GBV and Protection Advisor – Nigeria

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012 and implements a variety of programs with the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure. The organization works across twelve states with interventions in economic development, livelihoods/food security, adolescent girls & boys empowerment, financial resilience, conflict mitigation and humanitarian response. Common themes include community engagement, inclusive development, gender, and working in partnership with local government, the private sector and civil society actors.

Working with a diverse funding base that includes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), UK Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations (UN), European Commission (EC), European Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), Global Affairs Canada (FKA DFATD), and several foundations, Mercy Corps empowers people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good. We stand with Nigeria to find and access opportunities, and to be part of lasting and meaningful transformation in the country. In 2017, with a team of over 200 staff members, Mercy Corps reached over 600,000 beneficiaries through our work in development and humanitarian settings. All Mercy Corps interventions in Nigeria are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner using a resilience approach to sustain the greatest impact possible. Programs include girls’ education and financial inclusion, community peacebuilding, market-based livelihoods and a multi-sector humanitarian response. With the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure, Mercy Corps Nigeria focuses on the root causes of conflict, governance, humanitarian needs, and market systems development.

General Position Summary

The Protection and GBV Advisor supports the efforts of the humanitarian response in Nigeria with particular focus on the Northeast region. S/He will be responsible for the implementation of:

1. The start-up and oversight of a new GBV case-management component, and

2. A three-pronged protection strategy, which looks at protection mainstreaming, integrating protection outcomes and stand-alone protection activities

The GBV and Protection Advisor will work closely with all sector staff and program staff and cut-across all existing interventions to identify areas of synergy and create linkages with the protection response to align with Mercy Corps Nigeria’s country strategy. S/He will engage sectors in the process of incorporating protection principles and promoting meaningful access, safety and dignity in program interventions. S/He will work alongside sector teams to incorporate and apply protection outcome in program interventions in addition to the sector related outcomes. S/He will undertake responsive, remedial and environment building action that aims to ensure vulnerable groups are treated with dignity, receive respect and are provided their basic needs as part of program interventions. The Protection and GBV Advisor will have technical line-management of a protection and GBV team structure that will work on implementing the strategy to support safe and enabling environments that help future-proof adolescent girls and boys. This includes providing day-to-day oversight, guidance and leadership to maximize efficiency and produce tangible results. With the establishment of GBV case management, s/he will promote quality survivor-centered best practices based on the interagency GBV case management minimum standards, ensure GBV staff strengthen skill sets and have appropriate support to manage cases, and ensure set-up of a confidential GBV information management system.

Essential Job Responsibilities

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Influence & Representation

• Represent the agency at coordination meetings relevant to the protection and GBV work in Northeast Nigeria
• Participate and lead on the contribution to the relevant coordination and decision making forums in Nigeria related to protection and GBV

STRATEGY & VISION

• Promote the centrality of protection across Mercy Corps sector programming.
• In partnership with Mercy Corps sector programs, determine areas to strengthen protection mainstreaming and integrate progress in work plans.
• In partnership with Mercy Corps sector programs, identify opportunities within programs and teams to optimize protection outcomes and promote in the design of their projects.
• Position opportunities to further adolescent programming and GBV prevention and response programming.
• Develop and communicate a protection and GBV strategy that is fit for purpose, applies the three-pronged approach (protection mainstreaming, integrated protection outcomes, and quality specialized protection programming) and aligns with Mercy Corps Nigeria’s vision
• Support and mentor Mercy Corps sector programs to their efforts to mainstream safe, dignified and inclusive meaningful access and strive for protection outcomes.
• Align the protection strategy and create synergy with all programmatic interventions in Northeast Nigeria.
• Develop and expand protection portfolio in line with the Mercy Corps Nigeria’s country strategy, taking into account linkages with its adolescent programming and peace & conflict programming.

Program Management

• Oversee quality and support to teams to meet minimum protection standards
• Support the design and development of proposals including facilitating protection risk and gender analysis, highlighting aspects of protection mainstreaming, promoting integrated protection outcomes, and designing specialized protection programming where needed.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities, authorities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and vision.
• Support protection team efforts to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate protection projects as well as meet reporting requirements;
• Ensure safe programming is incorporated in SOPs and the recruitment of volunteers/incentive workers as well as enable access to information and feedback mechanisms that can optimize a safe project environment for participants and safeguard against harm, abuse, and exploitation.

Adolescent Programming

• Ensure teams are able to apply the “I’m Here Approach” and safe space programming to identify, engage, and empower adolescent girls and boys including the use of tools like the Girl Roster, Boys Matrix and Inclusion Now.
• Monitor progress and ensure that sex and age disaggregated data and analysis is used in assessments, implementation documents, monitoring and evaluations to adapt and meet the unique needs of adolescent girls and boys (10-14 yrs, 15-19 yrs, 20-24 yrs).
• Ensure mentors receive support and training to engage adolescents, their care providers and stakeholder, promote psychosocial well-being, and enable safe programming.
• Promote holistic approach that encourages the participation of young people that strives for girl and boy led initiatives as well as promote enabling environments that involve care providers and community stakeholders.
• Review and update life skills curriculum and identify programming opportunities that can be integrated to strengthen the assets of adolescent girls and boys.

