Economic Recovery and Development Senior Manager at the International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Economic Recovey and Development Senior Manager

Requisition ID: req10422
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Sector: Emergency Response
Employment Category: Regular
Employment Type: Full-Time
Open to Expatriates: No

Job Overview/Summary

• The ERD Senior Manager position is responsible for overseeing IRC’s ERD programming in northeast Nigeria, including cash and voucher assistance programming, in-kind distributions, and/or the provision of agricultural inputs in emergency response, value chains and ensuring livelihoods and food security in a post-emergency context. These activities are designed to help people to restore economic assets lost during the crisis, to meet basic needs; to avoid negative coping strategies, to achieve food security, to generate income and assets, and to ensure that women can equitably access and control resources. The ERD Senior Manager will also provide technical and operational support to the coordinators of other sectors who are using livelihoods and cash to achieve non-ERD outcomes.
• The ERD Senior Manager is a senior IRC position working on ERD in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states. S/he will be the central interface between IRC senior management and the field team, administrators, vendors, and partners. As the focal person of the ERD sector, the Senior Manager’s first responsibility is overseeing the day-to-day implementation of ERD programming and managing staff working with communities and beneficiaries in the field.
• S/he is expected to travel to the field sites frequently for coordination, implementation support, program monitoring, higher level, and field-level decision making particularly during the often-challenging stages of community sensitization, project selection, and dispute resolution.

Major Responsibilities
Program development:

• Update ERD strategy documents, particularly with regard to scale-up of youth livelihoods, value chain and cash programming, as well as efforts aimed at integrating ERD in Safety and Education outcome areas and developing Covid-19 risk-mitigation approaches to ERD programming.
• Assist in conducting assessments, the collection of data, and proposal development for the sector, as needed.  
• Work with the grants department in the development of sector concept notes and project proposals.
• Work in coordination with other IRC sectors in the development of multi-sectoral projects, including advising other coordinators/managers on the technical and operational aspects of livelihoods and cash assistance for their sector.

Program Implementation:

• Prepare and maintain/update detailed work-plan(s) that support and achieve overall grant timelines and completion dates.
• Provide direction and monitor staff in their implementation of the work plan and quality of technical activities, share relevant information and direction to improve quality and achieve timelines, develop and regularly update strategies for implementing ERD initiatives.
• Regularly update existing ERD support modules to align with the strategy.

Planning and Budget Management:

• Approve expenditures to designated level; manage/monitor monthly expenses and track budgets to ensure that all spending is in line with approved budgets, spending plans, and timelines, including developing procurement plans, monthly program spending plan, and cash forecasts.
• Review partner financial and narrative submissions, including M&E data; provide advice and guidance to improve accuracy and quality as required.
• Participate in annual budget forecasting ensuring accuracy and realistic,
• Ensure budget spending is maximum (+/-5%) of the budget forecasted,
• Conduct BVA reviews every month and raise issues with the support team
• Ensure effective budget utilization (value for money).

Human Resource and Administration:

• Support the recruitment team during the process of identifying and hiring Program Managers and Senior Officers.
• Provide direction and monitor staff in the implementation of their work-plan and quality of technical activities, share relevant information and direction to improve quality and achieve timelines.
• Directly supervise ERD Managers, Senior Officers, and office-based administrative staff depending on the scope of the program.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit, and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to perform in their positions successfully.
• Ensure timely completion and submission of monthly timesheets, probations reviews, and annual performance reviews.
• Plan/coordinate and oversee staff work-plans, work and vacation schedules, and staff training/development activities.
• If/as required, identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these following the National Staff Employment Policies.
• Review JDs, set PMOs, & conduct PMEs for ERD Managers, and senior Officers.
• Support ERD Managers to set and monitor the monthly targets for Community Volunteers.
• Develop and execute on-the-job coaching plans for each of the direct reports.
• Ensure cohesion, policy compliance, and professionalism within the ERD team.

