Operational Support Officer Job at Alliance for International Medical Action

The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) is an independent humanitarian medical NGO that was created in 2009 by professionals of humanitarian medicine. ALIMA’s mission is to provide medical care in emergency situations or medical catastrophes.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Position: Operational Support Officer

Job Location: Abuja
Conditions Contract term: Contract under French law, 6 months
Desired start date: ASAP
Direct Line Manager: Head of Mission
Technical Referent: Desk Grants Manager

ALIMA in Nigeria

• The humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s northeast and the Lake Chad region is one of the most severe ongoing crises in the world, now entering its ninth year and showing no sign of abating.
• In 2021, at least 8.7 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe. Up to 5.1 million people risk being critically food insecure during the next lean season (June - August 2021), a level similar to 2016-2017 when famine was looming over Borno State
• Nigeria is now facing a second wave of COVID-19 infections. Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states have recorded new cases. Aid actors are intensifying actions and prevention measures
• Despite challenges including humanitarian space reduction, aid workers had already provided around 5 million people with life-saving assistance in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states in 2020.
• Conflict, explosive remnants of war, and insecurity have cut people off from their main means of livelihoods-farming and fishing. This causes major food insecurity in northeast Nigeria, which COVID-19’s effects on incomes have exacerbated: despite good crop yields, food insecurity is rising.
• Findings of the October 2020 Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis projected that about 5.1 million people in the three states will be food-insecure in the lean season between June and August 2021 – a 19% and 34% increase in 2020 (after COVID-19 June CH Update) and 2019 figures respectively.
• According to the Nutrition and Food Security Surveillance Round 9, conducted in October 2020, the level of acute malnutrition increased in all three states compared to 2019. Global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates of 10.7% were recorded in Borno, 7.5% in Adamawa, and 13.6% in Yobe. According to the survey, several LGAs had high pockets of global acute malnutrition above the 15% threshold (emergency phase), including Gubio, Magumeri, Mobbar, and Bayo in Borno State and all LGAs in northern Yobe.
• Movement restrictions and insecurity continue to hamper the ability of IDPs, returnees, and the host communities to access basic services, livelihoods, and land for farming and grazing. This means that more people will rely on humanitarian aid to survive in 2021.
• In 2017, ALIMA continued to implement projects in Muna Garage in Jere LGA, where ALIMA performs general consultations for children under 5 and provides Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) to pregnant and lactating women (antenatal and postnatal consultations). An Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Program (OTP) is also available for children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the clinic, where women and caretakers are trained to screen their children for malnutrition using the MUAC tape.
• In Maiduguri MC, where ALIMA is working in partnership with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), the Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center (ITFC) manages children under 5 suffering from SAM with medical complications in a 50-bed capacity building.
• In December 2020, ALIMA conducted a needs assessment survey in the north of Yobe where a high level of acute malnutrition was recorded by the nutrition sector. The results of this survey prompted ALIMA to open a nutrition and health project covering the Kasasuwa LGA, one of the most affected LGAs, and where there was a gap. This project started in May 2021 and fund by ECHO aims to support Karasuwa health facilities and improve access to nutrition and health services including pediatric healthcare and reproductive health.
• ALIMA also supports COVID-19 vaccination in Borno and Yobe with a focus on the most vulnerable.
• In parallel, ALIMA is opening an emergency nutrition project in Katsina state and is present in Owo state since 2018 for Lassa fever response and research.

Protection of Beneficiaries and Community Members:

• Level 3: As part of his/her duties, the job holder will visit programs and come into contact with children and/or vulnerable adults.
• Therefore, a criminal record check or a certificate of good conduct will be required. In situations where the impossibility of providing a criminal record or a certificate of good conduct is found, a declaration of honor will be requested.

Mission and Main Activities

• The Operational Support Officer is responsible for fundraising and contract management for the country, reporting to the Head of Mission.
• He/she is responsible for the contractual management of donor contracts and the production of narrative reports according to contractual requirements, supported by the financial coordinator for financial management, the head of mission for operations, and the medical coordinator for medical activities.
• He/she ensures the search for new funding for projects and ensures the production of concept notes and project proposals by the operational strategy.
• He/she maintains an in-depth knowledge of the strategies, activities, and opportunities of donors and other stakeholders in the country.

