Agronomist Officer at Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) - 2 Openings

Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) is an Italian humanitarian non-governmental organization founded in Milan in 1965. COOPI aims to help the world’s poorest to improve their access to healthcare, food, and financial security, and to overcome their special vulnerability to wars, civil conflicts, and natural disasters. For 50 years of long-term support and constant presence in the field, COOPI has been engaged in breaking the cycle of poverty and responding to specific emergencies in numerous sectors, including Food Security, Humanitarian Aid, Health, Socio-Economical Services, Water and Sanitation, Human Rights, Education and Training, Migrations and Sustainable Energy.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Agronomist Officer 

Locations: Damaturu, Jakusko, Bade, Yusufari, Yunusari and Geidam LGA, Yobe
Employment Type: Full-time
Slot: 2
Project / Programme: Programs (all projects)
Reports to: Project Manager
Duration of the Project: 8 Months
Donors: Various
Duration of the contract: 7 months
Starting Date: ASAP

Overall Responsibilities

• The Agro Officer/Agronomist/FSL Officer-Agro will supervise the organization’s, implementation, and monitoring of on-farm Livelihood programs daily in keeping with COOPI procedures and standards.
• He shall be responsible for the management and implementation of COOPI’s Livelihoods and resilience building program component in Yobe for Internally Displaced Persons, host community members, and other affected populations.

Main Responsibilities and Tasks:

• Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Agro Officer/Agronomist/FSL Officer-Agro is required to support the implementation of agriculture activities of the project through livelihood interventions, business management, technical training, and capacity building to improve skills or production in new/pre-existing livelihood assets.
• Activities supervision

Specific Objectives:

• Organize farmers into producer associations for collective marketing, input supply, training, and advocacy for a conducive production environment and Government support.
• Facilitate farmer/association participation in multistakeholder platforms for value chain development
• Help assistant agronomists and farmers, understand and address the climate-related production risks throughout the selected value chains, identifying where emerging market opportunities exist, taking into account community needs, and developing production plans that are integrated throughout the value chain
• Strengthen the ability of the farmers to adapt to climate change within the selected value chains to moderate potential damages, take advantage of opportunities, or cope with consequences
• Promote climate risk management strategies to avoid unacceptable consequences. In the context of climate change, adaptation and mitigation are the two broad categories of action that might be taken to avoid unacceptable consequences
• Improve crop productivity using locally adapted technologies, heat tolerant and disease tolerant seed varieties, biodiversity, and increase the sinks of greenhouse emissions
• Reduce crop losses through improved post-harvest handling, storage, and processing
• Train the extension workers and community volunteers to expand the agriculture advisory services and explore the use of appropriate communication systems
• Establish farmer field schools and demonstration plots for farmer participatory training, learning, and research.
• Building trust between the production and marketing associations and traders/ buyers (promote information flow between the associations and buyers and input suppliers, help associations make sense of the market information, produce visual aids to promote information flow on product quality)
• Create alternate ways for the associations to sell products and contact buyers. Develop relationships between buyers and associations, mentoring the producers on negotiation and building their confidence to engage in commercial contracts
• Promote smart subsidies to link poor producers to markets using asset transfers, cost share etc

General Objectives:

• Work with traditional committees to ensure the identification and selection of the most vulnerable beneficiaries for cash/asset for work and organize and supervise the identification and selection registration of beneficiaries for the on-farm Livelihood activities.
• Facilitate community mobilization towards farmers’ field school and smallholder gardening.
• Support in the implementation of capacity-building training including field training and workshops for the target beneficiaries on vegetable production, seed conservation, farm management, and storage.
• Supervise and compile information to ensure that the surveillance of the farming situation in the area of implementation of the program is achieving the expected result when required.
• Implement field activities for targeted communities about agricultural activities and strengthen nutrition-sensitive agriculture with support from relevant State, LGA, and community stakeholders at LGA level.
• Supervise and organize all assessments for the projects or for new projects especially monthly price and market assessments.
• Analyze the humanitarian situation, taking protection problems into consideration/Do no Harm Principle. Propose an action plan to ensure that beneficiaries and local populations both understand the project goals and actively participate in their implementation.
• Act as a liaison with the local population and authorities in order to identify the needs, grievances, and major events that could have potential consequences for COOPI activity

