Project Officer at BRAVE Women Nigeria - Abuja and Lagos

The Business Resilience Assistance for Value-adding Enterprises (BRAVE) for women in Nigeria, is focusing on developing and increasing the economic opportunities for female entrepreneurs through skills training aimed at business viability (i.e. profitability) in targeted country-specific value chains. It will enhance the bankability, entrepreneurial and market development skills of female-owned/led Small, and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are critical to sustainable local growth and job creation. The project is currently administered by the World Bank through the Women Entrepreneurship Finance Initiative (We-Fi), designated the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG) as one of the Implementing Partners. The projects are currently implemented in Yemen, Nigeria and Burkina Faso

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Officer

Locations: Abuja and Lagos
Employment type: Full time
Contract Period: Till April 2024
Reporting Requirements: Under the supervision of the Project Manager.

Background

• Women Entrepreneurship Finance Initiative (We-Fi) is a multi-donor fund consisting of the G20 countries (hereinafter referred to as the “Fund”) currently being administered by the World Bank under the Business Resilience Assistance for Value-Added Enterprises (BRAVE) Women Program (hereinafter referred to as the “Program”) designated Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG) as one of the Implementing Partners (IPs) to support in the implementation of projects approved by the Fund. The BRAVE Women Program is a 5-year multi-donor fund implemented in Yemen, Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
• On 1st April 2020, the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG) signed the Framework Agreement with the Federal Republic of Nigeria (represented by Federal Ministry of Finance) regarding the support in the implementation of the BRAVE Women Nigeria Program. In 2019, prior to signing the agreement, IsDBG officially appointed Bank of Industry (BoI) as the Local Execution Agency (LEA) of the BRAVE Women Nigeria Program, which has been implemented in Edo, Kano and Gombe States.  As at end of 2022, there have already been two rounds of applications and beneficiaries in the three states.   The project is now expanding to Lagos state and FCT In this third round, and would be targeting an additional 500 beneficiaries, based in Lagos and the FCT, who will benefit from capacity-building support and a matching grant scheme.
• BRAVE Women Nigeria Program focuses on developing and increasing the economic opportunities for female entrepreneurs through skills training aimed at business viability (that is, profitability) in targeted country-specific value chains. It will enhance the bankability, entrepreneurial and market development skills of female owned/led Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that are critical to sustainable local growth and job creation. Furthermore, it will promote pro-poor growth by targeting the value chain in the market segments and sectors where the majority of the poor earn their living, and tackle gender disparities in economic opportunities by targeting women entrepreneurs. The program would also increase access to finance through a matching-grant scheme.
• The investments in local PMUs and Information Technology (IT) components will provide the local implementation agencies with additional human, operational and technology capabilities towards that objective.
• Specific to Nigeria, the BRAVE Women program shall have the following six components:
• Component 1 Business Resilience Capacity Building (BRCB): Training of 600 small and medium sized businesses on how to assess risks and determine their business priority by preparing a Business Continuity Plan (BCP).
• Component 2 Business Recovery Support (BRS): Grant matching scheme for 500 small and medium enterprises, in pre-selected value chains (agribusiness, healthcare, education, textiles and energy), on a cost-sharing the procurement of capital goods, and services to support business recovery/growth
• Component 3 Value Chain Resilience (VCR): Work with 20-30 lead firms and 10 Business Associations to support them in protecting vital value chains and upgrading the chain performance, impacting on many more MSMEs.
• Component 4 IT Platform: An online IT platform will be developed to handle Client Relations Management (CRM), Monitoring/Reporting and knowledge sharing among project stakeholders.
• Component 5 Impact Evaluation and Financial Audit: A standard impact assessment will be undertaken to help assess what works and what does not work for women MSMEs in fragile contexts.   In accordance with the projects’ financial reporting and auditing requirements, at least three sets of financial reports will be prepared and submitted by the PMU and the project’s partner banks to the ICD. These include interim financial reports/assurance reports which would be unaudited, and the annual and final financial reports of the project which would both be subject to audit.
• Component 6 Executing Agency and Project Management Unit (PMU): The PMU of dedicated professionals and market recruits in each country. The capacity of the PMU will be developed to allow national scaling beyond program boundaries.
• In order to meet the goals for Component 6 “Dedicated professionals and market recruits with developed capacity to allow national scaling beyond program boundaries”, the service of a Project Officer is required in the BRAVE Women Nigeria PMU.

Scope of Work / Responsibilities

• Interfacing with the Project’s contractors, consultants, Business Development Service Providers and Mobile Officers in FCT or Lagos State, keeping track of their deliverables and providing periodic updates to the Project Manager.
• Conducting financial and budget review and analyses in conjunction with the Project’s Finance and Accounting Officer and Project Manager.
• Assisting with the implementation, coordination and overseeing of all PMU-related operating procedures as stipulated under the project Operations Manual (OM) to facilitate start up and to support completion under the direction of the Project Manager.
• Developing Request for Proposals (RFPS) in keeping with the project’s procurement framework for the approval of the Project Manager.
• Interacting with and supporting the entire PMU in the execution of the project components.
• Identifying issues and possible solutions during the implementation of the objectives and bringing them to the attention of the Project Manager for action.
• Providing day-to-day administrative support to the entire PMU.
• When required, setting up team meetings, recording meeting minutes and allocating actions.
• Maintaining relevant data in various systems and in particular the Project’s Client Relationship Management (CRM) system and dashboard.
• Overseeing the upkeep of Project Documents to ensure they are fit for use and their archiving.
• Providing responses to ad hoc requests for information on the Project by all relevant stakeholders.
• Performing any other related duties as assigned by the Project Manager.

Qualifications and Experience
The candidate should have the following experience, skills, and competence:

• Bachelor's Degree in Project Management, International Development or other relevant fields in the social sciences.  Master’s degree is preferred.
• At least three years’ experience providing Project Management support to project to meet organizational outcomes in Nigeria.
• At least three years’ progressive experience conducting Project activities in humanitarian and development programs.
• At least three years’ experience working with data.
• Experience in managing and supervising staff and consultants
• Demonstrated ability to deliver comprehensive written report.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written in English. Knowledge of an additional Nigerian language would be an advantage.
• High level of professionalism and an ability to work independently and in high pressure situations to tight deadlines.
• Experience working on initiatives to support women owned/led businesses would be an added advantage.
• Experience working with NGOs and international development agencies would be an added advantage.

Application Closing Date
9th February, 2023.

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

Note: All applicants must be resident in FCT and or Lagos State.