Reporting to the Senior Project Manager, the Project Officer drives the day-to-day delivery for the Inclusivity Department's work in Nigeria. Working hand-in-hand with Inclusivity Partners, the Officer makes delivery happen on the ground across the supply-side interventions (outreach and mobilisation, skilling, asset and device financing, and coaching and support), helping move young women, refugees and displaced people, and persons with disabilities into work on digital platforms. He/she is the connection point between Inclusivity Partners and platforms, and ensures that Inclusivity Partners are delivering their activities, and that those activities lead to the desired outcomes. The role also carries a front-line safeguarding responsibility, supporting partners and participants to keep delivery safe, and receiving and referring any concerns through the designated safeguarding line. The role suits someone who is a highly organised, self-propelling doer and is happiest in the field, close to partners and communities, and who thrives in a new and fast-moving program.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Partner Monitoring & Support
- Support the onboarding of partners and coordinate their day-to-day delivery, keeping activities on track and solving problems as they arise
- Link partners and participants to DAWN platforms, and help move participants from skilling into work on those platforms
- Support partners with participant identification, vetting, and onboarding on platforms aimed at continually improving placement and retention to achieve targets
- Carry out regular field visits to partners and communities to monitor delivery, verify quality, and fix issues as they arise
- Keep delivery data accurate and up to date with partners, and flag issues and risks to the Senior Project Manager
- Implement safeguarding reporting mechanisms in Nigeria, including CARM, channels and cadence
- Support Inclusivity Partners to understand and meet safeguarding standards in how they deliver
- Support participant sensitization on the right to be free from harassment and exploitation and to report without retaliation
- Receive, record and refer safeguarding concerns in a survivor-centred way, escalating through the designated safeguarding focal point in line with Mercy Corps protocol, and keeping records confidential
- Provide other delivery and coordination support as priorities emerge in a new and evolving program
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Reports Directly To: Senior Project Manager, Digital Livelihoods and Inclusivity (Nigeria)
Works Directly With: DAWN Project Director (Nigeria), Venture Support (Jobtech Alliance), Results Learning & Research Team (Jobtech Alliance), Operations Teams, Human Resources.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification and Transferable Skills
- Minimum of 3 years' experience in delivering or coordinating field-based programs, ideally in livelihoods, employment, skilling, or a related area
- Proven experience working through and with implementing partners and community organizations to get delivery done
- Experience working with one or more of the program's populations; young women, refugees and displaced people, or persons with disabilities is strongly preferred
- Ability to work independently and to build trusted relationships with partners and communities
- Willing and able to travel frequently and work in the field, including in locations where amenities or movement may be limited
- Awareness of and commitment to safeguarding principles and survivor-centered practice
- Sound judgement and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information
- Excellent communication skills, and written and spoken fluency in English
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, or equivalent practical experience