Gender Based Violence (GBV) Officer 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 partner to put bold solutions into action - helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Gender Based Violence (GBV) Officer

Location: Ngala, Borno
Employment Type: Full-time
Position Status: Full-time, Regular

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian program aims to provide assistance to populations affected by the crisis in Northeast Nigeria.
• With funding from the Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (BHA), Mercy Corps will continue its engagement in several interventions including but not limited to food assistance, non-food items, protection, livelihoods, WASH and capacity building of humanitarian response actors.
• Mercy Corps is scaling up and expanding its humanitarian response in Northeast Nigeria to reach more beneficiaries with additional assistance in a wider geographic area under the project titled Addressing Diverse and Acute Primary Threats (ADAPT) to Human Security in Northeastern Nigeria.

General Position Summary

• The GBV Officer is responsible for working with caseworkers to ensure GBV case management support to survivors meets the inter-agency guidelines for case management and the minimum standards for child protection and Gender-Based Violence in humanitarian actions, she will be responsible for training such as psychological first aid, case management, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prevention and response.
• With the support of the GBV Coordinator, she will also advise and build the capacity of other sector teams on protection prevention, response, gender, and protection mainstreaming and best practices. She will report directly to the GBV Coordinator and will work closely with other sectors.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision:

• Provide technical oversight and capacity-building through training, mentorship, and on-the-job support for caseworkers on case management and referrals with support from the GBV coordinator.
• Supervise case management of Gender-Based Violence incidences and ensure proper documentation, assessment, case plan implementation, follow up and information management of all GBV cases in line with GBVIMS.
• Organize weekly case management meetings with caseworkers and support staff in managing critical/complex cases.
• Represent Mercy Corps GBV program in case conference meetings with other service providers (Health, safety & security, protection, legal, etc.) and share experiences in managing critical cases.
• Contribute to the development of monthly outreach plans with other staff and community volunteers based on GBV case trends and the ongoing needs of women and girls.
• Ensure community outreach on services available to GBV survivors.
• Contribute to proposal development activities through the provision of information and data on community feedback on the assessment of emerging needs.
• Contribute to the development of referral pathways to ensure community perspective is included. Ensure referral pathways are shared and understood within the community.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their roles/duties.
• Document and share relevant information that will inform the development of case studies and or success stories of the program.
• Maintain positive coordination and relationship with other partners in the field to promote a holistic approach to GBV case management.
• Participate in GBVIMS task force working meetings and share written minutes with the GBV Coordinator.
• Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with other staff and teams
• Establish and maintain effective program reporting, and monitoring and evaluation systems (to track, analyze and report on results) for both internal and external use.
• Adhere to all MC policies related to security, operations and transport/ logistics information related to programming.
• Conduct herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Any other duties as assigned by the GBV Coordinator

Program Management:

• Oversee GBV program startup in Ngala and ongoing program management and administration of teams.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution process as well as psychosocial and capacity building of partners.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Fulfil Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

Team Management:

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary (caseworkers, centre facilitators).

Finance & Compliance Management:

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency 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 consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that 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.
• 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.

Supervisory Responsibility: 

• Case Workers

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: GBV Coordinator
• Works Directly With: Finance, Program, MEL, and Operation Teams.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

• BA / BSc in relevant field required
• 3 years of experience working on GBV programming including providing psychosocial counselling for survivors of Gender-Based Violence.
• Knowledge of international humanitarian standards for GBV prevention, protection, and response
• A clear understanding of gender, abuse of power, and issues surrounding violence against women and girls.
• Experience with developing and implementing GBV programs, particularly conducting assessments, monitoring, and evaluation
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with staff and other stakeholders.
• Experience in building staff capacity through training, coaching, mentoring, etc.
• Demonstrated understanding of the needs of survivors and ability to always maintain confidentiality and respect for clients.
• Demonstrated experience working with men to end violence against women and girls
• Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills
• Fluency in English and Hausa is required.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will have a can-do attitude. Ideally, she will be very committed and willing to learn and work in remote locations.
• She is a problem solver, an effective community mobilizer who is adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity. She is an active listener and contributor, working to create a strong team that share ideas and learn.
• 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.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together.
• Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges.
• We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
• We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

• Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis.
• We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a sustained global impact.
• We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all.
• We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics:

• Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity.
• We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC.
• We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members.
• As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times.
• Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Application Closing Date
1st April, 2022.