United Purpose (UP) Recruitment 2023 Career Job Vacancies

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United Purpose Recruitment 2023 is ongoing for all eligible candidates. Apply for the latest United Purpose (UP) Recruitment 2023 open till deadline. United Purpose (UP) is an international development organisation that works to sustainably reduce poverty and improve the lives of some of the world’s poorest communities. Established in 1976, the organisation has nine country programmes in Africa, Asia & South America.

In Nigeria, UP has been working for almost two decades with local partners and rural communities in the country’s South East. We implement projects funded by major international donors that aim to address gender inequalities and rights abuses, improve sanitation and access to water, foster accountability, preserve vital ecosystems and develop sustainable livelihoods.

We are recruiting to fill the following positions below

United Purpose (UP) Recruitment 2023 Details

Job Title: Finance & Compliance Manager
Location: Abuja

About Self Help Africa & United Purpose

  • In late 2021, Self Help Africa (SHA) and United Purpose (UP) merged. The two organizations – one headquartered in Ireland and the other in Wales – implement projects to end extreme hunger and poverty.
  • This merger doubled our size and reach – and means that in 2022 we are implementing poverty eradication projects in 17 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Collectively, we are also part of a group that includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, TruTrade and Cumo Microfinance.
  • In 2022, our work reached more than six million people and invest upwards of €45m in more than 100 development programmes designed to improve food systems, facilitate access to markets and financial services, combat climate change, and gender inequality, and improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
  • This is an exciting time to join us as we unite two like-minded and entrepreneurial organisations seeking to tackle global challenges in progressive and innovative ways.

Job Purpose

  • Under the overall leadership of the Country Director, the Finance and Compliance Manager will provide oversight and leadership to the efficient and effective operation of the finance and compliance functions of the Nigeria Country Office programme.
  • S/he will be responsible for all financial functions in the Nigeria Country Programme, including accounting, payments and banking, budgeting, financial reporting, grant financial management and compliance while ensuring the technical capacity building of field finance staff.
  • The role will be directly responsible for the implementation and overall management of financial systems and controls and will be accountable for assessing, monitoring and mitigating both internal and external risks across the Country Programme; and providing effective guidance to the quality of management oversight on key functions within the Country Programme.
  • These include day-to-day financial management (including monitoring and review of transaction recording/posting to accounting software and adhering to internal controls, financial reporting (internal/external), cash/bank management, budget administration, oversight of administrative/support functions, staff capacity building and any other related matters in the country. S/he will also be developing high-quality approaches and systems, working closely with program leads and other senior staff to ensure effective monitoring and response to external risks associated with compliance with policy and regulations, statutory requirements and collaborating with teams across the country programme and Global team.
  • The Finance and Compliance Manager is a key part of the senior management team of the Country Programme and under the overall leadership of the Country Director plays a key role in the overall achievement of the country programme goals. At the country level, the role will liaise and provide direct support to Country Management Team (CMT), budget holders, procurement, auditors, and partners. The role will also work closely with the Global Office Programme Finance Team.

Key Responsibilities
Country Office Finance Management:

  • Lead effective cash management including control of cash flows and monitoring of cash-on-hand balances per project. Preparation of cash requests for approval by the Country Director and onward submission to the global office Programme Finance function. Liaison with banks as appropriate.
  • Ensure monthly standard accounting submissions from the respective field offices, including account reconciliations, financial analysis of month-end transactions by the award for accurate coding, as well as other financial analysis and information in a timely and accurate manner.
  • Provide monthly management reports to the Country Director, Global Finance Office, Program Managers and senior management teams including expenditures by fund/project, income and expenditure account, cost analysis reports, and other financial information, in a timely and accurate manner.
  • Monitor and analyse grant budgets and spending, and in coordination with program/project managers, initiate and prepare required budget realignments.
  • In conjunction with country office Programme Management, ensure effective management of Country office and project budgets – identify potential under or over-spends and liaise with country office Programme Management/Project Managers, Country Director, global office, and donors as appropriate.
  • Preparation of the Country Programme annual budgets (in liaison with country office programme management and Country Director for submission to global office/donors.
  • Support in developing and appraising financial aspects of project proposals for submission to the global office and donors.
  • Oversee the preparation of and review of the accuracy and completeness of donor financial reports – monthly, quarterly, or annually, as required by the donor contracts and guidelines, which agree with the corresponding narrative reports. Submission to the global office for approval along with budget variance analysis and explanations.
  • Preparation of the year-end audit file and financial statements, arranging and ensuring the timely completion of the year-end audit (accounting year end -31 December). Submission to the global office for approval.
  • Review and approve payment documentation, ensuring amounts are in line with agreed budgets, authority levels, internal control procedures and donor requirements are adhered to, and timely payments are made to suppliers, partners, and beneficiaries.
  • In conjunction with the finance team and country office management, schedule regular monitoring visits to, and internal audit of, local partner organisations, ensuring their financial systems and controls are of an appropriate standard to ensure security and effective management of funds advanced.
  • Preparation of monthly payroll to ensure that all relevant personnel information is up to date and local compliance with statutory and other legal requirements. Ensure local compliance with employee tax deductions and that all relevant statutory deductions are employees’ salaries and paid to appropriate authorities.

