Project Officer, IGA / VSLA at Concern for Women and Children Development Foundation (COWACDI)

Concern for Women and Children Development Foundation (COWACDI) is a woman-led organization born out of passion for the well-being of Women and Children in Nigeria. It has a special interest in mitigating the suffering of vulnerable persons (mostly Women & Children) in times of crisis. Currently, the organization has focused its attention on the North East of Nigeria with special emphasis on Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states (the BAY states) due to the decade-old crises.

COWACDI intervenes through a community-based approach in addressing Gender-Based Violence prevention and response programmes, child protection, peace-building programmes, and empowerment of youth and women. COWACDI operates with full respect for humanitarian law and works with concrete policies and principles of international standards such as humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence, and accountability to the affected population.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Officer, IGA / VSLA

Location: Borno
Contract Duration: 10 Months
Start Date: ASAP

Role Purpose

• The Project Officer IGA/VSLA will be responsible for designing and implementing high quality, efficient IGA/VSLA activities including IGA/VSLA assessment and promotion of healthy eating habits, directly and indirectly through training/mentoring of project community volunteers and beneficiaries, linking up with LGA BOSADP Officers, other NGOs, and private sector actors at the community level.
• The role shall provide overall project supervision, promote, and value participatory approaches at the community level throughout the projects’ cycle, awareness raising and sensitisation, and all related program activities, Pre and Post IGA/VSLA activities Monitoring as well as monitoring and evaluation under the direct supervision of the Project Manager.
• Promote the vision, mission, and the values of COWACDI as expressed in the policies, regulations & guidelines of the Organization.

Key Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager and in collaboration with the field agents, community volunteers, and other team members of the project and of the base, the Project Officer IGA/VSLA will:

• Facilitate initial community entry activities.
• Implement the IGA/VSLA activities of project plans and make recommendations to the Project Manager for approval of project activities
• Implement training of beneficiaries on IGA/VSLA best practices according to the standardized protocols, policies and guidelines of the organization and donor requirement.
• Facilitate IGA/VSLA needs surveys in communities.
• Ensure the identification and selection of the most vulnerable project beneficiaries, and provide information to ensure accountability, fairness, and transparency during implementation of activities.
• Work closely with community structures to follow up on implementation of income generation activity plans.
• Prepare action plans and provide direct support to beneficiaries through visits, in line with the action plans and as required.
• Facilitate links and referrals relationships between the beneficiaries and community groups and local sources of support.
• Ensure timely procurement of and delivery of right quality and quantity of VSLA kits/tools required by the beneficiaries and ensure these are used appropriately.
• Administer hands-on livelihoods trainings, as necessary, and provide guidance to targeted beneficiaries to enhance their capacity to engage in income-generation activities.
• Ensure all documentation, reports, and records from the community on IGA/VSLA are maintained per agreed procedure, and information is provided on these community activities as required.
• Co-facilitate step-down trainings with beneficiaries and community groups on various topics on IGA/VSLA as outlined in the implementation plan.
• Provide technical guidance and support to the development of IGA/VSLA strategies/approaches.
• Take lead in Beneficiaries’ IGA/VSLA education   and participate in community IGA/VSLA sensitization
• Support beneficiaries and community groups, conduct assessments/project activities to all special women and youths in the communities.
• Work on facilitating partnerships with relevant IGA/VSLA value chain actors and their service providers.
• Ensure data collection on IGA/VSLA under technical guidance of the M&E officer
• Coordinate with community- based LGA BOSADP Officers, other NGOs, and private sector actors.
• Monitor and supervise the community field agents and government extension workers.
• Perform any other responsibility that will be assigned to him/her.
• To respond to ever changing demands within the environment, COWACDI operates within an agile framework (both in workforce and operational) that requires from all employees, a high level of responsiveness and adaptiveness to processes and structures making flexibility and a project based working approach the norm. To sustain this system, managers may/will agree further details of specific tasks and duties as part of the performance agreement. Any reasonable duty may be assigned that is consistent with the nature of the job and its level of responsibility, and employees may be required to change the focus of their role from time to time.

Applied Skills / Knowledge and Expertise
Essential Requirements:

• Level of Education – University Degree in FSL related studies like Agriculture / Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Economics, Natural Resource Management, Anthropology, Disaster Risk Management, or a closely related field with at least 3 years’ experience.
• Must have substantial experience in implementing community-level development projects, using participatory engagement and grassroots mobilization techniques.
• Experience working on value chain actors and their service providers.
• Previous experience managing Food Security and Livelihoods interventions (i.e., cash-based transfer, IGA, agriculture/livelihoods
• Excellent training and facilitation skills with a wide variety of groups having diverse experiences, backgrounds, skills, and education levels.
• Experience in handling grants to local groups, ensuring appropriate basic documentation and accountability at the community/field level.
• Excellent verbal communication and listening skills.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft word, excel, power point.
• Language Requirements: Spoken English-Excellent; Written English-Good (ability to type and prepare reports and other documents as needed.)
• Must be able to speak at least one local language predominant in the state.

Analytical Skills:

• Works on complex issues, Problems, risks, and benefits that may have implications across several project components. 
• Required to develop new ways of doing things to better meet program goals requiring creative or analytical ability.

Decision Making:

• Budgetary/savings responsibility: Make decisions to manage community gatekeepers effectively, from identification of volunteers and village agents to the day-to-day management of community programme teams. Day to day decision to ensure community projects are running effectively and supporting the projects informed by COWACDI's strategy and strategic focus areas. Make contributions around project proposals, ensuring they are prepared and comply with community expectations.

Desirable:

• Involvement in relevant value chain projects, and/or those involving vulnerable people, especially those with IGA/VSLA interventions.
• Experience in engaging directly with vulnerable people, facilitating women activities and/or facilitating vulnerable people’s participation in meetings, discussions, etc.
• Involvement in projects and/or initiatives that address issues of power, diversity, exclusion, participation, and gender.
• Ability to multi-task, engage in long-term planning, meet deadlines, and handles last-minute demands; exercise patience, and adapt to changing circumstances.

Relationships:

• External: Build strong relationships with partners, networks, donors, stakeholders, and community beneficiaries
• Internal: Build a strong relationship with program departments, MEAL officers, program managers, M&E units, and all staff.

Application Closing Date
12th March, 2023.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their applications containing a CV and Letter of interest in either word document or PDF format to [email protected] using the Position and Location e.g. “PROJECT OFFICER IGA/VSLA / FORESTRY_BORNO STATE” as the subject of the email.

Note

• COWACDI regrets that, due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to reply to every applicant.
• If you are being considered for the role, a recruiter will contact you. If you are not contacted within 2 weeks, you should consider your application not successful on this occasion.
• Never pay for any training, certificate, assessment, or testing fee to the recruiter.