National Graduate Volunteer – SPARK Project Support at Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), is the world’s leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. Our high impact approach brings people together to share skills, build capabilities, promote international understanding and action to change lives and make the world a fairer place.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: National Graduate Volunteer – SPARK Project Support

Location: Adamawa
Type of Role: Advocacy policy and research
Duration: 9 Months (Possibly Starting July 2021)
Start Date: 26th July, 2021
Mode of Delivery: Working From Home and at Project Location

Role Overview

• Working from home and at project location –  In this role, you will spend some time providing part-time remote support (e.g. from your home) to VSO projects or partners, and also a set period working full-time in the project location and/or VSO office.
• This national volunteer role will facilitate the conduct of vulnerability context analysis, documentation/ knowledge management, coordination, reporting, liaison and networking.
• The volunteer will work closely with VSO projects and ensure that all VSO projects are integrating resilience concept.
• S/he is also responsible for providing technical support on risk assessment, understanding the shocks and stresses and building capacity for resilience of VSOs primary actors, projects and partners, government, and other stakeholders.
• S/he will support Vulnerability Capacity Assessment (VCA), understanding climate change effects and making contingency/preparedness plan for primary actors to mitigate such effects.

Job Purpose

• This National Graduate volunteer role will contribute to the Safe Pace and Resilience Community strategy, analysis, documentation/ knowledge management, coordination, reporting, and liaison.
• The NGV-SPARC will work closely with VSO teams and primary actors to ensure that all VSO projects are integrating resilience concept.
• S/he will support In collaboration with existing/identified networks and MDAs such as SEMA/NEMA, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, State and community level aimed at strengthening emergency response in conflict/hazard situations and enhances sustainability of basic services.

Responsibilities
Technical Support:

• Support stakeholder mapping of humanitarian and resilience stakeholders.
• Support in Conducting risk assessments and community disaster risk preparedness and management plans
• Assist in developing a training module on resilience and humanitarian aid disaster preparedness.
• Oversee and provide technical input to the design Resilience /DRR systems, procedures, framework, tools and guidelines as needed for the Project
• Provide technical support to VSO projects on integration of resilience in alignment to VSO core approaches, strategies and guidelines and in compatible with the context analysis

Knowledge Management:

• Support resilience teams including the VSO Project in collection and or publication of good practices, success stories, project outcome documents, etc. in resilience work with Communication, Learning to develop knowledge products, communication materials and other IEC materials to promote awareness raising about Resilience and peaceful community

Capacity Building:

• Support in building the capacity of VSO team, partners and external stakeholders on resilience frameworks and toolkits including on Core Humanitarian Standards.
• Provide training, support and coaching to partner staff on development of Disaster Risk Management Plan and Community Disaster Risk Management Plan and tools such as Participatory Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (PVCA) to develop risk management plans
• Support in Community engagement and intervention.

Monitoring and Reporting:

• Set agreed indicators and milestones based on the result framework developed
• Provide feedback to the programme team based on the field monitoring visits
• Support the project team in developing high quality project/ programme reports regarding resilience perspective
• Liaise with VSO colleagues and some project partners to ensure timely submission of contributions.

Networking and Project Logistics Support:

• Coordinate and build relationship with SPARC global team, VSO project/program, government, CSOs, partners and private sectors.
• Support in arranging venue, resources, and stationery for projects workshops and trainings
• Facilitate the organization partner meetings and field risk assessment processes.

Key Performance Idicators

• Most vulnerable areas and causes of vulnerability identified
• Disaster risk preparedness and management plans developed.
• Training module on resilience and humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness developed
• Workshops/ training / coaching on disaster risk preparedness and management conducted.

Professional Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in Resilience / DRR or any relevant field, with relevant work experience in the design and implementation of disaster risk reduction or other related areas in the rural context.
• Practical experience and knowledge on global and national DRR related policies and practices, core humanitarian standard, rights based approach, gender and social inclusion
• Experience in conducting study on shocks and stresses assessment in the field level Knowledge on resilience interventions, especially in Nigeria
• Experience in developing training module and disaster risk preparedness and management plans
• Experience working in livelihood programs targeting marginalised communities
• Excellent communication skills in both English and Hausa language and any other local language in north east
• Excellent coordination, networking and facilitation skills
• Good knowledge in project cycle management
• Excellent attention to detail for providing accurate DRR capacity gap analysis, documentation and data.

Personal Qualifications:

• Committed to rights based and gender sensitivity work, pro-poor policy, committed and strong civil society organizations and social mobilization.
• Able, willing and committed to work with people from different backgrounds

Competencies:
Building and Sustaining Working Relationships:

• The social skills to build and actively maintain working relationships that foster teamwork and collaboration with others for the benefit of a common goal.

Open Minded and Respectful:

• A non-judgemental approach that values other people and culture.

Seeking and Sharing Knowledge:

• Recognition that learning is a twoway and continuous process.

Facilitating Positive Change:

• The ability to analyse problems and develop lasting solutions in line with VSO approaches.

Adaptability:

• A flexible approach and the ability to adapt behaviour to different situations.

Resilience:

• The self-confidence to work with a variety of situations, diverse people and ambiguity.

Competencies and Behaviour
At VSO we believe progress is only possible by working together. Whether you want to join us as an employee, or as a volunteer working in your own country, overseas or online, our selection process includes an assessment based on these core competencies:

• Ability to be open minded and respectful
• Ability to be resilient and adaptive to new situations
• Ability to facilitate positive change and build sustainable working relationships
• Ability to seek and share knowledge.

Application Closing Date
11th July, 2021.