Senior Project Officer (Guidance and Counseling) – Girls Opportunities for Advancing Literacy 2 (GOAL 2)

Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on adolescent girls’ empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the North East of Nigeria and causing displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps has decided to address the rising humanitarian needs among displaced households and vulnerable host communities by starting its humanitarian program in July 2014. The Human resources function is discharged by the operation support. The Operations department functions to ensure effective systems that support strategy for healthy, robust and integrated functions of local team members.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Project Officer (Guidance and Counseling) – Girls Opportunities for Advancing Literacy 2 (GOAL 2)

Location: Kano State – Nigeria

Job Description

• We are looking for a motivated individual, who is enthusiastic about the work we do and is looking to work within a dynamic team.
• Girls’ Opportunities for Advancing Literacy 2 (GOAL 2) focus on institutionalizing and scaling the successes from GOAL 1, to ensure that Adolescent girls (15-19) across Kano state are better equipped for the school-to-work transition as a result of improved financial literacy, vocational choices and life skills. GOAL 1 successfully identified methods to improve girls’ confidence and knowledge around employment and financial literacy with 1,800 girls in 13 schools. Girls who received counselling and training on financial literacy and work force preparedness improved their confidence in education and entering the workforce. They were also better able to articulate their life goals and manage their money.
• GOAL 2 will scale key activities from phase one across Kano state, with potential to reach up to 253,712 girls in 969 government junior and senior secondary schools. Activities will focus on embedding quality financial literacy education and counselling within key local institutions including the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), the Kano State Secondary School Management Board (KSSSMB) and the Kano Educational Resource Department (KERD). Mercy Corps’ implementation will take advantage of two key opportunities:

1.) Institutionalizing financial literacy education in Kano offers an opportunity to improve financial independence among girls throughout Nigeria’s most populous state. Achievements with financial literacy in GOAL 1, such as dramatically boosting girls’ savings and improving their financial literacy, means that Kano can take this proven model to scale. In addition, a window of opportunity exists to bring the experiences from Kano to the national stage through collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as the National Financial Inclusion Strategy is operationalized.

2.) High quality guidance counselling offers girls sound, targeted advice as they navigate the transition to adulthood. As we’ve seen through the “safe space” model tested in GOAL 1 (and elsewhere), trusted adult advisors can improve adolescent girls’ economic, financial and social assets, and expand opportunities for a healthy life.

General Position Summary

• The Senior Project Officer (Guidance and Counselling) will support the implementation of activities that provide high quality guidance and counseling for marginalized girls in Kano state secondary education.
• This position will ensure that Ministry of Education  and its agencies in Kano recognizes and systematically supports professional guidance counselling services as valuable resources for girls in schools.

Essential Job Functions

• Support technical aspect of the project in delivery of quality guidance and counseling services for girls in schools through the support of professional guidance and counselors
• Advocate to the government of Kano state through the ministry of education to roll out guidance and counseling resources developed by Mercy Corps for schools counselors
• Support government coordinators of guidance and counselors to conduct Training of Trainers (ToT) and capacity strengthening trainings to address the needs of school counselors
• In collaboration with M&E staff, implement relevant need assessments, data and information collection for on-going project monitoring
• Support in setting up and strengthening government management information system, communication and knowledge management
• Identify relevant resources within government, donor organizations, education institutions that support quality guidance and counseling in schools
• Facilitate relationship and coordination with government to ensure that project activities are geared toward institutionalization and sustainability
• Coordinate links with government coordinators of guidance and counselors, project staff to ensure the implementation of activities on time, target and budget

Representation:

• Represent the project at government relevant meetings in the field, in close coordination with the Project Manager
• Collaborate and build relationships with government, NGOs to complement donor funding

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: Project Manager
• Works Directly with: Coordinators of Guidance and Counseling in the state ministry of education and its agencies, project staff and Mercy Corps gender programs team in the field and at HQ.

Success Factors

• The successful applicant will combine exceptional management skills and technical skills with a focus on successful engagement and support to educational institutions in a culturally and religiously conservative environment.
• S/he will have an outstanding ability to develop, implement and manage innovative and complex programs within the current and future program structure of Mercy Corps in the region. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.
• The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
• This position will be based in Kano, where security may be particularly difficult at times.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Knowledge and Experience

• Have BA/BSc or equivalent in Education, Management, Social Sciences, Development Studies or other relevant field. A relevant second degree desired.
• 2-3 years’ experience with guidance counseling and/or mentoring required. Experience delivering counseling services to marginalized girls and/or training guidance counselors desired.
• Experience designing, organizing and/or delivering trainings, ideally within the public education sector.
• A minimum of 4 years of experience in programme design and implementation, education, guidance and counseling, gender- focused, skills building program.
• Demonstrated experience working with government ministries and officials, Ministry of Education and its agencies experience preferred.
• Experience in project sustainability and institutional capacity strengthening
• Experience managing secondary education or school to work and especially targeting marginalized girls or young women programs required. Strong written and oral communication skills in English required, including report development, writing and editing. Hausa language skills strongly preferred
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members
• Strong interpersonal, communication and coordination skills and a demonstrated ability to multi-task.
• Experience in Northern Nigeria strongly essential.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit their CV’s and Cover Letter in one document, addressing the position requirements to:recruitment.nigeria@ng.mercycorps.org

Note

• Applications must include the position title in the subject line and not more than 4 pages.
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
• We are an equal opportunity organization and we strongly encourage women to apply for this position.

25th August, 2016.