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  • 4 Tips for a Less Stressful College Final’s Week

    4 Tips for a Less Stressful College Final’s Week

    You never thought the semester would the end! But now that it is, you’re not sure you’re ready.

    Final exam time is stressful whether you’re prepared are not. Often, stress is our worst enemy, but by making some smart, conscious choices, you will be on your way to a less stressful final’s week and a report card that won’t make you (or your parents) cringe.

    Make a plan/schedule your time Being prepared for each of your finals is going to take time. And as final’s week approaches, every minute counts. Dust off your planner or open one of the many, free online scheduling tools available and make a plan. Just getting it all laid out on paper can really reduce your stress level. This can help you to see that you really do have enough time to get everything done. And even though you have to be flexible, if you follow your plan you will be more in control of your time and of your final grades.
    Prioritize the work load Not all finals are created equal. There’s no doubt that you have a class or two that’s going to take more study time. This could be because the subject matter is just more difficult for you or it could be that you slacked off in the past and now have to buckle down to make the grade. Make conscience choices about what classes you’re going to need more study time for. This may be a tough decision, but making sure that you plan more study time for the classes that are going to be the toughest can lower your stress and help you be more successful with all of your finals.
    Start small, start now We’ve all heard of the quintessential college student who waits until the last minute and then crams for his finals. How successful are these types of students? The best way to attack studying for finals is by doing a little bit each day, for each class. Try reading through your notes after class each day, making notes and highlighting to ensure that you stay engaged with the material. Go through the sections of the textbook that you will be tested on and read the headings, bolded words and highlighted sections, starting a couple of weeks before your finals. This repetition may seem boring, but you are actually studying when you do this, so you won’t have to stress out later as you cram.
    Be Honest with Yourself We all have our own natural rhythm and working with that, instead of against it, is one of the ways to study smart, not hard. If you’re easily distracted, avoid going to busy coffee shops to study. On the other hand, if you need some background noise, the local coffee shop might actually be a helpful place to go. Often students claim that they studied all day for an exam and still didn’t pass it. But if they are honest with themselves, most of the time they didn’t choose a good time or place in which to study, or they allowed themselves to be distracted by social media, text, etc. So be honest with yourself. If you’re a morning person, get up a little earlier and study in the mornings. If you’re at your most alert in the evenings, study them. Turn off your cell phone and log out of all social media so that you aren’t tempted to use them to avoid studying. Remember, just because your book and notes are open, doesn’t mean you are actively studying!
    Jacqueline Myers is a long-time college English instructor who provides expert tips, tricks and techniques for successful college writing and research at Nitty-Gritty English. Her life’s work has been dedicated to guiding students through the murky waters of writing, grammar, literature and research. Jacqueline is also a freelance writer/editor/researcher and is a proud contributor to AEGC.

  • The Elements of Statistical Learning

    The Elements of Statistical Learning is an absolute classic for anyone wanting to do statistics/machine learning/data mining. I read that the second edition was out and debating whether I should spend the money on this new edition. Via John Cook I learned that the book is out on pdf (from their website). DOUBLE WIN: a) I’ve already paid once and get the upgrade for free, b) I know have a way to electronically search the book.

    I also found out today that Koller and Friedman have just released their much anticipated book Probabilistic Graphical Models from MIT press. At a lengthy 1208 pages, this should provide enough reading for a few nights!

  • Gold's Theorem

    After seeing this amazing talk by Josh Tenenbaum on videolectures.net, I started reading up on some very cool stuff at the intersection of machine learning and cognitive science. This brought me to read on Gold's theorem and the poverty of the stimulus. Very roughly, Gold's theorem says that any learner (be it a child or a computer) cannot "learn" a language by only acquiring sentences from the language she has to learn. Some people use this theorem to make the following argument: a toddler will only hear sentences from the language she is learning, she never gets to hear "wrong" (as in not in the language) sentences. Hence, since by Gold's theorem this toddler cannot learn the language, it must be innate: language abilities must be wired into our brains in some way. Gold's Theorem and Cognitive Science, by Kent Johnson is a very enjoyable read for more background on Gold's theorem and how it applies to the question of language acquisition.

    Johnson's paper mentions something that I had never thought about: according to Morgan, a child acquires language after hearing about 4 million sentences. Now think about how many sentences we have access to to train our NLP algorithms on. This is orders of magnitude more than a person ever gets to hear and yet I would say we are far from building a computer system that can manipulate language as accurate as humans. From a Bayesian perspective, this could translate into assuming children having a really good prior which they start from when learning language. If the Bayesian way is the right way to look at this question, I really wonder how humans acquire this prior: how much is wired up in our brains, how much is it influenced by our sensory system,... ?

  • 5 Tips for Successfully Completing College Essay Exams

    5 Tips for Successfully Completing College Essay Exams

    Essay questions are the story problems of exams…very few people like them, but there is no
    way to avoid them. Many professors add essay questions to exams that include a mixture of types of questions, while midterm and final exams often come with a Blue Book to be filled by students with profound thoughts. But even if you are one of the many who detests essay exams, these tips will help you successfully complete them with confidence.

    Take a good look

    Before you start, look at each of the sections of the exam. Many professors will tell students ahead of time what types of questions to expect, but skimming through to get an idea of the number of each type and the topics covered can alleviate stress and help you better plan your time.

    Gauge your time
    Once you have looked at the whole exam you will have a better idea of how much time you will have to devote to each section or prompt. Many students don’t do well on essay exams because they run out of time to complete each question. By estimating how long you have to work on each individual essay question, you will be better able to keep track of time and finish each one.

    NOTE: Take a watch with you to sit on the desk so that you can see the time. Even if your classroom has a clock, having a watch right in front of you will remind you to budget your time. Don’t use your cell phone for this. The examiner might see you messing with your phone and think you are cheating.

    Jot down notes
    When you read an essay prompt, write down a few quick key words and phrases that will help you remember points that you want to mention. When another question on the exam jolts your memory about something else you could include in one of your essay answers, take the time to add those ideas to your notes too. This will ensure that you don’t forget an important point.

    Re-read the directions
    By this time in your educational career, you may think you have seen it all, and therefore, don’t need to read the instructions. Wrong answer! Before you begin writing, read and then reread the directions so that you give the instructor exactly what they are asking for. By carefully reading the directions you are less likely to misinterpret a question. For example, you want to avoid comparing when you really should contrast. You may also be pleasantly surprised to find that you only need to choose one of the prompts listed instead of answering all of them.

    Be specific
    Since professors create essay questions to make sure that students understand the course material well enough to explain the concepts in their own words, they are looking for specifics in these types of answers. Providing examples, illustrations and details from the reading and lectures will show the instructor that you were engaged in the class.

    Jacqueline Myers has been guiding college students through the murky waters of writing and research for many years. And she can be your personal English instructor if you visit her on her blog Nitty-Gritty English: The complete site for tips, tricks and techniques for the UN-enthusiastic English student. Jacqueline is a proud member of the AEGC writing staff.

  • (SSCE) JOB VACANCY AT GIRL HUB USA

    (SSCE) JOB VACANCY AT GIRL HUB USA

    Girl Hub is a strategic collaboration between the Nike Foundation and the UK Department for International Development (DFID), based in the UK, currently operating in three US countries, and with plans to open in India and elsewhere. Some international travel will be required.
    The Nike Foundation is a powerful agent for real change and poverty alleviation in the developing world. The Foundations' focus is on adolescent girls - its investments are centered on programmes and initiatives that enable young girls to realize their potential and transform their world, so unleashing a ripple effect of change. The work of the Nike Foundation is designed to get girls on the global agenda and drive resources to them; ensuring ideas become real solutions that deliver tangible and sustainable results. In this way, the Nike Foundation fuels the girl effect (www.girleffect.org)- the unique potential of 250 million adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves and the world. Girl Hub is looking for dedicated girls, who are passionate about contributing to USA girls realising their potential:

    Position; Technology Enabled Girl Ambassador (TEGA)

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; Secondary School (SSCE)

    Location; Kano

    Job Field; NGO/Non-Profit

    Job Types: Contract (One year)

    Summary
    TEGA is a bespoke research network of girls aged 16 and above established in 2013 to help Girl Hub and its partners in research and insights gathering in a way that tells the stories of girls as has never been done. TEGA is Northern USA's first, and to date, only youth, mobile-based peer-to-peer research network.
    It is designed to enable us, and our like-minded partners to gain a safe, authentic insight into this hard-to-reach audience. This insight enables and catalyses accurately designed interventions, programs, assets, and services that meet the current needs of Northern USA's most vulnerable girl.
    TEGA currently comprises of 20 girls, each of whom research 4-6 vulnerable girls. Via modified mobile devices, we disseminate research tasks to her, She captures her findings via video and photo content, delivers them to us via an app.
    The TEGA programme has been successfully piloted over 5 weeks. During this period, 20 TEGAs embraced their new roles with gusto and created over 1500 videos and 600 photos.
    This collective body of content has given us the most comprehensive intimate and authentic insights of the Arewa (Northern) girl we have ever encountered.
    Being a teenage girl in USA is not always easy; being a hard to reach girls is even less easy. But TEGAs are our safest methodology to reaching girls and getting their stories to share with the world.
    TEGA are at the heart of our research, no matter your background, you will need to be able to represent girls across USA by amplifying their voices and sharing their stories to inspire, inform and entertain.
    As a TEGA you are giving a voice to USA girls through engaging and delivering relevant insights and information using technology that includes videos, Emojis, photography and mobile.
    A TEGA embodies the spirit and values of an Arewa girl and is an inspiring, positive role model for girls.

