Nigeria Country Representative W/M

The CR position aims to develop and implement a solid engagement plan and a coherent MSF positioning towards external actors, in discussion and agreement with the HoM’s platform. 
The CR represents MSF in the country where s/he is accredited. They will be authorized by all operational centres to act on behalf of all MSF heads of mission, aiding the unity and coherence of MSF representation. 
The Country Representative position will ensure that MSF in Nigeria speaks with one voice. 
•    The CR will be the primary MSF interlocutor for the Nigerian Federal government, the UN representatives, and the diplomatic missions in Abuja. 
•    The CR oversees representation for bilateral advocacy. Representation regarding operations, security, and funding remain the purview of the HoMs, but the CR should be leading all senior Federal level meetings, where relevant joined by one or more of the HoMs.
•    At the state level, each OC Field Coordinator / Head of Mission will represent MSF with local authorities and other humanitarian actors within their area of activities. Relevant information will be regularly shared with the CR. 
•    The CR is a member of the HoM’s platform. He/she will facilitate and chair the meetings. The CR should also attend meetings of the MedCo platform regularly, in order to remain up to date on the medical side and to continue engaging MedCos in advocacy and representation. 
•    The CR is a regular participant of the interdesk platform, thus ensuring connectedness and proper interaction between the 6 HQs and the 6 missions. The CR commits to reporting back important action points and updates to the HoM platform  .
•    The CR is in charge of deploying the mutualization process that was agreed among intersection and will be accountable on the next steps to process
•    The CR does not have operational responsibilities for any of the sections.  

Specific responsibilities:
1.     Ensure coherent and stable representation of all OCs interests towards the high-level external actors, including Federal government authorities, the diplomatic missions, the UN, and other key stakeholders 
2.    Spokesperson for MSF in collaboration with the OCs spokespersons. Also, assures coherence in public representation by searching for common positions or limiting conflicting ones through decision-making by consensus amongst the HoMs.

Responsibilities of the role:

1.    Drives the mutualization dynamics

• Assists the OCs, in conjunction with the intersectional team (legal advisor, pharmacist, procurement manager, and others) to ensure compliance (mandatory) with regulations legal, administrative, tax and financial reporting. 
• Consolidates all OCs reporting to authorities and provide support to auditors.
• On behalf of the HoM’s platform, the CR coordinates the Intersectional Advocacy Representative and Field Communications Manager.
• Advises the HOM platform on the mutualization/optimization requirements for visas, cargo, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), administrative bottlenecks/constraints, etc.
• Follow the deployment Of the admin transit team

2.    Ensures coherent and stable advocacy and representation of all OCs interests towards the Federal government authorities, the diplomatic missions, the UN, and other key stakeholders. Establishing contacts with the newly elected Federal Government and providing clarity to HoMs where the strengths, weaknesses and negotiation opportunities will lay with the new government.

This includes the following aspects:

• Reinforcing networking
  -    Develops, with the HoM platform, a representation/engagement strategy targeting key-level contacts and a broader network in Nigeria’s civil society, academics, intellectuals, and businesses. 
  -    Develops and maintains a high-level network of contacts with the Nigerian government authorities in Abuja, the UN, the diplomatic community, and any other relevant actor. 
  -    Supports HOMs and OCs with high-level Government contacts when necessary to respond to emergencies when access is difficult or denied, to solve shared security issues, etc. 

• Reinforcing analysis
  -    Collaborating with the HoM platform and relevant units in the OCs reinforces the analysis of national and regional politics and power dynamics, which can impact our capacity to operate.
  -    Improves knowledge of Nigeria’s key stakeholders. 
  -    Liaise with the relevant advocacy persons, HoMs and MedCos to refine analysis on key advocacy dossiers in the country and in connection with the broader MSF movement.
  -    Supports the HoMs and, if relevant, the MedCos in anticipating new trends, dynamics, and regions which might require a humanitarian medical response. 

• Reinforcing coherence
  -    Through the HoM platform, the CR will identify areas of work/priority topics to be supported at intersectional level and contribute to shaping the advocacy targets and key common messages that could influence decision-makers. 
  -    Through the guidance of the HoM platform and in collaboration with MedCos, the CR will support medical advocacy priorities, aiming at influencing the Ministry of Health on relevant medical priorities/medical protocol. 

3.    Spokesperson for MSF in collaboration with the OCs spokespersons. 

• Through the HoM platform, the CR will work with the intersectional comms team to develop and implement a communication strategy that will strengthen the positioning of MSF within Nigerian officials, society, media and the international actors. 
• Launch mitigation measures initiatives, in cooperation with HoMs, in order to minimize potential negative consequences related to speaking out initiatives. 

4.    Reporting and organizing

• Provide timely updates to the HoM platform and the Intersectional Advocacy Representative on engagement plans and opportunities. 
• Together with the HoMs, develop a proper short- and longer-term intersectional set-up/structure in the country, based on the outcomes of the mutualization/optimization report currently being drafted.
• Writes quarterly reports regarding the perceived trends or focus in respect to the macro level context and the global humanitarian situation. 
• Maintains records of all meetings, compiles a matrix of contacts (non-Inter Security Agreement contacts), detailing who/when meetings have been conducted, relevance of contacts for MSF, recommendations for follow up action/contact by MSF.
• Coordinates the elaboration of the intersectional annual report and communication tools, in collaboration with Comms team. 
• Is empowered to request to the OCs relevant operational, security, medical, financial, logistical, and human resources information required for its representation role and to ensure compliance with the HCA legal requirements. 

​Reference persons:

Hierarchical:

• The CR will have a functional relationship with the HoMs and a hierarchal relationship, with the desk of the lead section (on a rotation system – for the period to come it will be OCP).  

Functional and Administrative: 

• Intersectional Legal Department, HRT, Interdesk focal point from mission Lead section.

Supervision:

• intersectional positions (for now: Intersectional Legal Advisor and CR Advisor,transit coordinator and communication coordinator, other intersectional positions fall under different OCs)

Travel: 

• National: MSF coordination meetings, field visits, HoM meetings
• International: Desk meetings, special international events
• External: mainly HCT (Humanitarian Country Team) meetings, but also travels for government engagement (e.g. NAFDAC)  

Internal Relations: 

• HoMs present in Nigeria, InterDesk, International Office (HRT), Intersectional Legal Department (ILD), Intersectional positions (Pharmacist, legal advisor, mutualization manager, and other intersectional positions, ref mutualization/optimization report)

External Relations:

• Nigeria Federal Government, National assembly, Senate, highest level contacts of MOFA, Ministry of Health, and any other ministry; civil and military authorities in the capital; Humanitarian Country Team, Humanitarian Coordinator, SRSG; Other IOs, ICRC, NGOs, Institutional Donors, Private Foundations, Civil society, Diplomatic Missions; Lawyers, advisors.