Major Responsibilities
Ensure the search for funding and the development of project proposals:

• The Operational Support Officer develops a funding strategy and conducts an active search for funding from donors present in the country.
• He/she monitors donor strategies and current and future policies in the country, as well as the humanitarian context, to maintain a high level of information and understanding of the issues.
• On the other hand, he/she has a thorough knowledge of the operations conducted by ALIMA and analyses with the coordination team the current and future funding gaps.

Ensure the production of concept notes and project proposals:

• To obtain funding, the Operations Support Officer develops project proposals, with the coordination team providing operational, medical, financial, etc.
• He/She ensures the writing of Concept Notes and project proposals to respond to opportunities with donors and develops project sheets and leaflets to ensure institutional communication throughout the year.
• He/She ensures that the documents produced are in line with the strategy and format of the donor, and are of perfect formal quality.

Support data monitoring and tracking to meet reporting requirements:

• The Operational Support Officer must develop and incorporate robust monitoring and tracking elements into reports, so he or she participates with the data manager in the monitoring and compilation of operational data shared monthly with the desk.

Support the Project Coordinators in monitoring contractual requirements:

• The Operational Support Officer supports the Project Coordinators to give them the keys to mobilize resources from funding contracts according to operational needs and respect the contractual requirements of the donors.
• The Operational Support Officer maintains a high level of information on operational developments, including a budget, to propose contractual modifications if necessary.

Ensure the production of accurate and analytical narrative reports within the defined timeframe:

• The Operational Support Officer is responsible for the preparation of interim and final reports for donors, according to the imposed reporting formats and rules.
• He/she is directly responsible for drafting the documents, based on accurate quantitative and qualitative information capitalized during the year.
• He/she establishes regular liaison with the coordinators and project managers and, for the preparation of the reports, links the commitments with the donor and the reality of the projects and the land.

Maintain relationships with donors and partners in the country:

• The Operational Support Officer is in regular contact with the representatives of the various donors, United Nations agencies, and international NGOs to ensure that these actors have a good knowledge of ALIMA and the projects implemented, and to keep an active watch on the various developments in the institutional context and particular funding opportunities

Ensure the contractual management of funding contracts:

• The Operational Support Officer is responsible for monitoring funding contracts with donors.
• He/she is in direct contact with the donor's national representatives for contractual management issues.
• He/she ensures that the donor's procedures are known and respected by the rest of the team. To this end, he/she has a common contract monitoring tool and technical sheets for each donor, which he/she helps to update.

Ensure the application of standards in the prevention of abuse:

• The Operational Support Officer must participate in training and awareness sessions.
• He/she applies the abuse prevention standards in all the tasks he/she undertakes (e.g. adding the theme in reports, project proposals, the clause on abuse prevention, etc.).
• He/she contributes to creating and maintaining a nurturing and protective environment. 

Experience and Skills

• Advanced Degree (Master's level or equivalent) related to the position (Development Studies, Public Health, International Relations, Project Management.)
• Level of written and spoken English and French
• Command of project management tools (project cycle, logical framework, project proposals, reporting, etc.).
• Experience in reporting, project design, and/or management, in an international solidarity organization (NGO, association, etc.) or UN agency or donor agency
• First experience in expatriation is a plus.
• Analytical, synthesis, and writing skills.
• Ability to take initiative, ability to work in a team, and to communicate.
• Motivation, willingness to achieve project support objectives.
• Of and commitment to ALIMA's values and mission.

Salary

• Depending on experience

ALIMA pays for:

• Travel costs between the expatriate’s country of origin and the mission location.
• Accommodation costs
• Medical cover from the first day of the contract to a month after the date of departure from the mission country for the employee
• Evacuation of the employee

Note

• To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to our job page.
• Applications are processed in the order of arrival and we reserve the right to close the offer before the term initially indicated if a good application is successful. Only full applications will be considered. Only accepted applications will be contacted.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.