    The Opportunity
    This is an incredible opportunity to become part of TEGA and be trained in mobile tech researching, to use text, video, photography on mobile to capture girls’ reality.
    The skills and experience you gain as being part of TEGA will be valuable in any career or path you choose to pursue in the future.

    Key Roles and Responsibilities

    • As a TEGA, you will need to be fully committed to the role for one year. You will be required to:
    • Generate and develop insights - you will be gathering stories by following leads shared by girls from districts across Kano state.
    • Conduct interviews and liaise with girls, families and communities - you will work closely with the TEGA tech team, TEGA trainers to plan and coordinate field-interviews and reporting activities.
    • Bring and contribute ideas and stories to editorial meetings and workshops.
    • Identify and define the stories that are most important and representative of northern USA girls
    • Work closely with the GH team identify and reach the right girls for insights gathering
    • Monitor target audience and changes in attitude towards girls' education in Kano state.
    • Write basic reports and be able to present back to an adult audience.

    Criteria
    • Don't worry, we don't expect you to be able to already have knowledge outlined in the above roles and responsibilities, you don't need to be a ready-made interviewer and storyteller. But what TEGA needs is for you to:
    • Have a hunger, curiosity and enthusiasm for TEGA; be passionate about sharing girls' stories and about making a change for girls in USA.
    • Be able to work with a team of people and assist in group set-ups.
    • Have the ability to interact with a diverse range of people.
    • Be able to work independently to meet task deadlines and source content.
    • Have a basic ability to read and write English.
    • Have a good level of Hausa reading and writing ability.
    • Have a passion for storytelling.
    • Be over the age of 16.
    • Live in Kano.

    TEGA is Offering
    Foundation technology based research interview training.
    A certificate from an international certification agency
    An opportunity to represent girls' voices by gathering insights and sharing girls’ stories.
    This is not a paid position; you will be entitled to transport, meals and honorarium for tasks undertaken.

    Method of Application
    Interested and qualified candidates should send a cover letter including: your name, age, where you're from and why you want to work as TEGA. Along with this, tell us a story that you think is unique about a girl and can make the readers think of her differently to: ghninfo@girlhub.org Your application can be in Hausa or English and must be one page long.

  • How Online Education Works

    The odds are that you've heard a good bit about online education and what it can do for you. By offering you the chance to go to school on your own schedule and still earn a degree that will take you places, it makes sense that it's becoming the fastest growing type of education in the country – almost all major colleges now offer online classes of some kind.

    The question is “how does it work?” It can be a little confusing, and the days of just getting your classwork mailed or emailed to you are long gone. Today, online education is compelling, effective, and interesting. Depending on the college and the program you enroll in, you can expect a wide range of different components to make up your online education.

    Here are some of the things you may encounter during your online education:

    • The Basics – You'll get assigned classwork, and while you may have a due date associated with each assignment, it's much more flexible than traditional education will be. You'll be able to complete it when you have time, so long as you meet very basic deadlines.
    • Virtual Classrooms – Many programs have started using virtual classrooms that create a centralized hub for students. It's where most of the work will be given.
    • Video Chat or Seminars – Some programs use pre-recorded lectures, while others use live chat with a professor. You'll watch the video and participate in discussions about what you're learning, instead of just reading endless walls of text. Often, animation and other video aids may be used as well.
    • Forums – The class forum is often a major part of the educational process online. Here, questions are posed and discussions are had using a traditional online forum/message board setup. Grades are often derived in part from participation on these boards, which are the digital equivalent of class discussions.
    • Hands On – In the event that you do take a class that requires hands-on training, you'll likely have to pursue a blended type of education. You'll complete coursework online, then have to complete your hands-on training in person at the school or at a nearby facility the school recognizes. For instance, learning a medical profession could mean completing some clinical work in a local hospital. Different schools have varying requirements where this is concerned.
    • Exams – You'll still take exams to prove that you're competent in the area you're studying. The big difference is, of course, that these exams are handled online. They'll be an important part of the educational process, however, and are just as weighted as they are in real life.s

    This should give you an idea as to what to expect when you enroll in online education. It's a viable option for anyone, and could deliver the kind of life-changing results you need to move your career and your happiness forward.

  • SSCE GRADUATE ENGINEERING JOBS AT EFFICACY HOMES - 25 POSITIONS

    Efficacy Homes work with many of USA premier real estate investors in transforming distressed and tired properties ready for re marketing. new builds, conversions and extensions.
    We have Architects, Certified Project Managers, Surveyors & Structural Engineers who are experts in the process. Our professional highly accredited teams and digital workflow management system allows actual live input into projects from your phone and desktop.

    Have a look at our gallery to see some of our developments – remember you are always welcome to view existing projects in their current state as well as completed ones.

    Job Tittle; Plumbing Technician

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; Secondary School (SSCE)

    Experience; 3 years

    Location; Lagos

    Job Field; Engineering / Technical

    Responsibility:
    Assembles, installs, and repairs pipes, fittings, and fixtures of heating, water, and drainage systems, according to specifications and plumbing codes: Studies building plans and working drawings to determine work aids required and sequence of installations. Inspects structure to ascertain obstructions to be avoided to prevent weakening of structure resulting from installation of pipe. Locates and marks position of pipe and pipe connections and passage holes for pipes in walls and floors, using ruler, spirit level, and plumb bob. Cuts openings in walls and floors to accommodate pipe and pipe fittings, using handtools and power tools. Cuts and threads pipe, using pipe cutters, cutting torch, and pipe-threading machine. Bends pipe to required angle by use of pipe-bending machine or by placing pipe over block and bending it by hand. Assembles and installs valves, pipe fittings, and pipes composed of metals, such as iron, steel, brass, and lead, and non-metals, such as glass, vitrified clay, and plastic, using handtools and power tools. Joins pipes by use of screws, bolts, fittings, solder, plastic solvent, and caulks joints. Fills pipe system with water or air and reads pressure gauges to determine whether system is leaking. Installs and repairs plumbing fixtures, such as sinks, commodes, bathtubs, water heaters, hot water tanks, garbage disposal units, dishwashers, and water softeners. Repairs and maintains plumbing by replacing washers in leaky faucets, mending burst pipes, and opening clogged drains. May weld holding fixtures to steel structural members.

    Requirements
    A ideal applicant must have minimum of Technical School Certificate or SSCE with 3 years Plumbing Experience with proof of work.
    Must be hardworking and possess a good team spirit.

    Job Tittle; Welding Technician

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; Secondary School (SSCE)

    Experience; 3 years

    Location; Lagos

    Job Field; Engineering / Technical

    Responsibility:
    Responsible for laying out and fabricating structural steel and sheet metal in order to build metal structures. Welds and cuts steel, interprets blueprints, and works with concrete reinforcing steel bars.
    • Build and install iron or steel girders, columns, and other construction materials to form buildings, bridges, and other structures. It also involves and not limited to the below;
    • Cut, position, and bolt down steel bars to reinforce concrete.
    • Repair older infrastructure.
    • Make, weld, and cut structural metal on site.
    • Erect steel frames.
    • Connect steel columns, beams, and girders.
    • Drill holes into steel for bolts.
    • Number steel according to assembly instructions.
    • Unload and stack steel.
    • Hoist steel into place in the framework.
    • Position steel with connecting bars and spud wrenches.
    • Work with driftpins to align the holes in the steel with the framework holes.
    • Use plumb bobs, levels, and laser equipment to check alignment.
    • Bolt or weld piece into place.
    • Set reinforcing bars into forms to hold concrete
    • Cut bars with metal shears and torches.
    • Install stairs, handrails, or curtain walls. Fabricating Scaffold, Gates etc.

    Requirements
    A ideal applicant must have minimum of Technical School Certificate or SSCE with 3 years Welding Experience with proof of work.Must be hardworking and possess a good team spirit.

    Method of Application
    Applicants should send their CVs OR Personal Details to hr@efficacyhomesltd.com with subject as same as the job title applied for.

  • MULTIPLE GRADUATES AND EXPERIENCE JOBS AT KADUNA ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANY

    MULTIPLE GRADUATES AND EXPERIENCE JOBS AT KADUNA ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANY

    Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (RC 638640), is one of the eleven successor distribution companies of the defunct Power Holding Company of USA (PHCN). Kaduna Electric, a registered
    trademark of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, is licensed by the USA Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to distribute and retail electricity within a service coverage area of Northwestern-most of USA. It has its Headquarters in Kaduna, with offices in Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States. Kaduna Electric is seeking for young, vibrant and intelligent professionals with exceptional skills and talents to fill in vacant positions in order to support the organization achieve its set vision.

    Job Tittle; Graduate Trainee

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Location; Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara

    Job Field; Engineering / Technical

    Competency and Skill Requirements

    • Facilitation and Complex problem-solving skills.
    • Positive enthusiasm & a pragmatic approach.
    • Written skills/oral communication skills.
    • Computer literacy
    • Team player
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • Bachelor’s Degree/HND with at least Second Class Honours/Lower Credit in any discipline.
    • Generalist experience or certification/qualification (e.g. NSE, COREN, MSCE, PMP, CIMP, CIPD, SHRM, ACA, ACCA, NIQS etc) in chosen field of interest.
    • Not more than 27 years old.
    • Must have completed NYSC.
    • No previous work experience required.

