Coffey International Development is managing a five year project in Nigeria to facilitate improvements in the performance and inclusiveness of the wholesale and retail sector The Growth and Employment in States (GEMS) programme, a joint initiative of DFID, the World Bank and the Federal Government of Nigeria is targeted at four states of Nigeria: Kano, Kaduna, Lagos and Cross River, but as with other components, work in the wholesale and retail component will expand beyond these states where impact can be maximised. In the case of this component, work will be required in the trading centres of Aba and Onitsha (in Abia and Anambra states, respectively).
The GEMS4 project seeks to improve income and employment opportunities within Nigeria’s wholesale and retail sector, particularly for the poorest and most vulnerable. While Nigeria’s wholesale and retail sector is growing quickly, inefficiencies within the distribution chain have resulted in lower prices for producers, lower wages for employers, lower profits for businesses and a higher cost of living for consumers.
Like the wider GEMS programme that it comprises, GEMS 4 will use a Making Markets Work for the Poor (or M4P) approach to diagnose the problems and inefficiencies within the sector and design interventions that facilitate systemic change. The project will work to build local capacities and change market incentives so that the sector better meets the long-term needs of the poor, including women across Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Cross river states.
Like the wider GEMS programme that it comprises, GEMS 4 will use a Making Markets Work for the Poor (or M4P) approach to diagnose the problems and inefficiencies within the sector and design interventions that facilitate systemic change. The project will work to build local capacities and change market incentives so that the sector better meets the long-term needs of the poor, including women across Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Cross river states.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The wholesale and retail sector is a key component and driver of Nigerian GDP growth, currently growing at a rate of 11.5% per annum. This can be attributed to high population growth, urbanisation and increased incomes. The sector is dominated by food and beverages, which account for 65% of the country’s overall consumption basket. The retail sector consists of the three major forms of distribution: traditional, informal systems; small formal systems; and large formal systems.
The wholesale and retail sector is a key component and driver of Nigerian GDP growth, currently growing at a rate of 11.5% per annum. This can be attributed to high population growth, urbanisation and increased incomes. The sector is dominated by food and beverages, which account for 65% of the country’s overall consumption basket. The retail sector consists of the three major forms of distribution: traditional, informal systems; small formal systems; and large formal systems.
Women play a significant role in various stages of distribution chains so there are large implications in terms of gender-focused empowerment and poverty reduction to change in these sectors. The project purpose is to support systemic change in markets on which the poor rely to produce pro-poor outcomes and opportunities such as:
Enhanced incomes for the poor, especially women
Jobs creation;
Improved access to markets;
More options and choices; and
Reduced risks.
GEMS4 is mandated by DFID to facilitate, not implement, change. The programme facilitates change with and through local structures, firms, and individuals. Effort will be made not to displace existing organizations.
GEMS4 is therefore just a catalytic agent. Like all catalysts, it merely speeds up the process while leaving the intended beneficiaries (local market actors) to run the show. It is about Nigerians taking charge of their own development. For this Nigerian ownership to occur, the programme aims to create a vision that can motivate and direct the programme’s Nigerian partners to reach goals that are mutually agreed upon.
Jobs creation;
Improved access to markets;
More options and choices; and
Reduced risks.
GEMS4 is mandated by DFID to facilitate, not implement, change. The programme facilitates change with and through local structures, firms, and individuals. Effort will be made not to displace existing organizations.
GEMS4 is therefore just a catalytic agent. Like all catalysts, it merely speeds up the process while leaving the intended beneficiaries (local market actors) to run the show. It is about Nigerians taking charge of their own development. For this Nigerian ownership to occur, the programme aims to create a vision that can motivate and direct the programme’s Nigerian partners to reach goals that are mutually agreed upon.
GEMS4 would contribute to removing constraints to efficient market operations and linking market actors to work together and serve each other on a sustainable basis. The programme will address poor market functioning along the wholesale and retail components in the markets, with the objective of improving access and returns to the livelihood assets of the poor.
