Field Coordinator (Adamawa) at the International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Field Coordinator

Requisition ID: req11061
Location: Mubi North, Adamawa, Nigeria
Sector: Operations
Employment Category: Fixed Term
Employment Type: Full-Time
Open to Expatriates: Yes

Scope of Work

The Adamawa Field Coordinator leads IRC’s response in Adamawa State and its respective field sites, including some program areas in southern Borno State. As the most senior representative in this area of operations, the AFC is responsible for the implementation of all program and operations activities in the project locations.
The AFC should have a good top-level knowledge and understanding of all activities in their location, in particular the constraints faced by their team, and be actively working with their teams to manage and troubleshoot problems as they arise.
Oversight responsibilities include both operations and programs. Operational oversight includes security, human resources and administration, supply chain, IT and finance. Program oversight includes current programs in health, nutrition, environmental health (EH), ERD, protection (child protection, WPE, PRoL), and education.
The Adamawa Field Coordinator reports to the Deputy Director of Field Management. The Field Coordinator also maintains a close and communicative working relationship with the Deputy Director of Programs for proposal development, grants and partnerships management, and monitoring and evaluation, and with the Deputy Director of Operations for supply chain, HR, IT, and safety and security (NB: security is managed in partnership with DDFM).
The Adamawa Field Coordinator is a member of the Country Leadership Group. The AFC must also maintain close working relationships with the Senior Program Coordinators, the Grants Team and the various technical and operational support coordinators. Local heads operations (Finance, HR-Admin, IT, Security, and Supply Chain) in Adamawa State will report to the Adamawa Field Coordinator in MiP with their respective technical support leads.
The AFC will also have an informal oversight on programs leads for Health, Nutrition, EH, ERD, PRoL, WPE, child protection, education and M&E and on dotted line reporting relationship.
The Adamawa Field Coordinator will be based in Mubi with frequent travel to communities served, IRC’s office in Yola, and to IRC’s operational hub in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The successful candidate will be confident, articulate, organized and able to represent IRC to partners including beneficiaries, community leaders, CSOs and donors as well as handle sensitive, complex issues in a diplomatic way that puts the needs of beneficiaries first.

Responsibilities
Key Duties

Ensure all IRC staff, programs, and operations in Adamawa are covered by effective security management;
Coordinate implementation of programming, in collaboration with Technical Coordinators;
Ensure efficient operations (supply chain, HR, IT, finance) to support programming;
External coordination to ensure IRC’s position is understood, protected and advanced;
Team management of diverse programs and operations staff; and
Collaborate with members of IRC Nigeria’s Senior Management Team to ensure information sharing, reporting, and implementation of country program policies.

Safety and Security:

Ensure all IRC staff, programs, and operations in Adamawa are covered by effective security management, including collaboration with the Safety and Security Coordinator to ensure an up-to-date security management plan is in place, including implementation of all relevant Standard Operating Procedures and Contingency Plans;
Ensure that all staff are familiar with and in compliance with security guidelines;
Ensure that all visitors receive a security briefing upon arrival;
Supervise Safety and Security Manager to ensure active monitoring of the safety and security environment, keeping the Security Coordinator briefed on new intel and concerns, and reporting incidents in a timely way; and
Work closely with the Adamawa security community, including UNDSS, INSO, NGOs and local officials concerned with security.

Programming:

Support sector leads staff in Adamawa on effective planning and implementation of programming in area of operation, with technical supervision provided through close collaboration with Technical Coordinators and Managers;
Ensure that programs are compliant with the design, operational and financial parameters of grant agreements;
Facilitate information sharing and coordination between program departments and operations through weekly coordination meetings and other mechanisms;
Maintain a robust schedule of regular site visits in order to remain abreast of program issues, challenges and success stories – and to support the morale of our field teams, partners and beneficiaries;
Communicate and coordinate with the Technical Coordinators to ensure thorough technical support for field programs;
Facilitate field visits by donors, consultants, etc. to ensure their success and that maximum value is gained by all parties. Debrief visitors where appropriate to learn from their insights and recommendations;
Support IRC’s partnerships efforts, including monitoring of local partner performance, partner assessments of IRC performance and scoping of partnership opportunities, ensuring that key issues are raised with Partnerships/Grants colleagues and DDP;
Support program and grants staff in carrying out assessments and the development of program design and proposals;
Periodically monitor payments made for training and distributions, including for incentive workers;
Ensure that all staff understand and correctly promote client responsiveness mechanisms, and support M&E systems;
Attend and participate in the project cycle meetings and ensure field perspective is shared with all relevant internal stakeholders;
Work closely with the Emergency Preparedness and Response Coordinator to monitor key indicators and local developments, and to ensure that IRC responds in a timely and appropriate way; and
Advise senior management about strategic programming directions and issues affecting project implementation, or key local issues affecting future grants/projects developments, including spotting and flagging key gaps in provision/unmet beneficiary needs and offer a proposed solution.

