures to identify, report, respond, and refer cases of abuse and violence.
• Lead capacity-building initiatives for community-based groups, focusing on child protection mechanisms and interventions.
• Support the education team to improve the physical and emotional safety of children, supporting safe learning environments.
• Collaborate with government, NGOs, and community leaders to integrate child protection efforts with wider community development and education initiatives.
• Equip girls and boys in the community with the skills and experiences vital to making balanced, strategic life choices as well as promote the safety, prevention of and response to violence against children in schools and communities.
• Ensure that quality child protection services are provided to the population served by the project.
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of child protection interventions, providing regular reports and insights to improve program effectiveness.
• Participate in child protection programme meetings, including programme development and contingency planning discussions on emergency preparedness in the community or other locations designated, to provide technical and operational information, advice and support.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Psychology, International Development, Social Work or a related field.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in child protection programs, preferably in Northwest Nigeria or similar contexts.
• Deep understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics affecting child protection and gender-based violence in the target regions.
• Proven ability to develop and facilitate training and capacity-building programs.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and writing skills.
• Fluency in English and Hausa, with proficiency in local languages considered a strong asset.

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Position Summary:

The Education Officer leads the development and implementation of educational interventions aimed at reducing school dropouts among adolescent girls and supporting their transition to secondary education and vocational training.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement educational programs that support the retention of girls in schools and facilitate their progression to higher education levels.
• Collaborate with local education authorities and schools to implement girl-friendly educational practices.
• Support alternative learning pathways for out-of-school adolescent girls, including vocational and skills training programs.
• Engage with community leaders and families to advocate for girls education and address barriers to school attendance.
• Strengthen civil society and other external engagement by working closely with advocacy and child protection colleagues.
• Ensure that the diverse voices of children – girls and boys – are equitably heard and represented in our education work.
• Oversee and provide technical solutions to speed up the implementation and budget performance of Education activities in line with the project plan and budget.
• Provision of regular operations and implementation updates to the Program Manager on project progress and challenges to allow for timely interventions and corrective actions by management.
• Ensure the timely reviews and adjustments for the project operational and implementation plan and budget as may be required from time to time.
• Effectively support in MEAL activities such as mapping exercises, surveys, needs assessments, baseline, midline and endline assessments and evaluation studies, and putting in place a functional activity tracking table.
• Work with the Child Protection & Safeguarding officers to ensure that all education activities have a safeguarding risk assessment and mitigation measure in place.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Education or related fields.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in designing and implementing education programs, with a focus on gender equality and empowering girls.
• Knowledge of the Nigerian education system, particularly in Northwest Nigeria.
• Experience in curriculum development and teacher training preferred.
• Strong analytical, communication, and project management skills. Fluency in English and Hausa, with proficiency in local languages considered a strong asset.
• Good knowledge and understanding of DO NO HARM principles and established international child protection standards.
• Previous experience directly providing services to children at risk and victims of abuse, exploitation, and violence.

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Position Summary:

The Gender and Protection Officer is tasked with leading initiatives to address and transform harmful gender norms that contribute to child marriage and gender-based violence, focusing on engaging boys and men as allies in gender equality.

Key Responsibilities:

• Implement strategies to challenge and change harmful gender norms within communities.
• Facilitate the formation and support of "He for She" groups to promote male engagement in gender equality efforts.
• Work with adolescent girls' groups to strengthen their understanding of gender rights and empowerment.
• Conduct community awareness campaigns on the importance of gender equality and the harmful impacts of child marriage.
• Collaborate with other project team members to ensure a gender-sensitive approach across all project activities.
• Monitor and document GBV and PSEA related trends, as they pertain to our work and take appropriate action.
• Document and update the management regularly with trend analysis, best practice and research on protection principles and programming. 
• Identify gaps and regularly inform on new regulations, plans, strategies and relevant interventions and its impact on women and girls.
• Ensure that target girls with protection concern accessing education services are identified and receive support by ensuring standard tools and procedures are in place and adhered to by team members to protect them from being harmed.
• Mainstream, manage, provide training and technical support to, and build the capacity of the full project team.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Sociology or related fields.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in gender programming and advocacy, with a strong focus on community-level interventions.
• Demonstrated understanding of the cultural context and gender dynamics in Northwest Nigeria.
• Experience in designing and facilitating community engagement and mobilization activities.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and analytical skills. Fluency in English and Hausa, with proficiency in local languages considered a strong asset.
• A clear understanding of rights and protection issues including solid experience working with vulnerable communities.
• Awareness and demonstrable knowledge of how SGBV manifests in humanitarian settings and ability to describe context-specific prevention and response actions.