    Job Tittle; Experienced Trainee

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 2 years

    Location; Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara

    Job Field; Engineering / Technical

    Competency and Skill Requirements

    • Facilitation and Complex problem-solving skills.
    • Positive enthusiasm & a pragmatic approach.
    • Written skills/oral communication skills.
    • Computer literacy
    • Team player
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • Bachelor’s Degree/HND with at least Second Class Honours/Lower Credit in any discipline.
    • Minimum 2 years (but not more than 5 years work experience), Generalist experience or certification/qualification (e.g. NSE, COREN, MSCE, PMP, CIMP, CIPD, SHRM, ACA, ACCA, NIQS etc) in chosen field of interest.
    • Not more than 30 years old.
    • Must have completed NYSC.

    Job Tittle;Team Lead, Media/Community Relations

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 5 years

    Job Field; Media / Advertising / Branding
    Competency and Skill Requirements

    • Excellent understanding of the media.
    • Strong journalism skills
    • Be adaptable and able to meet deadlines on assignments, juggle multiple demands and to work with all types of individuals.
    • Strong skills in negotiating, planning, problem solving, and timely problem escalation.
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills
    • Excellent time management and organizational skills
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • A Bachelor’s degree or HND in Mass Communication or any other related course.
    • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
    • Master’s degree is an added advantage.
    • 5 years cognate experience

    Job Tittle; Digital/Brand Communication Officer

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 3 years

    Job Field; ICT Media / Advertising / Branding

    Job Summary
    Responsible for ensuring an active and effective online presence on all platforms in addition to managing the company’s brand assets.

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities
    Ensure implementation of best practice brand management tools in order to optimize efficiency and profitability.
    Manage and approve the production of all the çompany’s print and communication materials to ensure they are in line with corporate branding.
    Implement all the policies in relation to corporate image and branding.
    Critical assessment of event proposals to determine benefits to the company.
    Co-ordinate the production of promotional items in conformity with the company’s brand asset as well as the distribution of same.
    Managing external agencies to ensure all brand activities are in line with the project requirements as specified by the briefs and meet consumer expectations.
    Ensure an active presence for the company on all social media platforms including website.
    Prepare regular reports on Company’s web presence
    Responsible for creating and implementing a company-wide digital communication strategy.
    Ensure strategic use of social media to manage key messages to stakeholders.
    Oversee update of website content.
    Production of electronic newsletter

    Competency and Skill Requirements

    • In-depth knowledge digital and brand communication
    • In-depth understanding of the impact of social media on business growth
    • Knowledge of development and implementation of Communication plan
    • Knowledge of web publishing
    • Excellent communication (written and oral), interpersonal and negotiation skills
    • High level of integrity and demonstrated ability to manage confidential information
    • Good analytical and problem solving skills
    • Excellent organisational skills.
    • Strong supervisory and people management skills
    • High sense of responsibility, accountability and dependability
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • A Bachelor’s degree or HND preferably in Multi Media Systems Communication or any other related course.
    • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
    • Master’s degree /or certification is an added advantage.
    • 3 years cognate experience

    Job Tittle; Media/Community Relations Officer

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 3 years

    Job Field; Media / Advertising / Branding

    Job Summary
    Responsible for executing the company’s media and community relations strategy.

    Competency and Skill Requirements

    • Good understanding of the media.
    • Good journalism skills
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills
    • Good time management and organizational skills
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • A Bachelor’s degree or HND in Mass Communication or any other related course.
    • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
    • 3 years cognate experience
    Job Tittle; Internal Communication Officer

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 3 years

    Job Field; Media / Advertising / Branding

    Job Summary
    Responsible for articulating and implementing an effective internal communication strategy for the company.

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities

    • Source, edit and coordinate production of online newsletter for staff and hard copy newsletter for key stakeholders
    • Coordinate production of leaflets, handbills etc for all departments that need them.
    • Coordinate timely information flow from head office to all business units and customer service centres.
    • Prepare daily media briefing for the MD
    • Coordinate dissemination of bulk SMS messages to staff
    • Working and negotiating with vendors and suppliers of services on behalf of the company
    • Help implement the internal communication strategy of the company
    • Develop internal communication strategy and plan for specific activity to staff’
    • Build a culture where two-way communication is seen as fundamental and integral to the success of the company.
    • Evaluate the success of internal communication.
    • Draft key messages to different categories of staff
    • Manage internal communication projects the company may embark upon.
    Competency and Skill Requirements
    • Knowledge of audience types and how to channel messages to them.
    • In-depth understanding of all communication platforms
    • Knowledge of development and implementation of communication plan
    • Ability to evaluate and measure Communication activities
    • Excellent event management skills
    • Excellent communication (written and oral) and interpersonal skills
    • High level of integrity and demonstrated ability to manage confidential information
    • Good analytical and problem solving skills
    • Excellent organisational skills.
    • Strong leadership, supervisory and people management skills
    • High sense of responsibility, accountability and dependability
    Experience and Minimum Requirement
    • A Bachelor’s degree or HND preferably in Mass Communication or any social science course.
    • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
    • Master’s degree /or certification is an added advantage.
    • 3 years cognate experience
    Job Tittle; Team Lead, Strategy

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 7 years

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial

    Job Summary
    As a key member of the Strategy team and reporting into the Chief Corporate Services Officer you will provide strategic leadership and expertise for the full scope of the Strategy and Corporate Performance Management function. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities

    • Coordinate development of business strategies.
    • Design, administration and monitoring of the corporate planning framework.
    • Create the strategic culture necessary for Kaduna Electric to accomplish its strategic objectives.
    • Provision of leadership, support and coordination for management strategic initiatives.
    • Conduct special studies/projects.
    • Provision of corporate initiatives and services to internal and external stakeholders to promote best practice
    • Thought partnership and guidance provision to line organizations on strategic initiatives.
    • Enterprise performance system architecture design, management, and continuous improvement implementation
    Competency and Skill Requirements
    • Strong leadership and analytical skills
    • Strong presentation, verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate complex ideas in easy to understand business terms to all levels of management
    • Market intelligence and stakeholder engagement
    • Deep appreciation of the Power sector and its dynamics
    • Business process analysis, Performance benchmarking, change management, risk management control
    • Strategy implementation and monitoring and capacity to build high performance team
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • First degree in any of the social / management sciences, accounting, business or other numerate disciplines.
    • Master's degree is desirable.
    • Must be highly computer literate, with special emphasis on statistical data analysis tools, project management and power point presentation skills.
    • Demonstrate experience in successfully leading the design and implementation of change management strategies.
    • Minimum of 7 years relevant experience
    Job Tittle; Team Lead, Security

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 7 years

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial Security / Intelligence

    Job Summary
    As a key member of the Security team and reporting into the Chief Corporate Services Officer, you will provide strategic leadership and expertise for the full scope of the Security function. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities

    • Organise, deploy and manage the material and human resource assigned to the security department including resource made available through outsourcing.
    • Plan, develop and implement security plans, security programs such as Emergency Response and Crisis Management, Physical Security, Information Protection, Incident Management and/or Investigation.
    • Maintain contacts and working relationship with law enforcement agencies and outsourced security service providers to promote security.
    • Participate in investigations into security lapses and recommend specific actions for preventing reoccurrence.
    • Establish procedure, conduct special investigations and surveillance as may be required by the Company.
    • Establish procedures for loss prevention mechanism.
    • Evaluate and recommend appropriate remedial steps for potential security threats.
    • Plan and establish on the job training program for security personnel and evaluate departmental effectiveness regularly.
    • Communicates effectively through a range of communication media (verbal, visual and written). Uses a range of communication channels and adjusts style to meet the needs of the situation.
    • Prioritises tasks, time and workload to efficiently meet objectives. Takes into account relevant constraints. Monitors progress, takes the initiative to adjust plans and performs multiple task when appropriate.
    • By understanding customers’ needs, create and delivers quality and accurate work which enhances the reputation of the department and the wider organisation.
    • Works in collaboration with team members to achieve shared goals. Encourages and support team contributions, and facilitates the team’s effective performance.
    Competency and Skill Requirements
    • Demonstrated success in handling security matters
    • Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to influence all levels of the organization
    • Demonstrated leadership and ability to work in a matrix team environment.
    • Ability to handle multiple priorities and initiate, lead and manage change.
    • Project management, facilitation and complex problem-solving skills.
    • High energy level, driven with positive enthusiasm and a pragmatic approach.
    • Fluency in English (oral and written) required.
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • Degree qualified in Social Sciences and Humanities or other related disciplines.
    • Security experience
    • Minimum 7 years’ experience in the Force / Security Department
    Job Tittle; Team Lead, Performance Management and Learning

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 7 years

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial Human Resources / HR

    Job Summary
    As a key member of the Performance Management and Learning team and reporting into the Chief Corporate Services Officer you will provide strategic leadership and expertise for the full scope of the Performance Management and Learning function. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities
    Designs, plans, implements and facilitates performance management processes to improve individual and organizational effectiveness. Understands the impact of behaviors and values on performance, and the levers for change. Applies consistent disciplinary processes to address below standard performance or behavior.
    Diagnoses learning and development needs at the organization, team and individuals levels and recommends strategies to address them. Understands business requirements (current and future) and aligns learning interventions accordingly.
    Communicates effectively through a range of communication media (verbal, visual and written). Uses a range of communication channels and adjusts style to meet the needs of the situation.
    Priorities tasks, time and workload to efficiently meet objectives. Takes into account relevant constraints. Monitors progress, takes the initiative to adjust plans and performs multiple task when appropriate.
    Identifies problems and takes responsibility for solving them. Identifies, analyses and interprets the critical information relevant to the problem. Develops and tests solutions that are pragmatic and sustainable.
    Has the ability to perform effectively, despite time pressures and changing circumstance. Overcomes setbacks, disappointments or opposition and remains solution-focused, tactful and diplomatic.
    By understanding customers’ needs, create and delivers quality and accurate work which enhances the reputation of the department and the wider organization.
    Works in collaboration with team members to achieve shared goals. Encourages and support team contributions, and facilitates the team’s effective performance.

