COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale is an humanitarian, non confessional and independent Foundation (NGO) that fights against all kinds of poverty to make the world a better place. Founded in 1965, COOPI is based in Milan and it has 24 headquarters in the South of the World.

COOPI works in different sectors: agriculture, water and sanitation, health care and nutrition, humanitarian assistance, human rights, education, socio-economic services, migration and relies on the expertise of 32 employees and 47 consultants in Italy, 121 expatriates and 4.500 local operators. In 2012, COOPI reached 3,6 millions beneficiaries.

POSITION : Head of Mission

Contract Length: ASAP for at least 6 months, renewable for other 6 months

Project Summary

Nigeria is the country with the largest GDP of the whole African continent and it is currently living strong internal crisis due to several factors.
In the coastal area, tensions are still ongoing, sometimes in a very violent way, and are related to environmental associations and to the kidnapping of several technicians who were working for oil extraction.
In the south and in the centre of the country tensions are very strong too, and really violent, especially between farmers and breeders.
But the two main issues that are really concerning the humanitarian community are the persistence of malnutrition and food insecurity in the Sahel area in the north of the country and the considerable increase in the fresh wave of attacks of the terrorist movement.
In all the states of the North and Centre, but especially in the three states of the North East (Yobe, Borno and Adamawa) where the state of emergency has been declared, there are ongoing attacks in schools, churches, shopping centers, markets and any crowded place.
The IDPs are fleeing from the most insecure areas and they are about 2M, while there are several thousand of refugees in the neighboring countries (Cameroon, Niger and Chad).

Summary of Position

The Head of Mission manages the overall program in Nigeria from a programmatic and operational perspective, as well as leading on fundraising and donor relations.
He/she leads the Leadership and Management Team (comprised of key senior staff) and leads the team in ongoing improvements.
This position reports to the Area Manager at the HQ. The position is located in Abuja, with substantial travel to Yobe State.

Responsibilities 

Institutional Relations:

He/she manages relations with the main institutional donors and with potential ones.
He/she represents COOPI in the country/area by engaging in relations with institutions, NGOs, local and international organizations and partners.
He/she also is responsible of the organization’s reputation in the country.

Strategy and Planning:

He/she verifies and proposes to the Area Manager the intervention priorities to consolidate the organization’s opportunity to be more involved in the country.
He/she contributes to the definition of the Country Strategy and proposes the country planning (projects and coordination).

Projects’ Management:

He/she coordinates and directly monitors projects, guaranteeing the correct implementation in conformity with the contractual obligations and donors’ procedures, and in line with COOPI’s procedures and management standards.
He/she coordinates the elaboration, writing and documents’ preparation for presenting new projects, referring to the Area Manager and the headquarters support offices.
He/she is responsible for the preparation of projects reports and all the monitoring documents requested by the central headquarters.
He/she ensures the transmission of all official and administrative project documents to the central headquarters.

Country Office Management:

He/she is responsible for all different aspects related to the country office management: economic and financial situation, local regulations, office organization charts, logistics, local and expatriate personnel management, in conformity with the organization’s guidelines.
He/she guarantees the respect of the country’s legislation and administrative regulation.

Staff Management:

He/she is responsible for the local staff management.
He/she participates and supports the Area Manager and the Human Resources office in the selection of the expatriate staff.
He/she coordinates and monitors the country’s expatriate staff management.

Safety:

He/she is responsible for the expatriate staff security, for the correct implementation and respect of the general security rules.

Economic and Financial Management:

He/she is responsible for the country’s economic result.
He/she supervises the financial management and ensures - through the administrative function - that all financial reporting deadlines and donor/COOPI’s procedures are respected.
He/she participates to the projects/coordination budget preparation.
He/she has the signature for all COOPI’s bank accounts in the country.

Visibility:

He/she cooperates with the Communication and Fund-Raising office for all communication, awareness and fund raising activities implemented in and for the country.

Profile

Advanced Degree in International Education, International Development, Health and Nutrition or a related field or equivalent work.
Previous minimum 3-year experience in a similar position, with a track record of success and results achieved;
Previous experience with an international humanitarian NGO is an advantage;
Desirable experience of working on ECHO and UN projects;
Desirable experience of working in emergency situations;
Strong analytical and practical problem-solving skills;
Strong supervisory abilities, and demonstrated capacity of teamwork and of coordination with the relevant actors;
Very good inter-personal and writing communication skills;
Ability to organize work efficiently and deliver assignments in a timely manner often under time constraints;
Proficiency in written and spoken English;
Computer literacy, with high proficiency in the use of standard office software applications (e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint);
Valid driving license.

Note: Candidate will be required to send their CV and cover letter with 3 references.