National Consultant - Vocational Training Beneficiaries at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights, capacity development and the empowerment of women.

We invite applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: National Consultant - Support the Selection and Registration of Vocational Training Beneficiaries in Taraba State

Location: Abuja
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Post Level: National Consultant
Duration of Initial Contract: 20 Working Days
Expected Duration of Assignment: 20 Working Days

Background
The farmers-herders violence is both widespread and fluid in scope, making any geographic limitations to the implementation of the project challenging. Violence occurs in many different localities, and the dynamic movement of persons across the community, local government, and state lines demand a flexible approach in selection of target areas. For example, when Benue State implemented the Open Grazing Prohibition Law on November 1, 2017, many pastoralists were pushed northward into Nasarawa and Taraba states. Media reports suggested that the attacks on communities in Benue in early 2018 were reportedly coming from groups based in Nasarawa State. With Taraba State having also passed, but not yet implemented or enforced a similar law prohibiting open grazing, the Nasarawa-Benue-Taraba nexus emerges as a critical peacebuilding area for the farmer-herder crisis.

Although the recent escalation of the crisis has highlighted the volatile security environment on the ground, research suggests that the Nasarawa-Benue-Taraba nexus has long faced these problems. According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program’s (UCDP) Geo-referenced Event Dataset (GED), 28% of deaths in attacks between farmers and herders from 2014 – 2017 in Benue state occurred in Guma and Logo LGAs. In the same period, farmer-herder violence in Taraba state claimed 49% of its casualties in Wukari LGA. These striking death tolls around the Nasarawa-Benue-Taraba nexus indicate that targeting this area in a more focused manner can provide crucial peacebuilding dividends for affected communities.

The Project on Integrated Approach to Building Peace in Nigeria’s Farmer-Herder Crisis Project will, therefore, target the three states of Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba with state-level activities, as well as two contiguous Local Government Areas (LGAs) in each of the three states for targeted interventions to promote peace. The geographic focus thus centres on the Benue River, where formalized and functional state-level peacebuilding infrastructure and early warning systems are lacking, agriculture and pastoralism are important livelihoods and economic activities, and inter-state interactions are more easily facilitated enabling effective use of project funds.

The in-depth work with communities will target the following Local Government Areas: Ibi LGA and Wukari LGA (in Taraba), Awe LGA and Keana LGA (in Nasarawa), and Logo LGA and Guma LGA (in Benue).

In targeting these areas, the project will inevitably work with one state that has banned open grazing and enforced it (Benue); one state that has legislated to ban it but not enforced it (Taraba); and one state that has not yet passed any legislation on open grazing (Nasarawa).

The second outcome of this project is “strengthening economic interdependence between farmers and herders” This outcome has one of its output as providing livelihood opportunities for agricultural/pastoral interface based vocational training to men, women and youths in the communities where in the project is being implemented in the three states. To this end the project has commenced the process of data collection from project communities in Wukari and Ibi LGAs of Taraba state to profile and analyze these data. Information gathered will then be used for selecting beneficiaries for vocational training in these LGAs.

Over two hundred forms have been distributed to IDPs in the affected communities identified for project implementation in Wukari and Ibi LGAs of Taraba state

Duties and Responsibilities

• The main objective of this consultancy is to ensure that effective logistics management is provided for the smooth and efficient running of the beneficiaries’ profiling and selection exercise. In addition, is to support the documentation and processing of payment to workshop participants from past events in the last two months on the project. The specific objectives include:
• Ensure successful registration and documentation of all the participants;
• Ensure proper data management of database of beneficiaries created; and
• Ensure participants’ details are entered into database and processed for payment of DSA from past workshops held in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa States.

Scope of Work
The administrative assistant will undertake the following specific tasks:

• Provide support to the profiling team;
• Establish contacts with the beneficiaries and provide them with necessary information on the training;
• Support the registration process for screened/verified vocational training applicants;
• Enter details of past workshop participants from the Project into the template;
• Support the processing of DSA to past workshop participants on the Project; and
• Carry out any other duties as may be assigned by the Project Manager.

Deliverables

• List of finally registered beneficiaries with the profile of the choice of trade selected for vocational training;
• Profiling and registration report for beneficiaries of vocational training;
• List of workshop participants and DSA due to them for workshops attended within the last two months; and
• Approved payment schedule for workshop participants cleared by finance unit.

Reporting Guide

• The Administrative assistant is under direct supervision of the UNDP Project Manager, who will assign duties and responsibilities as he deems fit and depending on the exigencies of the activity
• The Administrative Assistant will submit a report at the end of the beneficiary profiling and selection exercise but not later than 5 days after the end of the exercise
• Upon receipt of the report, the Project Manager shall issue a certificate of satisfactory performance to her/him.  A copy of such certification will be sent to UNDP Service Centre for payment of the contract fee.

Competencies:

• The preferred candidate for this position should have a working knowledge of MS Excel.
• Should be a good team player
• Must be proficient in administrative processes (such as records taking and documentation).

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• The preferred candidate for the position of Administrative Co-ordinator must possess an Ordinary National Diploma / Nigeria Certificate in Education NCE.

Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years experience or a first degree with post-National Youth Service Corps experience;
• Previous experience with UNDP in training/workshop management or in similar capacity will be an added advantage.

Language:

• Prefarred candidate must be fluent in English Language for official purposes.

Selection Criteria and Payment Terms
Evaluation Criteria:

• An Ordinary National Diploma or higher qualification in any field of study or similar qualifications - 25 points
• At least 2 years working experience in training / workshop / dialogue management, rapporteur and report writing - 40 points;
• At least 3 years post-graduation working experience with similar functions in any organization - 20 points
• Experience in UN training/workshop management – 15 points.

Application Closing Date
26th December, 2019.