Food Security and Livelihoods Officer - SDC at Save the Children Nigeria

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries. We save children’s lives, fight for their rights and help them fulfil their potential. Save the Children is working in Nigeria because one in five children in Nigeria dies before their fifth birthday. About 40% of children miss out on school and have to work to survive while nearly 2 million children have lost one or both parents to an AIDS-related disease.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Food Security and Livelihoods Officer - SDC

Job Identification: 11493
Location: Yobe
Job Schedule: Full time
Grade: 4
Team: Programme Operations – SDC 
Reports to: Project Manager
Contract Length: Fixed Term

Child Safeguarding
Level 3:

• The responsibilities of this post may require the post holder to have regular contact with children and young people. 
• As part of these responsibilities the post holder will support the establishment of child safeguarding systems, promote a culture of keeping children safe, and ensure that potential harm to children (by our own staff and/or as a result of how we do our work) is identified and addressed on an ongoing basis.  
• The post holder should report and respond to interventions as determined by position related responsibilities identified in the Child Safeguarding Policy.

Role Purpose

• To ensure that proven strategies are applied to the real challenges faced the conflict affected and displaced persons, Save the Children will want the post holder to support durable solutions and early recovery food security and livelihoods activities.
• Under the guidance of the Project Manager, the FSL officer will ensure that the project is implemented in a coordinated manner and in line with donor requirements and commitments.
• The livelihood officers will be responsible for implementing livelihood project in the selected State and ensure timely submission of regular of reports.

Key Areas of Accountability
Programme Support (typically will be at field level):

• Oversee the implementation of Food Security and Livelihoods activities (Agriculture, livestock, TVET, IGA and VSLA) and administration of the teams across program field locations.
• Develop activity work plans and manage day-to-day activity implementation.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to community needs, meets targets, and is carried out in line with best practices.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to vulnerability criteria;
• Establish and maintain effective program reporting, and monitoring and evaluation systems (to track, analyse and report on results) for both internal and external use;
• Integrate community approaches, protection mainstreaming, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Ensure program filing system is in place, adheres to internal and donor regulation and filing is regularly maintained.
• Coordinate with MEAL team to map, identify and register program participants.
• Lead in the selection and registration of beneficiaries with support from MEAL team.
• Coordinate the sensitization and ensuring beneficiaries received necessary safeguarding support during project activities.
• Facilitate training of beneficiaries on financial literacy, bookkeeping and smart saving practices.
• Lead the market assessment to ascertain the most profitable skills in the intervention locations.
• Coordinate post distribution monitoring with MEAL team.
• Ensure effective community engagement to create enabling environment and ownership.
• Submit monthly program update including success stories to the supervisor.
• Identify emerging issues related to the livelihood programme and make recommendation for further solution.
• Working closely with the Project Manager and/or other senior programme staff, support timely programme and donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal SC requirements and any relevant external donor requirements. 
• With support from the Project Manager and/or other senior programme staff, identify programme supplies needs and coordinate with the logistics team to put in place a sensible phased procurement plan.
• With support from the Accountability Lead ensure accountability is enforced in all project activities as well as ensuring that feedback from children and their families is considered in project design/implementation
• With support from the community mobilization lead, ensure effective and efficient information sharing to relevant stakeholders and continuous programme sensitization.
• Work closely with partners and their staff to ensure project activities are implemented in time and within the stipulated quality.
• To ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian relief are maintained in accordance with the Sphere Charter and Red Cross Code of Conduct.

Capacity Building:

• Supervise, hire and orient team members, as necessary.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Identify any gaps or capacity needs within the team and ensure training and capacity building are incorporated into program planning.

Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:

• Ensure that Save the Children's work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies and Government, and support Interagency Coordination forums, advocating for the specific needs of children. This may involve supporting coordination working groups within the IDP camps and host communities or target project sites.
• Contribute to communications and media work as required through correction of data and information and sharing with the project heads.
• Safeguarding
• Ensure that project delivery complies to the highest safeguarding standards in line with Save the Children’s policy 
• Work with the project safeguarding officer to ensure that all livelihood activities have a safeguarding risk assessment and mitigation measure in place 
• Ensure safe programming in the planning, implementation, monitoring, training of teachers and construction/rehabilitation of classroom environment across the project period.
• Adhere to the Do no Harm principles across the entire steps within the Programme Management Cycle.

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

Additional job responsibilities:

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Behaviours (Values in Practice)
Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

Qualifications

• Relevant experience of working in Agriculture, Livestock, livelihoods, including report writing.
• Educational qualification: B.SC in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Economics or its equivalent in any related field of study. 
• Previous experience of project management and implementation of livelihoods component of humanitarian and/or development projects.

Experience and Skills:

• Relevant experience of working in livelihoods, including report writing.
• Academic qualification in Agriculture, Economics or other related fields 
• Previous experience of project management and implementation
• Experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation 
• Experience of training and staff capacity building
• Some experience of representation and ability to represent SC effectively in external forums.
• Knowledge of institutional donors and experience of developing proposals
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports
• Excellent communication and strong influencing skills
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• A high level of written and spoken English 
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to the aims and principles of SC. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support

Desirable:

• High level of communication in a local language related to working environment
• Familiarity with inter sectoral integration of project interventions
• Experience in gender mainstreaming and social protection programming.

Equal Opportunities:

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

• We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Health and Safety

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Application Closing Date
5th February, 2025; 16:10

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