Fresh Recruitment at PYXERA Global Nigeria – Katsina/Kaduna

PYXERA Global, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. and Nigeria that has worked in over 90 countries since 1990.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Agriculture Officer

Locations: Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna, Nigeria
Division: Enterprise and Community Development
Report to: Project Director, Joint Initiative for Village Advancement (JIVA) Nigeria Project

Project Summary/ Job Description
We are seeking to strengthen the local systems that drive prosperity and opportunity and forge community resilience. Therefore, we are in need of qualified candidates for the position of Agriculture Officer to be based full-time in the Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna Office, Nigeria. This position will work with the JIVA Nigeria team to design an integrated community development project with a focus on enhancing resilient agriculture and accountable education in the region. As a new initiative, JIVA Nigeria is part of PYXERA Global’s broader JIVA programming, housed within the Enterprise and Community Development division.

The JIVA program traces its roots to a corporate volunteer project undertaken in 2011. The team spent a week working side-by-side with residents of three villages in rural Rajasthan, India. Inspired by this engagement, the Foundation partnered with PYXERA Global to identify the most pressing needs in the villages and empower the villagers to determine for themselves how best to meet these challenges. On the basis of this work together with the residents, the Joint Initiative for Village Advancement (JIVA) project funded by the Foundation and implemented by PYXERA Global began in January 2013.

The JIVA Nigeria project will involve collaboration with diverse partners and a drive to be continuously adaptive to the local context. The Agriculture Officer will provide technical expertise and will work with the project team to plan the project’s resilient agriculture activities. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in smallholder agriculture, agribusiness, and training and/or extension services. Additionally, the candidate will be familiar with a diverse set of agricultural value chains and an understanding of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices. Candidates with experience working on international development initiatives and who speak English and local languages are preferred.

Key Position Responsibilities
The Agriculture Officer will report directly to the JIVA Nigeria Project Director and will have the following responsibilities:

• Provide overall technical expertise and management of all agricultural-related activities.
• Provide relevant technical guidance and collaborate with the project Pre-Design team to design and deliver the participatory community assessments and co-create the project. Key responsibilities include: engaging and building strong relationships with community members, analyzing data collected to identify agricultural-related gaps, designing priority action plans and training modules on improved agricultural techniques, mechanizations, inputs, etc. in partnership with the community.
• Develop a clear and adaptive training work plan based on the seasonal calendar, farmer availability, project deadlines and targets, etc.
• Incorporate adult learning skills objectives and techniques to prepare and deliver training modules to follow adult learning quality standards.
• Establish and develop various locally applicable agricultural interventions and oversee capacity building of local farmers and the local agriculture sector.
• Facilitate and provide guidance to farmers on appropriate cropping patterns, farming techniques, etc.
• Manage a project market study to establish project impact tracking indicators and design key technical focus areas for project interventions.
• Through the agriculture team (staff), provide guidance to farmers on various available Government schemes/subsidies and how to access them, and identify opportunities to leverage and integrate existing schemes into project activities to maximize the impact of the project and drive project sustainability.
• Document field achievements, innovations, failures, and lessons learned to integrate into project activities and inform project strategy.
• Provide input on monitoring & evaluation tools to ensure accurate data collection, verification and analysis of training activities, and to avoid duplication of efforts.
• Support the development of project reports on agriculture activities, as needed.
• Conduct frequent site visits to observe trainings, monitor adoption of practices, and collect data from farmers.
• Staff capacity building: Oversee capacity building of JIVA Nigeria agriculture team.
• Exhibits and is committed to the JIVA Values of: honesty, transparency, integrity, humility, freedom to innovate, equality, keep a “light” attitude, quality, teamwork, focus on the goals, accountability to all partners, and monitoring to learn and improve.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy, Agribusiness, or related field.
• At least 7 years’ experience in agriculture or agribusiness, with a minimum of 3 years in training/capacity building of smallholder farmers. Hands-on field experience required, field experience in the Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna region preferred.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing adult learning training modules on agriculture practices or relevant content – including curriculum, lesson plans, objectives, and learning assessments.
• Knowledge of water resource management, resilient cropping practices, and/or adaptation and farmer risk mitigation techniques preferred.
• Familiarity with agricultural and livestock production, market-linkages, and agricultural constraints.
• Excellent facilitation skills, familiarity with training-of-trainer (ToT) approaches and methodologies, and competencies to use tailor-made and diversified facilitation/training methods and tools.
• Demonstrated expertise in agronomic practices, financial literacy, farmer loans and credit, on-farm technologies and capacity building programs for farmers and non-farm agriculture-based livelihood trainings. Experience in ‘farming as a business’ and engagement with youth is an advantage.
• Fluent in English, proficiency in Hausa and other local languages strongly preferred.
• Professional experience in Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna, Nigeria, preferred.
• Nigerian national, required.

