Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Consultant

OUR COMPANY:

ARK Group is a stabilisation and development company committed to empowering local communities and beneficiaries in conflict, post-conflict, and fragile areas through the provision of evidence-based programmatic interventions, policy recommendations, research and capacity-development. Working with and through local communities, we seek to understand and then mitigate the negative effects of conflict and instability, enhancing social cohesion and resilience whist promoting human security, development and economic opportunity with a focus on the following UN Sustainable Development Goals – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, Reduced Inequalities, Gender Equality and Partnerships for the Goals.

ARK’s approach combines mixed-methods research with strong, consistent engagement with local communities and stakeholders to bridge the gap between the aspirations of local communities and the priorities of governmental and multilateral actors, thus informing the design and implementation of relevant interventions. Utilising innovative quantitative and qualitative methodologies to generate data, we deliver, monitor, evaluate and learn from our programming.

ARK believes in enabling local communities to realise their aspirations and potential through the participatory design of projects and programmes that address the drivers and causes of conflict and instability. We are responsive and accountable to the communities we work in because so many of our staff and partners are from those communities.

We value inclusive, academically rigorous, ethically driven research and participatory design. We are innovators and incubators, finding and nurturing solutions in cooperation with our partners, whilst seeking to bridge the gap between our donors and the communities they wish to support. To the traditional project management disciplines of Economy, Effectiveness, Efficiency and Equity, we add Empathy.

With over twenty nationalities in the company, we embrace diversity, nurture opportunity and leverage the youthful enthusiasm of our staff, whilst drawing on the experience and expertise of our more senior staff. We believe in hard work, delivering results that everyone can be proud of, and caring for each other. Our staff are our biggest asset and their welfare is our first priority.

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

ARK is looking to hire a Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Subject Matter Expert with experience of policy development and implementation at the level of government departments or international organisations (experience of Nigeria and/or West Africa a plus).

You will work on a strategic communications project that seeks to address the challenges posed by trafficking in Nigeria through support of Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibitions of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). You will work with a small team of subject matter experts leading on the development of a new Strategic Communications policy for NAPTIP and oversee its dissemination amongst its staff.

You will report to the London-based Project Manager and work closely with other members of the project team such as the Head of Communications and the local Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.

Note: this is a part-time fixed term contract position, working approximately 5 days a month until end of February 2021. The consultant will work remotely and therefore there is no required location.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Contribute to the drafting, editing and dissemination of NAPTIP’s new Strategic Communications policy by providing expertise of TIP and of TIP mitigation. You will work closely with a strategic communications expert (responsible for providing methodological expertise), ensuring that the approaches and methodologies promoted by the new strategic communications policy are in line with up to date academic theories on TIP, (especially in the field of behavioural psychology).
• Liaise with NAPTIP beneficiaries to obtain key insight into NAPTIP’s organisation, strategy and ambitions and to generate buy-in for the project’s objectives;
• Contribute to the production of an internal communications plan for the dissemination of the new policy;
• Organise and run online events with the beneficiary for the promotion and dissemination of the new policy (together with the Strategic Communications Subject Matter Expert);
• Conduct a rolling gap analysis of the beneficiary (in your own area of expertise) to identify knowledge and skills gaps which will need to be addressed at a later stage of the project;
• In conjunction with the Project Manager and the rest of the project team, attend regular calls with the donor, the beneficiary, ARK’s partners and other relevant stakeholders.

REQUIREMENTS:

Essential

• A Master’s degree in migration studies, political science, international relations, sociology, development studies, conflict studies, international human rights law, or related fields;
• 5+ years experience working in the field of TIP mitigation, either at governmental level, international organisation level or international NGO level;

• Up-to-date understanding of key socio-economic, political and security dynamics in Nigeria and West Africa more broadly;

• Demonstrable experience working with governmental stakeholders in sensitive contexts;

• Demonstrable experience working with governmental stakeholders in sensitive contexts;

• Full professional proficiency in English and advanced writing skills;

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, analyse, and disseminate significant amounts of information;

• Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines;

• Accuracy, attention to detail with the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team;

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a fast-moving team, willingness to contribute at different levels required to achieve success, self-motivated and ability to work independently;

• Online/remote working proficiency: ability to use online conferencing services and collaborate on online documents (Office 365).

Desirable

• Experience of policy development and implementation in a governmental setting;
• Knowledge of theoretical aspects and best practice in the field of strategic communications.

NOTE ON TRAVEL: Due to the quarantine restrictions currently placed on individuals travelling to Nigeria and to the general risks associated with international travel, this position does not currently involve travelling to Nigeria. However, depending on a more favourable evolution of the situation, ARK may reassess this limitation and discuss the possibility of travel with the hired individual.

ARK Group places human dignity at the centre of its development and stabilisation work and is thus committed to the protection from sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adults. All ARK employees and related personnel are expected to share this commitment, and only those who also uphold these values will be recruited as part of our team. This vacancy is therefore subject to a range of due diligence checks.