Mercy Corps Recruits Senior Program Officer

Mercy Corps is an international development organization that helps people around the world survive and thrive during crisis and natural disaster. Mercy Corps works in more than 40 countries to alleviate suffering and poverty by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Since 1979, mercy Corps has been helping people in the world's toughest places to turn crises into opportunities to thrive

We are recruiting to fill the following position:

Job Title: Senior Program Officer (Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE) program)

Job Location: Abuja, Nigeria (40%) with an estimated 60% travel to project locations
Position Status: Level 4
Position Level: Field-based, full-time, regular, exempt

Responsibilities

• The ENGINE Senior Program Officer will provide technical assistance for the implementation of a proposed 3-year project to reduce financial and education barriers for marginalized Nigerian adolescent girls and young women.
• The goals of the ENGINE program are to increase girls' and young women’s access to (1) financial education and life skills; (2) peer-to-peer networks and mentors; and (3) direct assets (materials and savings). ENGINE will integrate young women into value chains as well as conduct other market-driven employment opportunities.
• ENGINE will also work with girls in formal and informal education to increase their learning opportunities and outcomes to prepare them for future economic activities. ENGINE will be implemented in FCT/Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna States. Mercy Corps will serve as a sub-awardee to a large international company and will collaborate with other stakeholders for the implementation of the ENGINE program, including the Nigerian Ministry of Education and Central Bank, as well as private sector actors.
• The Senior Program Officer will support the implementation of activities that transition girls in school or in informal education into economic activities.
• This position will ensure ENGINE implementation is responsive to marginalized Nigerian girls, their communities, state and non-state secondary schools, vocational school, and other skill-based centers.

Program Support

• Support technical aspects of school to work programming for ENGINE including developing incentives for girls to enter into skills building, coordinating links to female mentors, identify existing peer to peer networks and identify opportunities for additional networks within schools, link girls with Islamic and/or community-based education, increasing economic assets through savings clubs and links to financial institutions.

Ensure implementation of activities is on time, target and budget

• Coordinate links with existing and planned donor interventions that target adolescent girls to identify girls on an on-going basis to participate in ENGINE activities.
• Identify Nigerian partners - NGOs as well as vocational training/skills centers - to participate in ENGINE activities.
• Advocate for the inclusion of marginalized girls and for girls to be active in non-traditional sectors at the household and community level and within Nigerian vocational and skills-based education.
• In collaboration with M&E staff, implement relevant surveys, need assessments, data and information collection for on-going monitoring.
• Identify financial education and life skills materials and courses designed by the Ministry of Education, other donor interventions, national and local NGOs and vocational/skills centers.
• Manage sub-grantee activities including budget, implementation and reporting
• Coordinate closely with other ENGINE personnel to ensure all objectives of the proposal and activities are met.

Representation:

• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
• Participate in education coordination meetings as requested by the ENGINE Project Manager.

Accountability:

• Reports directly to the Project Manager, ENGINE
• Works directly with Other ENGINE technical and program staff and Mercy Corps' implementation partners.

Requirements

• BA/S or equivalent in Education, Management, Social Sciences, International Development or other relevant field. MA preferred.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in education, gender- focused, skills building program.
• Experience managing large-scale secondary education or school to work and especially targeting marginalized girls or young women programs required. Prefer expertise in at least one of the following areas: accelerated learning programs, Islamic and/or community-based education targeting community acceptance of girl's education, increasing economic assets through savings clubs and links to financial institutions. Experience using SMS for training or messaging preferred.
• Experience working in a multi-organizational team (international and national partners) is a plus.
• Experience with private-sector led initiatives and DfID strongly preferred.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English required, including report development, writing and editing.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Experience working with country-level ministries and government officials, Ministry of Education experience preferred.
• Experience managing sub-grantees

Success Factors

• The successful Senior Program Officer will combine exceptional management skills and technical skills with a focus on innovative interventions to engage adolescent girls in informal education and skills building linked with private sector entrepreneurship and employment opportunities in a culturally and religiously conservative environment.
• S/he will have an outstanding ability to support innovative and complex programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.

Living Conditions/Environmental Conditions

• The position will be based in Abuja and will support activities in Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos, with an estimated travel of up to 60% to program locations.

APPLY HERE


Application Deadline: 19th December. 2013