Compliance Functions:

  • Lead financial procedures review, update and implementation across the country offices.
  • Be responsible for assessing, monitoring and mitigating both internal and external risks across the Country Programme; and providing effective oversight of the quality of management on key functions within the Country Programme.
  • Work closely with department leads and other senior staff to ensure effective monitoring and response to external risks associated with compliance with policy and regulations, and statutory requirements, collaborating with teams across the country programme and global team.
  • Ensure that high quality, effective systems are in place to monitor and respond to internal risks, associated with but not limited to: partnerships and local NGO relationships, relationships with public institutions compliance with SHA/UP policy and regulation, which includes safeguarding, fraud, corruption and conflict of interest.
  • In conjunction with Country Director and Country Office Programme Management, support the risk assessment of any new Partner organisation as part of the due diligence process before contracts are signed. Review and provide input on the financial requirements included in the agreements made with Partner organisations.
  • Initiate the development and maintenance of systems that ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donors’ guideline SHA/UP policies and procedures.
  • Perform the financial review of purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with SHA/UP policies and procedures and donors’ grants and contract requirements.
  • Perform compliance reviews of field office processes including procurement, asset management, Human Resources, Admin, travel & logistics and coordinate with the relevant program managers to improve processes as needed.
  • Provide guidance, training, and consultation on compliance with SHA/UP policies and procedures as well as donor compliance requirements to the country team.
  • Identify efficient and effective solutions to issues while ensuring compliance with SHA/UP policies and donor regulations,
  • Perform follow-up and resolutions for internal and external audit recommendations to improve or enhance the internal control environment.

Team Management and Security:

  • Lead a diverse team of direct and indirect reports in the field offices and conduct timely performance planning; establish performance expectations with team members, provide regular constructive feedback on team members’ performance and conduct performance reviews in a collaborative manner.
  • Contribute to field office team-building efforts; build constructive internal relationships; help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
  • Support the finance team to develop their technical finance skills through routine coaching, training and guidance.
  • Assess capacity gaps within the finance team, and ensure timely hiring, training and onboarding of the new team members.
  • Provide team members (new and old) with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
  • Create a sustainable work environment of mutual respect that attracts motivated, skilled and effective team members and enables them individually and collectively to strive to achieve excellence.
  • Ensure that the security aspect of the operations is considered while developing cash management and related financial policies.
  • Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
  • Contribute to the overall strategic leadership of the country programme, participating and leading in key SMT processes as required.

Key Relationships:

  • Internal & External

Knowledge, Experience & Other Requirements
Education and other qualifications:

  • University Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or equivalent in a relevant field is required.
  • The ideal candidate will be a qualified accountant with certification from an Internationally recognized Accounting Qualification (ACA, CIMA, CPA, ACCA)
  • Minimum of 7 years of operational finance experience, preferably in a mid to large international NGO with 3-4 years of management experience including supervisory experience required.

Experience and skills:

  • Strong technical skills and up-to-date knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, including management of the general ledger, journal entries, payroll, payables and balance sheet.
  • Experience in the preparation and review of management accounts and the ability to critically analyse a trial balance.
  • Experience in managing donor funds and contracts, as well as an understanding of donor regulations.
  • Demonstrated experience and skill with budget preparation and analysis, financial reporting preparation and presentation and the proven ability to translate technical financial data into informative reports.
  • Experience in the preparation of yearend financial statements and managing annual external audits
  • Experience in managing, training and supporting staff.
  • Experience working with partner organisations.
  • Experience in undertaking risk assessments, internal audits and/or assessing internal controls
  • Willingness to travel nationally and internationally when required.
  • Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel.
  • Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.

Language Requirements:

  • Written and oral proficiency in English and the relevant local language is a plus.