GBV Case Management

• Support the GBV team to identify and establish a safe, dignified, and confidential location for case management activities.
• Provide technical support on the development of GBV case management and PSS to the team, ensuring they adhere to GBV guiding principles and the interagency GBV case management minimum standards when working with women and girl survivors of violence;
• Ensure that the supervision and support of GBV case-management is regular, focuses on survivor centered approaches, and strengthens the team’s ability to adequately implement the GBV case-management steps, enhance timely referrals, and enables confidential data protection.;
• Encourage team to bolster coordination among locally available service providers in the health, psychosocial, protection/safety, and justice/legal sectors to enhance timely referral and promote survivor centered approaches.
• Promote social behavior change strategies in GBV community outreach, mobilization, and awareness that encourages acceptance, trust, prevention;
• Ensure the GBV teams facilitate psychosocial activities that strengthen women and girls social networks, mitigates risk enhances access to information and engages in recreational activities and life skills;

General Protection

• Support protection (and other sector teams) to strengthen their capacity in protection analysis, data protection, awareness raising on protection related topics and themes, community participation and mobilization, psychological first aid, and gender, disability and age inclusion;
• Promote and strengthen capacity among protection teams (and other sector teams) in participatory approaches for protection risk analysis and community mobilization to mitigate identified protection risks, including adaptations to enhance access for people with disabilities, marginalized populations, and women, men, boys and girls at high risk of harm.
• Promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in all programming that promotes universal design in structures and service delivery for increased access and adaptive support. , including advocating for budget allocation of inclusion needs.

Team Management

• Support a cohesive team spirit and culture among staff and delegate functions and responsibilities to them while ensuring achievement of program objectives.
• Supervise, provide leadership, mentor and build the capacity of protection and GBV staff in program/project design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and management that creates a working atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development of excellence at all levels.
• Maintain effective and positive internal communication with Mercy Corps staff in all field offices, this includes ensuring open and harmonious communication all of the different departments, offices, and programs.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance and transparent use of resources in compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.

Supervisory Responsibility: Technical supervision of Protection and GBV team-members (Coordinators, Officers, and Assistants).

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Field Implementation

Works Directly With: ADAPT Programme Director, Sector Coordinators, Field Managers, Field Coordinators, Operations and Finance

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Knowledge and Experience

• MA/S or equivalent in social science, management, international development or other relevant field.
• At least 5 years of experience managing GBV prevention and response programs. Experience in adolescent girl programming preferred;
• Demonstrated strong theoretical and applied knowledge of protection programming and familiarity designing integrated approaches to protection outcomes and applying systems thinking;
• commitment to working with women and girls, and their rights, safety, empowerment, and improving their access to resources and services;
• Clear demonstrated understanding of the impact of gender power dynamics, violence against women and girls, and the promotion of women and girl empowerment;
• Experience and technical strength in GBV response – including group psychosocial support, GBV case-management and or/ delivering services to women and girls affected by conflict;
• Strong GBV case management supervision skills and experience with GBV Information Management Systems;
• Experience strengthening coordination for GBV referrals and working with partners to maximize support for women and girls in areas with low access to GBV services;
• Familiarity with basic project management, including budgets, reports, and tracking indicators
• Previous experience of working in insecure environments including emergency response.
• Proven experience conducting safe and ethical protection risk assessments and analysis, including using participatory approaches and quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
• Experience facilitating protection mainstreaming into multi-sector programming
• Experience in supervising, supporting, mentoring and coaching teams of staff

Success Factors

The successful candidate should be an individual with background and experience in protection programs. A good collaborator, facilitator and coach. S/He should have demonstrated experience producing systematic protection risk analysis and translation results and standard approaches into actionable solutions of best practice. The ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel and experience in building the capacity of individual staff and teams. S/He will have a demonstrated ability to multi-task, meet deadlines, and process information in support of changing program activities if necessary. 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.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position will be based in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria and it requires frequent travel to other field locations in Borno State. Considering the frequent travel from/to different field locations, this position will require flexibility in terms of accommodation and logistics. Housing in the field will be in hotels or guesthouses where available. Security in the field locations require additional vigilance and accessibility will be reassessed continuously. Access to good medical services in the field is limited. Phone communication, internet, electricity and water is available but might be erratic.

The location is eligible for hardship and R&R benefits. Given the nature of the response, working hours require flexibility and working through weekends/evenings might be necessary.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on short term assignments. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.