VSLA Officer at INTERSOS Nigeria – MMC and Jere, Borno (2 Openings)

INTERSOS Nigeria is recruiting two Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) Officers for MMC and Jere, Borno State. Reporting to the Livelihood Project Manager, the officers will establish and strengthen savings groups linked to livelihood facilities in MMC, Jere and Mafa LGAs.

Group mobilisation and formation

• Map existing savings associations, cooperative savings practices and financial service providers around project facilities.
• With the Business Development Officer, decide whether to strengthen existing groups or establish new VSLAs.
• Explain the voluntary, member-managed and self-financed approach; the project does not provide grants or loan capital to groups.
• Mobilise inclusive membership among women, young people, persons with disabilities, internally displaced people and returnees.
• Train groups on leadership, elections, rules, constitutions, savings meetings, lending, repayment, share-out and graduation.
• Help groups elect their leaders and cash-box custodians, set share and loan terms, and obtain savings kits and records.

Coaching and financial literacy

• Visit groups weekly during the initial intensive period of around 12 weeks, then fortnightly or monthly as appropriate.
• Review attendance, meeting procedures, records, loan repayment, transparency and cash-box security.
• Coach groups to resolve record errors, repayment challenges and other operational difficulties.
• Support their first share-out and preparation for subsequent savings cycles.
• Help members plan productive borrowing connected to farming, fish farming, tailoring, feed milling and other enterprise activities.
• Deliver practical training in household budgeting, savings goals, debt management and separation of family and enterprise finances.
• Coordinate with the Business Development Officer to keep VSLA funds separate from cooperative assets and renewal reserves.

Formal financial linkages and community trainers

• Assess suitable banks, microfinance institutions and mobile-money providers for group savings and credit services.
• Support mature associations in opening suitable accounts and understanding credit products and risks.
• Identify, train and assess community-based trainers, particularly women and youth, to support VSLA groups beyond the project.
• Help groups agree sustainable volunteer or fee-for-service trainer arrangements.

Monitoring, reporting and safeguarding

• Gather monthly group data on membership, attendance, savings, outstanding loans, repayment, social funds and share-out.
• Maintain a standard VSLA information system or agreed digital data-collection tool and submit monthly reports.
• Contribute to project baselines, endlines, success stories and learning.
• Protect members’ money: never hold group funds or act as a cash-box key holder, and report suspected misuse.
• Monitor inclusion and household-level risks linked to savings or lending, and follow PSEA, safeguarding, confidentiality and security procedures.

Requirements

• B.Sc. or HND in Economics, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Business Administration, Cooperative Studies, Agricultural Economics, Social Sciences or a related field.
• At least three years’ experience forming, training and supervising VSLAs or similar savings groups, including a full share-out cycle.
• Experience teaching low-literacy adults about savings, lending and record keeping.
• Experience with NGOs, UN agencies or government programmes in north-east Nigeria.
• Strong numeracy, spreadsheet skills, reporting accuracy, facilitation, patience, integrity and group supervision.
• Fluent Hausa, with good written and spoken English; Kanuri is an advantage.
• Commitment to inclusion, safeguarding, PSEA and humanitarian principles.

Additional advantages

• Recognised VSLA, financial-literacy or microfinance training.
• Experience linking groups to formal financial providers or mobile money.
• Experience with VSLA management information systems, KoboToolbox or ODK, livelihoods programmes or community-trainer development.