Job Title: Finance and Administration Officer
Location: Makurdi, Benue

About Self Help Africa & United Purpose

  • In late 2021, Self Help Africa (SHA) and United Purpose (UP) merged. The two organizations – one headquartered in Ireland and the other in Wales – implement projects to end extreme hunger and poverty.
  • This merger doubled our size and reach – and means that in 2022 we are implementing poverty eradication projects in 17 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Collectively, we are also part of a group that includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, TruTrade and Cumo Microfinance.
  • In 2022, our work reached more than six million people and invest upwards of €45m in more than 100 development programmes designed to improve food systems, facilitate access to markets and financial services, combat climate change, and gender inequality, and improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
  • This is an exciting time to join us as we unite two like-minded and entrepreneurial organisations seeking to tackle global challenges in progressive and innovative ways.
  • We are looking for a dynamic, proactive FAO who will support the project team and provide technical assistance in the overall implementation of finance and administration functions and would work closely with the SHA/UP HQ Finance and Accounting team in Abuja.

Job Purpose

  • Rural Women Entrepreneurs (RWE) Project, which will be implemented in Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi, combines the lessons learned in Bangladesh from the women-led social enterprise model and the collaborative development practices honed through the GIZ-funded Mobilizing Rural Women Entrepreneurs for COVID-19 Response and Recovery in Rural Bangladesh project. Via the digilab Scaling Lab sprint process, United Purpose-Self Help Africa (UP-SHA) has been working with the digilab and GIZ staff in various departments as well as across Africa over the last nine months to explore and co-develop the foundation for scaling the RWE approach in Africa. The 12-month pilot will take an adaptive approach to implement the model, evolving at each stage to respond to the unique contexts and demands of the three proposed pilot countries.
  • Women’s Business Centres (WBCs) have been a growing platform for digital service delivery in remote regions that respond directly to chronic disconnection of the most under-resourced members of rural communities. As women-led organisations, WBCs offer access to skill development opportunities and aggregation services in a friendly, safe, and trusted environment which fosters community and well-being. As the network of entrepreneurs has grown, they have also created new access to digital resources and, more recently, have begun offering fee-for-service training and services to their communities by facilitating access to the growing number of mobile applications developed by both the public and private sectors.
  • While the introduction of digital service delivery and eLearning is not new in many rural contexts, what is unique is the skilled facilitatory capacity of the WBC entrepreneurs as community leaders and the robust business models which support and sustain new and innovative business ideas. In order to scale this model, the pilot will seek to engage with and strengthen existing community structures, identifying key women entrepreneurs who can lead cooperative social enterprise centres in the WBC model.
  • The pilot will work collaboratively with these entrepreneurs to create market-based strategies and approaches to identify and respond to contextual opportunities in food security, nutrition, WASH, family planning and beyond, integrating their existing business activities in such a way that they are able to build lasting connections and incentives as well as adaptive local structures that are increasingly resilient to disruptions in global supply chains created by the interlinked food and climate crises.
  • The FAO will be responsible for the implementation of general finance, Logistics and Administration functions for the RWE project. S/he will work in close collaboration with the Project Manager of the RWE to achieve the operational objectives and goals of the Scaling Rural Women Entrepreneurs for Community-Led Digital Adaptation & Resilience in Africa (RWE) Project.
  • The successful candidate will also be responsible for the day-to-day running and managing of SHA/UP assets in the Makurdi field office. S/he will directly manage the drivers assigned to the project.

Key Responsibilities
Finance Function:

  • Responsible for providing financial guidelines to the project team, ensuring that SHA/UP as well as donor financial procedures are being followed.
  • Review all the financial submissions from the project team ensuring that they are in line with budget and project objectives; travel advances, out-of-pocket expenditure claims, mileage claims, and retirements.
  • Obtain authorisation for financial submissions, upload all payment requests on the electronic platform, and enter all payment information into the ledger.
  • Conduct the first level of review of the project activity budget to ensure that they are in line with project objectives and the available budget.
  • Ensure that transactions are fully supported, approved, and properly filed and that the operations conform to the requirements of the RWE as per the project proposal document.
  • Ensure that monthly bank reconciliations are completed on a timely basis and that the final reconciliation is reviewed and submitted to the Finance and Compliance Manager.
  • Manage the finance activities and schedules to meet the financial reporting requirements and deadlines specified by donors and SHA/UP.
  • Work closely with the SHA/UP HQ finance team in the organization and complete external audits and implement actions necessary to correct internal control weaknesses.
  • Support the Finance and Compliance Manager to improve existing financial systems in line with best practices.
  • Assist with any other project finance-related work as may be required for the effective running of the Makurdi field office.

