Programme Officer - Conflict and Peace Building at Christian Aid (CA)

Christian Aid (CA) is a UK-based international NGO, partnering with others to end poverty in Africa. At the heart of this vision is the transformation of the lives of people who live in poverty, empowering them to have a brighter future. Christian Aid works in more than 30 countries and has been operating in Nigeria since 2003. The Nigeria Country programme focuses on Community Health and HIV, Accountable Governance including humanitarian response and Gender.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Officer - Conflict and Peace Building

Location: Kaduna
Department: International
Contracted Hours: 35
Report to: Programme Manager, Governance

Role Purpose

• To be responsible for supporting and managing Christian Aid partnerships and programmes with support from the Programme Manager Governance as well as the effective disbursement of funds to Christian Aid partners working on the programme with interest on work regarding governance, gender and inclusion and conflict sensitivity.
• To contribute to the implementation of Christian Aid Tackling Violence Building Peace strategy while supporting the team on concrete steps in the implementation of the strategy within the wider country programmes.
• To contribute to the representation and brand of Christian Aid in country, engage with and promote communications and fundraising, including institutional donors.
• The role holder directly working with partners, conduct technical trainings on conflict analysis, sensitivity, and do no harm, peace building, Participatory Vulnerability Capacity Assessments and protection monitoring.
• The role will be responsible for strategic planning and will identify new opportunities.
• Furthermore, the role is expected to build relationship and work closely with external stakeholders including government and donors and to proactively engage with networks and learning groups.

Role Context

• The Program officer- Peacebuilding works within the International Programmes family and the wider Programme Funding remit.
• The position is also expected to bring creative ideas, innovation and technical know-how to support the wider team around peace building, Conflict sensitivity and participatory vulnerability capacity assessments in accordance with CA Tackling Violence Building Peace strategy.
• The role provides support to programmes to ensure that programmes are well implemented and reported on.
• Because reporting is key and central to CA, this role ensures that timely reporting is done and in the best possible way that meets CA standards. Travel within country will be required.

Key outcomes:

• Strong portfolio of peace building programmes developed which contributes to the Nigeria Country programme objectives through strategic planning, conceptualizing and designing programme and projects.
• Strategic partnerships established and partners able to respond to the needs of the country and positive working relationships with partners developed through regular communication.
• Contribute to funding portfolio on peace building enhanced through mobilization of new resources/ funds whilst ensuring compliance with financial policies and procedures including reporting requirements.
• Relationship forged with strategic stakeholders, donors, government, learning groups and other forums
• Learning documents, knowledge products developed and shared with stakeholders
• Advocacy and policy engagement plans developed and action demonstrated

Role Requirements
Relationships:

• (Key relationships, frequency of contact, purpose of contact (liaison/influencing/negotiating etc.)

External:

• Institutional donors, networks & working groups, civil society platforms and wider civil society, INGOs, ACT Forum, government departments and agencies.
• Internal The position is line managed by the Programme Manager Governance.
• She/He through based within the governance team will work closely with the wider country team for programme to provide technical guidance around TVBP, leveraging across programme areas, linkages, coherence and visibility. Has a key role in ensuring good relations with other roles in communications, fundraising and advocacy in Christian Aid. Maintains excellent relationship with other teams including programme funding, humanitarian and TVBP advisor.

Decision making:

• Required to make significant decisions on programme work in the country with special interest on peace building, conflict sensitivity, gender & inclusion and power analysis (as agreed with the Programme Manager, Governance); and also as informed by Christian Aid strategic direction in country and globally with support from the TVBP advisor.

Analytical skills:

• Initiative and judgment needs to be applied regularly in the course of day-to-day work.
• Ability to apply logical thinking and common sense to gathering and analyzing information, designing and testing solutions to problems.
• Working in a conscientious, consistent and thorough manner. Integrate and interpret broad and complex information.
• Risk assessment is an important part of developing the solution.
• Innovation is fundamental to developing solutions.

Developing self and others:

• The role has responsibilities of training partner staff and other team members on Peace building, early warning early response mechanism, advocacy and lobbying, Conflict sensitivity, PVCA and inclusion for improved outcomes.
• Responsible for identifying his/her development needs and taking proactive actions to meet those needs.

Person Specification
Applied skills/knowledge and expertise:

Essential:

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent in relevant field.
• Knowledge of development issues and current affairs especially in Northern Nigeria especially around peace building and conflict issues
• Relevant experience of similar task and responsibilities, including administration
• Programme management experience and financial controls and procedures
• Strong training, facilitation and consensus- building skills
• Direct experience of developing partners’ capacity
• Progressive experience (for not less than 3 years) in implementing gender programmes
• Understanding of advocacy, campaigning and lobbying and network building

Desirable:

• Good knowledge of political and religious context especially in northern Nigeria.
• Fluency in Hausa language
• Understanding of partnership approach to international development
• Understanding of gender and other forms of exclusion
• Network and alliance building

IT competency required:

• Intermediate

Competency profile
Level 2:
You are expected to be able to:
Build partnerships:

• Take on different work when necessary to achieve a team or organisational goal.
• Actively consult with others to ensure you understand their needs or goals.
• Listen to and take on board fresh perspectives and views even if you initially disagree with them.
• Maintain on-going relationships with individuals and contacts through networks, based on mutual rapport and respect.

Communicate effectively:

• Make complex things simple for the benefit of others.
• Actively listen and question to check your understanding and draw out others when they are not expressing themselves clearly or seem to be holding back.
• Be sensitive to what others may be feeling, based on what they say, how they say it and their non-verbal behaviour, adapting your style and approach to fit.
• Address difficult issues when they arise, being honest and open.

Steward resources:

• Implement ways to reduce the inefficient use of resources or pass the ideas on to someone who can make them happen.
• Estimate the resources needed to achieve your own work plans or objectives and to deliver them in the most efficient and cost effective way.
• Set and communicate realistic timelines for achieving tasks, working out how best to adapt as priorities change or unforeseen circumstances arise.

Deliver results:

• Prioritise, plan and monitor own work to meet own and team deliverables to agreed performance or quality standards.
• Acknowledge others’ priorities whilst being prepared to say “no” if there are genuine reasons why their needs cannot be met.
• Use logical processes and relevant tools and techniques to report on information or analyse options.
• Make timely and considered recommendations or decisions based on analysis of available data, information and evidence.

Realise potential:

• Evaluate your own work and actively address gaps in knowledge and skills, without prompting.
• Recognise how you react to feedback and manage reactions positively, acting on specific feedback from others.
• Share your knowledge where it will help others to be more effective.
• Provide instruction, constructive feedback and guidance to others to help them learn.

Strive for improvement:

• Constructively challenge existing practice.
• Seek better ways of doing things, taking into account the possible implications.
• Make positive suggestions on a way forward when faced with challenges even if these fall outside own scope of work.
• Look inside and outside Christian Aid for new ideas and evaluate them for own work.

Remuneration
N7,309,714 - N8,487,942

Interview Date
27th July, 2017.

Application Closing Date
15th July, 2017.

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

Click here to view more information (pdf)