Job Title: Community Education Officer

Locations: Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna Region, Nigeria
Division: Enterprise and Community Development
Report to: Project Director, Joint Initiative for Village Advancement (JIVA) Nigeria Project

Project Summary/ Job Description
We are seeking to strengthen the local systems that drive prosperity and opportunity and forge community resilience. Therefore, we are in need of qualified candidates for the position of Community Education Officer to be based full-time in the Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna Office, Nigeria. This position will work with the JIVA Nigeria team to design an integrated community development project with a focus on enhancing resilient agriculture and accountable education in the region. As a new initiative, JIVA Nigeria is part of PYXERA Global’s broader JIVA programming, housed within the Enterprise and Community Development division.

The JIVA program traces its roots to a corporate volunteer project undertaken in 2011. The team spent a week working side-by-side with residents of three villages in rural Rajasthan, India. Inspired by this engagement, the Foundation partnered with PYXERA Global to identify the most pressing needs in the villages and empower the villagers to determine for themselves how best to meet these challenges. On the basis of this work together with the residents, the Joint Initiative for Village Advancement (JIVA) project funded by the Foundation and implemented by PYXERA Global began in January 2013.

The JIVA Nigeria project will involve collaboration with diverse partners and a drive to be continuously adaptive to the local context. The Community Education Officer will provide technical expertise and plan the project’s education activities. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in sustainable and engaging educational programming and experience working on international development initiatives. Additionally, the candidate will be familiar with local and national government education initiatives and an understanding of monitoring & evaluation (M&E) practices.

Key Position Responsibilities
The Community Education Officer will report directly to the JIVA Nigeria Project Director and will have the following responsibilities:

• Provide overall technical expertise and management of all education-related activities.
• Provide relevant technical guidance and collaborate with the project Pre-Design team to design and deliver the participatory community assessments and co-create the project. Key responsibilities include: engaging and building strong relationships with community members, analyzing data collected to identify education-related gaps, designing priority action plans and intervention areas in partnerships with the community.
• Develop a clear and adaptive project work plan based on the seasonal (school) calendar, stakeholder availability, project deadlines and targets, etc.
• Oversee the program’s overall curriculum development and teaching and outreach strategies.
• Identify project impact tracking indicators and key technical focus areas.
• Document program achievements, innovations, failures and lessons learned to integrate into project activities and inform project strategy.
• Provide input on monitoring & evaluation tools to ensure accurate data collection, verification and analysis of training activities, and to avoid duplication of efforts.
• Research government schemes relating to child education and social protection to link target children in the villages with available benefits and identify opportunities to leverage existing schemes in project activities to maximize the impact of the project and drive project sustainability.
• Support the development of project reports on education activities, as needed.
• Conduct frequent site visits to observe local education practices, family education preferences, and collect data from schools.
• Staff capacity building: Oversee capacity building of JIVA Nigeria education team.
• Exhibits and is committed to the JIVA Values of: honesty, transparency, integrity, humility, freedom to innovate, equality, keep a “light” attitude, quality, teamwork, focus on the goals, accountability to all partners, and monitoring to learn and improve.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Education, Social Sciences, or related field.
• At least 7 years’ experience in education, teaching, curriculum development and/or after-school tutoring/mentoring/coaching; classroom teaching experience in the Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna Region preferred.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing engaging and experiential (non-traditional) classroom-learning modules including curriculum, lesson plans, objectives, learning assessments, and the design and use of teaching-learning-materials (TLM).
• Excellent facilitation skills, familiarity with training-of-trainer (ToT) approaches and methodologies, and competencies to use tailor-made and diversified facilitation/training methods and tools.
• Experience organizing community and/or youth outreach and support programs.
• Knowledge of government schemes for education and social protection for children.
• Well-versed in computer and internet operations and developing analytical reports.
• Fluent in English, proficiency in Hausa and other local languages strongly preferred.
• Professional experience in the Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna Region, Nigeria, preferred.
• Nigerian national, required.

Job Title: Deputy Director

Locations: Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna Region, Nigeria
Division: Enterprise and Community Development
Report to: Project Director, JIVA Nigeria Program

Project Summary/ Job Description
We are seeking to strengthen the local systems that drive prosperity and opportunity and forge community resilience. Therefore, we are in need of qualified candidates for the position of Deputy Director to be based full-time in the Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna Office, Nigeria. This position will work with the JIVA Nigeria team to design an integrated community development project with a focus on enhancing resilient agriculture and accountable education in the region. As a new initiative, JIVA Nigeria is part of PYXERA Global’s broader JIVA programming, housed within the Enterprise and Community Development division.