Administrative/ Logistics Functions:

  • Support project administration whenever requested by the project team and day-to-day running of the Benue State Field Office.
  • Oversee and support the Benue State Driver in conducting his duties.
  • Ensure that SHA/UP complies with Benue State Internal Revenue obligations, making sure that PAYE taxes are remitted in a timely manner.
  • Any other task, which may be assigned from time to time by the Project Manager and or RWE.
  • Maintain updated records of office and project assets.
  • Support the procurement of project and office materials.

Key Relationships:

  • Internal and External

Knowledge, Experience & Other Requirements
Education and other qualifications:

  • Degree in Accounting, Finance or related degree. An accounting qualification will be an added advantage.
  • Knowledge of accounting concepts, principles and techniques.
  • Minimum of five years experience.
  • Demonstratable proficiency in accounting system software and expertise in Microsoft Excel and Report writing.
  • Effective oral and written communication skills.
  • Ability to working a multicultural, diverse, and performance-related environment.
  • Ability to work independently with minimal direction, handle large amounts of data, and meet deadlines.
  • Ability to work well in a team environment and effectively with civil society organisations, donors, project staff, and other beneficiaries.

Experience:

  • At least 5 years of experience in Finance and Administration
  • Experience with rules and regulations for non-profit organizations.
  • Good technical accounting skills. Experience in financial planning, bookkeeping practice and principle, knowledge of internal controls, general ledger, cash management and reconciliations, payroll processing and taxation. Solid knowledge and understanding of community-based approaches to development.
  • Knowledge and understanding of project monitoring and evaluation, including data management tools
  • Must be a good team player, honest, dependable and willing to be flexible with work hours
  • Experience in working with culturally diverse teams.

Skills:

  • Excellent planning, coordination, and prioritisation skills.
  • Strong facilitation, Community implementation and interpersonal skills.
  • Good written and verbal communication skills- listening, presenting, discussing, reporting, putting views forward and negotiating with confidence.
  • Adaptable and responsive disposition relative to the demands and operations of the project.

Language Requirements:

  • Written and oral proficiency in English and the relevant local language is a plus.

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Job Title: Project Officer – Business Development and Marketing
Location: Makurdi, Benue

About Self Help Africa & United Purpose

  • In late 2021, Self Help Africa (SHA) and United Purpose (UP) merged. The two organizations – one headquartered in Ireland and the other in Wales – implement projects to end extreme hunger and poverty.
  • This merger doubled our size and reach – and means that in 2022 we are implementing poverty eradication projects in 17 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Collectively, we are also part of a group that includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, TruTrade and Cumo Microfinance.
  • In 2022, our work reached more than six million people and invest upwards of €45m in more than 100 development programmes designed to improve food systems, facilitate access to markets and financial services, combat climate change, and gender inequality, and improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
  • This is an exciting time to join us as we unite two like-minded and entrepreneurial organisations seeking to tackle global challenges in progressive and innovative ways.
  • We are looking for a dynamic, proactive and competent Project Officer who will support the project team and provide technical assistance to the implementation of the Scaling Rural Women Entrepreneurs for Community-Led Digital Adaptation & Resilience in Africa (RWE) Projectin Benue and Cross River States in Nigeria.

