Nigeria – Protection Programme Specialist

COOPI is looking for a Protection Programme Specialist in Nigeria

COOPI started its operations in North-East Nigeria in July 2014 to carry out a rapid evaluation of the most relevant constraints suffered by the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) displaced by the food crisis and the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin. The organization started in 2021 new operations in North-West, in Sokoto and Kaduna regions, focused on DRR and resilience building of communities affected by natural disasters. COOPI aims to support the most basic and pressing needs of communities affected by the conflict. COOPI is providing multi-sectoral approach delivering impactful programs in Food Security, Early Recovery and Livelihoods, Protection, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). COOPI’s main area of intervention is Yobe, but also in Kaduna and Sokoto states in the Northwest Nigeria with Disaster Risk Reduction programs and protection programs. COOPI is currently implementing projects funded by UN agencies (WFP – UNDP) and USAID.

Job objective

The Protection/DRR Programme Specialist will coordinate, programme and monitor the implementation of activities and evaluate projects in the field of protection in order to enhance the multisectoral integrated programming. S/he will be responsible for providing technical support, ensuring adherence to COOPI’s quality management standards, and leading the development drafting new proposals and supervising project reports, in liaison with the Head of Program and the Head of Mission. Based in the field coordination office in Sokoto, s/he will be part of the programme team (sector coordinators, project managers).

Responsibilities

Project Monitoring

• Supervision of the planning and implementation of COOPI’s protection and DRR programmes, through direct supervision of protection staff, and ensuring a high level of technical quality of activities;
• Technical support for the design and improvement of DRR and protection, GBV interventions, including the sharing and development of tools, guidelines and standards, and staff training;
• Support the integration of Protection and DRR considerations into WASH and FSL programming through collaboration with sector teams;
• Supervision of the development and proper management of the project database and regular transmission of official project documents to the Programme Team and the Abuja coordination office;
• Conduct field visits to project sites to provide hands-on support and quality assurance;
• Ensure that Protection and DRR strategies and interventions align with national and international standards and guidelines.

Development of project proposals

• Support to the Head of Programme, the MEAL Manager and the programme team to ensure the preparation of project proposals in line with the country strategy: technical assistance, monitoring compliance donor requirements and organizational priorities etc.;
• Support for the collection, analysis and presentation of basic information for the preparation of contextual analyses of projects, the effective application of results-based management tools and the design of management objectives;
• Oversee the meaningful integration of cross-cutting protection into other areas of COOPI’s work;
• Contribute to the development of innovative and context-specific program strategies that integrate Protection and DRR principles.

Monitoring and evaluation

• Monthly monitoring of protection projects in cooperation with the project managers, the MEAL manager, the administrative coordinator and the programme officer;
• Ensure tools and methodologies align with Protection and DRR principles, are context-appropriate and promote inclusivity;
• Facilitate After-Action Reviews (AARs) and evaluations for Protection and DRR specific projects to assess effectiveness, identify gaps and enhance program quality;
• Support for the provision of data for information management matrices/tools designed for OCHA’s humanitarian system clusters/sectoral working groups.

Reporting

• Contribute to the preparation and drafting of reports on projects financed by various donors in line with contractual rules;
• Maintain and share an internal reporting plan.

Human resources and training

• Participation in the recruitment of national staff;
• Participates in appraisal interviews with members of its functional team;
• Conduct training and workshops for staff and partners on protection, DRR and the integration of WASH and FSL;
• Mentor and support junior staff in their technical development and understanding of protection and DRR issues;
• Develop and update technical tools, guidelines and training materials related to protection, DRR, WASH and FSL integration.

Communication

• Support the production and dissemination of communication and visibility tools and products for COOPI in the country (newsletter, project fact sheets, brochures, success stories, photos/videos, etc.);
• Gathering the necessary data and information in collaboration with the field teams to feed the communication products.

Other

• Participation in meetings of the Protection and DRR cluster, as well as other coordination meetings;
• Participation in strategy presentation meetings and calls for proposals;
• Collecting, sharing and archiving project and other documents as required;
• Facilitating knowledge sharing and skills development;
• Summarising and disseminating internally and externally lessons learned and good practice from COOPI in the field of protection.

Candidate profile

Essentials

• University degree in Political/Social Sciences, International Relations, Development, International or equivalent.
• At least 5 years’ experience in the management and coordination of emergency projects, including 3 years in protection programmes, child protection or a similar field;
• Previous experience of working with different donors (USAID/BHA, UN Agencies);
• Strong technical understanding of child protection and child welfare in emergencies;
• Experience in reporting, project development, monitoring and evaluation;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English required;
• Analytical skills and abilities;
• Ability to work under pressure;
• Ability to work in a team and independently;
• Good command of current software (Word, Excel, Power Point);
• Respect for COOPI values/mission;
• Sense of organisation and teamwork, flexibility.

Desired

• Previous experience with COOPI and knowledge of its procedures;
• Previous experience in West Africa.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the application closing date, once a sufficient number of applications have been received.
Please note that only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on rolling basis and the vacancy will be closed when filled, thanks for understanding.

COOPI Cooperazione Internazionale is an Italian secular and independent humanitarian organisation fighting against all forms of poverty to improve the world. Founded in 1965, today COOPI is present in 33 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East, with both emergency and development projects carried out by expatriate staff – an average of over 240 people per year – and national staff. The main institutional funders are the European Union – ECHO and INTPA – USAID, UN agencies, the Italian Government, local authorities and other European Governments.