Project Coordinator at Self Help Africa

Self Help Africa (SHA) is an international development organisation headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, dedicated to the vision of 'sustainable livelihoods and healthy lives for all in a changing climate.' With nearly 50 years of experience in Africa, including 25 years in Nigeria, SHA works to alleviate hunger, poverty, social inequality, and the impact of climate change through community-led, market-based, and enterprise-focused approaches. In 2021, SHA merged with United Purpose (UP), doubling in size and expanding to 17 countries.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Coordinator

Location: Kano
Employment Type: Full-time

Job purpose

• SHA is looking for a dynamic individual to fill the role of Project Coordinator.
• The candidate will manage the day-to-day activities of the project in Kano State, including activity planning, supervision of staff and project implementation.
• In addition, the job holder will manage partners, resources, and interface with external stakeholders to achieve the project’s targets, and objectives on time, within scope and budget in compliance with donor requirements and SHA guidelines.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Team Management:

• Lead the mapping, mobilisation and profiling of programme participants at inception developing set criteria for clustering.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Manage the performance of line managed staff through objective setting, regular performance review, managing feedbacks and regularly monitor performance development plans.
• Support the continual growth and professional development of all line-managed staff, ensuring that appropriate support and development mechanisms are in place.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Lead a diverse team of direct and indirect reports in the field offices and conduct timely performance planning; establish performance expectations with team members, provide regular constructive feedback on team members’ performance and conduct performance reviews in a collaborative manner.
• Project Management and Technical Responsibilities
• Lead the day-to-day project implementation of Youth in Kano state, ensuring the effective and efficient execution of project activities while working closely with the Team Leader on the overall project strategy.
• Support the Programme manager to develop overall strategic implementation plan, in line with approved project narrative, workplan and SHA operational guidelines.
• Ensure a high level of accountability to participants, stakeholders and donor ensuring effective feedback mechanism, regular communication, timely production and submission of plans, reports and assessment.
• Support to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate Business models across different nudes of Sorghum, Millet, Horticulture, Groundnuts and Soya beans value chains.
• Coordinate project staff and project stakeholders at all levels in developing training guide to facilitate Training of Trainers sessions on different business models.
• Develop quality weekly, monthly and quarterly reports to the donor including success stories, income and expenditure account, cost analysis reports, and other financial information, in a timely and accurate manner.
• Create a sustainable work environment of mutual respect that attracts motivated, skilled and effective team members and enables them individually and collectively to strive to achieve excellence.
• In collaboration with the Team Leader, Initiate and manage market related value chain analysis ensuring implementation are done in accordance with proposed business models.
• Ensure all opportunities to identify and incorporate women and youth activities to aligned with project indicators.
• Drive the stakeholder analysis of the selected commodity chains, if appropriate, as well as identifying and contacting potential agents of change within agreed value chains.
• Coordinate all administrative aspects of partnerships including but not limited to, MoUs, Collaboration Agreements, among others.
• Effective Collaboration, Representation and Project Quality Assurance
• Represent the Team Leader and where needed SHA in all technical meetings and stakeholders’ engagements.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships, and regular communication with multiple stakeholders in Kano through co-planning and co-delivery of activities with the permanent actors of the system (government, civil society, private sector), to the full extent possible, maximising ownership.
• Organise and foster strong, collaborative relationships with partner institutions and additional business development service providers.
• Ensure project quality assurance and oversight, which includes regular field visits in Kano state.
• In Collaboration with the Team Leader, monitor risks that arise during project implementation and implement rapid risk mitigation measures including effective communication to all stakeholders.
• Lead on effective implementation of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning framework for project implementation.

Transparency, Compliance and Safeguarding:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Employ the highest standards of openness, transparency and accountability to ensure good financial management in line with SHA’s zero-tolerance approach to fraud, bribery and corruption.
• Demonstrate commitment to safeguarding, protection, gender mainstreaming and inclusion of vulnerable population including people with disabilities.
• Provide support to established feedback, complaints and response mechanism across implementation communities to ensure programmatic and operational decisions are informed by local perspectives and priorities, and contribute to the protection of program participants at the LGA level.

Accountability:

• In line with Self Help Africa’s commitments under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), the job holder will:
• actively promote meaningful community participation and consultation at all stages of the project cycle (planning, implementation, M&E).
• work with relevant colleagues to ensure that the Community Feedback and Response Mechanism (CFRM) is functional and accessible, that feedback and complaints are welcomed and addressed.
• work with relevant colleagues to ensure that information about CFRM, safeguarding and expected staff behaviour is disseminated among programme participants and communities.

Key Relationships:

• Internal: Programme, Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning, Finance & Admin, Procurement, HR & Admin, Security and Communications teams.
• External: WFP, Government Agencies, Local NGOs and Partners, Private Sector Partners, Project participants and Communities, Consultants and Technical Experts, International Organisations.

Knowledge, Experience and Other Requirements
Education and other qualifications:

• University degree in Agribusiness, Business Administration, Economics, International Development or any other related social sciences.
• ICT operation, and proficiency in MS Office.
• At least 6 years of professional experience in the development sector and MSME ecosystem development and at least 3 years of experience working in a coordination role on donor projects.
• At least 3 years professional experience in project management and 2 years in Market systems development (MSD) approach.
• Familiarity with the local context and communities in Kano State.
• Understand Agribusiness opportunities across the selected value chains in Kano.

Experience and Skills:

• Management/leadership experience as project team leader or manager in a development organisation.
• Elaborate professional experience in livelihood.
• Excellent leadership and coordination skills (and ability to coordinate several tasks at once and managing priorities)
• Effective communication, problem solving and decision-making skills and diplomacy in communication
• Respect for cultural diversity and gender sensitivity
• Team leadership and mentoring
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning
• Communication, networking, facilitation and mobilisation.
• Organisational development
• Reporting and documentation

Desirable:

• Gender and intercultural sensitivity
• Positive outlook and team spirit
• Adaptable and responsive disposition relative to the demands of the Project
• Women are strongly advised to apply.

Application Closing Date
4th August, 2025. 

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Click here to download the application form (Docx.)

Application Instruction: Interested and qualified candidates should fill and send the attached form above and also send their cover letter and CV in a single document (of not more than 6 pages) via the link above.

Note

• You are advised to apply early, as applications will be treated on roll-in basis.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.