Program Officer at Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI)

Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) is an international development company. For more than 45 years, we have worked on the frontlines of international development, tackling fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. Currently, DAI is delivering results that matter in some 80 countries.

Our development solutions turn ideas into impact by bringing together fresh combinations of expertise and innovation across multiple disciplines. Our clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and national governments.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Program Officer

Job Code: 7096
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Level of Effort: Full Time
Name of Project: USAID Youth-Powered Ecosystem to Advance Urban Adolescent Health (YPE4AH)
Reports to: Senior Technical Director
Project Duration: 5 years (May 2020-2024)
Contract Duration: 18 Months

Program Overview

• USAID Youth-Powered Ecosystem to Advance Urban Adolescent Health (YPE4AH) is a five-year (May 2020 –May 2025) award funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
• It is being implemented in Lagos and Kano by DAI in partnership with select local NGOs and the government of Nigeria.
• The project is aimed at improving the health and well-being of underprivileged, out-of-school adolescents aged 15 – 19 years of age in urban slums in selected communities in Lagos and Kano States.
• The program will foster an ecosystem that centres around Youth Hubs and seek to provide safe spaces to access sexual and reproductive health and rights information and referrals.
• Similarly, the program will empower young Nigerians to think about their futures differently and access the skills and resources needed to realize their aspirations from a holistic, human capital perspective.

Job summary

• The Program Officer reports to the Senior Technical Director (STD), and under his/her guidance, the Program Officer will be responsible for leading the implementation of the leadership component of the project, stakeholder engagement at the LGA and community level and M&E.
• Other core responsibility of the Program officer is to support the delivery of the other various project objectives related to life skills and livelihood.

Responsibilities
The Program&s officer responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
Technical Tasks:

• To provide programs support and assist in the implementation and coordination of program activities during the life of the project
• Complete and submit monthly reports using approved monitoring and evaluation templates, including success stories.
• Facilitate the implementation of the Leadership component of the project by adequately building the capacity of the youth champions from the state to mentor adolescent champions to conduct advocacy within the intervention LGA
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement at the LGA as required to aid the achievement of community-level objectives.
• Mentor adolescent champions in the state on leadership and advocacy skills to promote adolescent health and capacity development needs as it affects their localities
• Work closely with the SBC team to implement the state-level behaviour change component of the award
• Support community-level demand creation team to deliver the SKILLZ United and SKILLZ Club curricula as well as other awareness generation activities, at scale and in quality, to target adolescents within the implementation communities.
• Support to facilitate the routine capacity-building approach for multi-cadre providers who serve across spoke facilities in their timely supervision.
• Support with the restocking of Hub and Spoke facilities with essential life-saving commodities as required by the Hub and Spoke health facilities.
• Support the tracking and implementation of the state's advocacy plans
• Support with the message, tools, and materials development process for the project
• Working closely with the Senior Technical Director to represent the project at state-led meetings such as the quarterly Reproductive Health and Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Technical Working Group and Project Advisory Group meetings.
• Support with establishing new engagement with both private and public sector
• Support the training and adherence of staff and field agents on USAID Family Planning compliance on a routine basis
• Participate in (or support in organizing) relevant webinars with the potential to benefit the project M&E Role
• Support the MERL team in routine internal SSV to the Youth Hubs and Spoke
• Support the quarterly data review meetings between the demand generation and service delivery teams in the project state.
• Support in preparation of quarterly reports, especially the leadership component
• Support the conduct of quarterly Internal Pause and Reflect Sessions.
• Coordinate the weekly DAI bulletin write-up for the state.
• Actively scope the Field Agents and Team members in the state to come up with high-impact success or human-interest stories on a routine basis
• Collate Support Supervisory Visit reports from other team members and submit a single report for the state.
• Monitor program delivery for quality as assigned by STD, identify gaps and make recommendations for improvement.

Other job-related responsibilities:

• Be a role model for the project in the community by demonstrating best practices for leadership, livelihoods, and accessing/adhering to family planning services.
• Stand against all forms of abuse and exploitation of project participants. Report any suspicion or acts of abuse to the Chief of Party.
• Undertake periodic training on US Abortion and FP Requirements, and Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance and Statutory Abortion Restrictions
• Uphold Child Protection policies and Protecting Life in Global Health provision

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of an HND or First Degree in Health, Social and Behavioural Sciences.
• 3 - 5 years working experience of in programming and community-level implementation,
• Experience in working with young people on sensitive topics, including family planning, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, etc.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluating or capturing learning for projects
• Ability to communicate in the local language preferred by young people.
• Good organizational and planning skills
• Ability to write concise, analytical, and accurate reports to meet agreed-on timelines
• Excellent oral and written communications skills in English
• Good negotiation and interpersonal skills, ability to relate well and build a rapport with a diverse range of people.

Language:

• Fluency in the English language is required. Knowledge of the Hausa language is an advantage.
• This job description summarizes the main duties of the job.
• It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties.

Application Closing Date
5th August, 2022.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover Letter and CV to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Note: DAI will only contact candidates that are successful at this prequalification stage.