Job Purpose

  • Rural Women Entrepreneurs (RWE) Project, which will be implemented in Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi, combines the lessons learned in Bangladesh from the women-led social enterprise model and the collaborative development practices honed through the GIZ-funded Mobilizing Rural Women Entrepreneurs for COVID-19 Response and Recovery in Rural Bangladesh project. Via the digilab Scaling Lab sprint process, United Purpose-Self Help Africa (UP-SHA) has been working with the digilab and GIZ staff in various departments as well as across Africa over the last nine months to explore and codevelop the foundation for scaling the RWE approach in Africa.
  • The 12-month pilot will take an adaptive approach to implement the model, evolving at each stage to respond to the unique contexts and demands of the three proposed pilot countries.
  • Women’s Business Centres (WBCs) have been a growing platform for digital service delivery in remote regions that respond directly to chronic disconnection of the most under-resourced members of rural communities.
  • As women-led organisations, WBCs offer access to skill development opportunities and aggregation services in a friendly, safe, and trusted environment which fosters community and well-being. As the network of entrepreneurs has grown, they have also created new access to digital resources and, more recently, have begun offering fee-for-service training and services to their communities by facilitating access to the growing number of mobile applications developed by both the public and private sectors.
  • While the introduction of digital service delivery and eLearning is not new in many rural contexts, what is unique is the skilled facilitatory capacity of the WBC entrepreneurs as community leaders and the robust business models which support and sustain new and innovative business ideas. In order to scale this model, the pilot will seek to engage with and strengthen existing community structures, identifying key women entrepreneurs who can lead cooperative social enterprise centres in the WBC model.
  • The pilot will work collaboratively with these entrepreneurs to create market-based strategies and approaches to identify and respond to contextual opportunities in food security, nutrition, WASH, family planning and beyond, integrating their existing business activities in such a way that they are able to build lasting connections and incentives as well as adaptive local structures that are increasingly resilient to disruptions in global supply chains created by the interlinked food and climate crises.
  • The Project Officer (PO) for Business Development & Marketing is responsible for ensuring the project develops robust, market-driven enterprise and community-driven cooperative structures that support local investment and innovation.
  • The PO will implement market assessment, business mapping, and analysis, providing recommendations and guidance to entrepreneurs as well as facilitating market linkages with public and private sector actors.

Key Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include (not limited to):

  • Plan, design and ensure delivery of project activities in line with the Project Activity Implementation Plan (PAIP) and United Purpose’s Operations Guideline.
  • Monitor and ensure planned activities are implemented as per PAIP and budget allocations.
  • Engage directly with project stakeholders, including women’s clubs, PHCs, LGAs, private sector and health customers.
  • Conduct training on business development and management for women’s club entrepreneurs.
  • Support data gathering, management, and analysis to provide insight and learnings for informed programmatic decisions.
  • Support PO – Gender and Community Health with health business plan development of women’s clubs and market linkages with PHCs.
  • Support business plan development for digital health service delivery.
  • Facilitate field teams and build networks and work with local government authorities and line departments (such as health and agricultural facilities, etc.) market actors, local community leaders, and other stakeholder counterparts to facilitate activities at the community level.
  • Provide strategic and technical support to field teams in ensuring timely implementation of activities around health, nutrition, WASH, and agriculture, and strengthening the capacity of women’s clubs.
  • Provide strategic and technical support to field teams in strengthening the capacity of Women Enterprise Groups.
  • Provide support to the MEAL team (especially MEAL Coordinator) in tracking and monitoring progress, data collection, database administration, documentation of the project’s impacts and results, and MEAL-related coordination with counterparts, as required.
  • Support the Project Manager in ensuring smooth management and implementation of the project, and team dynamic to achieve the project’s targets and purpose.
  • Conduct regular visits to fields, documentation on field activities including project’s impacts and results, and submit timely reports to the line manager.
  • Other duties as assigned by the line manager and UP management.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities
Support women’s clubs to produce quality health and hygiene products:

  • Entrepreneur identification and women’s club strengthening workshops (Vision Sessions, business development workshops etc).
  • Design and implement the community-led market assessment in coordination with the project team.
  • Targeted skills training on production, processing and marketing of identified products.
  • Review policy regarding telemedicine service and reading glass through strategic meetings with relevant stakeholders.

Develop a health-focused social marketing strategy for women’s clubs that promotes products and services using digital tools & linked with government health programming:

  • Coordinate Field Facilitator activities around courtyard session formation and customer outreach.
  • Organise training of women entrepreneurs on health & wellbeing promotion.
  • Planning and monitoring of demonstrations on digital health resources.
  • Facilitate coordination with PHCs and women’s clubs for health outreach and market linkage.

Project Management:

  • Plan, design and ensure delivery of project activities in line with the Project Activity Implementation Plan (PAIP)
  • Support PO-Gender and Community Health on project implementation plan design, implementation, and review.
  • Implement project activities according to individual work plans and build on project-set objectives.

Knowledge management, monitoring and reporting:

  • Identify learnings from data review and analysis and make recommendations to the Project Manager regarding the PAIP.
  • Develop monthly, quarterly and annual progress reports and report to Project Manager according to the set format on the progress of work plan objectives and activities.
  • Conduct periodic collaborative learning and adaptation meetings with stakeholders at the LGA level.
  • Document case studies/lessons learnt/change stories from beneficiaries as evidence to measure project impact
  • Represent the learnings and project activities to colleagues in other RWE countries and participate in joint learning sessions.