GEMS4 will not however directly support the poor; rather programme activities will work with business associations, service providers and other intermediaries who already serve functions along market chains in which the rural poor have a stake. By facilitating fundamental changes in the functioning of markets and the rules of the game governing access by the poor, systemic change will be encouraged.
GEMS4 will also address cross-cutting issues that are of major concern to DFID such as: gender, conflict and the environment that are. Therefore all our activities will attempt to ensure that these issues are adequately identified where they exist in the economic or social sector being targeted. To ensure this, all service providers and facilitators will be required to address these issues as and when appropriate and relevant.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS SPE…T (KMCS)
SCOPE OF WORK
The Knowledge Management and Communications Spe…t (KMCS) is responsible for streamlining the creation and dissemination of knowledge related to GEMS4’s activities, case studies and results.
The KMCS will work in close collaboration with all intervention managers, business development coordinators and the monitoring and evaluation team to support the generation of project materials, collect information related to:
Events attended by GEMS4 and where the project has played an influential role;
Progress against intervention workplans;
Photographs, videos and press materials; and
Case studies, success stories and website content updates.
The KMCS will maintain and update the programme’s knowledge management strategy, the communication strategy, including the media strategy. In particular, the Knowledge Management and Communications Spe…t will work to achieve the following:
The Knowledge Management and Communications Spe…t (KMCS) is responsible for streamlining the creation and dissemination of knowledge related to GEMS4’s activities, case studies and results.
The KMCS will work in close collaboration with all intervention managers, business development coordinators and the monitoring and evaluation team to support the generation of project materials, collect information related to:
Events attended by GEMS4 and where the project has played an influential role;
Progress against intervention workplans;
Photographs, videos and press materials; and
Case studies, success stories and website content updates.
The KMCS will maintain and update the programme’s knowledge management strategy, the communication strategy, including the media strategy. In particular, the Knowledge Management and Communications Spe…t will work to achieve the following:
Knowledge Management coordination:
Encouraging and stimulating the documentation of activities across all project interventions and initiatives in close collaboration with project staff and short-term consultants;
Ensuring project reports meet quality standards and adapting them for public and client dissemination;
Overseeing the implementation of learning products and services for project staff;
Encouraging and stimulating the documentation of activities across all project interventions and initiatives in close collaboration with project staff and short-term consultants;
Ensuring project reports meet quality standards and adapting them for public and client dissemination;
Overseeing the implementation of learning products and services for project staff;
Employing changing management strategy to continuously enhance the GEMS4′s culture of learning;
Producing and disseminate regular project highlight updates from all interventions to project staff and consultants to increase awareness of project activities and increase cross-intervention collaboration;
Producing regular outreach updates for stakeholders, and
Generating knowledge materials.
Producing and disseminate regular project highlight updates from all interventions to project staff and consultants to increase awareness of project activities and increase cross-intervention collaboration;
Producing regular outreach updates for stakeholders, and
Generating knowledge materials.
Project communications management:
Developing media relations to increase the industry exposure of GEMS4 and catalyse partners, particularly business membership organisations, private sector actors and government agencies;
Developing (and maintaining) the communication strategy and guideline to support the GEMS4 team in its engagement with external partners;
Supporting individual intervention managers to develop clear communication materials for their interventions and for the project overall;
Producing regular case studies and success stories based on project activities that will be disseminated and shared on the project website, mailing lists and social media pages;
Producing and disseminating regular project highlight updates to external clients, partners and industry actors;
Developing information and editorial content for GEMS4’s website; and
Providing training to GEMS4’s team on implementing the programme communication strategy.
