Job Opening at COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale

Location:Yobe state, Potiskum as main Base Office, with frequent daily trips to Damaturu and Fika.
Duration of the contract: 5 months
Starting Date to be confirmed: As soon as possible          

Description of the position                                                                                                                

Within the scope of COOPI’s Child Protection project, funded by UNICEF, the Child Protection Project Manager will be responsible for the overall activities’ planning, execution and reporting of the projects he/she is directly assigned to, and of the supervision of all the other projects and of the Field Base office logistics, HR, financial and overall functioning.

The project’s activities are implemented in Potiskum, Damaturu and Fika LGAs, targeting children at risk and Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASCs) within the IDP and host communities of those target LGAs in Yobe state. The project includes registration, case management, service provision, referrals and capacity building of government and community stakeholders. 

Main Duties / Responsibilities

• Under the direct supervision of the Program Manager, the Child Protection Project Manager:
• Designs the detailed work plan in line with the project guidelines and description, guaranteeing the smooth implementation of all the activities on-time, on-quality and on-budget;
• In cooperation and synergy with the project staff, plans and monitors the activities’ progress, in compliance with the contract signed with the donor, with donor’s and COOPI’s procedures, and with the specific Project Structure and Reporting Lines definition, making use of the financial instruments provided by the organization;
• In collaboration with the Administrative Assistant, the Country Administrator and the Logistics team, plans and monitors the expenditures in line with the project’s implementation needs;
• In cooperation with the Program Manager, finalizes the data provided by the Child Protection Officer, supports the preparation, in compliance with the deadlines, of the narrative reports expected by the donors and by the partners;
• Coordinates the overall project: supervises the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the staff; monitors the accuracy and efficiency of the case management activities; in collaboration with the Child Protection Officer, deals with possible cases which cannot be addressed by the available and ongoing referral network;
• Contributes in consolidating the case management referral network by establishing proficient collaboration with the partners working in the targeted areas and actively suggesting gaps and recommendations to the supervisors;
• Contributes and approves the line of training designed by the Child Protection Officer;
• Represents COOPI with the local / State authorities and partners (SEMA, MSWSD, MYASD, NGOs and UN agencies at local level Protection Working Group meetings);
• In collaboration with the Program Manager, prepares all the formal communication and contract modification requests (ex. budget modification) of the project;
• Manages the goods purchased for the project; for all goods purchased by the project, support updates of the inventory and guarantee the respect of the policies and guidelines, in cooperation with the Logistics Office;
• In collaboration with the Program Manager and in synergy with the specific reporting lines of the projects, promotes and manages relations with the local government institutions, NGOs, and other local partners available in the area;
• Executes any other task necessary to good and timely completion of the projects, identified in mutual agreement.
• In coordination with the Country Administrator, supports in hiring of new staff directly related to the project and conducts staff appraisals Upholds COOPI’s mission and Charter of Values;
• Follows and enforces all COOPI codes of conduct and policies (globally and in-country);
• Performs any other duties as requested by the supervisor.

Profile of the Candidate (Education, Training, Competences, Skills)
 Minimum Requirements:

•  Minimum of 2-3 year experience of implementing similar programs in humanitarian or development settings;
• Ability to plan and organize work and write clear and concise reports and communicate effectively verbally and in writing ;
• Ability to evaluate to define, plan, coordinate and monitor activities for a full project, to analyze the results and to compile intermediate and final reports for the main donors;
• Ability to plan, coordinate and monitor a project budget, following the donor’s policies and with COOPI’s internal regulations;
• Ability to deal with forms in the context of social work and to fill them accurately;
• Experience in building and coordinating a team;
• Ability and willingness to teach and inform subordinates, teamwork capacity, readiness to accept instructions from supervisors;
• Demonstrated understanding of working with beneficiaries and particularly vulnerable children and adults targeted by the project;
• Demonstrated advanced computer literacy (especially word, excel, main email clients);
• Personal qualities: Team player, flexible, network-builder, able to handle pressure well, able to stick to deadlines and work in cross-cultural setting;
• Fluency in oral and written English and knowledge of Hausa.

Desired Competencies / Skills:

• Previous experience in protection or child protection projects with local or international NGOs;
• Contextual sensitivity and demonstrated knowledge of the crisis in northeast Nigeria
• Knowledge of the geography and culture of the targeted LGAs;
• University degree in social work, education or human rights or related degree preferred;
• Knowledge of other local languages.