COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale, is a humanitarian, non-confessional and independent organization founded in 1965 in Milan, Italy. For more than 50 years we have been dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and to supporting populations affected by wars, socio-economic crises or natural disasters in their path to recovery and sustainable development, by making use of the professionalism of local and international operators, and through our partnerships with public and private bodies and civil society organizations.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Manager/Psychologist

Location: Maiduguri
Duration: 12 months
Reports to: Head of Base / Program Coordinator
Project: UNICEF; Protection and Reintegration of children associated with armed groups in the north east of Nigeria

Project Summary
Based on a consolidated care model for children associated to armed forces and groups implemented in several conflict areas over the years, COOPI will establish a Centre of Transit and Orientation (TOC) for children formerly associated with Boko Haram in need of psychosocial and other assistance before reunification and integration into their families of origin. 

An age-appropriate individualised plan will include: recreational, psychosocial and educational activities to support the child’s readjustment to family life, and prepare him/her for reintegration into the community. The plan will also include life-skills and competency building for income generating activities and employment. It will make provision for children to be referred to health, nutritional and legal services as necessary. 

These activities will be complemented by family tracing and sensitization of the communities of origin. The plan will also include follow-up support and monitoring activities through protection networks identified, trained, supervised and supported by COOPI in the communities of origin.

Scope of the Vacancy

• The Project Manager is responsible for the overall activities’ planning, execution and reporting of his/her projects.
• He/she is directly assigned to, and responsible of the supervision of all logistics, HR, financial and overall functioning aspects of the projects.

Main Duties/Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the Head of base and in link with the Program Coordinator, he/she:

Project Management:

• Designs the detailed work plan in line with the project guidelines and description, guaranteeing the smooth implementation of all the activities on-time, on-quality and on-budget;
• In cooperation and synergy with the project staff, plans and monitors the activities’ progress, in compliance with the contract signed with the donor, with donor’s and COOPI’s procedures, and with the specific Project Structure and Reporting Lines definition, making use of the financial instruments provided by the organization;
• In collaboration with the Administrative and the Logistics team, plans and monitors the expenditures in line with the project’s implementation needs;
• In cooperation with the Program Coordinator, finalizes the data provided by his/her team, supports the preparation, in compliance with the deadlines, of the narrative reports expected by the donors and by the partners;
• Coordinates the overall project: supervises the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the staff; monitors the accuracy and efficiency of the case management activities; in collaboration with the Child Protection team, deals with possible cases which cannot be addressed by the available and ongoing referral network;
• Contributes in consolidating the case management referral network by establishing proficient collaboration with the partners working in the targeted areas and actively suggesting gaps and recommendations to the supervisors;
• Contributes and approves the line of training designed by the Child Protection;
• In collaboration with the Program Coordinator and head of base, prepares all the formal communication and contract modification requests (ex. budget modification) of the project;
• Manages the goods purchased for the project; for all goods purchased by the project, support updates of the inventory and guarantee the respect of the policies and guidelines, in cooperation with the Logistics Office;
• In collaboration with the Program Coordinator and in synergy with the specific reporting lines of the projects, promotes and manages relations with the local government institutions, NGOs, and other local partners available in the area;
• Executes any other task necessary to good and timely completion of the projects, identified in mutual agreement.
• In coordination with the Administrative team, supports in hiring of new staff directly related to the project and conducts staff appraisals Upholds COOPI’s mission and Charter of Values;
• Follows and enforces all COOPI codes of conduct and policies (globally and in-country);

Psychosocial activities’ follow up:

• Support technically his/her team
• Contribute to the identification of psychologist issue of the beneficiaries and support the team to deal with.
• Organize technical meeting with the team and the main stakeholders
• Build his/her team capacities on Child Protection and case management
• Train project teams and local partners on approaches, methodology and tools to understand how victims of GBV and other forms of violence are affected by their involvement in armed conflict and the occurrence of fighting
• Manage directly if need be the most complicated cases.
• Train and / or re cycle teams on the proper use of situation assessment and case management tools;

Minimum Requirements

• Master's Degree in Psychology.
• At least 3 years of working experience with INGO on Child Protection area. Experience working with children associated with armed group it’s an advantage
• Good knowledge of project cycle management
• Experience in clinical psychology and / or psychopathology (victimology, medical emergency cell, etc.)
• Proven interest & commitment to humanitarian and development principles and a demonstrable understanding of conflict/post conflict development contexts
• Experience in data collection, analysis, and report writing
• Excellent in English (oral and written)
• Experience in designing and conducting training in INEE and Child Protection issues especially in the areas of human rights, gender, capacity building, added advantage, SGBV
• Ability to plan, organize work, communicate and reports effectively (both in writing and verbally)
• Proven ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines
• team player, effective communicator, successful negotiator, creative and analytical thinker, active learner, able to work in a multicultural environment
• Excellent communication skills, calm, with a good sense of humour
• Excellent sense of confidentiality
• Excellent listening and empathy
• Proven commitment to accountability practices
• Ability to function effectively under stressful conditions such as heavy workloads, and deadlines.
• Excellent Microsoft Office applications skills (Excel, Word, Power point, Emails, Skype, Web researchers)
• Knowledge of and adherence to COOPI Code of Conduct, understands other international development guidelines.