Finance & team management:

  • Oversee the activities of the Field Facilitators, providing guidance, mentorship, and direct support as required.
  • Support the Field Facilitators in the realisation of their work plans through guidance, regular one-to-one meetings, joint field visits, mentoring and monitoring of their work plans.
  • Participate in the establishment of a project procurement plan in compliance with the project’s requirements and provide necessary follow-up.
  • In coordination with Project Manager, Country Office Coordinator and Finance and Compliance Manager, ensure appropriate budget monitoring procedures are in place and contribute to timely financial reporting.

Representation and Visibility:

  • Develop/maintain strong working relationships with different relevant stakeholders at the community level.
  • Communicate regularly with partners and women’s clubs
  • Ensure project material, project staff and partner’s staff comply with donor’s visibility rules.
  • Represent SHA/UP in external fora
  • Promote positive communication about SHA/UP.

Key Relationships:

  • Internal and External

Knowledge, Experience & Other Requirements
Education and other qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Business Administration or any relevant Social Science subject.
  • Skills in ICT operation, and proficiency in using MS Office
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Respect for cultural diversity and gender sensitivity
  • Ability to work under pressure.
  • Commitment to Safeguarding.

Experience:
The successful applicant MUST have experience and skills in the following:

  • At least 4 years of working experience with INGO/NGO sector in the same or equivalent role.
  • Micro, small, and medium enterprise business plan development, implementation, monitoring, and analysis
  • Community organising, particularly with women’s groups
  • Market Systems Development (MSD) approach, market assessment design, implementation, and analysis
  • Design and review of marketing materials for small businesses (social marketing is a plus)
  • Working with women’s groups, savings groups and businesses
  • Community mobilization, advocacy and stakeholders’ management
  • Very strong interpersonal skills and experience networking in the private sector
  • Budget management, monitoring, and implementation
  • Be willing to travel to the field
  • Openness to learning
  • Self-driven and a creative problem solver
  • Strong communicator with good report-writing skills
  • Works well with a multicultural team
  • Proficient in written and oral English
  • Previous experience working with health-related enterprises, health system evaluations and/or design, digital health space and telemedicine is an added advantage

Skills:

  • Excellent planning, coordination, and prioritisation skills.
  • Strong facilitation, community implementation and interpersonal skills.
  • Good written and verbal communication skills- listening, presenting, discussing, reporting, putting views forward and negotiating with confidence.
  • Adaptable and responsive disposition relative to the demands and operations of the project.

Language Requirements:

  • Written and oral proficiency in English and relevant local language (Tiv and pidgin) is a plus.

Job Title: Project Officer – Gender and Community Health
Location: Makurdi, Benue

About Self Help Africa & United Purpose

  • In late 2021, Self Help Africa (SHA) and United Purpose (UP) merged. The two organizations – one headquartered in Ireland and the other in Wales – implement projects to end extreme hunger and poverty.
  • This merger doubled our size and reach – and means that in 2022 we are implementing poverty eradication projects in 17 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Collectively, we are also part of a group that includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, TruTrade and Cumo Microfinance.
  • In 2022, our work reached more than six million people and invest upwards of €45m in more than 100 development programmes designed to improve food systems, facilitate access to markets and financial services, combat climate change, and gender inequality, and improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
  • This is an exciting time to join us as we unite two like-minded and entrepreneurial organisations seeking to tackle global challenges in progressive and innovative ways.
  • We are looking for a dynamic, proactive and competent Project Officer who will support the project team and provide technical assistance to the implementation of the Scaling Rural Women Entrepreneurs for Community-Led Digital Adaptation & Resilience in Africa (RWE) Projectin Benue and Cross River States in Nigeria.