    Competency and Skill Requirements
    Demonstrated success in development and application of up-to-date practice in employee relations, HR policy and formulation, recruitment and staffing and training and development.
    Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to influence all levels of the organization and multicultural/international environments.
    Credible track record of delivering impactful results/solutions in a complex, fast paced work environment
    Demonstrated leadership and ability to work in a matrix team environment.
    Ability to handle multiple priorities and initiate, lead and manage change.
    Project management, facilitation and complex problem-solving skills.
    High energy level, driven with positive enthusiasm and a pragmatic approach.
    Fluency in English (oral and written) required.

    Experience and Minimum Requirements

    • Degree qualified in Business Administration, Human Resources, Industrial Relations or other HR-related disciplines.
    • Master's degree in Business Administration or a Human Resources related field is an added advantage.
    • Multinational experience
    • HR leadership in a start-up/entrepreneurial organization
    • Minimum 7 years HR Generalist experience in the region, ideally HR leadership in a multinational environment.
    Job Tittle; Team Lead, Employee Relations

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 5 years

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial Human Resources / HR

    Job Summary
    As a key member of the Employee Relations team and reporting into the Chief Corporate Services Officer, you will provide strategic leadership and expertise for the full scope of the Employee Relations function. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities
    Understands and differentiates between labour and employment laws and regulations, international codes, and declarations. Appreciates the relationship between labour laws and other applicable workplace statues. Understands and advises on the interface between local and regional jurisdictions in conjunction with legal representatives. Ensures legal compliance and reports and rectifies examples of non-compliance.
    Works with management and staff legal bodies and enrich business performance. Understands, applies and ensures compliance with all relevant consultation legislation and labour laws, regulations and practice.
    Handle complaints and grievances among employees, such as the interpretations or application of terms and conditions of employment. Facilitates the relationship between two or more parties in disagreement to an appropriate outcome.
    Communicates effectively through a range of communication media (verbal, visual and written). Uses a range of communication channels and adjusts style to meet the needs of the situation.
    Prioritises tasks, time and workload to efficiently meet objectives. Takes into account relevant constraints. Monitors progress, takes the initiative to adjust plans and performs multiple task when appropriate.
    Identifies problems and takes responsibility for solving them. Identifies, analyses and interprets the critical information relevant to the problem. Develops and tests solutions that are pragmatic and sustainable.
    Has the ability to perform effectively, despite time pressures and changing circumstance. Overcomes setbacks, disappointments or opposition and remains solution-focused, tactful and diplomatic.
    Has an overall view of own and department’s position in the organisation and understands how departmental goals fit into organizational objectives. Behaves in accordance with the Company’s Business Principles and is aware of organizational relationships in the organization.

    Competency and Skill Requirements

    • HR Generalist experience.
    • Demonstrated success in development and application of up-to-date practice in employee relations.
    • Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to influence all levels of the organization and multicultural/international environments.
    • Credible track record of delivering impactful results/solutions in a complex, fast paced work environment.
    • Demonstrated leadership and ability to work in a matrix team environment.
    • Ability to handle multiple priorities and initiate, lead and manage change.
    • Project management, facilitation and complex problem-solving skills.
    • High energy level, driven with positive enthusiasm and a pragmatic approach.
    • Fluency in English (oral and written) required.
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • Degree qualified in Business Administration, Human Resources, Industrial Relations or other HR-related disciplines.
    • Master's degree in Business Administration or a Human Resources related field an added advantage.
    • Multinational work experience is desirable
    • HR leadership experience
    • Minimum 5 years cognate experience
    Job Tittle; Team Lead, Logistics

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 5 years

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial Logistics

    Job Summary
    As a key member of the Logistics team and reporting into the Chief Corporate Services Officer, you will provide strategic leadership and expertise for the full scope of the Logistics function for the organisation. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities
    The Team Lead, Logistics will demonstrate leadership in communicating business goals, programs, and processes. In this role, you will utilize your experience or expertise to solve problems, develop and execute objectives for self and others, and have the ability to effect short-term and some long-term business goals.
    Prioritises tasks, time and workload to efficiently meet objectives. Takes into account relevant constraints. Monitors progress, takes the initiative to adjust plans and performs multiple task when appropriate.
    Identifies problems and takes responsibility for solving them. Identifies, analyses and interprets the critical information relevant to the problem. Develops and tests solutions that are pragmatic and sustainable.
    Has the ability to perform effectively, despite time pressures and changing circumstance. Overcomes setbacks, disappointments or opposition and remains solution-focused, tactful and diplomatic.
    By understanding customers’ needs, create and delivers quality and accurate work which enhances the reputation of the department and the wider organisation.
    Works in collaboration with team members to achieve shared goals. Encourages and support team contributions, and facilitates the team’s effective performance.

    Competency and Skill Requirements

    • Experience in a multinational environment is desirable
    • Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to influence all levels of the organization and multicultural/international environments.
    • Credible track record of delivering impactful results/solutions in a complex, fast paced work environment
    • Demonstrated leadership and ability to work in a matrix team environment.
    • Ability to handle multiple priorities and initiate, lead and manage change.
    • Project management, facilitation and complex problem-solving skills.
    • High energy level, driven with positive enthusiasm and a pragmatic approach.
    • Fluency in English (oral and written) required.
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • First degree or HND in the numerate or technical related field.
    • Leadership experience in a start-up/entrepreneurial organization
    • Minimum 5 years cognate experience

    Job Tittle; Team Lead, Human Resources

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 5 years

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial Human Resources / HR

    Job Summary
    As a key member of the Human Resources team and reporting into the Chief Corporate Services Officer you will provide strategic leadership and expertise for the full scope of the Human Resources (HR) function for client population. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities
    Providing HR leadership, coaching and generalist support.
    Driving strategic and operational level HR-related planning including Labor Relations, Recruiting and Staffing, Pipeline Management, Compensation and Benefits, Leadership Coaching, Employee Development and Performance Management.
    Leading/Initiating new and innovative global HR practices to create a strong culture of leadership and high performing teams.
    Ensuring/Maintaining all HR processes and records relative to local statutory requirements while providing guidance and leadership to the business regarding regulatory interpretation and compliance.
    Implementing appropriate communication tools and systems to ensure effective flow of information including employee opinion surveys, leadership communications, etc.
    Developing appropriate work force plans in support of key business needs in a dynamic, changing environment and develop/implement appropriate change management plans as required.
    Providing support and/or delivering training on a variety of Human Resources topics.
    Providing Executive Coaching to business leadership.
    Serving as an impartial employee advocate to ensure that all individuals receive fair and equitable treatment.

    Competency and Skill Requirements

    • HR Generalist experience, ideally in a multinational environment.
    • Demonstrated success in development and application of up-to-date practice in employee relations, HR policy and formulation, recruitment and staffing and training and development.
    • Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to influence all levels of the organization and multicultural/international environments.
    • Credible track record of delivering impactful results/solutions in a complex, fast paced work environment
    • Demonstrated leadership and ability to work in a matrix team environment.
    • Ability to handle multiple priorities and initiate, lead and manage change.
    • Project management, facilitation and complex problem-solving skills.
    • High energy level, driven with positive enthusiasm and a pragmatic approach.
    • Fluency in English (oral and written) required.
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • Degree qualified in Business Administration, Human Resources, Industrial Relations or other HR-related disciplines.
    • Master's degree in Business Administration or a Human Resources related field would be an added advantage.
    • Multinational experience is desirable
    • HR leadership in a start-up organization is desirable
    • Minimum 5 years cognate experience
    Job Tittle; Team Lead, New Connections

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 7 years

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial Engineering / Technical

    Job Summary
    Responsible for New Customer Connections activities. Role will provide strategic advisory support to the Energy Management Team.