Technical Support:

• Support stakeholder mapping of agricultural and resilience stakeholders.
• Support the identification and registration of vulnerable smallholder farmers. Contribute to the development of project community mobilization strategies for targeting and registration of beneficiaries for the agricultural production activities.
• Identify/create farmer and livestock associations/cooperatives for strengthening
• Adapt Resilience Design in Smallholder Farming Systems to the State needs
• Produce user-friendly training manuals/guides on the production and reduction of post-harvest losses for various crops produced in North East Nigeria
• Facilitate training-of-trainer modules for the state ADP extension services
• Develop a knowledge dissemination plan for RD in smallholder agriculture with the State Ministry of Agriculture,
• Premium-priced traders are linked to mature associations
• Provide business support services and facilitate business linkages for improved seed suppliers to increase ease of access and availability of improved seeds for the smallholder farmer.

Knowledge Management, Communication and Reporting:

• Support resilience teams including the COOPI Program in collection and or publication of good practices, success stories, project outcome documents, etc. in resilience work with Communication, Learning to develop knowledge products, communication materials and other IEC materials to promote awareness raising about Resilience for schools, farmers and communities.
• Report to the Deputy Project Manager and Project Manager on the progress of activities, challenges encountered, lessons learned and good practices.
• Collect and Compile collected data, and pictures and collect information from the field to present weekly internal reports to the Project Manager.
• Compile collected data and collect information from the team to present regular reports to the Livelihood-DPM on the progress of activities, problems encountered, the quality of relations with beneficiaries and propose actions to improve the project
• Pass on any information or problems to his/her direct and/or indirect supervisor concerning his/her task, COOPI programs, or safety aspects
• Report immediately any delay, problem or other relevant information to the Livelihood Project Manager.

Capacity Building:

• Responsible for coordinating all best management practice activities (field visits, farmer sensitization, training, data collection and collation, reporting, etc.) at the BMP demonstration sites.
• Organize and supervise the Best Agronomic practice training (BAPs) and Good Agronomic Practice training (GAPs) assessment and the identification of the main chains in the targeted area.
• Coordinates and prioritizes relevant project activities at the local level in cooperation with the partners, as well as in organizational preparation and in the implementation of these activities.
• Ensure the proper training and supervision of the community’s volunteers and daily workers who take part in the project. Training farmers and plantation staff in good agronomic practices.

Monitoring and Reporting:

• Collect information and data on Livelihoods and food security at LGA level through surveys, assessments, and regular post-distribution monitoring of beneficiary households
• Collate information and data on agricultural activities through surveys, assessments, regular post-distribution monitoring, and field supervision visits of beneficiary households.
• Collaboration with other partners including relevant stakeholders.
• Participate in writing situation reports with information on food security, and security information at the community when required.
• Collect, enter, and analyze the information as requested by his supervisor.
• Participate in the development of training curriculum and train beneficiaries according to the defined schedule.
• Support the M&E team in the analysis of beneficiary data collection through the various tools that the department uses.
• Keep monitoring tools and files archived at the COOPI office, ensuring their availability to his/her Deputy Project Manager and Project Manager.
• Coordinate closely with the Livelihood DPM to ensure that cross-LGA programs are being implemented in synergy.
• Participate in inter-agency coordination forums at LGA and State level as required.
• Set agreed-on indicators and milestones based on the resulting framework developed.
• Provide feedback to the program team based on the field monitoring visits.
• Support the project team in developing high-quality project/program reports regarding the resilience perspective.
• Liaise with COOPI MEAL Team colleagues and some project partners to ensure timely submission of contributions. Support the M&E team in the analysis of beneficiary data collection through the various tools.

