EFSL Assistant AT Oxfam Novib

Oxfam Novib is a world-wide development organization that mobilizes the power of people against poverty.

Our program is focused on economic justice, gender justice, governance and humanitarian work with a stronger focus on influencing the power dynamics that create poverty and inequality.

Oxfam Purpose

• To work with others to overcome poverty and suffering

Team Purpose

• To ensure implementation of food and nutrition security activities and contribute to stabilisation of affected households in Borno State.

Job Purpose

• To support the implementation of food security and livelihoods activities.

Dimension:

• Supervising/ monitoring resources within defined boundaries or a specialist area, which may include people, assets and/or budgets.
• Providing support and advice to team leaders on areas of work covered in their remit.
• Provides support for and supervises implementation of operational plans to agreed standards.
• Assists with the development of solutions to diverse and complex problems and develops solutions to more routine problems.
• Applies information received in a variety of formats primarily from field officers and partner staff. .
• Flexibility to anticipate and resolve challenges within the operational context.
• Influences functional/ operational and specialist planning.
• Influence staff and volunteers in Oxfam and develop effective relationships with external bodies.
• Supervise Oxfam and partner staff in the field offices and field operations.

Background 

Over the past year, Boko Haram (BH) has intensified attacks which have spread from north-east Nigeria to Cameroon, Chad and Niger, affecting some 20 million people. Suicide bombings and raids targeting civilians in villages and in cities around the Lake Chad basin have caused widespread trauma, prevented people from accessing essential services and destroyed infrastructure. Across the region, over 2.8 million people are displaced; most of whom are sheltered by host communities that count among the world’s most vulnerable. 

The combined effect of growing insecurity, fast population growth and severe vulnerability resulting from a changing climate, environmental degradation, poverty and under-investment in social services is translating into record numbers of people in need of emergency relief. There are 9.2 million in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of violence committed by Boko Haram; Nigeria is hosting 7m, Cameroon 1.5m, Niger 460.000 and Chad 257.000. There has been widespread violence against civilians not only by BH but the military operations against the group have also caused serious protection risks and violations.

Women and girls kidnapped by Boko Haram have been subjected to physical and psychological abuse, forced marriage, sexual slavery or forced labour. Boys have been forcibly enrolled as combatants and young girls used as suicide bombers, men have been killed. Boko Haram has targeted health facilities and schools, forcing health care workers and teachers to flee from where they are most needed. 

The increasing number of attacks and arrival of displaced children have placed an additional burden on already weak health and education systems. Insecurity, displacement, disrupted agricultural activities and cross-border trade continue to undermine communities’ livelihoods and have resulted in a sharp rise in food insecurity. Some 4.4 million people facing severe food insecurity urgently need support in the region, 90 per cent of them in north-east Nigeria, with 50,000 people are in Phase 5, the highest level of food insecurity under the Cadre Harmonisé classification. Throughout the region, an estimated 223.000 severely acutely malnourished children could die if not urgently assisted.

Key Responsibilities

• Provides support and supervise Oxfam and Partner staff in implementing food security/livelihoods.
• Provides support to community consultation work including holding community meetings and focus group discussions, promoting social mobilisation, beneficiary targeting process, beneficiary registration, and post-distribution monitoring, food security and livelihood assessments, market prices surveillance monitoring, trader and money transfer assessment.
• Prepares weekly and monthly plans
• Ensures that EFSVL is integrated with other programme teams, including water and sanitation engineering teams, and public health promotion teams.
• Supports protection teams with identification of cases, including use of feedback and referrals
• Applies gender-sensitive approaches to the community work and be comfortable to be involved in or lead community sensitisation and awareness sessions.
• Actively supports and collaborates with the field officers and EFSL Field Manager
• Works with the MEAL team to monitor the impact of our work on the people and report against project indicators
• Applies accountability systems to ensure that communities we work with are able to engage in programme design and implementation, and are aware of and can use the Feedback and Complaints system managed by MEAL.

Educational Qualification and Work Experience

• Educational background in a relevant discipline (preferably Sociology, Agriculture, Microenterprise Development, Economy) or substantial community development experience.
• Experience in Food Security and Livelihood programs;
• At least two years of experience in appropriate community mobilisation, livelihoods, and/or cash programming in early recovery setting with national or International organizations.
• Experience in community action planning processes

Competencies:

• Knowledge of market based food security and livelihood interventions, in emergency contexts, including cash transfers
• Proven ability to work creatively, innovatively, using owns initiative with limited direct supervision as well as a working effectively as a team player.
• Knowledge and experience of baseline assessments, data gathering within communities, understanding and experience in gender analysis, promoting gender equity, and an active commitment to promoting the interests of marginalised people
• Data collection experience; comfortable using mobile devices.
• High level of interpersonal and communications skills
• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Strong commitment and sympathy to Oxfam aims and values - which are inclusiveness, diversity and accountability. This also includes commitment to Equal Opportunities (e.g.: gender, race, disability).

How To Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV’s to: vacancies-nigeria@oxfamnovib.nl