Capacity Building Program Coordinator at Mercy Corps Nigeria

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we collaborate to put bold solutions into action helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within, now and for the future. In Nigeria, Mercy Corps operates in over 13 states focusing on key thematic areas of humanitarian response, conflict mitigation and adolescent girls empowerment.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Capacity Building Program Coordinator

Location: Abuja

Program / Department Summary

• The Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE) Programme is an initiative to improve learning outcomes and the economic status of marginalized adolescent girls aged 16-19 in the Northern Nigerian states of Kano and Kaduna, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the metropolis of Lagos, Nigeria. ENGINE through funding from the UK Department for International Development's Girls Education Challenge, the Coca-Cola Company and other stakeholders supported over 18,000 marginalized girls to reduce education and financial barriers in its first implementation phase.
• In its second phase, ENGINE 2 will facilitate transition of these girls into functional literacy, numeracy and scale up their business opportunities and linkages. ENGINE 2 will further increase girls' and young women's access to (1) financial education and life skills; (2) peer to peer networks and mentoring; and (3) direct assets (materials and savings).
• Beneficiaries will be integrated into value chains as well as conduct other market-driven employment opportunities. ENGINE 2 will also work with girls in formal and informal education to increase their learning opportunities and outcomes to prepare them for future economic activities and work in the policy environment to provide an enabling environment for girls to flourish in their chosen pathways.

General Position Summary

• The Capacity Building/Project Coordinator will support technical aspects of the functional literacy and numeracy programming for ENGINE including managing sub-grantee partners, schools/community stakeholders and resources to ensure that the program meets performance-based targets on time and within budget, per DfID requirements.
• The Capacity Building/Project Coordinator will coordinate with other donor funded programming at state level to link marginalized girls with ENGINE activities.
• S/he will monitor sub-grantee partners and ensure program funds are spent efficiently and maximize Value for Money per DfID requirements. S/he will supervise and build the capacity of field staff and ensure accountability to Mercy Corps policies and donor rules and regulations.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Program management:

• Provide technical and field support to ENGINE functional literacy, numeracy and school to work programming for both in school and out-of-school marginalized girls.
• Manage all sub-grantee activities including programmatic implementation, budget & liquidation process and timely reporting.
• Develop incentives for girls learning and skills building, coordinate the development of schools infrastructures and identify existing peer to peer networks.
• Provide linkages to opportunities for additional networks within schools, link girls with Islamic and/or community-based education, increasing economic assets through savings clubs and links to financial institutions.
• Ensure implementation of activities is on time, target and budget, using effective systems to reach desired impacts in order to assess the ENGINE effectiveness and impact and propose recommendations for improvements.
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely reporting especially for sub-grantee partners.
• Implement and model Mercy Corps' philosophy of social entrepreneurship and leverage Mercy Corps' best practices.
• In collaboration with the Monitoring Evaluation and Learning team, implement relevant surveys, need assessments, data and information collection for on-going monitoring.
• Maintains links and keep current on up-to-date best practices around innovative strategies of promoting girls school to work transition; disseminate technical information and assistance where necessary.

Team Management:

• Sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• With the support of the Deputy Project Director, supervise, hire and orient new field team members as necessary.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Implement performance planning and management systems, establish performance expectations with team members, and regularly provide constructive feedback on team members' performance.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

Finance & Compliance Management:

• Ensure compliance of sub-grantee partners with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to field programming.
• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence & Representation:

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with sub-grantees, donor Implementing Partners across states, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Participate in education coordination and other donor coordination meetings or workshops and/or as requested by the Deputy Project Director.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that field team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Knowledge and Experience

• Master's Degree or its equivalent in education, management, social sciences, international development or other relevant field.
• A minimum of 6 years of progressive work experience including at least 2 years in a senior management or technical Coordination role on large, education, gender- focused, skills building program and/or system strengthening project required.
• Experience managing large-scale education or school to work and especially targeting marginalized girls or young women programs required.
• Preferred expertise in at least one of the following areas: accelerated learning programs, Islamic and/or community-based education targeting community acceptance of girl's education, increasing economic assets through savings clubs and links to financial institutions.
• Strong understanding of DfID compliance issues.
• Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues in high security environment. Experience managing a multi-organizational team (international and national partners) is a plus.
• Experience working in Northern Nigeria strongly preferred.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English required, including report development, writing and editing. Hausa language skills preferred
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Demonstrated experience working with country-level ministries and government officials, Ministry of Education experience preferred
• Experience in capacity building of staff and CSO. Excellent training skills.
• Strong budget management skills required.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will combine exceptional leadership, management and technical skills with a focus on innovative interventions to engage adolescent girls in informal education and skills building linked with private sector entrepreneurship and employment opportunities in a culturally and religiously conservative environment.
• S/he will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative and complex programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.
• The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours .Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Application Closing Date
6th February, 2017.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to submit their CV's and Cover Letter in one document, addressing the position requirements to: [email protected] 

Note

• All applications must include the position title in the subject line and not more than 4 pages.
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
• We are an equal opportunity organization and we strongly encourage women to apply for this position