Job Purpose

  • Rural Women Entrepreneurs (RWE) Project, which will be implemented in Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi, combines the lessons learned in Bangladesh from the women-led social enterprise model and the collaborative development practices honed through the GIZ-funded Mobilizing Rural Women Entrepreneurs for COVID-19 Response and Recovery in Rural Bangladesh project. Via the digilab Scaling Lab sprint process, United Purpose-Self Help Africa (UP-SHA) has been working with the digilab and GIZ staff in various departments as well as across Africa over the last nine months to explore and codevelop the foundation for scaling the RWE approach in Africa. The 12-month pilot will take an adaptive approach to implement the model, evolving at each stage to respond to the unique contexts and demands of the three proposed pilot countries.
  • Women’s Business Centres (WBCs) have been a growing platform for digital service delivery in remote regions that respond directly to chronic disconnection of the most under-resourced members of rural communities. As women-led organisations, WBCs offer access to skill development opportunities and aggregation services in a friendly, safe, and trusted environment which fosters community and well-being. As the network of entrepreneurs has grown, they have also created new access to digital resources and, more recently, have begun offering fee-for-service training and services to their communities by facilitating access to the growing number of mobile applications developed by both the public and private sectors.
  • While the introduction of digital service delivery and eLearning is not new in many rural contexts, what is unique is the skilled facilitatory capacity of the WBC entrepreneurs as community leaders and the robust business models which support and sustain new and innovative business ideas. In order to scale this model, the pilot will seek to engage with and strengthen existing community structures, identifying key women entrepreneurs who can lead cooperative social enterprise centres in the WBC model.
  • The pilot will work collaboratively with these entrepreneurs to create market-based strategies and approaches to identify and respond to contextual opportunities in food security, nutrition, WASH, family planning and beyond, integrating their existing business activities in such a way that they are able to build lasting connections and incentives as well as adaptive local structures that are increasingly resilient to disruptions in global supply chains created by the interlinked food and climate crises.
  • The Project Officer (PO) for Gender and Community Health is responsible for ensuring the project develops effective and relevant connections with public and private health entities for the delivery of quality health behaviour change communication and service delivery.
  • The PO will implement the health market assessment, develop and/or adapt relevant communications material and strategies with community and government partners, coordinate the interface with digital health service providers, and ensure seamless coordination between project stakeholders.
  • The PO will also be responsible for gender mainstreaming and proactive technical support to the organization.

Key Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include (not limited to):

  • Plan, design and ensure delivery of project activities in line with the Project Activity Implementation Plan (PAIP) and United Purpose’s Operations Guideline.
  • S/he will work with all departments and partners to ensure that gender equity principles are incorporated into all policies and activities.
  • S/he will plan, implement and follow up on gender-related activities and provide support to Counterpart staff, partners and grantees on mainstreaming gender in their programs and activities, including the design and implementation of training on gender-related topics.
  • Monitor and ensure planned activities are implemented as per PAIP and budget allocations
  • Engage directly with project stakeholders, including women’s clubs, PHCs, LGAs, the private sector, and health customers.
  • Support data gathering and management, analysis, and provide insight on findings/learnings throughout the project period.
  • Support PO Business Development & Marketing with health business plan development of women’s clubs
  • Conduct training on health and well-being promotion for women’s club entrepreneurs
  • Coordinate with regional health officials
  • Support training of PHCs on digital health tools by private sector actors
  • Facilitate field teams and build a network and work with local government authorities and line departments (such as health and agricultural facilities, etc.) market actors, local community leaders, and other stakeholder counterparts to facilitate activities at the local level
  • Provide strategic and technical support to field teams in ensuring timely implementation of activities around health, nutrition, WASH, agriculture, strengthening the capacity of Women Business Centres (WBC), and business development and market linkage of WBCs
  • Develop training modules, SBCC (Social Behavior Change Communication), IEC (Information, Education and Communication) and promotional materials on health, WASH, nutrition, COVID-19 prevention, livestock services, and agriculture, especially agroecological activities
  • Provide strategic and technical support to field teams in strengthening the capacity of Women Enterprise Groups
  • Coordination and provide support to the MEAL team (especially the MEAL Coordinator) in tracking and monitoring of progress, data collection, database administration, documentation of the project’s impacts and results, and M&E-related coordination with counterparts, as required
  • Assist Project Manager in ensuring smooth management and implementation of the project, and team dynamic to achieve the project’s targets and purpose
  • Conduct regular visits to fields, documentation on field activities including project’s impacts and results, and submit timely reports to the line manager timely.
  • Other duties as assigned by the line manager and UP management.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities
Support women’s clubs to produce quality health and hygiene products:

  • Entrepreneur identification and women’s club strengthening workshops (Vision Sessions, business development workshops etc) Organise workshops with the Department of Health for the engagement of government social protection schemes.
  • Design and implement the community-led market assessment in coordination with the project team
  • Targeted skills training on the production/processing of identified products
  • Review policy regarding telemedicine service and reading glass through discussion with relevant personnel.

Develop a health-focused social marketing strategy for women’s clubs that promotes products and services using digital tools & linked with government health programming:

  • Coordinate field facilitator activities around courtyard session formation and customer outreach
  • Organise Training of women entrepreneurs on health & wellbeing promotion.
  • Planning and monitoring of demonstrations on digital health resources.
  • Facilitate coordination with PHcs and women’s clubs for health outreach.

