EWER Program Officer at West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP) April, 2024

4 Slots

Locations: Benue State, Kano State, Nasarawa State, and Katsina State

General Position Summary

• The EWER Program Officer provide support to all other activities related to the PARTNER Early Warning and Early Response system strengthening in Nigeria. S/he will ensure smooth, timely, and compliant implementation across the PARTNER program implementation states.
• The EWER Program Officer will liaise frequently with WANEP’s EWER Technical Advisors and the Senior EWER Program Officer of Mercy Corps and other implementing partners, establishing standards in support of strategic interventions, development and planning of the Early Warning and Early Response systems for the PARTNER program. S/he will be required to establish and manage relationships with other stakeholders.
• S/he will work closely with the MEL Officer, CARM Officer and Operations staff (including finance and operations) to ensure that activities are implemented according to schedule, budget and required quality.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision:

• Support technical aspects of the peacebuilding and EWER system strengthening in Nigeria by assisting with the development of activities/agendas/curricula as appropriate.
• Facilitate and co-facilitate community meetings, events, and training as required.
• Ensure implementation of activities is on time, target, and budget.
• Liaise with PARTNER implementing partner organizations and potential resource persons as needed.
• Promote the consolidation of national integrated multi-threat Early Warning and Early Response systems strengthening in Nigeria.
• Support the standardization of alerts for different threats and harmonization of key messages.
• Support the expansion of community-based EWER system including consideration of gender and vulnerable groups.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to community needs, meets targets, and is carried out in line with best practices.
• Establish and maintain effective program reporting and monitoring and evaluation systems (to track, analyze 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 effective community engagement to create enabling environment and ownership.
• Submit weekly program updates including success stories to the supervisor.
• Update Program Issue Log, Risk Register & Incident Tracker as appropriate.
• Ensure program filing system is in place, adheres to internal and donor regulations and filing is regularly maintained.

Program Management:

• Oversee program start-up, management, and administration. Ensure program implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with WANEP-Nigeria’s relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Confirm beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to transparent criteria.
• Develop partnership frameworks, partner agreements/Memorandum of Understandings, and oversee partner capacity building.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate. Certify all interventions adhere to WANEP-Nigeria’s Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Ensure program strategies and activities represent global good practice in EWER.
• Supervise and/or review the work of program consultants.
• Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration, and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities.
• Fulfil WANEP-Nigeria’s Program Management Minimum Standards based on theorganization-wide guide.

Team Management:

• Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-one and performance reviews.

Influence & Representation:

• Represent WANEP-Nigeria at government, donor, NGO, and other relevant events, in close coordination with the EWER Technical Advisor.
• Coordinate activities with consortium partners, local government, and other implementers, as well as with other WANEP-Nigeria programs.
• Strengthen the convening powers of the PARTNER Program Consortium to bring together key actors in the EWER system.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Report on any problems encountered in the field such as project participant complaints, local authority interference, and security threats to WANEP staff and activities. Coordinate with WANEP Security Officer and State Manager on any threats to WANEP staff and activities; follow up on incidents/security threats in areas of operation.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit WANEP-Nigeria as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• WANEP-Nigeria team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

Knowledge and Experience

• B.Sc./B.A. or equivalent in Conflict Management, Social Sciences, International Development, or other relevant fields.
• A minimum of 4 years of experience working in the non-profit sector preferably in conflict management/peacebuilding and community development.
• Experience working in rural areas in Nigeria, particularly in target states of PARTNER’s implementation.
• Experience working in a multi-organizational team (international and national partners) is a plus.
• 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 engaging with State and Local Government authorities, religious leaders, and local partners.
• Experience managing community-based peacebuilding and EWER interventions.
• Strong training and capacity-building experience.
• Demonstrated understanding of the conflict dynamics in Northcentral and Northwest Nigeria in general.
• Knowledge of local language (written & spoken) is strongly preferred.

Success Factors

• S/he will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive, and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive communication skills and proven experience with capacity building.
• S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level.

Living Conditions/Environmental Conditions:

• The positions are based in 4 different Locations Makurdi, Benue state, Lafiya Nasarwa State, Katsina State, and Kano State Nigeria and requires travel to project communities in the state.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

• as an equal opportunity employer does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a sustained global impact. We do not tolerate discrimination based on race, colour, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics:

• WANEP-Nigeria is committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC.
• As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to the Code of Conduct Policies, and values at all times.