Supply Chain:

Ensure all aspects of supply chain support – procurement, stock management, asset management, vehicle and equipment rental, maintenance, and repair – for program teams and coordinate with Technical Coordinators, Supply Chain Coordinator, and Managers for effective implementation of all project activities;
Guarantee adequate communication and coordination between field locations, technical coordination staff and country office on daily activities as well as program and operational issues;
Supervise the senior Supply Chain Manager and collaborate with Supply Chain Coordinator and DDO to ensure efficient overall management of Adamawa-based operational support team;
Report challenges to the Supply Chain Coordinator and DDO on a timely basis;
Monthly monitoring of the warehouse, assets, vehicle/fleet management;
Support Supply Chain Manager and Technical Managers with monitoring construction contracts, report challenges and propose possible solutions;
Support budget holders in review of budget vs. actual reports with programs and operations staff and ensure appropriate action is taken in a timely fashion;
Ensure compliance with IRC and donor finance and supply chain policies, including all aspects of procurement and asset management.

Financial:

Oversee the financial management of field office operations and finance staff, including approval of expenditures, cash management and transactions, management of the operational budget, payroll review, and travel expenses, with support of Assistant Finance Controller;
Supervise the Finance Manager, in collaboration with the Assistant Finance Controller, to ensure the finance department provides required support to programs;
Ensure field office compliance with contract and donor guidelines and requirements;
Ensure the timeliness and completeness of field office financial reports to Abuja;
Ensure complete and correct use of all finance forms and timely communication of financial issues to the Assistant Finance Controller; and
Oversee the weekly cash count and month end cash count.

Strategic Planning:

Participate in the implementation and review of the strategic action plan (SAP) for IRC Nigeria Country Program;
Develop Adamawa-focused operations plan to support the program activities and the scale up programming; and
Participate actively in the Country Leadership Group.

HR and Staff Development:

Ensure the ongoing capacity building of the Adamawa team (Programs, Supply Chain, HR, Admin, IT, Finance, Security) through performance monitoring and evaluation and individual development plans, with input from relevant Coordinators;
Supervise the HR Officer-Admin officer, with support from the HR Coordinator/Sr. HR Manager, to provide required support to programs;
Oversee effective implementation of personnel policies, including coaching, performance evaluation, staff development, recruitment, and disciplinary measures;
Ensure appropriate support to the team through regular site visits and replacement of staff if needed;
Oversee the implementation of the IRC Nigeria National Staff Employment Manual with support from the HR Coordinator;
Review monthly payroll before submission to Abuja office;
Work with the HR team to ensure an environment that promotes positive physical and mental health through work-life balance, and communicate challenges to the HR Coordinator or SMT as appropriate;
Monitor and review the annual leave calendar to ensure departments are well staffed;
Act as an ambassador for the IRC Way (IRC’s Code of Conduct” and model the values of “service, integrity and accountability”; and
Provide support for the effective functioning of the Women at Work group.

Coordination and Representation:

Relationships with open dialogue and mutual respect should be nurtured with all stakeholders;
Support the DDP and program teams to ensure quality implementation of the IRC Nigeria program interventions, ensuring that opportunities for synergy and integration are identified and acted upon;
Represent IRC to UN, international and national NGOs, and attend coordination meetings as needed at the state level;
Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders at the state level including donors, government actors, local traditional leadership, local CSO partners, beneficiary populations and their representatives, etc.;
Establish and maintain networks with UN, INGOs, and local partners to promote strategic partnerships.

Key Working Relationships
Direct Management in Partnership (MiP) Relationships: The Field Coordinator will be co-manager in the MiP relationships listed below. As detailed in the MiP Playbook; the Field Coordinator will work with each MiP relationship on each of the following:

Conduct a handshake meeting with the co-manager to establish decision rights summarized in an MoU;
Work in a tripartite manner on annual planning and priorities;
Work in a tripartite manner through the Performance Management and Evaluation process;
Hold routine tripartite meetings as appropriate for each role, be they weekly, monthly or quarterly.

Informal MiP Relationships/dotted line: The Field Coordinator will maintain informal Management in Partnership relationships with the following staff.

Health Manager
Nutrition Manager
Senior WASH Manager
WPR Manager
CYPD Manager
PRoL Manager
Education Manager
ERD Manager/officer.

The Field Coordinator calls regular meetings with these Managers independently or as a group for the purpose ensuring effective operational and administrative coordination, safety and security of staff and program, coordinated representation with local and state authorities and other matters to ensure efficient and security operations and programming.

External Relationships:

IRC clients, INGOs, LNGOs, LGA and State government authorities, traditional, religious and community leaders, and donors, as required

Qualifications

Master’s degree preferred (management-related or general operations preferred);
Minimum of five years’ experience managing operations and/or projects in INGOs in developing countries, preferably in Africa;
Demonstrated management and leadership skills, including team management and staff development;
Experience in field office management, including programs, supply chain, HR, administration and security management, preferably in conflict-impacted settings;
Excellent management, organizational, interpersonal, and cross-cultural communication skills;
Strong problem-solving, analytical and decision-making skills, preferably including negotiations and conflict resolution skills;
Strong socio-political analysis skills, with demonstrated ability to assess the impact of dynamic contexts on an INGO, and vice versa;
Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office, Excel, Word, and Outlook;
Flexibility, ability to work independently and meet deadlines;
Fluency in English;