Project Management:

  • Plan, design and ensure delivery of project activities in line with the Project Activity Implementation Plan (PAIP)
  • Support PO-Business Development and Marketing on project implementation plan design, implementation, and review.
  • Implement project activities according to individual work plans and build on project-set objectives.

Knowledge management, monitoring and reporting:

  • Identify learnings from data review and analysis and make recommendations to the Project Manager regarding the PAIP.
  • Develop monthly, quarterly and annual progress reports and report to Project Manager according to the set format on the progress of work plan objectives and activities.
  • Conduct periodic collaborative learning and adaptation meetings with stakeholders at the LGA level.
  • Document case studies/lessons learnt/change stories from beneficiaries as evidence to measure project impact
  • Represent the learnings and project activities to colleagues in other RWE countries and participate in joint learning sessions.

Finance & team management:

  • Oversee the activities of the Field Facilitators, providing guidance, mentorship, and direct support as required.
  • Support the Field Facilitators in the realisation of their work plans through guidance, regular one-to-one meetings, joint field visits, mentoring and monitoring of their work plans.
  • Participate in the establishment of a project procurement plan in compliance with the project’s requirements and provide necessary follow-up.
  • In coordination with Project Manager, Country Office Coordinator and Finance and Compliance Manager, ensure appropriate budget monitoring procedures are in place and contribute to timely financial reporting.

Representation and Visibility:

  • Develop/maintain strong working relationships with different relevant stakeholders at the community level.
  • Communicate regularly with partners and women’s clubs
  • Ensure project material, project staff and partner’s staff comply with donor’s visibility rules.
  • Represent SHA/UP in external fora
  • Promote positive communication about SHA/UP.

Key Relationships:

  • Internal and External

Knowledge, Experience & Other Requirements
Education and other qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health, Gender studies or any relevant Social Science subject.
  • Skills in ICT operation, and proficiency in using MS Office
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Respect for cultural diversity and gender sensitivity
  • Ability to work under pressure.
  • Commitment to Safeguarding

Experience:
The successful applicant MUST have experience and skills in the following:

  • At least 4 years of working experience with INGO/NGO in the same or equivalent position
  • Community-level health promotion using participatory methodologies.
  • Community organising, particularly with women’s groups
  • Planning, implementing and monitoring community-level health/health system assessments in Nigeria.
  • Knowledge & exposure to a range of gender mainstreaming & gender development issues
  • Ability to evaluate and integrate gender equality strategic objectives into broader program strategies
  • Survey tool development
  • Working with the Nigerian health system, including PHCs
  • Design and review of health behaviour change and communication materials
  • Working with women’s groups
  • Budget management, monitoring, and implementation
  • Be willing to travel to the field
  • Be willing to learn and implement new methodologies
  • Is self-driven and a creative problem solver
  • Is a strong communicator with good report-writing skills
  • Works well with a multicultural team
  • Written and oral proficiency in English.

It is also a benefit if the applicant:

  • Has experience working with health-related enterprise
  • Has worked on health system evaluations and/or design
  • Has experience in the digital health space and with telemedicine services in particular.

Skills:

  • Excellent planning, coordination, and prioritisation skills.
  • Strong facilitation, community implementation and interpersonal skills.
  • Good written and verbal communication skills- listening, presenting, discussing, reporting, putting views forward and negotiating with confidence.
  • Adaptable and responsive disposition relative to the demands and operations of the project.

Language Requirements:

  • Written and oral proficiency in English and relevant local language (Tiv and pidgin English) is a plus.

Application Closing Date
20th January, 2023.

How to Apply for United Purpose (UP) Recruitment 2023

Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV and Cover Letter to: recruitmentng@united-purpose.org using the Job Title and Location as the subject of the mail.

Note

  • Your CV should not exceed 4 pages and your cover letter, not more than 2 pages, should explain the following:
    • Why you are applying for the position
    • How do your skills and experiences meet the job’s specification
    • When will you be able to take up the position if successful?
  • You are advised to apply early, as applications will be treated on a rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
  • Any candidate offered a job with the SHA/UP will be expected to sign SHA/UP’s Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.
  • Self Help Africa / United Purpose strives to be an Equal Opportunities Employer.

*For more info on United Purpose (UP) Recruitment 2023, please use the comment section below.

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