Preparedness Capacity Development and Engagement Officer at ACTED

ACTED – Since 1993, ACTED has been committed to immediate humanitarian relief to support those in urgent need and protect people’s dignity, while co-creating longer-term opportunities for sustainable growth and fulfilling people’s potential. ACTED, headquartered in Paris, France is present in four continents and our teams intervene in 38 countries towards 8.2 million people, responding to emergencies, supporting rehabilitation projects and accompanying the dynamics of development with Over 5,000 staff are dedicated to implementing and developing our projects.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Preparedness Capacity Development and Engagement Officer

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Job Type: Contract
Job Field AGORA

About the Project
AGORA is a joint initiative of ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives, founded in 2016. AGORA promotes efficient, inclusive and integrated local planning, aid response and service delivery in contexts of crisis through applying settlement-based processes and tools. AGORA enables more efficient and tailored aid responses to support the recovery and stabilization of crisis-affected communities, contributing to meet their humanitarian needs, whilst promoting the re-establishment of local services and supporting local governance actors.

AGORA promotes multi-sectoral, settlement-based aid planning and implementation, structured around partnerships between local, national and international stakeholders. AGORA’s core activities include area-based needs and capacity assessments, evidence-based local planning, as well as support to area-based coordination mechanisms institutional cooperation and tailor-made capacity strengthening for local institutional actors.

The project Response to Resilience is being performed by a consortium of IRC, ACTED, and IMPACT. Based on the information delivered by IMPACT, ACTED and IRC will design their project activities. Those activities involve Community forums on the neighbourhood level & city level, capacity development for decision-makers & first responders, and resilience plans for the three targeted neighbourhoods.

In the framework of the project, IMPACT, through its initiative AGORA, will realize an area-based assessment in 3 target neighbourhoods in Maiduguri. Household quantitative surveys with residents (hosts communities and IDPs) focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) with service providers will be conducted during the assessment.
In light of the displacement in the north-eastern part of Nigeria, ACTED has set up an office in Maiduguri to respond to the humanitarian needs.

About the Job

AGORA a joint initiative of ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives is therefore looking for a Preparedness Capacity Development & Engagement Officer to support its mission in Maiduguri.
Under the supervision of Senior Liaison & Coordination Officers and supported by Project Manager, the Preparedness Capacity Development & Engagement Officer will organize and plan capacity development activities and simulation exercises to stakeholders ranging from state, local government level and traditional institution from the grassroots.

Responsibilities
Support facilitation & planning of capacity development activities:

Together with the Senior Liaison & Coordination Officers and the project manager, develop training for disaster preparedness and response
Support the development of a strong partnership with Nigerian capacity development institutes (eg. Center for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies UNIMAID)
Support the Senior Liaison & Coordination Officers and DDR PM in the standardization and publication of training material
Supported by the senior liaison officers, keep good relationships with local authorities and other beneficiaries/participants of the capacity development activities.
Book venues and set-up the working environment for successful capacity developments and training
Support the facilitation of disaster simulation exercises for local emergency responders:
Support the Senior Liaison & Coordination Officers and the project manager in developing disaster simulation exercises in collaboration with local emergency responders
Together with the Senior liaison officer maintain good relations with the required disaster responders
Plan, organize and support the procurement of necessary equipment for the exercises

Support the design and implementation of resilience plans for three neighbourhoods in the city of Maiduguri:

Support the consortium in developing resilience plans for three neighbourhoods in the city of Maiduguri
Support the consortium in the implementation of selected activities outlined in the neighbourhood resilience plans

Capacity and Gap Analysis:

Conduct thorough capacity and gap analyses of the State, Municipal, and Local level authorities with which the project will engage, to better understand where and how the project can support capacity strengthening for urban disaster preparedness and response in Maiduguri

Support in other program activities:

If necessary, support the project manager and the Senior Liaison & Coordination Officers in other program activities.
Reporting of the activities and relevant information to the project manager and project officer
Participate in the program meetings to develop new capacity-building tools for the authorities

Note: All interested Candidates should master ACTED’s core Principles: Independence, Neutrality, Non-discrimination, free and direct access to victims, Ethics, Professionalism, anti-Corruption, Transparency and Accountability. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Requirements

High School Diploma / National Diploma or Degree in Disaster Risk Management, Engineering subjects, Geography, Education or Social Sciences
A resident of Borno State preferred resident of MMC or Jere LGA
Excellent knowledge about the urban context of the city of Maiduguri
Previous working experience with emergency responders (SEMA, NEMA, Fire Fighters, Ambulance Services)
Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with staff, beneficiaries, duty bearers and other stakeholders.
At least 2 years of relevant working experience in capacity building, report writing and conducting training.
Excellent communication skills.
Good facilitation and audience coaching oriented skills
Fluency written and spoken fluency in English and Hausa at must; additional fluency in Kanuri preferred
Excellent interpersonal and team-playing skills.

Preferred Experience:

Experiences in developing training for local stakeholders
Excellent time management skills
Work experience as an emergency responder (SEMA, NEMA, Fire Fighters or Ambulance Services) is a very strong asset.
Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility
Prior experience working in various communities in MMC & Jere LGA
Ability to work independently
Understanding of gender, protection and human rights.
Commitment to promoting gender equality.

Essential Knowledge and skills:

All employees should master ACTED’s core Principles: Independence, Neutrality, Non-discrimination, free and direct access to victims, Ethics, Professionalism, anti-Corruption, Transparency and Accountability

We Offer