Partner Management:

• Regularly monitor the performance of partners to achieve the set project’s objectives; provide technical support and guidance; share relevant information and direction to improve quality and achieve timelines.
• Serve as the main focal person in the field for the IRC’s implementing partners; maintain professional, respectful and constructive relations, and ensure regular meetings and ongoing coordination.
• Undertake/participate in liaison, coordination, and information sharing activities with national NGOs, international organizations, donors, and government.

Program Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting:

• Undertake regular field monitoring visits to assess progress and identify technical quality issues and/or other implementation issues, provide solutions, and implement modifications as required.
• Assist in the collection of data, assessments, and proposal development for the sector.  
• In coordination with monitoring and evaluation (M&E) teams, contribute to the development of tools and training of staff on the use of the tools.
• Ensure all monitoring activities are fully documented, including systematic and timely data collection as required under the grant and for IRC M&E purposes. Keep an up-to-date indicator progress tracking tool for all grants in the program portfolio.
• Produce/contribute to IRC and donor reports as per set schedules (monthly, quarterly, and annually) on grant activities, indicators, and achievements.
• Prepare regular reports for IRC donors on grant activities, progress, indicators, and achievements as specified in grant agreements and reporting schedules.
• Ensure cost-efficiency of all ERD activities implemented.
• Document lessons learned during implementation to inform future projects as well as to advise on improvements to be made while implementing current projects.  

Coordination and Representation:

• Work closely and coordinate with IRC logistics, finance, and grant staff to ensure timely and compliant program activities and expenditures, including active participation in Project Management Cycle.
• Work closely and coordinate with other IRC sector leads to promote program integration, particularly as it relates to livelihoods and cash programming.
• Represent the IRC in sectoral and technical coordination bodies, and take the lead on inter-agency cooperation and information sharing with national NGOs, international organizations, donors, and government.
• Serve as the main focal person for the IRC’s implementing staff and partners; maintain respectful and constructive relations, and attend regular meetings for Livelihoods and Cash.
• Maintain cordial working relationships with national NGOs, international organizations, donors, and government.
• Maintain good working relationships with livelihoods-support service providers.
• Serve as a focal person in the field for the IRC’s beneficiaries, Donors, OPM, UNHCR; maintain respectful and constructive relations, and ensure regular meetings and ongoing coordination.

Other Duties:

• Consistently and proactively monitor/assess the safety and security of the team, including Covid-19 mitigation; promptly reporting concerns or incidents to IRC management and liaising with community leaders and other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the health, safety and security environment for IRC programs.
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to:  the Senior Program Coordinator for Education, Safety and Economic Wellbeing Outcomes
• Position directly supervises:  ERD Managers and the entire ERD team as necessary
• Indirect Reporting: Senior Management Team
• Other Internal and/or external contacts: ERD Technical Advisors, Other IRC Technical Coordinators and Sector Leads
• Internal: All IRC sectors and Operations teams
• External:  Working group, partners and donors

Qualifications

• At least Bachelor of Arts or Science in Social Science, Business Administration, Economics, Agriculture, Food Security, Public Health, or related field.

Work Experience:

• 3-5 years of experience leading teams in a humanitarian context, preferably during an emergency.
• 3-5 years of technical experience implementing livelihoods, cash (cash assistance, cash for work, or voucher assistance) programs. Additional technical experience in micro-enterprise development, agricultural labor market strengthening, and value-chain or market analysis are highly preferred.  
• Work experience and/or specialized training in value chain development, business skills or cash programming is an added advantage.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Experience in developing ERD strategies and identifying inter-linkages across program sectors.
• Experience facilitating technical training and workshops related to emergency response, food security, or livelihoods.
• Proven abilities in managing teams, monitoring staff performance, and providing technical support and coaching to field teams.
• Prior experience in developing program implementation work plans, data collection and analysis, and program reporting
• Strong ability to organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, multiple coordinate tasks and maintain attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, creativity and flexibility
• INGO experience preferred
• Personal qualities: Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well.

Language Skills:

• Fluency in English Language both written and spoken is required.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online