Head of Component, Social Protection at GIZ Nigeria

GIZ NigeriaAbuja, Nigeria Digital Marketing

Full Time

International cooperation between Germany and Nigeria commenced in 1974. GIZ was initially represented by an office in Lagos until 2003, but since 2004 it has maintained a country office and four project offices in the new capital Abuja. At present, GIZ has around 25 seconded staff, 100 Nigerian and regional experts, and four CIM experts working in Nigeria. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and has a population of 175 million, making it the continent’s most populous country. With a young, highly motivated and growing population, abundant natural resources and an increasingly diversified economy, Nigeria is not only a regional power but also an increasingly significant political player on the African continent and in the world. However, Nigeria faces major challenges. So far, its substantial oil revenues have had little impact on poverty. More than two-thirds of the population still live in extreme poverty and unemployment remains high. Sustainable economic and social development is hampered by corruption and by regional, ethnic, religious and social differences and the associated conflicts, which sometimes lead to attacks and unrest. As agreed between the Nigerian and German Governments, GIZ’s activities since 2002 have focused on sustainable economic development. GIZ is also engaged in the energy sector, agriculture and regional integration. The 'Pro-poor Growth and Employment Promotion in Nigeria’ (SEDIN) programme aims to increase income-generating employment in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and improve access to financial services. The programme is currently being implemented in Abuja and in Niger, Ogun and Plateau states. The Nigerian and German Governments also cooperate in the energy sector. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ provides advisory services to Nigerian partners on topics such as rural electrification, energy efficiency and renewable energies, and is contributing to the success of the Nigeria-German Energy Partnership (NGEP) as well. GIZ provides support to the ECOWAS Commission (Economic Community of West African States) in Abuja, focusing on the management, implementation and monitoring of ECOWAS decisions on economic and trade policy, and peace and security. In addition, two regional programmes focusing on agriculture are under way in Nigeria. The first aims to promote African rice value chains; the second builds the capacities of market-oriented small-scale farming. The purpose of both programmes is to achieve sustainable improvements in the livelihoods and food security of poor farmers in Nigeria and other West African countries. A distinctive feature of GIZ’s activities in Nigeria is the high level of cofinancing obtained from other sources, primarily the European Union (EU) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These additional funds make it possible to broaden the scope and intensity of the programmes being implemented on behalf of the BMZ, boosting the effectiveness of German development cooperation with Nigeria.

The Project
Social and Economic Participation of Returnees, IDPs and the Host Population in North-East Nigeria (SEPIN):

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing the Programme, ‘Social and Economic Participation of Returnees, IDPs and Host Population in North-East Nigeria’ (SEPIN).
The main objective of the programme is to improve the economic and social participation of returnees, internally displaced persons, and vulnerable members of host communities in Adamawa State in a gender responsive way.
Adopting an integrational approach, the programme contributes to SDGs1, 2, 5, 10 and 16 in accordance with the ‘leave no one behind’ principle and hopes to complement the humanitarian response to the crisis in the Northeast by going beyond a humanitarian short-term approach and focusing on a more long-term development perspective, through the institutionalization of gender responsive participatory planning and provision of livelihood support.
Addressing the situation of IDPs, returnees and the host population, the Programme is primarily implemented at LGA and community level to ensure direct benefit for the target groups.
Through the Community Development Planning (CDP), the Programme hopes to strengthen the relationships between local communities and community leaders, government institutions and civil society.
Simultaneously, the Programme hopes to build the capacities of local and state governments as well as civil society and community-based organizations for improved service delivery. Alongside the CDPs, the Programme will set up and consolidate spaces and mechanisms where women can meet to engage in dialogue to identify problems, needs and priorities and voice their concerns to the leadership of their communities.
The gender and governance interventions will be supported by social protection and livelihoods measures.
Particularly, the focus in these areas is to build the capacities of state institutions for an inclusive, transparent, and accountable state social protection system and to further strengthen the social safety net system to reduce the burden of poverty and hunger amongst vulnerable communities.

Responsibilities & Tasks
Responsibilities:

As part of the management team of the programme Social and Economic Participation of Returnees, Internally Displaced Persons, and the Host Population in North-East Nigeria (SEPIN), the Head of Component “Social Protection)” will be responsible for the overall implementation of component 4 ‘Social Protection’.
The HoC conceptualizes and develops the programmatic initiatives on social protection especially within the framework of Federal and sub-national social protection policy and legal frameworks. The HoC ensures the quality implementation of component activities across
the 2 intervention states (Borno and Adamwa).
Furthermore, the HoC will support the Head of Programme in the building and maintaining relationships with the political and implementation partners at Federal and State levels.
Finally, the Head of Component will be responsible for reporting on the component’s work, evaluating approaches and for sharing good practices that can be replicated as well as team management.