Networking, Mobilization, and Coordination Support:

• Mobilization and awareness raising about the organization, program objectives, and activities to local authorities and the population, and act as a link between the organization and the beneficiaries (at LGA level)
• Work closely with community structures to follow up on the implementation of on-farm Income Generating Activities.
• Support in the implementation of Livelihood capacity-building training for the target beneficiaries at the LGA level.
• Implement a detailed work plan for the Livelihood team at LGA level activities whilst respecting the timely planning and set-up of the activities
• Contribute to the development of project community mobilization strategies for targeting and new needs identification in the community.
• Supervise the Implementation of sensitization activities for targeted communities about strengthening livelihood restoration activities whilst collaborating with the State Emergency Management Authority (SEMA), Extension workers, Community Volunteers, traditional leaders, and other key stakeholders in feasible livelihood restoration activities at LGA level.
• Support the Supervisor to ensure that beneficiaries’ access to the service provider guarantees protection and gender sensitivity in the field key activities
• Represent COOPI in coordination meetings and conferences as requested by the Project Manager.
• Responsible for maintaining relationships with farmers and Institutions.

Team Supervision:

• Participate in the recruitment of Adhoc workers, field support staff, and any other position that could be recruited on his/her team.
• Organize the day-to-day schedule with the team to guarantee the smooth running of the project
• Ensure the proper training and supervision of the daily workers who take part in the project.

Logistic & Administration:

• Under the responsibility of the Deputy Project Manager, Project Manager, and Program Manager, contribute to the logistical and administrative organization of the activities
• He contributes to the definition of the needs in materials and tools regarding the program and the planning of interventions.
• Ensure the safety and good condition of all materials provided by COOPI.
• Inform the Project Manager in case of security incidents, rumours, or any security information.
• Ensure the follow-up and the proper use of materials and tools used during on-site works.
• Manage the supply of materials to the work site in collaboration with the logistics department.
• Analyse the security situation in the area and inform the project manager and Head of Base in case of security incidents, rumours, or any security information.
• This ToR shall be inclusive of any other task specifically assigned by the Project Manager and direct supervisor that concerns the implementation of the program activities.

Profile of the Candidate (Education, Training, Competences, Skills)
Minimum Requirements:

• Degree/Diploma in Agriculture, Nutrition, Economics, Rural Development, Development Studies, Social Sciences or related academic disciplines, 2-3years previous experience working in developmental and emergency projects.
• University degree/HND in any of the following disciplines: Agricultural Economics or related field.
• At least 3 years of experience in connection with project management in the food security and / or livelihood sector, and preferably in a non-governmental organization of humanitarian and international character.
• Previous experience in food distribution supervisory field is preferable.
• Ability to write reports.
• Able to work outside of regular working hours as required, including evenings and weekends if required.
• A good experience in supervision is required.
• Experience with survey methodologies, nutrition assessment and relevant data analysis
• Previous experience working with an INGO or a Development organization.

Skills & Experience
Essential:

• Be professional, motivated, flexible and culturally sensitive
• Experience in In-kind food distribution activities from planning to execution, monitoring and reporting.
• Have excellent communication, writing and analytical skills.
• Be excellent in communication skills and proficient in report writing
• Be resident and familiar with the terrain in the Northeast Nigeria.
• Experience designing and leading capacity building and training for national teams.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office programming (Access, Outlook, Excel, Power Point, and Word).
• Knowledge and experience in using database specific software.
• Excellent communication, writing and analytical skills.
• Experience designing and leading capacity building and training for national teams
• Perform any other related duties or responsibilities that may be assigned by the supervisor
• Given the stressful nature of Yobe security situation, which remains fluid and unpredictable and its high interpersonal and communication skills demands, the CBT officer will need to be able to fit easily into a complex and operative team of various cultural backgrounds.

Preferred:

• Knowledge of the local language (Hausa and Kanuri).
• Willing and able to be based and travel regularly within remote areas, where services are limited.
• Strong level of autonomy to provide independent follow through on processing issues and concerns
• Excellent planning, organizational and time management skills
• This ToR shall be inclusive of any other task specifically assigned by the Project Manager and direct supervisor for what concerns the implementation of the program activities.

Basic Salary
COOPI Salary grid (according to experience).

Application Closing Date
28th July, 2022.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Any late application or incomplete submission will not be considered and thus will be disregarded immediately.
• Candidates who reside and have resided for years within the locations where the positions are advertised are strongly encouraged to apply
• All qualified candidates living within Damaturu are also strongly encouraged to apply.
• Applicants shall be reviewed on a rolling basis.
• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates from and or living Yobe will be prioritised.