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities
    Recommendation / specification of customers’ tariff structure / placement based on the nature of their business and load measurement.
    Recommendation / computation of customers’ estimated load to be used for billing purpose for newly customers or in the event of faulty / ruptured meters.
    Coordinates activities of Energy Engineers in line with company’s guide lines to facilitate efficient service delivery to our new customers
    Track and maintain an updated records of all promising customers with timeline for integration to our distribution networks.
    Conducting advance metering activities (energy aggregation, energy analysis, energy loss analysis, bill determinants and dynamic tariffs etc.)
    Installation and commissioning of the following meters:
    (a) Single Phase
    (b) Three Phase
    (c) Whole Current Meter Board
    (d) MD Low Voltage Standard Meter Board
    (e) MD High Voltage Standard Meter Board
    Maintenance, certification and re-certification of meters as stated above.
    Testing and calibration of meters as enumerated above.
    Supervision / providing metering standard specifications in accordance with the IEC and USA standard according to USA Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) policy.
    Conducting of general meter type testing, meter routing testing & meter sample testing as the case may be in any condition or situation of meter supply.
    Provision of support to services to other offices and resource planning

    Competency and Skill Requirements

    • Excellent understanding of the standards of the energy industry.
    • Strong customer service and support focus with desire to deliver high quality service
    • Self-motivated and highly professional with ability to take ownership and responsibility
    • Adaptable and flexible to business demands
    • Team player and attention to details
    • Ability to multi task and work under pressure
    • Project Management skills
    • Strong skills in negotiating, planning, problem solving, and timely problem escalation.
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills
    • Excellent time management and organizational skills
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • A Bachelor’s degree or HND preferably in Electrical, Electronics, Physics/Electronics, Computer Engineering or any relevant field.
    • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
    • Master’s degree /or certification is an added advantage.
    • NSE registration or COREN is an added advantage
    • Minimum 7 years’ experience in a related function
    • At least 2 years’ management experience
    Job Tittle; Team Lead, Grid Metering

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 7 years

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial Engineering / Technical

    Job Summary
    Responsible for Grid Metering activities. Role will provide strategic advisory support to the Energy Management Team.

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities

    • Conducting advance metering activities (energy aggregation, energy analysis, energy loss analysis, bill determinants and dynamic tariffs etc.)
    • Develop electrical engineering studies, plans, specifications, calculations, evaluations, design documents and performance assessments.
    • Coordinates activities of Grid metering engineers E2E
    • Conduct Grid meters re-validation exercise quarterly
    • Installation and commissioning of the following meters:
    (a) Single Phase
    (b) Three Phase
    (c) Whole Current Meter Board
    (d) MD Low Voltage Standard Meter Board
    (e) MD High Voltage Standard Meter Board
    • Maintenance, certification and re-certification of meters as stated above.
    • Testing and calibration of meters as enumerated above.
    • Recommendation / specification of customers’ tariff structure / placement based on the nature of their business and load measurement.
    • Monthly report and certification of readings obtained from Grid Energy meters to ensure accurate billing of the company by Market Operators (MO).
    • Supervision / providing metering standard specifications in accordance with the IEC and USA standard according to USA Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) policy.
    • Conducting of general meter type testing, meter routing testing & meter sample testing as the case may be in any condition or situation of meter supply.
    • Development of energy sourcing strategies
    • Process management for the network asset planning processes
    • Provision of support services to other offices
    • Performing remote energy usage tracking and resource planning
    Competency and Skill Requirements
    • Excellent understanding of the standards of the energy industry.
    • Project Management skills
    • Adaptable and flexible to business demands
    • Team player and attention to details
    • Ability to multi task and work under pressure
    • Self-motivated and highly professional with ability to take ownership and responsibility
    • Strong skills in negotiating, planning, problem solving, and timely problem escalation.
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills
    • Excellent time management and organizational skills
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • A Bachelor’s degree or HND preferably in Electrical, Electronics, Physics/Electronics, Computer Engineering or any relevant field.
    • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
    • Master’s degree /or certification is an added advantage.
    • NSE registration or COREN is an added advantage
    • Minimum 7 years’ experience in a related function
    • At least 2 years’ management experience
    Job Tittle; Team Lead, Energy Metering

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 7 years

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial Engineering / Technical

    Job Summary
    Responsible for Grid Metering activities. Role will provide strategic advisory support to the Energy Management Team.

    Principal Duties and Responsibilities

    • Conducting advance metering activities (energy aggregation, energy analysis, energy loss analysis, bill determinants and dynamic tariffs etc.)
    • Develop electrical engineering studies, plans, specifications, calculations, evaluations, design documents and performance assessments.
    • Coordinates activities of Grid metering engineers E2E
    • Conduct Grid meters re-validation exercise quarterly
    • Installation and commissioning of the following meters:
    (a) Single Phase
    (b) Three Phase
    (c) Whole Current Meter Board
    (d) MD Low Voltage Standard Meter Board
    (e) MD High Voltage Standard Meter Board
    • Maintenance, certification and re-certification of meters as stated above.
    • Testing and calibration of meters as enumerated above.
    • Recommendation / specification of customers’ tariff structure / placement based on the nature of their business and load measurement.
    • Monthly report and certification of readings obtained from Grid Energy meters to ensure accurate billing of the company by Market Operators (MO).
    • Supervision / providing metering standard specifications in accordance with the IEC and USA standard according to USA Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) policy.
    • Conducting of general meter type testing, meter routing testing & meter sample testing as the case may be in any condition or situation of meter supply.
    • Development of energy sourcing strategies
    • Process management for the network asset planning processes
    • Provision of support services to other offices
    • Performing remote energy usage tracking and resource planning
    Competency and Skill Requirements
    • Excellent understanding of the standards of the energy industry.
    • Project Management skills
    • Adaptable and flexible to business demands
    • Team player and attention to details
    • Ability to multi task and work under pressure
    • Self-motivated and highly professional with ability to take ownership and responsibility
    • Strong skills in negotiating, planning, problem solving, and timely problem escalation.
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills
    • Excellent time management and organizational skills
    Experience and Minimum Requirements
    • A Bachelor’s degree or HND preferably in Electrical, Electronics, Physics/Electronics, Computer Engineering or any relevant field.
    • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
    • Master’s degree /or certification is an added advantage.
    • NSE registration or COREN is an added advantage
    • Minimum 7 years’ experience in a related function
    • At least 2 years’ management experience
    Method of Application
    Interested and suitably qualified candidates should click here to apply online.

  • MUTIPLE GRADUATE & EXPERIENCED JOB AT INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS

    MUTIPLE GRADUATE & EXPERIENCED JOB AT INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS

    International Medical Corps (IMC) is a global humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and medical relief programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary,
    non-political, non-sectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in undeserved communities worldwide, IMC started operations in USA with a focus on building the capacity of local health system and communities and ensure the provision of quality, accessible health and nutrition care for children under five years.
    We are recruiting to fill the following vacant positions below:

    Job Tittle; Procurement Assistant

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; NCE OND BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 1 year

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Procurement / Store-Keeping

    Summary
    The candidate will be based in Maiduguri and will provide all necessary Logistics and Procurement assistance to project by supporting the Logistics Officer in the delivery of Logistics and Operations objectives of lMC in USA.

    Background and Experience

    • HND, OND, NCE in Business Administration or related field
    • 1 -3 years' work experience
    • Preferably NGO experience
    • Fluency in English and Hausa
    • Willingness to work in hardship area
    • Team Player and ability to work with people of multicultural and diverse interests

    Job Tittle; Cashier

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Finance / Accounting / Audit

    Summary
    The Cashier is to assist the Finance and Admin Officer and Finance Admin Director in ensuring that financial records comply with donor regulations and IMC policies and procedures by accurately processing and reviewing journal entries and vouchers, proper management and control are maintained for all cash transactions and providing support to achieve all Finance Department and audit requirements.

    Background and Experience

    • B.Sc/HND in Accounting or related fields
    • Demonstrated capacity and willingness to learn and further an accounting career.
    • Subscribe to high moral code of ethic.
    • Fluency in English and Hausa.
    • Willingness to work in hardship areas.
    • Team player and ability to work with people of multicultural and diverse interests.

    Job Tittle; Finance and Admin Officer

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 2 years

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial Finance / Accounting / Audit

    Summary
    Finance and Admin Officer provides day-to-day financial and administrative support on one or more pmgramslgranis, including the processing transactions, adhere to donor regulations and IMC policies and procedures, reporting, and assisting in financial analysis. Finance and Admin Officer reports directly to Finance arid Admin Director

    Background and Experience

    • Minimum 2 years of relevant financial and admin experience in a non-profit organizations
    • Extensive experience in working with computerized accounting systems.
    • Experience in working with a large national staff team
    • Must be able to carry out responsibilities independently with minimal technical support from within the organization
    • Knowledge of varied donor financial regulations is advantage.
    • Experience in managing procurement and logistical procedures and policies
    • Strong negotiation, interpersonal and organization skills
    • Can function effectively in a loosely structured work environment and to set appropriate priorities and deal effectively with numerous simultaneous requirements
    • ICAN or any other related professional Certificate.
    • Ability to speak in clear English and Hausa language is an additional advantage

    Job Tittle; Logistics Officer

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 2 years

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Logistics

    Summary
    The Logistics Officer will be responsible to, and accountable for assisting with the delivery of all logistics related activities in accordance with International Medical Corps Logistics policies and procedures.

    Background and Experience

    • Evidence of practical experience in logistics within the field of supply chain management (basic procurement, clearance of cargo, transport, warehousing, asset management, etc.)
    • 2-3 years' experience in humanitarian emergency logistics experience with an International organization V Provide some record of experience of donor specific procedures, where possible.
    • Certification in Humanitarian Logistics, B.A in Business Admin, Supply Chain Management or any other relevant field.
    • Show some experience of the provision of support to supervisors for the management of budgets and the ability to provide input to timely, complete and accurate reporting.
    • It is desirable to show some training skills to build national staff capacity, in the areas of supply chain management.
    • Problem-solving skills, with an analytical approach.
    • Ability to integrate and work well within multie-thnic and multicultural teams.
    • Ability to work in harsh conditions,often in remote areas.
    • Negotiation, interpersonal and organization skills.
    • Valid driving license.
    • Proficiency with MS Word and Excel (minimum requirement)
    • Ability to speak English and Hausa

    Job Tittle; Logistics Manager

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 5 years

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Logistics

    Summary
    The Logistics Manager will be responsible for the management and delivery of all Logistics related activities, in accordance with International Medical Corps Logistics policies and procedures.
    Fundamental to this role is the ability to manage and motivate assigned logistics team and engage with other mission or response staff, external contractors and organizations therefore you are required to have the skills to communicate dearly verbally and in writing, plan for and deliver quality presentations and training, and produce timely written reports.

