Back Project Officer - MSHT and Strategic Communications

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-building. 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.

ARK is looking to hire an In-country Project Officer who will work in a full-time capacity from September/October 2021 until March 2022.

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

The In-country Project Officer will have experience of institutional capacity building in partnership with government departments or international organisations.

The successful candidate would work on a strategic communications project that seeks to address the challenges posed by trafficking in Nigeria through support of Nigerian agencies and organisations, acting as liaison officer between ARK’s project team and the relevant agencies. The successful candidate would be responsible for day-to-day stakeholder management, implementation of local activities, monitoring and reporting on the project’s overall performance.

The successful candidate would report to the London-based Project Manager and work closely with other members of the project team such as the Head of Communications, Head of Research and other subject matter experts who will travel to Abuja on a regular basis to deliver project activities in support of ARK’s projects.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Act as liaison officer between ARK and Nigerian agencies, ensuring the smooth delivery of this project at the beneficiary level;
• Liaise with the project’s different stakeholders to obtain key insight into the stakeholder’s organisation, strategy and ambitions and to generate support for the project’s objectives;
• Maintain a permanent dialogue with agency leadership to ensure that ARK understands their priorities and constraints;
• Inform the work of thematic experts (in the fields of strategic communications and human trafficking) by providing relevant local information;
• Facilitate the work of the project team when travelling to Abuja to deliver project activities;
• Contribute to the Organisational Capacity Assessment (OCA) of the beneficiary in the area of strategic communications;
• 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

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university;
• Minimum 2 years of recent (within the last 5 years) experience of international capacity building in a governmental setting;
• 5 years+ experience in the field of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT), Irregular migration and/or strategic communications (preferably in a governmental setting);
• Demonstrable experience working with governmental and civil society stakeholders;

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

• Full professional proficiency in English and advanced writing skills;

• 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 using a solutions-oriented approach;

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

• 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.

Desirable

• A Master’s degree in migration studies, political science, international relations, sociology, development studies, conflict studies, international human rights law, or related fields;

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

* Note: candidates must be Nigerian citizens or legally able to work in Nigeria, and be able to provide proof of residence.

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.