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Position Summary: 

The role holder stands at the frontline engaging directly with communities to facilitate the formation and support of adolescent girls' groups, "He for She" groups, and community-based child protection structures. S/he will be responsible for raising awareness, mobilizing community action, and ensuring active participation of community members in project activities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct community outreach and sensitization activities to promote project goals and engage community members, particularly focusing on adolescent girls and boys.
• Facilitate the formation of adolescent girls’ groups and "He for She" groups, providing ongoing support and guidance.
• Work closely with local leaders and community-based organizations to strengthen child protection mechanisms and support gender norm change initiatives.
• Liaise with community leaders and households to introduce program activities and encourage community involvement in program implementation and monitoring.
• Respond and adjust to a flexible activity scheduling, logistical constraints related to public space management, or social dynamics involving the community and its expectations.
• Gather feedback from the community on project interventions and outcomes, contributing to the monitoring and evaluation process.
• Assist in organizing and conducting local events, workshops, and meetings to further project objectives.
• Collaborate with different departments such as Gender & Protection, Education, MEAL, finance, logistics and procurement to achieve planned activities.
• Prepare and support outreach activities in collaboration with the Programs Team.
• Prepare weekly and monthly work plan for community mobilization and related activities.
• Identify lessons learned from the day-to-day activities and prepare them for communication, dissemination and documentation purposes.

Qualifications:

• Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in Community Development, Sociology, or related field.
• Proven experience in community mobilization and engagement, preferably in gender-sensitive programming.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills. Fluency in English and Hausa, with proficiency in local languages considered a strong asset.
• Ability to work flexibly and respond to changing project and community needs.
• Ability to work independently, with minimal supervision and under pressure.

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Position Summary:

Responsible for identification, documentation, and management of cases of violence and abuse against adolescent girls. She will ensure effective referral and follow-up of cases to appropriate services, supporting survivors in accessing legal, medical, and psychosocial services.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and document cases of gender-based violence and child marriage, ensuring confidentiality and survivor-centered approaches.
• Develop and manage case plans for survivors, coordinating referrals to appropriate services including legal aid, healthcare, and psychosocial support.
• Build and maintain relationships with service providers, local authorities, and community leaders to facilitate access to services for survivors.
• Conduct follow-up visits to ensure survivors receive necessary support and services.
• Participate in community sensitization and engagement activities to prevent violence and support survivors.
• Train and mentor community mobilizers on case management practices, emphasizing survivor-centered and rights-based approaches.
• Advocate for the rights and needs of adolescent girls at the community, working towards systemic changes that enhance their protection and empowerment.
• Ensure accurate and confidential record-keeping and reporting on case management activities, contributing to project monitoring and evaluation efforts.
• Participate in relevant networks and forums on child protection and gender-based violence to share learnings and best practices from the project.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Sociology, Psychology, or a related field.
• At least 2 years of experience in case management, preferably working with survivors of gender-based violence or vulnerable populations.
• Knowledge of local service providers and referral pathways for survivors of violence.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and advocacy skills.
• Sensitivity to the cultural and social context of the communities served, with a strong commitment to rights-based and survivor-centered approaches.
• Strong leadership, coordination, and networking skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, reporting, and analytical skills, with the capacity to handle sensitive information confidentially and ethically.