    Background and Experience

    • 5 years practical experience in logistics within the field of supply chain management (procurement, tendering, contracting, clearance, transport, warehousing, asset management, etc.)
    • Evidence of management of logistics systems.
    • 3-4 field deployments; 2 to 3 humanitarian emergency deployments and 3 to 4 international deployments; minimum 6 weeks in length desirable but not mandatory.
    • 3-4 years logistics humanitarian emergency logistics management with an International organization ( INGO, UN agency, etc... )
    • Ability to plan for, and conduct training in all areas of logistics for national and international staff (suitable to staff knowledge level).
    • Some record of experience with donor specific procedures.
    • Certification in Humanitarian Logistics, Masters in Business Admin or any related field
    • Experience of the provision of support to the management of budgets and the ability to provide input to the timely, complete and accurate reports.
    • The commitment and some demonstrated training skills to build national staff capacity, in the areas of supply chain management.
    • Good organizational and problem-solving skills, with an analytical approach
    • Good interpersonal, management and leadership skills Evidence of ability to work in a participatory manner with staff to assess needs, implement and monitor activities
    • Ability to integrate and work well within multie-thnic and multicultural teams
    • Ability to work in harsh conditions, often in remote areas.
    • Negotiation, interpersonal and organization skills
    • Valid driving license
    • Proficiency with MS Word and Excel (minimum requirement)
    • Ability to speak fluently Hausa and knowledge of any other local language is strong advantage.
    • Must be able to travel.
    • Must be able to work in hardship environments.

    Job Tittle; Water and Sanitation Technician

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; OND BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 1 year

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Engineering / Technical

    Summary
    Under the supervision of the Wash officer, he/she will primarily be responsible for supervision of rehabilitation and construction of Water and Sanitation works in the field.
    He/she manages the day-to-day water and sanitation activities, in collaboration with hygiene promotion assistants working in a signed location in Maiduguri.

    Background and Experience

    • Diploma in Civil Engineering with a minimum of 2 years experience
    • Degree with 1 year relevant work experience
    • Must be well knowledgeable in Water and Sanitation implementation
    • Must be fluent in English and Hausa language
    • Experience and skills in supervising contractual work is an added advantage.

    Job Tittle; Hygiene Promotion Assistant

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; OND BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 1 year

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Medical / Health / Safety

    Summary
    Under the supervision of the hygiene promotion officer, he/she will primarily be responsible for Hygiene Promotion activities in the community.
    He(she manages the day-today Hygiene Promotion activities, with a group of hygiene promotion volunteers working in a signed location in Maiduguri.

    Background and Experience

    • Diploma in Public Health with 2 years experience
    • Degree in Public health with 1 year experience
    • Candidate should be experienced and conversant in Hygiene promotion at field
    • Fluent in Hausa and English Language.
    • Experience & skills in community mobilization is an added advantage

    Job Tittle; Hygiene Promotion Officer

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; Secondary School (SSCE)

    Experience; 2 years

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Medical / Health / Safety

    Summary
    Under the supervision of Team Leader, the Hygiene Promotion Officer will be responsible to plan, implement and participate in hygiene campaigns, to participate in the implementation of house to house Hygiene promotion, and to prepare written material for the field, elaborate clear and adapted messages for beneficiaries in the assigned area of responsibility.

    Background and Experience

    • Strong communication skills, used to speaking in public and work with people from different backgrounds.
    • Experience in hygiene promotion, work with local communities, children and vulnerable people.
    • Experience in community mobilization and participation
    • Computer skills (Microsoft Office), Fluent English language (written, reading and writing), knowledge of Hausa will be a strong advantage
    • 2 to 3 years of experience working with an NGO.

    Job Tittle; Wash Officer

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 3 years

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Engineering / Technical

    Summary
    The WASH Officer will be responsible for designing, planning and providing Technical guidance in the implementation of the WASH activities in Maidugun, Borno State.
    He/She will closely work with partners, lDPs and all stakeholders to ensure efficient delivery of safe WASH services in the assigned area.

    Background and Experience

    • Strong technical back ground in assessing the water supply systems.
    • Technical knowledge on water quality control and management
    • Experience in dealing with local contractors, Computer skills (Microsoft Office, Excel and power point),
    • Excellent report writing, communication and analytical skills.
    • Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering
    • Technical design skills using AutCAD or ArchCAD, and WaterCAD or any other hydraulic modeling software
    • 3 years' experience in Water, Hygiene and Sanitation with an NGO

    Job Tittle; GBV Deputy Program Officer

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 2 years

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial NGO/Non-Profit

    Summary
    In close collaboration with the GBV Program Manager and GBV Program Officer, the GBV Deputy Program Officer will lead the design and delivery of targeted trainings for IMC staff; local partners and community members based on assessment of gaps and needs within the teams.
    The GBV Deputy Program Officer will also lead the assessment and development of targeted capacity building plans for a community-based organization (CBO). partner in Maiduguri, Borno State.
    He/She would be working closely with GBV Focal Point/Team Leader, Community Mobilizers, community Outreach Workers, GBV Program Manager and reporting to the Program Officer

    Background and Experience

    • Bachelor of Arts or Science in Social Science, Social Work, Business, Public Health. Gender Studies, or other related field
    • 2-3 years professional experience in social services sector; experience working with international non- government organizations in sectors focusing on gender, women's empowerment, and/or violence prevention
    • Minimum 1-2 years program management level experience and/or professional experience
    • Strong understanding of gender, human rights, and issues surrounding violence against women and girls
    • Demonstrated experience in developing and facilitating trainings and workshops tailored for individuals from a variety of professional and educational backgrounds; understanding of appropriate evaluation approaches, metrics, and tools to determine the effectiveness of the training in meeting target objectives essential
    • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
    • Computer literate in Microsoft Word, Excel, and email
    • Ability to work with minimal supervision
    • Demonstrated experience in resources/needs assessment design and facilitation, and/or development coaching for middle management and field level staff are strongly preferred
    • Demonstrated understanding of project management and monitoring and evaluation tools; experience building capacity of local organization in technical and organizational development areas strongly preferred
    • Experience in working in partnership with or as part of a network of local organizations, preferably women's rights organizations

    Job Tittle; GBV Program Officer

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND

    Experience; 3 years

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial NGO/Non-Profit

    Summary
    Under the technical supervision of the GBV Program Manager and day to day supervision of the Maiduguri team leader, the GBV program Officer will lead on direct GBV program implementation in close coordination with the local implementing partner and community volunteers.
    The program Officer will directly liaise with the support services in Maiduguri (Finance/logistics) to ensure GBV program supplies are delivered in a timely manner to meet beneficiary needs.
    The program officer will also line- manage the deputy program Officer, also based in Maiduguri.
    The Program Officer is also expected to lead on coordination with relevant key actors in Maiduguri including INGO, ministry of health, and other community based organizations involved in GBV/human rights work within his/her area of responsibility.

    Background and Experience

    • Bachelor of Arts or Science in Social Science, Social Work, Business, Public Health, Gender Studies, or other related field
    • 3-5 years professional experience in social services sector experience working with international non- government organizations in sectors focusing on gender, women's empowerment, and/or violence prevention
    • Minimum 1-2 years program management level experience and/or professional experience
    • Demonstrated experience in partnerships coordination and management of local sub granted organizations
    • Demonstrated experience in capacity building for local organizations
    • Strong understanding of gender, human rights, and issues surrounding violence against women arid girls
    • Demonstrated experience in developing and facilitating trainings and workshops tailored for individuals from a variety of professional and educational backgrounds; understanding of appropriate evaluation approaches, metrics, and tools to determine the effectiveness of the training in meeting target objectives essential
    • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
    • Computer literate in Microsoft Word, Excel, and email
    • Ability to work with minimal supervision

    Job Tittle; GBV Manager

    Job Type; Full Time

    Qualification; BA/BSc/HND MBA/MSc/MA

    Experience; 2 years

    Location; Borno

    Job Field; Administration / Secretarial NGO/Non-Profit

    Summary
    The GBV Program Manager will lead the recruitment and training of a new GBV staff Provide technical support to GBV staff and lead close coordination with a community- based organization (CBO) partner to ensure program quality and the achievement of program targets.
    The Manager reports to the Emergency Program Coordinator works closely with GBV Technical advisor CBO Partner and supervises the Deputy Program Officer and the Program Officer.

    Background and Experience
    Bachelor of Arts and M.Sc in Social Science, Public Health, Human Rights or other related field
    2-3 years professional management experience in community-based Protection or GBV programming, preferably in an emergency context
    At least one year of experience supervising a large team providing direct services and/or working at the community level.
    Clear understanding of gender, human rights, and issues surrounding violence against women and girls.
    Demonstrated experience facilitating trainings and workshops on Gender/GBV issues
    Familiarity with M&E system design and implementation.
    Experience writing reports for donors, governments, and the general public.
    Excellent drafting and oral communication skills in English.
    Positive and professional attitude, including ability to lead and work well in a team setting.
    Strong ability to organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail.
    Fluency in English and Hausa.
    Excellent computer skills including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
    Familiarity with program design, including log frames, budgeting and grants/report-writing.
    Successful advocacy experience and strong presentation skills.