The JIVA program traces its roots to a corporate volunteer project undertaken in 2011. The team spent a week working side-by-side with residents of three villages in rural Rajasthan, India. Inspired by this engagement, the Foundation partnered with PYXERA Global to identify the most pressing needs in the villages and empower the villagers to determine for themselves how best to meet these challenges. On the basis of this work together with the residents, the Joint Initiative for Village Advancement (JIVA) project funded by the Foundation and implemented by PYXERA Global began in January 2013.

The JIVA Nigeria project will involve collaboration with diverse partners and a drive to be continuously adaptive to the local context. The Deputy Director will support the Project Director in leading and working with the JIVA Nigeria project team to design, plan, manage, monitor, and evaluate the project’s resilient agriculture and accountable education activities. The ideal candidate will have significant experience managing multi-sector and integrated development programs, leading teams, designing and starting up projects, and managing iterative and adaptive projects related to community agriculture and education in a rural setting. As part of the JIVA Nigeria team, the Deputy Director will also exemplify the JIVA Values (below) and value and encourage teamwork, equality, and a strong work ethic across all members of the JIVA Nigeria team.

Key Position Responsibilities
The Deputy Director will report directly to the JIVA Nigeria Project Director and will have the following responsibilities:

• Assist the Project Director in overseeing day-to-day programmatic operations
• Assist in program design and work plan development in the field, in consultation with the Project Director, in-country stakeholders and PYXERA Global DC Office
• Identify programmatic challenges or obstacles that may affect timely implementation early in the activity implementation lifecycle; work inclusively with relevant team members to develop feasible solutions; work with Project Director to provide timely communication of adjustments in programming to PYXERA Global DC Office
• Support the success of the JIVA Nigeria team and provide leadership and direction for technical staff – in collaboration with Project Director – and help establish an effective project plan and ensure performance goals are met on time and within budget
• Oversee effective monitoring of project and activity indicators, per the program’s monitoring & evaluation plan, to drive work plan design, adjustment, and execution
• In coordination with the Project Director, manage partnerships with project stakeholders, work with the Project Director to develop and execute an effective outreach strategy to achieve long-term sustainability of project outcomes and impacts
• In coordination with the Project Director, serve as a liaison of the project in the region, help establish and strengthen collaborative relationships with key partners and stakeholders in the region.
• Identify promising areas of research and programming that present opportunities for innovation and/or fill potential gaps in project initiatives. Work with the Project Director and relevant JIVA Nigeria team members to assess the value and/or adaptability of the concepts to the local context and program model
• Assist the JIVA Nigeria team in the development of regular programmatic reports to PYXERA Global DC Office per donor and partner requirements
• Ensure project and staff compliance with local Nigerian laws and regulations, and adherence to PYXERA Global’s and donor’s legal, financial, and operational policies and procedures
• Travel, as required by the project. Conduct frequent site visits to observe trainings, monitor activities, engage and build relationships with the community.
• Staff capacity building: support the capacity building of JIVA Nigeria team
• Exhibits and is committed to the JIVA Values of: honesty, transparency, integrity, humility, freedom to innovate, equality, keep a “light” attitude, quality, teamwork, focus on the goals, accountability to all partners, and monitoring to learn and improve.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Education, Rural/Community Development, Sustainable Development or related field of study
• A minimum of 8 years professional experience working with community-based, education, and/or nongovernmental organization projects in rural communities.
• Experience working with private sector partners and/or donors preferred.
• Knowledge of rural farming communities and educational system and programs in the Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna region
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing engaging and experiential (non-traditional) classroom-learning modules including curriculum, lesson plans, objectives, learning assessments, and the design and use of teaching-learning-materials (TLM).
• Excellent facilitation skills, familiarity with training-of-trainer (ToT) approaches and methodologies, and competencies to use tailor-made and diversified facilitation/training methods and tools.
• Experience organizing community and/or youth outreach and support programs.
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills; Proven capacity to lead large implementation teams on complex, multi-year programs
• Experience leading project design and start-up activities, preferred
• Experience with iterative and adaptive project management, preferred
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills
• Excellent writing skills – writing sample required, provision of publication(s) preferred
• Well-versed in computer and internet operations and developing analytical reports.
• Fluent in English, proficiency in Hausa and other local languages strongly preferred.
• Professional experience in the Southern Katsina/Northern Kaduna Region, Nigeria, preferred.
• Nigerian national, required.

Deadline: 24th September, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit a CV/Resume, Cover Letter, expected Compensation Package and list of 3 Professional References to: jiva@pyxeraglobal.org In the subject line of the email please write the position you are applying for. E.g, “PYXERA Global JIVA Nigeria Agriculture Officer 2018.”

Note: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews on a rolling basis.