Jobs at Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (Caritas Nigeria)

The Senior Program Manager, German Food Security Project, manages the project overall activities and budget to provide overall guidance and effective programming of project activities, in accordance with Caritas Nigeria Policy Provisions. SPM will Work closely with the Director, Advisors, Technical Assistance Providers, office and partner staff. SPM will provide program management support for the implementation and achievement of project results, leading and coordinating HQ support for key program cycle processes (such as annual work planning), contributing to knowledge management efforts for assigned portfolio and ensuring regular communication and strong collaboration. SPM will also provide management support to Director and technical leads during proposal development. Liaising with relevant stakeholders, particularly the Director and Advisors, FSL, finance, technical staff, and leadership of Caritas Nigeria and other members

Roles and Responsibilities  

Program Management

• Leads and coordinates HQ support for key program cycle processes such as inception, annual work planning and results reporting on the project.
• Ensure high quality program management through regular monitoring and oversight of program activities, ensuring efficient and effective program planning and implementation.
• Coordinate program start-up activities as necessary, including start up (operations, human resources, work planning and implementation) as needed. Similarly, ensure completion of all necessary project closeout activities in coordination with the grants management.
• Working with project staff, contribute to the development of internal processes and systems to monitor program implementation and completion of deliverables against approved work plans.
• Work with advisors and contribute to the provision of timely and quality technical assistance (both remote and field visits).
• Work closely with project staff to ensure timely and quality completion and submission of program deliverables, such as work plans, periodic donor reports. Provide guidance and technical assistance or training to staff, as needed, to ensure timely, accurate narrative and financial reporting to donors, including reviewing interim and final narrative donor reports generated by field staff and coordinating with relevant internal departments on submission of reports.
• Work with project staff and other departments to support recruitment of project staff and consultants as may be required.
• Work closely with the grants and finance unit to develop budgets, track spending, and ensure timely financial reporting.
• Facilitate regular program review meetings at headquarters and field levels
• Ensure project compliance with donor policies and regulation

Support Portfolio Growth  

• Support Caritas Nigeria’s efforts to grow public and private collaboration by engaging in strategy development, donor meetings and other fundraising efforts.
• Represent Caritas Nigeria interests to potential partners and donors.
• Support identification and tracking of funding opportunities.
• Support the development of concept notes; provide feedback and incorporate reviewer feedback.
• Manage the process of design, development, reviews and submission of costed proposals in collaboration with relevant colleagues, supervisors and other relevant partners.
• Support Caritas Nigeria specific proposal development as requested

Coordination and Donor Relationship Management  

• In coordination with Director, Advisor and other staff responsible for donor relationship management, ensure all donor communications, requests, amendments, etc. are communicated effectively and quickly to the relevant offices and recorded/stored for future reference.
• Ensure timely and effective communications to partners and donors as required and delegated.
• Foster relationships between assigned projects and the broader partner team, including coordinating efforts on work in overlapping countries and on complementary technical areas;
• Manage communication with partners, technical teams, and donors on non-financial deliverables and requests (e.g. Memorandum of Understanding, consulting agreements and staff related matters, etc.) as well as develop and maintain relationships with donor counterparts and country office staff.

Knowledge Management  

• Working with the Director and Advisor, lead the development and maintenance of a toolkit with standardized tools and guidance documents that employ best practices for program management for dissemination to program staff and other team members as required.
• Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation unit knowledge management strategies, processes and systems to systematically identify, capture, organize, analyze and share key information to enhance programmatic and organizational learning and performance.
• Help organize events and trainings that promote knowledge sharing acrss programs, projects, members, departments, and organizations.
• Lead the development of program documentation, such as learning briefs, case studies, capacity statements, past performance references, and presentations for internal and external audiences.
• Work with program teams to identify opportunities to present program results at external events and conferences and support the development of presentations and abstracts.

Requirement

• Minimum of a Master’s Degree in social sciences or equivalent qualification in related field Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience, with at least 5 being in a humanitarian context
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate successfully with individuals and teams at all levels
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering and maintaining and environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Proven experience in project management, donor/relationship management, donor compliance and requirements, budget management, financial analysis, and coordinating processes across stakeholders, ideally supporting donor funded projects.
• Proven ability to work in a complex environment, managing multiple programs and deadlines simultaneously to deliver results.
• Demonstrated organizational, time management, and analytical skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel (up to 60% of the time)

go to method of application »

The Food Security Coordinator position is responsible for carrying out all aspects of program delivery on the ECHO SaHARA Project with respect to food security/cash response programming in the project locations. Food Security programs through multipurpose cash transfer response, is designed to respond to conflict affected communities in the region, providing the much needed assistance mostly through cash transfer programming for food and basic needs for the affected households, in a manner that upholds human dignity.