Tasks
The Head of Component will undertake the following roles and functions:

Management and Coordination Responsibilities:

Provide leadership for all substantive and organisational aspects of work for the Social Protection Component (including conceptual and operational planning, implementation, budgeting, monitoring, and reporting) in accordance with the requirements of the commissioning parties - BMZ and the EU – and in accordance with GIZ rules and procedures.
Ensure effective coordination and harmonisation with other programme components (governance, social and economic participation, and gender)
Ensure compliance of the component's team with the risk mitigation measures set up by the RMO and country management.
Contribute to the programme's M&E system and reporting mechanism.
Deputize for other HoCs or for the HoP during their absence if required (upon request and explicit mutual agreement)
Support effective communication and visibility of the Programme and in line with requirements of commissioning parties.
Lead in the recruitment, onboarding, and technical guidance of component team members.
Provide good leadership and management to staff within the social protection component and implement sound management functions, enabling team members to implement their respective areas of work and promote a healthy, vibrant, and collegial team atmosphere.
Assume core management responsibilities for staff within the social protection component in accordance with GIZ management principles.
Ensures the day-to-day running of the social protection component including working with team members to formulate and implement substantive work areas; developing annual plans and strategies; ensuring sound contract implementation and monitoring; coordinating and monitoring progress against plans; contributing to reporting processes.
Support effective communication and visibility of the Programme in line with requirements of commissioning parties.
Responsible for quality control.
Regular travel to intervention states

Programme Planning and Implementation:

Analyze key research studies, evaluations, and reports on social protection in Nigeria to identify and document lessons and produce analytical summaries for internal use and / or policy application.
Develop and drive advocacy and engagements with relevant government agencies, policy makers and identified stakeholders to generate demand for policies on social protection and social inclusion.
Lead in the design and development of contextualized social protection and social inclusion policy and legal frameworks in the intervention states.
Lead peer review, validation, and institutionalization of social protection policies in intervention states.
Ensure high level political advocacy and engagements for domestication, approval and implementation of the social protection policies and legal frameworks in intervention states.
Steer the design and implementation of approaches towards broadening and quality improvements of the State Social Registers (SSRs).
Lead in the design and development of approaches towards strengthening the integrity and visibility of the State Social Registers (SSRs) through effective multi-stakeholder engagements.
Facilitate institutional capacity development support to the State Operations Coordinating Units (SOCUs) in intervention states.
Lead in the design of approaches & initiatives for data protection of the SSRs in line with the national data protection law.
Facilitate high level political advocacy and engagement in intervention states with the State Operations Coordinating Units (SOCUs) for the usage of the State Social Registers (SSRs) by a broad range of state and non-state stakeholders.
Responsible for liaising with the social protection development partners working group and actively participating in the DPGs activities as well as the national social protection technical working group.
Responsible for technical oversight of external consultancy for the implementation of the poverty graduation approach, social safety net interventions and shock responsive social protection mechanisms.

Grants Management and Reporting:

Lead in the development of calls for proposals, assessment of partner proposals and preparation of the grant agreements.
Ensure grants monitoring efforts including checking of the financial reports / documents of partner(s) before submission to the GIZ headquarters and giving feedback to partners on adjustments needed for correction of financial reports, ensuring that expenditure tallies with budget provisions.
Lead in the contracting of consultants and service providers and monitoring of the implementation of such services.
Identify, mitigate, and communicate about risks around external stakeholders' engagement, strategy/programme, finance, operations, compliance, and environment.
Ensure transparent, compliant, and accountable management and oversight of project funds and component budget.

Knowledge Management, Monitoring, Visibility, and other Duties

Support effective impact monitoring and reporting for the Component in line with the requirements of the commissioning parties (EU and BMZ).
Oversee sound implementation of knowledge management, best practice and lessons learned processes and ensure responsiveness and adaptability to new developments or challenges that may arise during implementation of activities.
Support effective communication and visibility of the Programme in line with requirements of commissioning parties.
Any other functions as assigned by management.

Required Qualifications, Competences and Experience
Qualifications

Master's Degree in Social Policy, Sociology, Development Studies, Political Science, Economics, International Relations, Social Sciences, or similar area of study.

Professional Experience:

A minimum of 10 years professional work experience in relevant thematic areas of the Programme (Social Protection, Social Policy, Governance, Policy Development & Design, Institutional Strengthening).
In-depth knowledge of social protection concepts and instruments, specifically on system building approaches, poverty targeting mechanisms and social registries, social safety nets, graduation, and shock-responsive social protection approaches.
Good knowledge of the Nigerian Social Protection context at the federal and sub-national (state) levels.
A strong ability in policy design, policy advocacy, institutional strengthening, policy analysis and the development of strategic frameworks.
Effective project management skills and experience in complex multi-faceted projects.
Prior experience with the German and/or EU cooperation systems would be an asset.
Ability to work in a dynamic, multidisciplinary, and highly political context.
Familiarity with gender mainstreaming in social protection programming.

Other Experiences and Skills:

Ability to communicate effectively in a conflict-sensitive manner and engage tactfully and diplomatically with various stakeholders to ensure constructive relationships.
Digital proficiency includes the ability to leverage digital tools, technologies, and solutions in both internal processes and in engagement and support of Programme partners, especially as it relates to establishing and maintaining large databases.
Strong writing, reporting, and presentation skills.
Proficient in performance-driven planning monitoring and reporting.
Resourceful, resilient and with an ability to stay motivated in the face of setbacks or during periods of pressure.
Self-motivated, performance oriented and with good analytical ability.
Solution orientated.
Spoken and written language skills in English will be required.
Fluency in Hausa and any other languages spoken in the North-East would be an asset.

Salary