GRM International - As a leading global development management firm, we cater to varied sectors of international development and create challenging job opportunities in development.
GRM International is recruiting to fill the position of below:
Job Title: Governance and Capacity Building Advisor
Location: Kano
Background
Mobilising for Development (M4D) is a local governance programme aimed at improving accountability and responsiveness of policy makers and service providers to citizens' entitlements and better articulated demands. M4D’s interventions focus on: strengthening communities through their Community Based Organisations (CBOs), to better organise, engage and demand services; promoting inclusion by supporting girls and people with disability to better organise, engage and demand services; supporting policy makers and service providers to improve service delivery and accountability, and supporting innovations and better-fit approaches to service delivery and accountability.
M4D aims to work simultaneously on both demand and supply-side governance reform: on the demand-side, it aims to strengthen citizen capacity to influence development, while on the supply-side, it aims to support Local Government Authoritys (LGAs) ability to respond to citizen demand, whether it is in the form of responding to policy changes or request for improved service delivery. Most importantly, M4D seeks to support engagement between the two.
Overall M4D works to ensure that policy makers and service providers are more accountable to citizen's entitlements and articulated demands, especially those of adolescent excluded groups. M4D's overall planned outcome is that: Policy Makers (PM) and Service Providers (SP) are more responsive and accountable to citizens' better articulated demands and entitlements, especially adolescent girls (AG) and people with disability (PWD).
M4D will achieve this outcome by delivering the following outputs:
- Output 1: CBOs organised, engaged and aiding community demands for equitable delivery of basic services and accountability.
- Output 2: PWD CBOs and Platforms of girls organised, engaged and demanding equitable basic services and accountability.
- Output 3: Increased capacity of policy makers and service providers to design and deliver basic services and operate accountably.
- Output 4: Better-Fit Approaches (BFAs) to basic service delivery and accountability on targeted issues identified, developed and tested.
- Output 5: Solutions, Innovative and better fit approaches promoted and shared to targeted stakeholders.
- Output 6: Improvement in programme management and delivery built upon an evidence based, collaborative approach to identifying and learning lessons.
Role and Responsibilities
- The role of Governance and Capacity Building Adviser is critical to the programme and will require an ability to generate ideas and provide leadership towards achieving the overall programme ambition of enhanced governance performance at the level of local government. Achieving this may require providing advice on if and how to engage with state government as well as local actors.
- The role will include oversight of all activities and deliverables in relation to outputs 1 and 3 of the programme as well as broader thematic leadership duties relating to governance and capacity building delivery and results monitoring across the programme.
On Governance:
- Development of the overall Governance approach for M4D (informed in particular by the DFID SAVI programme approach[1]), identifying key points of engagement at National, State and LGA level including commissioning of on-going Political Economic Analysis (PEA) within the programme [by identifying and keeping under review key processes within the regulatory framework at all levels that (national, state and local) that have leveraging potential for governance work, service delivery and accountability];
The role may include (among other activities) the following specific initiatives
Output 1:
- Provision of advice on how to generate demand side engagement and influencing initiatives;
- Support for the design of targeted advocacy actions for CBOs to follow up ‘quick win’ demands;
- Provision of oversight on issue identification, convergence and leveraging for results;
- Insight on establishing and measuring mechanisms for maximizing CBO reach into the community;
- Provision of any other support as agreed by TL or his designee in pursuance of the achievement of M4D programme
Output 2:
- Review of work with PMs/SPs (especially training provision and action plans in relation to output and outcome targets);
- Support review of government budgeting processes and action planning to incorporate citizens demands;
- Provide oversight on platform for access/interface & institutionalizing systemic change processes [by working with and supporting other cross-cutting roles - communications, Gender and Social Inclusion, Grants, M&E/KM to infuse governance dimensions into the programme and to contribute to the achievement of the other cross-cutting objectives];
- Provide any other support as agreed by TL or his designee in pursuance of the achievement of M4D programme
On Capacity Building:
With regard to capacity building, the role will include (but not be limited to):
- Provision of guidance and support for key capacity building tools to support the improvement of governance (supply and demand sides) with a special focus on strengthening civic engagement, supporting CBOs, LSCs, GPs.
- Re-calibration of ‘main’ CB tools (CDAS, ARCS, CDAS+) based on learning each programming year across the programme (based on need/learning)
- Review and variation of CB approaches to ensure value addition and learning [by designing CB intervention after administration of ‘main’ CB tools and quality assuring CB/trainings materials (modules/PowerPoints/manual etc.) to ensure fit for purpose]
- Commissioning of research pieces around CB effectiveness [including but not limited to conflict sensitivity being mainstreamed across M4D programme]
- Provision of any other support as agreed by TL or his designee in pursuance of the achievement of M4D programme
- In addition to the above, the role will require good judgement on if and when there is a need to source external consultancy support to further the aims of the programme.
Reporting Arrangements:
- This role will report directly to the National Team Leader and will be supported by the programme International Governance Adviser.
- This role will have no direct reports to manage, but if the need arises to source external support, this role will be expected to manage these inputs and ensure deliverables are met.
Basic Qualifications/ Experience
- Degree in Public Policy/International Development/ International Relations/ Economics or related field.
- Significant experience working with DFID.
- Substantial technical expertise and relevant professional experience in service delivery, civil service reform, decentralisation, government budgeting, governance, political economy analysis, voice and accountability.
- Substantial experience in capacity building and designing and delivering training, workshops and presentations.
- Strong understanding of and familiarity with Nigerian political system, and the formal and informal ‘rules of the game’
- Project management experience, including international projects, throughout the project lifecycle - e.g. policy/ project design, implementation, evaluation, dissemination.
- Strong analytical and technical writing skills with a proven ability to produce and summarise complex evidence-based findings in a clear and engaging style.
Required Skills:
- Excellent oral and written communication skills including report-writing, and preparing presentations using PowerPoint.
- Highly developed interpersonal skills and self-motivation.
- Strong analytical skills in relevant areas.
- Solid personal computer skills (Microsoft applications).
- Ability to prioritise and multi-task, and work under strict deadlines.
- Willing to travel regularly.
- Ability to work independently and achieve challenging targets.
- Ability to lead and work within multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary teams spread across several countries and time zones.
- Sound business ethics, including the protection of proprietary and confidential information.
- Ability to be flexible to handle multiple priorities
Application Closing Date
4th March, 2015
How to Apply
interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online
Note: This is a fixed term role until June 2018.