Project Officer - Food Assistance (Nigerian Nationals Only)

Borno, Nigeria (On-site) Be the First to Apply

Job Description

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRSâ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

 About CRS Nigeria

CRS has been supporting program activities in Nigeria for over 30 years and has long-standing relationships with Church and non-Church partners and communities throughout the country. The Nigeria country program has a diverse funding base with projects in health, nutrition, food security and agricultural livelihoods, microfinance (SILC), emergency response and peacebuilding. CRS/Nigeria currently has over 210 national and 8 international staff. With an FY22 annual budget of over USD $100 million, coupled with strong donor interest in supporting CRSâ work in the country, significant growth opportunities exist for the CP. The CP has been supporting emergency activities in the NE states since 2015 with offices in Damaturu, Maiduguri and Yola.

About project IMPROVED ALERTS

CRS seeks to continue working in Gubio, Kaga and Magumeri, leveraging the experiences and gains of CRII in targeting vulnerable HH to address the multi-faceted and inter-sectoral drivers of food insecurity and poor nutrition through the integration of food security, WASH, and nutrition interventions. This program will provide timely support to vulnerable HHs affected by the ongoing conflict in NE Nigeria that will save lives and restore dignity.

Job Summary

Under the leadership of the IMPROVED ALERTS Food security and livelihoods (FSL) Manager, the Project Officer (PO) is a non-supervisory position, responsible for the daily project activities in food assistance in Gubio, Kaga and Magumeri, while maintaining relationships with local partner staff as well as vendors and beneficiaries. 

The PO, in collaboration with the local partners, will lead field level engagement with food assistance vendors, and project participants, ensure compliance with voucher methodology, collect data as guided by the MEAL Officer and assist the local partners in project implementation, monitoring and reporting.

Responsibilities

1/ Coordinate and clearly communicate food assistance activities 

Support the vendor procurement and price negotiation process as required, in collaboration CRS SCM team. Act as the focal point for field level communication with the community mobilizers on food assistance.  Support partners officers with food assistance activities capacity building. Support the preparation of payments to the vendors on a bi-monthly basis, after every food redemption. Hold daily debrief with the community mobilizers during redemptions and provide timely updates to the Food assistance Manager. Support the partner officer in coordinating the planning of the CMs. Ensure support to partner officer in effectively implementing the food redemptions. Review partner plans and reports, providing guidance to the team. Participate in local coordination meetings including, Area Based Committee meetings and local food security engagements at the field level. Provide interpretation and facilitation support in local languages for training events and community meetings. Support MEAL team with registrations, OSMs and PDMs as required. Carry out other roles in food assistance as directed by the supervisor.

2/ Provide support to project vendors and food assistance key stakeholders 

Ensure shop signs are displayed in front of each participating vendorâs shop. Coordinate all vendor support and communication. Organize meetings with project vendors as needed. Organize monthly meetings with project vendors to discuss distributions. Conduct regular vendor spot checks before and during the redemptions, ensuring vendor readiness and access to quality food commodities by project participants. In collaboration with the Cash & Asset Transfer Officer (CAT), carries out vendor training.

3/ Provides feedback on projectâs food assistance activities to PM

Provide information to the CAT Officer on troubleshooting needs. Provides feedback to the PM on program activities. In partnership with the CAT officer reviews vendor transactions. Documents good practices stemming from project implementation linked to food assistance teams activities.

4/ Reporting 

Review partner officer reports. Provide capacity building on reporting to the local partner as shall be required. Report on project activities.  Collects three human interest stories with photos on project beneficiaries, of which one is of a project vendor. Any other task, assigned by supervisor.

Required Languages - The post requires high level oral communication skills Hausa and English.

Travel - Willingness to travel about 70% of the time

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented Must possess ability to handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.  Capacity to work effectively with a diverse team and with stakeholders. 

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement. Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred. Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Demonstrated experience in community engagement in Borno State. Strong skills in oral communication in the languages spoken by community members in Borno. Understanding of the cultural, social and gender dynamics of the communities in Borno.  Proven experience in group discussions and other participatory methods.  Strong ICT skills. Experience of RedRose database systems is desirable.  Demonstrated capacities and commitment to gender responsive programming. Excellent organizational, analytical, oral and written communication skills. Team-oriented and strong interpersonal skills. Ability to work effectively under pressure and to multi-task. Capacity and willingness to work most of the time in the field. 

Supervisory Responsibilities (if none, state none)

 Key Working Relationships:

Internal: FSL PM, Feedback and Accountability officers, MEAL Officers & CAT Officer.

External: Partner staff, Food Assistance vendors, Project participants.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

University degree in Social Sciences, humanities, agricultural sciences, or any other relevant equivalent degree. At least three yearsâ experience in project implementation and for an NGO would be a plus. Additional education may substitute for some experience. Experience of private sector engagement is desirable.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

Personal Accountability â Consistently takes responsibility for oneâs own actions. Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest. Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions. Collaborates with Others â Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams. Open to Learn â Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

Lead Change â Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation. Develops and Recognizes Others â Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance. Strategic Mindset â Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

Note: All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside their home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical examination.

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people - especially children and vulnerable adults - to live free from abuse and harm.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

About Us

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRSâ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding.

About the Team

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people - especially children and vulnerable adults - to live free from abuse and harm.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate or global telecommuter, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Job Info

Job Identification3000904 Job CategoryProgram Management Posting Date09/07/2023, 07:26 AM Apply Before09/20/2023, 07:59 PM Job ShiftDay Locations House 7, No1 Dipcharima Road, Old GRA, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria, Maiduguri, Borno, NG (On-site)

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