Developing media relations to increase the industry exposure of GEMS4 and catalyse partners, particularly business membership organisations, private sector actors and government agencies;
Developing (and maintaining) the communication strategy and guideline to support the GEMS4 team in its engagement with external partners;
Supporting individual intervention managers to develop clear communication materials for their interventions and for the project overall;
Producing regular case studies and success stories based on project activities that will be disseminated and shared on the project website, mailing lists and social media pages;
Producing and disseminating regular project highlight updates to external clients, partners and industry actors;
Developing information and editorial content for GEMS4’s website; and
Providing training to GEMS4’s team on implementing the programme communication strategy.
External engagement:
Building and maintaining effective relationships with current and potential partners;
Regularly following up on partner initiatives that directly derive from or impact project activities to collect case studies and success stories;
Gauging the overall progress of projects and media partners, intervening where improvement is required to promote sustainability and replication;
Supporting intervention managers with the development of linkages between key partners; and
Preparing and agreeing press releases for the external media and project partners.
Building and maintaining effective relationships with current and potential partners;
Regularly following up on partner initiatives that directly derive from or impact project activities to collect case studies and success stories;
Gauging the overall progress of projects and media partners, intervening where improvement is required to promote sustainability and replication;
Supporting intervention managers with the development of linkages between key partners; and
Preparing and agreeing press releases for the external media and project partners.
PERSON SPECIFICATIONS
The successful candidate will be a born team-player, who is able to work well in multi-cultural environments, building effective working relations with clients, partners and colleagues, and who places a premium on “getting things done”.
The successful candidate will be a born team-player, who is able to work well in multi-cultural environments, building effective working relations with clients, partners and colleagues, and who places a premium on “getting things done”.
You will meet the following criteria:
Higher education (preferably a master’s degree) in Communications, Public Relations, Knowledge Management, International Development or related discipline;
Substantial professional experience working with a knowledge-based professional environment such as consulting or research;
Familiarity with an office environment and understanding of the Nigerian way of doing business;
Outstanding written and spoken English skills;
Experience of interacting with a variety of internal and external stakeholders (essential);
Experience of working with donor-funded programmes, NGOs or civil society organisations in Nigeria (desirable);
High degree of motivation, initiative, independence, reliability, adaptability, and professional maturity;
Highly developed conceptual, analytical, and innovative problem solving ability;
Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to mentor colleagues.
In addition, the KMCS will be able to demonstrate the ability to:
Lead the effort to systematically document implementation of all project components and track results;
Foster a culture of learning and demonstrates in-depth proficiency in organizational learning;
Create and promote the right conditions for knowledge to be created and used;
Work in a team, showing leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeking and considering diverse ideas and approaches;
Identify the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables; and
Independently identify and assess opportunities to incorporate KM into a broader range of business processes which bring advantage to the project and/or its clients.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and the position will be closed as soon as a suitable candidate has been identified. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
Higher education (preferably a master’s degree) in Communications, Public Relations, Knowledge Management, International Development or related discipline;
Substantial professional experience working with a knowledge-based professional environment such as consulting or research;
Familiarity with an office environment and understanding of the Nigerian way of doing business;
Outstanding written and spoken English skills;
Experience of interacting with a variety of internal and external stakeholders (essential);
Experience of working with donor-funded programmes, NGOs or civil society organisations in Nigeria (desirable);
High degree of motivation, initiative, independence, reliability, adaptability, and professional maturity;
Highly developed conceptual, analytical, and innovative problem solving ability;
Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to mentor colleagues.
In addition, the KMCS will be able to demonstrate the ability to:
Lead the effort to systematically document implementation of all project components and track results;
Foster a culture of learning and demonstrates in-depth proficiency in organizational learning;
Create and promote the right conditions for knowledge to be created and used;
Work in a team, showing leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeking and considering diverse ideas and approaches;
Identify the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables; and
Independently identify and assess opportunities to incorporate KM into a broader range of business processes which bring advantage to the project and/or its clients.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and the position will be closed as soon as a suitable candidate has been identified. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
Interested persons should submit their profile to the HR via recruitments.marioplus@gmail.com
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