ICLA Officer at Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization with 60 years of experience in helping to create a safer and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced people. NRC advocates for the rights of displaced populations and offers assistance within the shelter, emergency food security, and water, sanitation and hygiene sectors.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: ICLA Officer

Job Identification: 15827
Location: Mafa, Borno
Employment Type: Contract
Duration of contract: 4 months (Renewable).
Job Category: Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance
Grade Level: Grade 5 in NRC's grading structure
Reporting line: ICLA Coordinator

Responsibilities
Generic Responsibilities:

• Ensure adherence with NRC policies, tools, handbooks, and guidelines.
• Implement delegated CC projects according to plan of action.
• Ensure that project targets beneficiaries most in need and explore and asses new and better ways to assist.
• Promote and share ideas for technical improvement.
• Actively facilitate and maintain Liaison and collaboration with relevant local and national authorities and stakeholders and represent NRC in relevant forums/cluster/working groups.
• Promote the rights of IDPs/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy. 
• Involve and inform communities and community leaders about the activities to ensure accountability. 
• Break down the annual operational plans into weekly, monthly, and quarterly implementation plans.
• Prepare periodic progress reports and other documents as required.
• Perform any other professional duties as requested by the ICLA Coordinators, ICLA Team Leaders and ICLA PM. 

Specific Responsibilities:

• Implement the legal assistance programs including HLP, CDR and identity documentation activities innovatively to adapt to location and context, in line with proposals, strategies and donor requirements and optimise opportunities for synergies.
• Contribute to the planning procedures and tools for implementation of ICLA projects in line with proposals, strategies, and donor requirements.
• Document project achievements and deliverables 
• Monitor technical quality of ICLA projects and maintain transparency of implementation progress.
• Contribute to an effective M& E system in the country.
• Support and integrate gender, protection, and advocacy priorities into ICLA programme design.
• Contribute to the development of the ICLA strategy, technical SOPs / guidelines, and Macro LFAs for Nigeria
• Facilitate the Provision of HLP legal assistance i.e., HLP title documents, HLP documentation for shelter rehabilitation beneficiaries, Cash for rent beneficiaries, FSL, WASH and other Co-competencies.  
• Negotiate access to land and HLP dispute arising from interventions with landowners or local authorities to realize beneficiaries’ housing, land, and property rights.
• Review and outline legal and policy frameworks governing HLP rights of displaced persons, returnees, and host communities from a domestic legal perspective. Compile up-to-date information on relevant HLP laws, procedures, and practices.
• Outline the normative framework of international, regional, and national policy on HLP rights as applicable to Northeast Nigeria.
• Identify and document specific challenges facing IDPs, returnees and host communities in exercising their HLP rights. This includes gender, age, diversity issues and how they relate to HLP violations.
• Map HLP issues in areas of return providing an overview of the nature of issues, the effects, who is affected and the current response considering IDPs, returnees, and host communities. Conduct field visits to capture the views of beneficiaries including women and of key stakeholders (statutory, customary, and religious authorities, protection actors, etc.).
• Provide recommendations to effectively protect HLP rights of IDPs and host communities as well as to address programmatic gaps for NRC to address HLP issues affecting displaced and host communities.
• Contribute to the development of funding proposal, project budgets and donor reports.
• Contribute to coordination and management of the ICLA project implementation (activities, budget, and project documentation) in line with proposals, strategies and donor requirement.
• Supervise Project Assistants, ensure transfer of relevant skills for quality program implementation.
• Provide technical assistance to the ICLA Program Manager and contribute to the development of a quality ICLA program in line with the Nigerian context.

Qualifications
Generic professional competencies: 

• Experience from working as an Officer in a humanitarian context, especially legal experience is valued
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Minimum 3 years’ experience from practice as a lawyer. Experience from working in the field of humanitarian assistance is an advantage.
• Must have a good knowledge of the laws and policies governing HLP issues and Identity documentation.
• Must possess a Bachelor of Laws degree and must have been called to the Nigerian Bar (be able to practice as a lawyer in Nigeria) and be conversant with international humanitarian and Human Rights law.
• Excellent communication skills - written and spoken - in English required. 
• Fluency in one or more of the national/regional languages (Hausa and Kanuri preferred)
• Must be willing to work as a team member, take direction, and share technical skills with colleagues and counterparts.
• Computer literacy in word processing and spreadsheets is required, 
• Must be able to work under pressure. 

Context / Specific skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Knowledge of the context in Borno State, Nigeria
• Experience with humanitarian activities.

Application Closing Date
4th September, 2024 (04:48 PM).

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

Note

• This position is open to Nigeria Nationals only. 
• We invite applications from all qualified and interested candidates.
• Candidates are encouraged to apply early, as applications may be screened prior to the vacancy deadline.
• The female candidates are strongly advised to apply.