Livelihoods Assistant at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Location: Michika, Adamawa
Contract type: National Contract

Background
DRC has been operating in the West Africa region for over 15 years, running a combination of emergency, livelihood, protection and advocacy programmes through Country Offices (COs) in Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and a Regional Office (RO) in Abidjan. DRC has 17 offices and more than 500 staff members across the WA region.

DRC started operating in Nigeria in 2015 where plans to run a combination of emergency, livelihood, WASH, protection and advocacy programmes has been set. DRC currently has offices in Abuja, Yola, Mubi, Maiduguri and Yobe, besides 50 staff members subject to an increase in the near future.

The Position

• DRC is seeking the services of a committed and competent Livelihood Assistant to join the Adamawa Team. Interested persons will be reporting to the Livelihood Team Leader
• The overall purpose of the role is to assist and enhance the livelihood programming through the provision of business training, business grants support, conditional and unconditional cash transfer programmes, beneficiary information and skills training while developing the social cohesion between host community and IDPs.
• The Livelihood Assistant under the supervision of the Livelihood team leader is responsible for the day to day implementation and monitoring of Cash Transfer programmes at ward level; Unconditional/Conditional Cash Grants, business grants and Cash for Work, verification and target beneficiary selection, provision of business training for business grant beneficiaries and support business planning activities with beneficiaries.

Responsibilities
Supporting SME Development and CTP:

• Ensure beneficiaries are screened, selected and verified through the use of developed targeting criteria in operational areas.
• Provide livelihood guidance, on an individual or group basis, to increase beneficiaries’ awareness of different business options based on market assessment and beneficiary interests.
• Provide information to beneficiaries about livelihood and business development opportunities.
• Organize small business training and business planning activities with beneficiaries
• Provide information to beneficiaries on skills training, market opportunities, and small enterprise creation.
• Facilitate the implementation of Cash Transfer programmes and ward level; Unconditional/Conditional Cash Grants and Cash for Work
• Work with line manager to plan for agricultural inputs distributions and ensuring inputs distributed accountably.
• Support the organization of training and other events related to the project.
• Establish linkages to adult learning institutions and refer beneficiaries to selected courses.
• Provide administrative support if required.
• Submit weekly reports and contribute to the compilation of the monthly report and submit to the line manager.

Stakeholder Coordination:

• Coordination of Ward level stakeholders in consultation with line manager.
• Ensure that protocol is followed through stakeholder consultation at all stages of project implementation.

Social Cohesion Programming:

• Assess the relevance of potential inter-communal dialogue activities linked to livelihoods to improve the dialogue and cooperation between these fields (e.g. joint workshops, peer-to-peer activities, language exchanges, etc.).
• Select beneficiaries who will participate in the activities through youth empowerment and community safety planning.
• Maintain Excel tracking sheet to ensure that data are collected on a timely basis.
• Contribute to regular reporting on achievements and challenges related to the project as requested by the Livelihoods Officer.

Monitoring & Evaluation:

• Work closely with the monitoring team and the Livelihood Officer on the timely monitoring and evaluation of all components – information, beneficiary selection, beneficiary feedback about activities, etc.
• Facilitate the qualitative and quantitative monitoring of the project through team meetings, visits to selected beneficiaries, regular reporting and any other monitoring tools.
• Participate in the internal evaluation of the program.

The responsibilities listed in the JD are not exhaustive and may be readjusted according to operational needs but will remain in line with the overall purpose of the role.

Requirements
Essentials:

• Experience in livelihood programming and training.
• An understanding of humanitarian/civil society issues in the country and the region.
• More than 1 year working experience in the field is required.
• Excellent communication skills (oral and writing)
• Professional fluency in English and Hausa
• Ability and willingness to maintain a regular presence at project sites (remote / field sites) and to work during irregular working hours and in insecure environments
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills – self-motivated individuals, able to take initiative and propose solutions, resilient, positive, and able to work independently.
• Must have basic level computer skills.

Education:

• University Degree or Advanced Training / Course in Business Administration, Agriculture, Economics, Sociology, Social Work, International Affairs, Humanitarian or related field.

Desirable:

• Previous working experience with humanitarian agencies
• Experience working with displaced populations.
• Good understanding of the context in Michika and Madagali LGAs.

Conditions

• Availability: ASAP.

Salary and Conditions:

• In accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment
• The income will be subject to statutory deductions as per applicable Nigeria laws
• The employee is responsible for tax returns.