General Food Distribution (GFD) Field Officer at Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI)

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: General Food Distribution (GFD) Field Officer

Location: Nangere, Yobe
Employment Type: Full-time

Overall Responsibilities

• The GFD Field Officer will be responsible for planning and distribution of WFP funded General Food Distribution (Conditional and Unconditional Resource Transfer) project in Fune, Yobe state. Focusing on IDPs and vulnerable host communities.
• The GFD Field officer will ensure the quality of distributions, and comprehensive mobilization of the community to encourage their participation in the distribution activities.

Main Responsibilities and Tasks
Under the direct supervision of the GFD/CBT Coordinator, Deputy ProjectnManager, and in collaboration with the other collaborators of the projects and of the Base, He will:

• Be in charge of the distribution point, ensuring that the distribution ‘flow’ is continued, that beneficiaries are treated with dignity, that the CFM is in place, that there is accurate verification and rationing and that there is space for sensitization.
• Supervise community mobilization and sensitization, by ensuring that beneficiaries are informed about project objectives, the ratio they are entitled to, distribution dates, the right to complain, and ways in which they can file complaints.
• Supervise a team of distribution assistants, CFM Assistants, community mobilizers, and daily laborers at the distribution point and in implementing follow-up of referred SAM cases.
• Provide coaching and training to the distribution assistants and the CFM Assistants.
• Supervise the distribution of supplementary food to eligible and verified households.
• Supervise and support the preparation of accurate distribution reports.
• Supervise sensitization sessions on food security, livelihoods, nutrition (IYCF), and hygiene practices.
• Prepare accurate daily and monthly distribution reports and liaise with the warehouse supervisor to ensure that there is a proper record of commodities received, dispatched, distributed, and remaining.
• Submit weekly activity reports to the GFD /CBT Coordinator to inform about the sensitization activities conducted in the field by the distribution assistants and field monitors.
• Report any problems in a timely manner to the deputy project manager and the programme manager.
• Liaise with the local authorities, Food Management Committees, nutrition and health facilities, and other humanitarian actors to ensure complementarity of the humanitarian response and proper referral systems are in place.
• Conduct meetings with the Food Management Committees to receive feedback on the program from them and to ensure that they are involved in the planning, monitoring, and implementation of the program. Prepare minutes of such meetings and share them with the GFD Field officer.
• Ensure accurate documentation for the payment of daily labour, by keeping a daily attendance sheet and checking the identification of the daily labourers.
• Support coordination of the data collection for nutrition surveys.
• Represent COOPI in the field and ensure no fraud or irregularities occur.
• Treat beneficiaries with dignity and apply COOPI’s Code of Ethics and Conduct, the UN Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in the field, including sensitizing Distribution Assistants, community mobilizers and daily labourers on such principles.

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):

• Contribute to the development of project community mobilisation strategies for targeting and registration of beneficiaries
• Implement sensitisation activities for targeted communities about Cash Transfer and strengthening livelihood restoration activities with support from SEMA, Extension workers, Community Volunteers, traditional leaders and other key stakeholders in feasible livelihood restoration activities at LGA level.
• Support in the verification of the beneficiaries to ensure the identification and selection of the most vulnerable population is verified before Cash transfer is made.
• Support the Supervisor in ensuring that targeting of beneficiaries to receive cash transfers is carried out in a transparent way and with active participation of women and minority members of communities.
• Facilitate good working relationship between government workers and target beneficiaries.
• Support the Supervisor to ensure that beneficiaries’ access to the provider guarantees protection and gender sensitivity in the field key activities.

Work with program teams to ensure COOPI information on program activities is shared within LGAs and provide for beneficiary feedback in line with relevant guidelines and frameworks:

• Collaborate with government and humanitarian partners to ensure the smooth sharing of information in consultation with the Project Manager/Field Coordinator/Program Manager

Capacity Development:

• Supervise, hire and orient team members, as necessary.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options, and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Identify any gaps or capacity needs within the team and ensure training and capacity building are incorporated into program planning.

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

• Candidates should possess a Diploma / Degree in Economics, Rural Development, Development Studies, Agriculture-related studies, Social Sciences and Finance, or a related subject, with previous experience working in developmental projects

Skills & Experience:
Essential:

• Be professional, motivated, flexible and culturally sensitive
• Experience in data collection, collation, analysis, and report writing
• Have excellent communication, writing and analytical skills.
• Be excellent in communication skills and proficient in report writing
• Have IT troubleshooting capabilities.
• 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).
• Proven ability to create management information systems for large amounts of data within a complex program.
• 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.

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.
• Previous experience with similar position
• 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.

Application Closing Date
10th April, 2023.