Livelihood (Iga And Capacity Building) Officer at Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) - MY NGO JOBS

LIVELIHOOD (IGA AND CAPACITY BUILDING) OFFICER

The Opportunity: Restoring Economic Dignity and Fostering Peace

In communities recovering from displacement and conflict, sustainable livelihoods are the most powerful antidote to relapse and poverty. This role is profoundly important as it directly addresses the economic drivers of instability by equipping vulnerable individuals, including former non-state associates, with the skills and capital necessary for self-sufficiency. By integrating financial inclusion (VSLA) with income-generating activities (IGA) and social cohesion, the Livelihood Officer builds resilience, empowers marginalized groups, and lays a lasting foundation for peaceful coexistence and community stability.

Job Summary

Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) is seeking an experienced Livelihood Officer to establish, train, and manage community-based income generation and savings groups (IGAs and VSLAs) in Potiskum, Yobe State. The role centers on enhancing the economic resilience of beneficiaries—particularly women and youth—through livelihood diversification, market linkages, and entrepreneurial capacity building, while concurrently ensuring that these activities promote reintegration and reduce conflict-driven tensions.

What Skills Are Needed: Core Economic Recovery and Resilience Competencies

Competency	Description
Micro-Enterprise Development	Minimum of 4 years’ experience in IGA business management, VSLA methodology, and supporting small business development in rural/humanitarian settings.
Financial Inclusion & Training	Expertise in facilitating training on financial literacy, group governance, record-keeping, and business planning for non-literate and low-capacity audiences.
Conflict Sensitivity	Strong ability to integrate peacebuilding and conflict mitigation principles (e.g., addressing resource competition) into economic programming and group dynamics.
Inclusion and Gender	Proven experience in designing and implementing gender-sensitive programs, ensuring women’s economic empowerment and leadership within community structures.
Coordination & Advocacy	Experience participating in sector meetings (e.g., Cash Working Groups) and coordinating with NGOs, UN agencies, and government partners for enhanced program impact.

Key Responsibilities and Deliverables

The Livelihood Officer will oversee the full cycle of economic recovery interventions, ensuring high quality and adherence to principled action.

1. Establishment and Capacity Building of Economic Groups

Group Mobilization: Facilitate the formation and governance establishment of Income Generating Activity (IGA) and Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) groups, prioritizing the inclusive participation of women, youth, and former associates.
Core Training Delivery: Conduct comprehensive training modules on VSLA methodology (savings, loans, record-keeping), financial literacy (budgeting, business planning), and micro-enterprise development.
Structural Support: Assist groups in developing sound governance structures, including group constitutions, bylaws, and clear leadership roles (e.g., promoting women in treasurer/chairperson roles).

2. Economic Linkages, Reintegration, and Conflict Mitigation

Market Integration: Ensure all IGAs have viable marketing and financial linkages, and actively support the connection of group members to vocational training, livelihood grants, and relevant income-generating opportunities.
Social Integration: Facilitate the integration of reintegration and peacebuilding principles within IGA and VSLA activities, using group sessions to address economic drivers of conflict, such as competition over scarce resources.
Coordination: Collaborate with microfinance institutions, NGOs, and government poverty-reduction agencies to leverage and access external support and resources for beneficiaries.

3. Monitoring, Reporting, and Organizational Learning

Performance Tracking: Conduct regular field monitoring of IGA and VSLA group performance, tracking key metrics such as savings amounts, contribution rates, social impact, and identifying/troubleshooting common challenges.
M&E Support: Contribute to the development and implementation of robust Monitoring & Evaluation frameworks and conduct data analysis to accurately report on progress against indicators.
Documentation & Reporting: Maintain accurate IGA and VSLA databases (membership, trends), prepare timely reports for COOPI, UNDP, and other stakeholders, and document best practices and success stories for organizational knowledge sharing.

4. Principled Action and Safeguarding

Gender and Inclusion: Design project activities to be gender-sensitive, ensuring a minimum of 30% female participation in mixed-group IGAs to foster trust and cooperation.
Ethical Conduct: Ensure all activities treat beneficiaries with dignity and strictly adhere to COOPI’s Code of Ethics and Conduct, including sensitizing community mobilizers on principles such as CEDAW and the UNCRC.

Professional Qualifications and Experience

Education

A Degree in Economics, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or a related field.

Experience

A minimum of four (4) years of experience in IGA business management, VSLA, microfinance, or community-based income and savings programs.
Demonstrated ability to conduct market and livelihood identification assessments.
Proven experience working in conflict-affected or fragile settings in Northern Nigeria is highly desirable.

General Conditions

Willingness to travel frequently to deep-field rural communities across the project area.
Mandatory adherence to project policies on conflict sensitivity and gender equality.
Collaborative spirit for working with other project teams (peacebuilding, NRM, etc.).

Benefits of Applying

COOPI offers a rewarding career focused on resilience-building and economic empowerment:

Competitive Salary: Compensation is competitive and commensurate with the senior level of technical expertise and field responsibility required in Yobe State.
Holistic Impact: Direct involvement in projects that seamlessly blend economic recovery with social cohesion and peacebuilding objectives.
Partnership Exposure: Significant opportunity to network and collaborate with UN agencies (UNDP), government bodies, and other humanitarian actors.
Professional Autonomy: The chance to lead the design and adaptation of critical livelihood interventions based on real-time field data.

About the Organization (Cooperazione Internazionale – COOPI)

Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) is a leading humanitarian non-governmental organization founded in Italy, dedicated to supporting vulnerable communities globally to enhance their resilience. Our mission focuses on integrated programming, specializing in climate-smart agricultural productivity, disaster emergency response, protection, and peacebuilding initiatives. We are committed to empowering communities not just through aid, but through sustainable practices, innovative solutions, and localized capacity building efforts. COOPI prides itself on strict adherence to humanitarian principles and fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.

Application Details

Detail	Information
Location	Potiskum, Yobe State, Nigeria
Employment Type	Full-Time Contract
Salary Expectation	Competitive
Application Closing Date	24th December, 2025

Method of Application

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to submit their application, including a detailed CV and a cover letter emphasizing their technical experience in IGA/VSLA management and conflict-sensitive programming, via the designated online application link.

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Tips for Applicants

Lead with Results: In your CV, quantify the economic impact you achieved in previous roles (e.g., “Established 25 VSLAs with $X total savings,” “Supported Y number of beneficiaries in accessing vocational training”).
Detail Conflict Sensitivity: Provide a clear example in your cover letter of how you adjusted a livelihood activity (IGA) to address a specific economic driver of conflict (e.g., land or resource competition) in a sensitive way.
Demonstrate Integration: Highlight experience collaborating with non-livelihood teams (e.g., protection, water) to show how you delivered integrated, multi-sectoral community solutions.