Economic Recovery Agriculture Team Leader at Danish Refugee Council (DRC) - 2 Openings

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a Danish international non-governmental organisation, which promotes and supports durable solutions to the problems faced by refugees and internally displaced people all over the world. DRC is present in more than 30 conflict territories around the world assisting displaced people with shelter, food, income-generating activities, and a wide range of other assistance. It is of utmost importance for DRC to work in compliance with the DRC Accountability and Quality Management system and national legislations. Smooth, reliable and effective operational systems are preconditions for DRC to maintain its position as a trustworthy and reliable partner for our donors and an accountable organisation towards our beneficiaries.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Economic Recovery Agriculture Team Leader

Location: Mubi, Adamawa
Job type: National contract
Slot: 2 Openings
Employment Period: Four (4) months with possibility of extension
Supervised by: EcRec Manager
Reporting to: EcRec Manager
Type of Contract (Expat/National/Trainee): National

Overall Purpose of the Role

• The Economic Recovery Agriculture Team Leader’s main objective is to provide efficient and effective program implementation and smooth running of the Economic Recovery sector operations according to DRC’s internal policies and guidelines following donor procedures and program design.
• The Economic Recovery Agriculture Team Leader will also facilitate the implementation of Agriculture programming through coordination with stakeholders in operational areas.
• The Economic Recovery Agriculture Team Leader facilitates agriculture programming by supporting market systems development (MSD), improving agricultural production practices for farmers’ associations while developing social cohesion among members of the target communities through village loan & credit associations.

Duties and Responsibilities
Team Leadership:

• Produce work plans for the sector staff following the annual project planning cycle
• Train staff and provide regular updates on work planning and reporting against SMART objectives.
• Oversee the performance of the Economic Recovery Agriculture team.
• Provide field supervision to Economic Recovery Agriculture Officers and Assistants
• Represent the Economic Recovery Agriculture team at the base level and participate in facilitating and coordinating activities within the team and with other DRC departments.

Implementation and Planning:

• Coordinate with the support services, protection, and EcRec teams to ensure proper agriculture and MSD implementation management.
• Serve as the main contact for Agriculture activities in DRC Adamawa operations and work closely with State Government Technical Line Ministries and departments in ensuring high quality standards in DRC Economic Recovery sector operations.
• Ensure team adoption of technical guidelines, SoPs, handbooks, and other programme guidance provided by the Economic Recovery Manager and the Economic Recovery Coordinator
• Ensure the timely and quality achievements of the activities, which includes planning the activities and sharing tasks among the team, implementing, and monitoring the work of the team and the achievement, visiting the activities.
• Ensure that EcRec Agriculture Officers and Assistants implement project activities within the budget limits.
• Support the EcRec Agriculture Officers and Assistants by ensuring activities implementation is done in compliance with DRC/Donor procedures.
• In coordination with field staff, ensure that vulnerable groups (especially women and youths) are actively involved during project implementation.
• Organize and manage workshops, trainings and meetings that are hosted by the agricultural sector with relevant partners and beneficiary households,
• Provide agriculture livelihood guidance on an individual, group or association basis to increase beneficiaries’ awareness of different agricultural value chain options based on market assessment and beneficiary interests.
• Organize agricultural training for improved agricultural production practices, micro gardening, and small farming management activities with beneficiaries.
• Provide information to the beneficiaries on market opportunities and facilitate business linkage for improved agro-inputs vendors to increase ease of access and availability of inputs for smallholder farmers enterprise creation.
• Link bulk agriculture produce buyers with farmers’ associations and input sellers.

Sector Reporting & Documentation:

• Ensure EcRec agricultural activities implementation reports and regular internal reports are delivered on time.
• Ensure that a sound documentation procedure is adhered to, including the relevant beneficiary database is developed, maintained, and updated regularly.
• Ensure the use of developed relevant manuals/tool kits and training curriculums that can be used in training beneficiaries.
• Ensure the respect of the Do-No-Harm principle to persons of concern/beneficiaries.
• Ensure the weekly, monthly, and quarterly reporting are done and reported to the EcRec Manager.
• Contribute to project planning, development of proposals and documentation of lessons learned, best practices and success stories.
• Ensure beneficiary identification and profiling processes are well implemented and filed.

Coordination and representation:

• Represent the Economic Recovery sector during stakeholders and partners meetings (local communities, local government officials, Early Recovery and Livelihoods Sector Working Group, Food Security Sector and Agriculture Livelihood Working Group).
• Coordinate with Ministry of Agriculture Extension workers to facilitate beneficiaries’ training.
• Coordinate and facilitate the connection of beneficiaries and government technical services for capacity building and choosing seeds and technical production routes.
• Ensure effective dialogue and networking with Local Institutions, Private Institutes, workshops, National and international NGOs, and local authorities.
• Coordinate with other actors in the project area and project teams to address vulnerable communities’ specific or complementary needs.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Participate in monthly Budget Follow-up review meetings and ensure all livelihood activities are updated and submitted to EcRec Manager.
• Work with M&E to manage agriculture component data (training, distribution, baseline surveys, yield assessment, PDM etc.)
• Work closely with the M&E unit to identify, document, and disseminate relevant project success and challenges and follow up on project implementation.
• Participate in project evaluations and assist in the analysis of results and reporting.

Administration, logistics & Logistics:

• Ensure compliance with donor requirements regarding programming implementation and asset management.
• Support the monitoring of financial commitments and expenditures against budgets and provide timely feedback on budget follow-up.
• Plan and coordinate proactively logistics and movements of staff from and to different operational areas.
• Ensure distribution plans are prepared and shared with all relevant stakeholders.
• Provide timely expenditure planning & budget follow-ups with guidance from the Economic Recovery Programme Manager
• Ensure DRC financial procedures, guidelines and control corruption are maintained among the team.
• Initiate procurements and ensure adherence to correct procurement and logistical procedures in coordination with the logistics department.

Personnel Management:

• Directly supervising EcRec Agriculture Officers (2), Assistants (4).
• The responsibilities listed in the JD are not exhaustive and may be readjusted according to operational needs but will remain in line with the overall purpose of the role.

Requirements
Education: (include certificates, licenses etc.)

• University Degree or advanced training/ course in Agriculture, Agronomy, Agricultural Extension, Agroeconomics, Horticulture, Plant Sciences or related field.

Experience and technical competencies: (include years of experience)
Essential:

• At least 4 years of relevant professional Economic Recovery Agriculture components experience with a humanitarian aid organization.
• Understanding of Economic Recovery Agriculture programming issues in the country and the Northeast Nigeria region
• Experience in technical guidance, development and delivery of participatory training and capacity building.
• Proven strong analytical and communication skills, representation, negotiation, advocacy, and diplomacy.
• Excellent communication skills (including attention and patience)
• Experience in managing teams.
• Good computer skills (especially Ms. Office)

Desirable:

• Understanding of rights and protection issues of IDPs, children and women
• Experience working with displaced populations.

Languages: (indicate fluency level)

• Fluency in written and spoken English. Fluency in local spoken languages.

Key stakeholders: (internal and external):
Internal:

• Logistics, Procurement, Finance, HR, IT, WASH, Shelter, Food Security, Economic Recovery, Protection, MEL

External:

• Consortium partners
• State Government Ministries and Departments
• UN Coordination Technical Working Group Leads and other NGOs
• Local Government Councils and Traditional Local Leadership
• Farmers associations.

Salary & Benefits
M-G.

Application Closing Date
3rd January, 2025 at midnight (GMT time).