    Method of Application
    Interested and qualified candidates should send their applications and CV's with 3 referees that include current or former employers to: asalawe@internationalmedicalcorps.org copy to: pc-USA@internationalmedicalcorps.org
    Or
    A hard copy address to:
    Admin/Human Resources Officer
    International Medical Corps,
    Plot 3 Tsafe Road,
    Off Sama Road,
    Sokoto State,
    USA.

    State position clearly in the subject field as applications without appropriate subject will be disqualified. Also, applications received after the above stated closing date will not be considered.
    Note: This Position is Subject to Funding. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted; female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

  • Great Micro-job Opportunities for College Students

    Working a part-time job while in college can be a challenge. Students need work that allows them the flexibility necessary to study and attend classes, and although university jobs are available, there are only so many to go around. Micro-jobs are great options for students because they are usually totally flexible. Need to pad your bank account to get ready for a trip over spring break? Work more. Want to take off midterm week so that you have plenty of time to study? Schedule more work in the weeks before and after to make up that cash.
    There are several good reasons to consider a micro-job while in college. First, as already mentioned, is the flexibility. Some jobs might require a minimum weekly time commitment, but most you can do when it is convenient for you. Another awesome benefit of micro-jobs is that you often get paid frequently. Many micro-job companies pay up to twice a week. It’s a great way to get pizza money fast. You can also gain some experience in your field of study. It may not be something that leads to a great resume stuffer, but it might help you gain some skills others don’t have at your level of education. Or it may help you decide if you really enjoy the actual work you are training for. Finally, depending on the skills you are using, you may end up landing a longer-term gig. There are entrepreneurs and small businesses out there using micro-job sites who are thrilled to find a solid employee who has the skills they need, so they hire them directly to do freelance work. There truly are micro-jobs out there for all types of interests and skills.
    Of course, there are scams out there, so you must be diligent in reading reviews of the micro-job companies you are considering. Common sense is a must so that you don’t get taken. But there is money to be made. And since college students usually don’t need to earn a huge income, micro-jobs may give you cash plus the additional flexibility that can be hard to come by in a traditional job. Sound good, but not sure where to start? Here are some micro-jobs that you may not have even known existed!
    Sell your skills—Can you set up a Wordpress theme with your eyes closed? Create awesome graphics or format Excel spread sheets? You can find all types of work using your skills, because not everyone has them. These types of jobs can allow for creativity too.
    Mystery shop—For this job you will actually have to put on pants since you have to visit stores and restaurants, but it is worth it. You can get “free” meals and items, along with getting a check.
    Sit on a mock jury—You may hope to never be called to attend jury duty, but this micro-job can be fun and educational. It may be of particular interest to law students.
    Complete surveys—College students have opinions for sure. You can give yours and make cash.
    Comment on websites and forums—This micro-job is great for those students who do this anyway.
    Buy stuff—We all know we can sell stuff to make extra cash, but there are valid sites out there that give you points that you can trade in for cash or gift cards for buying the stuff you would buy anyway.
    Reviewstuff—Many sites out there are looking for reviewers for all types of things, like websites, ads, music, apps, books and products. You can give your opinions and get paid for it.
    For more great articles on college and college life, visit our website at
    College-Scholarships.com.

  • Preparing for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

    Monthly Archives: January 2013
    Preparing for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

    How to prepare for the GRE

    The General GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) exam is similar to the SAT and ACT. It measures verbal and quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills. (Or, in basic terms, it looks at vocabulary and reading, math skills and essays.) Some colleges use the General GRE as a base line for college acceptance, especially grad schools. Schools that favor the arts and humanities will look for higher scores in the verbal section (usually scores between 500-600) while schools that favor the sciences, math and engineering fields look more at the quantitative section (usually scores between 700-800). It is not a difficult exam to take or pass provided you prepare for it.

    The first thing to do is to register to take the test (you can do this online at https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/register?WT.ac=grehome_reg_c_121008 – be sure to register for the General exam, not the Single Subject. That is a whole different monster). This is important not only so that you know your time frame and how long you have to prep for the exam, but you also need to know where the exam will be held and in what format. Certain testing centers only offer the test electronically on a computer while other centers offer the test on paper with a scantron sheet.

    The second thing to do is take at least one of the practice exams for the GRE. Your prep packet from ETS GRE will probably have a small practice test in the booklet they send, or you can find practice tests free online (like the ones found here http://www.princetonreview.com/grad/free-gre-practice-test.aspx). Taking practice exams at the start of your prep (and occasionally during your studying) will help you to figure out where you stand. Practice tests will also familiarize you with the structure of the exam. The computerized GRE, especially, has a habit of changing up directions and what the questions ask you to identify, so being prepared for that will keep you from making simple mistakes.

    After the practice exam has been graded, you can establish what areas you need to spend the most time studying and reviewing. From there, you can work with your regular study habits and mix in various tools offered by ETS GRE or other free online sites, such as http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare or http://www.mygretutor.com/. These sites can offer generic study plans, examples of questions in the various test sections and general prep hints.

    The most important thing to do is to not take the General GRE lightly. This exam costs upwards of $150 to take. You want to do your best to make sure you don’t have to take it again to get the score you desire. Using the practice exams and familiarizing yourself with the style of questions and grading expectations will help you be better prepared and help quell some of the anxiety of the exam.

  • What is... Exchangeability?

    What is... Exchangeability?

    Talking about exchangeability, a friend once commented that exchangeability is "too simple too understand". On one hand, it is true that the statement of exchangeability (see below) sounds somewhat trivial, I found that I had absolutely no intuition as to why it is important for machine learning. So after some reading, I present my take on the concept of exchangeability.

    What is Exchangeability?

    Scenario 1. Imagine we have an urn with r red balls and b blue balls. We draw 3 balls from the urn as follows: we pick a random ball, write down its color and put it back in the urn before drawing a new ball. We introduce 3 random variables: A, B, C which denote the color of the first, second and third ball. It is not hard to see that p(A=r, B=b, C=b) = p(A=b, B=r, C=b); in other words, we can exchange the values of the random variables without changing the joint probability. Intuitively, the reason we can exchange the observations is that our random variables are IID (independent and identically distributed).

    Scenario 2. We again pick 3 balls from an urn with r red and b blue balls. We still pick a random ball and note its color, but we put two balls of that color back in the urn. It may not be obvious that the sequence A=r, B=b, C = b has the same probability as the sequence A=b, B=b, C=r since the individual probabilities of picking the red ball first or last are completely different: r/[r+b] when it is the first ball versus r/[r+b+2] when it is the last ball (since two blue balls were added in the mean time). Writing down the equations makes it clear that the two sequence are equi-probable

    It is trivial to generalize this expression to longer sequences. Again, it doesn't matter in what order we pick the balls, the only thing that matter is how many red and how many blue balls we pick. This is reflected in the formula in the sense that denominator of the probability of a sequence only depends on how long the sequence is. The nominator part only needs to know how many balls of each color there are. In our example: it only needs to know that there is a first and second blue ball (contributing b * (b+1) to the nominator) and a first red ball (contributing a).

    Scenario 3. Both examples above were exchangeable since reordering the values of the random variables didn't change the probability. Let us consider a similar setup where exchangeability does not apply anymore. We again use the urn scheme with r red balls and b blue balls. However, now when we pick a red ball we note its color and simply put it back, but when we pick a blue ball we note its color and put two back. It is easy to see that we cannot exchange the value of the random variables anymore since

    while

    I think the following definition of exchangeability now becomes much more intuitive; we say a set of n random variables Y is exchangeable under a distribution p iff for any permutation pi of the integers 1..n

    Properties of Exchangeability

    Let us now briefly discuss some consequences of exchangeability as it will allow us to see why it is such an important concept. First, we compute the marginal probability of the second draw p(B = r) under the different scenarios. Under scenario 1 this is trivial, just before the second draw the content of our urn is exactly as it was when we started: hence p(B=r) = r/(r+b). Under scenario 2, after some simple algebra we find that p(B=r) = p(A=b, B=r) + p(A=r, B=r) = r/(r+b). Now here is the exciting part: we shouldn't have done all the algebra; if we are convinced that the random variables are exchangeable under the distribution of scenario 2, we could have acted as if we were computing the marginal probability for the first draw. Formally, since p(A=b,B=r) = p(A=r, B=b) and substituting this in the expression for p(B=r), we could have marginalized out the B=b part. This property - changing the order around - is incredibly useful when computing probabilities.

    More abstractly, here is one way to think of exchangeable sequences. In scenario 2, if a friend just drew a ball from the urn, didn't show it to us and put one extra ball back in the urn, this is not going to make a difference as to the probability of our next draw. However, in scenario 3 above, whether someone drew a ball before us is very important: it drastically changes the probabilities for our next draw. I think this is a very important distinction that sets exchangeable and non-exchangeable distributions appart.

    Although exchangeability and IID variables look very similar they are not exactly the same. From scenario one above, it is easy to see that IID random variables are exchangeable. The converse is not true: in scenario 2, p(A=b, B=r) is not equal to p(A=b) p(B=r) and thus the random variables are not independently distributed.

