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 below:
Job Title: National Professional Volunteer - Resilience Specialist
Location: Adamawa
Duration: At least 12 weeks
Start date: 4th January 2021
Role: Advocacy Policy and Research
Job Purpose
- 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 planfor primary actors to mitigate such effects.
Job Responsibilities
Technical Support:
- Support stakeholder mapping of agricultural and resilience stakeholders.
- Conduct risk assessments and community risk preparedness and management plans
- Assist in developing a training module on resilience to aid preparedness for the practice areas
- Oversee and provide technical input to the design of Resilience framework, tools and guidelines as needed for the Projects in line with VSOs global resilience framework
- 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
- Work to build capacity of schools on resilient education with informational in liaison with the program manager education
- Support small scale farmers on resilient livelihoods practices for sustainability and income generation
- Support the safe peaceful and resilient communities initiative through risks assessment, climate change adaptation and risk mitigation plans
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 for schools, farmers and communities
Capacity Building:
- Support in building the capacity of VSOteam, partners and external stakeholders on resilience frameworks and toolkits
- Disseminate information to resilience programme on national policies, plans
- Provide training, support and coaching to partner staff on development of Participatory Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (PVCA) to develop risk management plans
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 resilience 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 Indicator
- Most vulnerable areas and causes of vulnerability identified
- Risk preparedness and management plans developed.
- Training module on resilience and toolkits developed
- Workshops / training / coaching on resilience, risk preparedness and management conducted
NB: The final objectives will be confirmed in a three-way discussion between the volunteer, employer and VSO in the first three months of the placement.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
Professional skills and qualifications needed for the position
- Bachelor or Master’s degree in Resilience / or any relevant field, with relevant work experience in the design and conduct of risk assessment and reduction or other related areas in the Rural / Urban context.
- Practical experience and knowledge on global and national resilience related policies and practices 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 risk preparedness and management plans
- Experience working in livelihood / education programs targeting marginalized communities
- Excellent communication skills in both English and Hausa language
- 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 needed for the position:
- 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
- Contribute constructively to a working environment based on mutual respect, trust and commitment
- Able to cope with stress and work under any challenging circumstances.
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 two-way 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.
