Programme Officer at Options

Options is a leading provider of technical expertise, short-term consultancy and long-term management services in the health and the social sectors. Established in 1992, Options has evolved into a dynamic organisation with a broad portfolio of work that includes over 900 assignments in 50 countries. We work with a wide range of clients that includes donors, national governments, the private sector, academic institutions, and civil society.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Programme Officer

Location: Nigeria
Contract Type: 9 days per month, fixed term for 1 year

Job Summary

• The Girl Generation: Together to End FGM is a social change communications programme managed by Options, which aims to accelerate social change in countries most affected by Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) across the African continent.
• An opportunity has arisen for a Programme Officer to represent, promote and coordinate all aspects of The Girl Generation's work in Nigeria.
• The Girl Generation is looking for a highly organised individual to be the programme’s Officer in Nigeria. The successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating The Girl Generation’s activities in Nigeria, developing a membership base for The Girl Generation in Nigeria, acting as an ambassador for The Girl Generation by public representing and promoting The Girl Generation’s founding principles, approaches and values, and for establishing and developing media partnerships in Nigeria.
• You will have a proven track record in meeting and event planning and management; strong organisation skills and a high attention to detail; networks among campaigners and organisations working to end FGM and an understanding of monitoring and evaluation, including data collection and reporting.
• A highly communicative and diplomatic individual, you will have a proactive approach to work, an ability to work independently as well as in partnership with a range of organisations.

Main Purpose of Job

• To represent, promote and coordinate all aspects of The Girl Generation's work in Nigeria.

Objectives of Post

• To coordinate the implementation of The Girl Generation’s activities in Nigeria by working in coordination with an in-country event agency to organise events, meetings, trainings and convenings.
• To develop and maintain a vibrant membership base for The Girl Generation in Nigeria, ensuring that members are engaged with The Girl Generation and appropriately supported to effectively use social change communications in Nigeria.
• To act as an ambassador for, and the face of, The Girl Generation in Nigeria by publicly representing and promoting The Girl Generation’s founding principles, approaches and values.
• To identify and support potential ambassadors to promote the values and messages of The Girl Generation in Nigeria.
• To identify evidence and stories of social change towards ending FGM, particularly from the grassroots level and from member organisations, to share with the core team for amplification at different levels.
• To support the establishment and development of media partnerships.
• To support the collection, interpretation and reporting of programme monitoring and evaluation data from Nigeria and the promotion of learning from across The Girl Generation and its partners.

Main Duties
Coordinating National Activities:

• Identify a local events management organisation, which will provide logistics support to The Girl Generation, and act as main point of liaison with the events company once contracted.
• Work with The Girl Generation's Regional Coordinator and Programme Management team to complete tasks including but not limited to gathering quotes, identifying appropriate venues and suitable accommodation, developing budgets, organising entertainment, keeping inventory of The Girl Generation’s materials and coordinating logistics for events and in-country activities.
• Identify appropriate participants for national events, drawing on local contacts and professional networks to produce lists of invitees, and act as chief point of coordination for the guest list and with invitees.
• Work with the Regional Coordinator to develop detailed meeting / events concept notes, agendas, materials for all events and identifying speakers and opportunities for pre-event media.
• Respond to incidents associated with the event in coordination with the event company and help find solutions.

Developing and maintaining a vibrant membership base:

• Map out organisations in Nigeria which share the vision, values, and principles of The Girl Generation, with a particular focus on youth groups.
• Assist to recruit priority organisations to become members of The Girl Generation.
• In coordination with The Girl Generation team, work to support members of The Girl Generation in Nigeria; by ensuring that members receive regular support to engage with and contribute to The Girl Generation, and to promote The Girl Generation's values and messages through social change communications.

Acting as an ambassador for, and the face of, The Girl Generation in Nigeria:

• Attend events on behalf of The Girl Generation to promote the brand’s vision, values and approach.
• Seek opportunities to represent and promote the global movement to end FGM in meetings with the press, public events and government meetings in line with pre-agreed workplans.

Identifying and Supporting Potential Ambassadors:

• Work with The Girl Generation’s Ambassador Advisor to identify and recruit potential ambassadors.
• Support with Ambassador inductions and trainings and act as the main point of contact for Ambassadors once trained.
• Work with the Ambassador Advisor to ensure that Ambassadors are appropriately supported in their work.

Other:

• Provide inputs to management reports as required.
• Provide monitoring information to the Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation Coordinator.
• Mapping/identifying priority media partners in Nigeria; ensuring these partners are updated as to developments in The Girl Generation.

Person Specification
Criteria

Essential:

• Educated to Degree level.
• An ability to work at a distance with an international team.
• Knowledge of Female Genital Mutilation.
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Experience of meeting and events planning and management.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong networks among campaigners, organisations and government bodies working to end FGM.
• Understanding of monitoring and evaluation, data collection and reporting.
• Have a strong motivation to work to improve the situation of women and girls affected by FGM in Nigeria.
• Self-starter and ability to work both in a team and independently.
• Ability to effectively manage workloads.

Desirable:

• Understanding of behaviour change or social change communications.
• Networks with media contacts/partners.
• Commitment to Equal Opportunities.
• A commitment to The Girl Generation’s founding principles, including the Do No Harm guidelines.
• Understanding of, and personal commitment to international human rights, particularly women’s and children’s rights.

Remuneration
Commensurate with experience.

Application Closing Date
18th September, 2015.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their applications in form of a covering letter and a 2 page CV to: [email protected]