Program Associate

Northern Nigeria is currently experiencing a complex and intensifying crisis, primarily resulting from resource-based conflicts, banditry, environmental degradation, and limited governance capacity. In the northwest region, where 84 percent of the population relies on agriculture, there is an emerging socio-economic and security challenge that has led to reduced agricultural productivity and heightened competition for scarce resources such as land and water. This instability is attributable to multiple factors, including the activities of armed criminal groups (referred to locally as "bandits"), the presence of violent extremist organizations (VEOs), increased inter-communal tensions, and ongoing environmental issues.

Our Client in the Northwest works to stabilize displacement affected communities, strengthen resilience, enhance evidence based humanitarian response, mainstream protection across programming, and promote safe and orderly migration governance.

• Take a lead role in managing knowledge and disseminating key insights from livelihoods programmes and partnerships. Keep stakeholders updated on progress and innovations in economic inclusion and climate adaptation at local and zonal levels.

• Conduct thorough assessments of local demand for skills and essential services across various economic sectors including agricultural, non-farm, and off-farm activities while also capturing the aspirations and needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups, especially women participants.

• Identify and map opportunities for vocational training, skills development, wage employment, and micro-enterprise creation, ensuring these align with community priorities and market trends. Forge partnerships with private sector entities, SMEs, micro-finance institutions, business development organisations, and business associations. Define the scope and objectives of collaborations with key institutions to support skills acquisition via vocational education, apprenticeships, and employment support services.

• Provide expert guidance in designing and rolling out interventions for skills development, micro-business establishment, and employment support systems. Oversee the effective delivery of vocational training and self-employment initiatives, ensuring identified interventions are implemented to high standards. Develop placement mechanisms for trained individuals and establish support structures to help women and other vulnerable groups launch micro-enterprises and access market linkages. Contribute to monitoring and evaluation by supporting the setting of annual targets and reporting on achievements.

• Collaborate closely with colleagues across multiple sectors and external partners, recommending advocacy initiatives and policy reforms to improve the enabling environment for economic inclusion, rights, and access to employment for returnees, IDPs, youth at risk, and host communities.

• Work alongside the Project Support Unit to optimise the use of monitoring and evaluation outputs, success stories, budget tracking, and media files in partnership with relevant teams. Prepare regular reviews including monthly, quarterly, and final reports—conduct participatory impact assessments, and coordinate process and operations monitoring (real-time, midterm, and final). Lead training and capacity-building efforts for Livelihoods staff.

• Ensure continuous monitoring and alignment of results frameworks, including verification of indicators, budget reviews, prioritisation, and resource allocation for programme performance measurement. Track trends and steer interventions to reinforce the robustness of the Operations Plan and improve data quality, contributing to sustainable livelihoods and climate resilience for crisis-affected communities.

• Perform any other general administrative duties assigned by the managers.

• This Position will report to Livelihood Programme Manager for daily tasks and the head of sub-office in Katsina.

• Masters degree in business administration, Finance, Economy Management, Social Science, Science or a related field from an accredited academic institution with three years of relevant professional experience; or

• High School Degree in the above fields with minimum five years of relevant professional experience

• Experience working in respective programme/project preferably at field level, in post emergency and recovery environments.

• Effective coordination with project staff and other units within organization, governments, and other relevant parties.

• Experience as a representative of a senior manager on several occasion will be an added advantage

• Experience in cash management, Cash-Base Intervention, and internal control procedures is an advantage.

• Experience working in an international organization and knowledge of the UN is essential.

• Excellent monitoring skill; Managerial Skill; Organizational Skill; Accuracy.

• Ability to work with limited supervision.

• Ability to multi-task and delivers on set objectives and timelines in hardship situations;

• Experience in the usage of office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and data analysis.

• Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.

• Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.

• Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

• Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.

• Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

• Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.

• Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.

• Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.

• Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.

• Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication.

• Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

• This role has team management responsibilities

• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.