S/he will be responsible for: 

• Designing, developing and implementing innovative program activities and initiatives that uplift the vulnerable persons through cash programming as delineated in the Program documents
• Ensuring the identification, selection, sensitization, monthly distribution of cash and accompaniment of project beneficiaries throughout the duration of the project with preferential option for the most vulnerable
• Contribute to and form part of the FSL and CWG emergency response mechanisms, providing timely reports and data trends reflective of the socio-cultural context in the field
• Establishing relationships with community, local implementing partners, local government and leaders, supervising field-level operations, such as the delivery of materials/inputs, registration of complaints, and payment to beneficiaries.

Roles and Responsibilities

The key responsibilities include

• Provide support to the implementation of operational elements of Food Security and Cash transfer programming, working closely with the Senior Programme Manager and team.
• Leads the process of identifying beneficiary communities/targeting based on robust and participatory criteria, assist other Food Security and CTP staffs, if any and implement cash transfer project at grass root level following Caritas Nigeria SOP for cash.
• Maintain master beneficiaries list/data base of with indicator tools used 
• Establishing and supervising cash delivery mechanisms for Caritas Nigeria in designated project area.
• Works closely with Food Security Sector sharing reports and getting updates on tools and relevant information to improve program delivery
• S/he will be working closely with financial service delivery (FSP) and Mobile Network Operators. 
• Ensure that narratives and financial reporting is delivered in accordance with Caritas Nigeria as well as donor contractual requirements, and within the agreed timescale and budget.
• To ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian relief are maintained in accordance with the Sphere Charter, CHS and Red Cross Code of Conduct.

Project Implementation 

• Lead community based targeting and verification of the beneficiaries’ program participants 
• Maintains and adapts as required a Master database for all beneficiaries of the programs in project location.
• Prepare Purchase Requests for program supplies/activities and liaison with field Supply Chain and finance team to undertake field procurement as designated and authorized. 
• Maintains individual databases for individual transfer programs including Issues verification and payment lists.
• Maintains records of payments and follow-up for all beneficiary lists but also for individual beneficiaries. 
• Develop cash distribution plan, supervise and evaluate the on spot cash distribution process 
• Set up and strengthen beneficiaries’ compliant feedback mechanisms with relevant internal partners. 
• Provide cash transfer sensitization sessions for targeted households and other partners 
• Manage Program Officers and field level staff Assist project partners implement activities as indicated in monthly and quarterly work plan
• Support project partners to develop detailed monthly and quarterly technical work plan
• Oversee Post-distribution Monitoring activities as required
• Prepare/review of all field level programmatic reports.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the (Senior) Program Manager and other principals. 

External Coordination 

• Participate actively in Food Security Sector and cash Working Group meetings at subnational level
• Lead program coordination and other humanitarian coordination platform at field level 
• Work with Safety and Security colleagues to develop and implement effective safety and security procedures for specific cash transfer programming activities, ensuring that these are updated and revised at regular intervals and that new programs are built around security considerations. 
• Work with and provide timely technical support to the Caritas Nigeria’s implementing partners; maintain respectful and constructive relations with partner staff.
• Comply with Caritas Nigeria’s policies such as, Whistle blowing, Fraud, and Safety and other relevant policies. 
• In information exchange with the field teams, s/he guides the team with regard to data collection and analysis. 
• Represents Caritas Nigeria on Cash coordination meetings at different level like subnational, and national level. 
• Identify and work very closely with Financial Service Providers (FSP).

Internal Coordination 

• Maintains adequate communication and coordination within team (protection and other team members) and with other programme areas (WASH, NFI, nutrition), as well as the Protection team when required, when planning data collection activities. 
• Chips in to the set-up and conduct of needs assessments involving/focusing on data collection for cash transfer programs in project location.
• Updates his/her direct superior on data collection activities in relation to planned and ongoing cash activities of other humanitarian actors in Nigeria.
• Ensure and put in place the vital compliant management and response mechanisms in collaboration with MEAL staff.

Project Monitoring and Reporting

• Assist in the collection of data, conduct of assessments (needs, market, risks and security) and provide input for concept note/ proposal development for cash transfer project in collaboration with the local community structures and community members. 
• Supervise progress against grant work plan; promptly identifying any current or potential delays. 
• Assist his/her supervisors to ensure all monitoring activities are fully documented, including detailed and timely data collection as required under the grant and for Caritas Nigeria M&E purposes.

Capacity Building and Coaching

• Sensitize the communities, government partners and local stakeholders to consider cash response as one modality at appropriate situation.
• Capacitate the community facilitators, staffs under his/her supervisee, and others (if any) on cash Transfer Programming (CTP).
• Support and mentor the FSP to meet the humanitarian principles during Cash Response program/facilitating the payment to the beneficiaries

Job Requirement 

• Minimum of Bachelor degree in Agriculture, Social science or related field.  
• Minimum 5 years’ experience working on Food Security/Cash Assistance programming in a humanitarian or development context 
• Proven abilities on cash based program (specific abilities or skills required)

Personal qualities:

• Works well in and promotes collaboration, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to work under pressure well. 
• Good communication and interpersonal skills. 
• Fluency in English, and also other local languages preferred.