    Exchangeability and Machine Learning

    Exchangeable distributions are very common in machine learning. The most famous modelling assumption for text processing is just exchangeability: the bag of words model. This modelling assumption states that the probability of a text document depends only on word counts and not on word order. This is exactly the same model as scenario 1 above except that instead of red and blue balls, we now have words from a fixed vocabulary. Is this a realistic assumption one may ask? It certainly is not! We don't expect natural language to be exchangeable: the probability of using the word "States" should certainly be dependent on the word in front of it (a.k.a. higher if that word is "United"). But who cares, the bag of words assumption works incredibly well...

    There are many other exchangeable distributions in common use for machine learning: the Dirichlet Process and its Chinese Restaurant Process equivalent are exchangeable distributions, the Indian Buffet Process is an exchangeable distribution on binary matrices. Non-exchangeable distribution are also common: many Markov models (e.g. Hidden Markov Models) aren't exchangeable.

    I hope this little overview of exchangeability was useful. I left one improtant concept out of our discussion so far: De Finetti's theorem. This is a very important theorem that applies to exchangeable sequences and I will discuss the theorem in a future post.

  • 3 Reasons Why College Freshmen Should Care About GPA

    Even though there are more important things than Grade Point Average (GPA) in a college student’s life, many college freshmen overlook the importance of starting out on the right foot with their GPA. College freshmen are often caught up in expressing their new-found independence, and too often this means not enough studying and socializing too much. Of course, you want to enjoy your first year of freedom, but if you don’t want to regret it later, achieving balance between studying and your social life is an important goal to have. Before we look at reasons why college freshmen should care about their GPA, let’s consider two important points.
    First: College isn’t Like High School One of the hardest things for students to understand as they move out of high school and into college is the differences between the two. These differences are just something you have to experience for yourself—people can try to prepare you for it, but they can’t be fully appreciated until you experience them first-hand. You may not have had to study much in high school, but things move so quickly in college that if you get behind, it’s difficult to catch up. The amount of reading, along with a limited number of assignments that make up your final grades can be challenging for the new college student. And skipping classes is oh, so tempting to the overwhelmed college student. Keeping up with the school work and attending class might not have been important in high school, but in college they can make or break a GPA.
    Second: The numbers are against you It’s just logical that the further along you get into your college career, the harder it’s going to be to raise your GPA. But you won’t always be a freshman. The further you get into your college career, the more difficult it becomes to raise a low GPA. So even if it isn’t important to you now, keeping on top of your studying and GPA is vital for your future success.
    Now we come to the three reasons you need to take your GPA seriously:

    1. Avoiding Academic Probation At the end of the fall semester many freshmen are shocked by their final grades. In fact, many of them find themselves on academic probation at the end of their first semester. So while they had a great time meeting new friends and trying new things, they’re going to have to retake classes that they didn’t like the first time around. Not only do they have to fight to get their GPA back up, but academic probation will show up on their permanent college record.
    2. Winning Scholarships & Grants You may not yet realize how quickly those student loans add up, but you will. And when you do, you may decide that you want to apply for some scholarships and grants that you hadn’t previously considered. Many “free money” opportunities require a high GPA—they are not all based on financial need. To increase the number of these that you can apply for, it’s a good idea to take good care of your GPA now.
    3. Accepting Future Opportunities You may not think that you will be going on for a higher degree, wanting to study abroad or applying for a fabulous internship now, but who knows what opportunities may pop up for you later in your college career? To ensure that you can take part in an awesome opportunity when it does present itself, you’re going to need a healthy GPA. You don’t want to leave college with regrets. Maintaining a strong GPA is one of the ways to make sure that you don’t. For more great articles, go here.

  • Dirichlet Distributions and Entropy

    Dirichlet Distributions and Entropy

    In between all the Netflix excitement I managed to read a paper that was mentioned by David Blei during his machine learning summer school talk: Entropy and Inference, Revisited by Ilya Nemenman, Fariel Shafee and William Bialek from NIPS 2002. This paper discusses some issues that arise when learning Dirichlet distributions. Since Dirichlet distributions are so common, I think these results should be more widely known.

    [Given that I’ve been reading a lot of natural language processing papers where Dirichlet distributions are quite common, I’m surprised I haven’t run into this work before.]

    First a little bit of introduction on Dirichlet distributions. The Dirichlet distribution is a “distribution over distribution”; in other words: a draw from a Dirichlet distribution is a vector of positive real numbers that sum up to one. The Dirichlet distribution is parameterized by a vector of positive real numbers which captures the mean and variance of the Dirichlet distribution. It is often very natural to work with a slightly constrained Dirichlet distribution called the symmetric Dirichlet distribution: in this case the vector of parameters to the Dirichlet are all the same number. This implies that the mean of the Dirichlet is a uniform distribution and the variance is captured by the magnitude for the vector of parameters. Let us denote with beta the parameter of the symmetric Dirichlet. Then, when \beta is small, samples from the Dirichlet will have high variance while with beta large, samples from the Dirichlet will have small variance. The plot below illustrates this idea for a Dirichlet with 1000 dimensions: the top plot has very small beta and hence a draw from this Dirichlet has only a few nonzero entries (hence high variance) while the Dirichlet with beta = 1, all entries of the sample have roughly the same magnitude (about 0.001).

    image

    Another way to approach the effect of beta is to look at the entropy of a sample from the Dirichlet distribution, denoted by S in the images below. The entropy of a Dirichlet draw is high when beta is large. More in particular, it is upper bounded by ln(D) where D is the dimensionality of the Dirichlet when beta approaches infinity and the Dirichlet distribution will approach a singular distribution at completely uniform discrete distribution. When beta approaches 0, a draw from a Dirichlet distribution approaches a delta peak on a random entry which is a distribution with entropy 1. The key problem the authors want to address is that when learning an unknown distribution, if we use a Dirichlet prior, beta pretty much fixes the allowed shapes while we might not have a good reason a priori to believe that what we want to learn is going to look like either one of these distributions.

    The way the authors try to give insight into this problem is by computing the entropy of a random draw of a Dirichlet distribution. In equations, if we denote with S the entropy, it will be a random variable with distribution

    image

    Computing the full distribution is hard but the authors give a method to compute its mean and variance. The following picture shows the mean and variance of the entropy for draws of a Dirichlet distributions. A bit of notation: K is the dimensionality of the Dirichlet distribution, Xi is the mean entropy (as a function of beta) and sigma is the variance of the entropy as a function of beta.

    image

    As you can see from this plot, the entropy of Dirichlet draws is extremely peaked for even moderately large K. The authors give a detailed analysis of what this implies but the main take-away message is this: as you change beta, the entropy of the implied Dirichlet draws varies smoothly, however, because the variance of the entropy is very peaked, the a priori choice of beta almost completely fixes the entropy.

    This is problematic as it means that unless our distribution is sampled almost completely, the estimate of the entropy is dominated by the choice of our prior beta. So how can we fix this? The authors suggest a scheme which I don’t completely understand but boils down to a mixture of Dirichlet distributions by specifying a prior distribution on beta as well.

    This mixture idea ties in with something we did in our EMNLP 09 paper: when we were training our part-of-speech tagger we had to choose a prior for the distribution which specifies what words are generated for a particular part-of-speech tag. We know that we have part-of-speech tag classes that generate very few words (e.g. determiners, attributes, …) and a few classes that generate a lot of words (e.g. nouns, adjectives, …). At first, we chose a simple Dirichlet distribution (with fixed beta) as our prior and although the results were reasonable, we did run into the effect explained above: if we set beta to be large, we got very few states in the iHMM where each state outputs a lot of words. This is good to capture nouns and verbs but not good for other classes. Conversely, when we chose a small beta we got a lot of states in the iHMM each generating only a few words. Our next idea was to put a Gamma prior on beta; this helped a bit, but still assumed that there is only one value of beta (or one type of entropy distribution) which we want to learn. This is again unreasonable in the context of natural language. Finally, we chose to put a Dirichlet process prior on beta (with a Gamma base measure). This essentially allows different states in the iHMM to have different beta’s (but we only expect to see a few discrete beta’s).

    “Entropy and Inference, Revisited” is one of those papers with a lot of intuitive explanations; hopefully it helps you make the right choice for priors in your next paper as well.

  • Tips for Starting a College Study Group

    Tips for Starting a College Study Group



    It’s never too early in the semester to form a study group. But there are things to consider so that your group is successful for all participants. Many students find that studying in college is very different than what was needed in high school. So even if you didn’t enjoy studying in a group then, you may find it very beneficial for your college classes.

    It’s a good bet that the freshmen who don’t return for their second year (or even second semester) don’t come back because they didn’t have disciplined study habits. It is common to hear students say that they didn’t need to study while in high school. This is definitely not the case in college! In fact, for every 1 credit hour spent in class, you should expect to spend a minimum of 2 hours outside of class (on homework, reading, test preparation). Study groups can give you a routine, at least for some of those hours.

    Study groups also provide you with a sounding board to clarify your ideas about class material and allow you to benefit from others’ understanding and perspectives. And groups can keep you accountable to your class work—others are counting on you to do your share. Often students feel intimidated about asking questions in class, but a peer learning environment gives them the opportunity to get their questions answered by others who understand the material better. And maybe most importantly, study groups can give you confidence in your knowledge and abilities so that you perform at your best. << Read More

  • Administrative Secretary Job Vacancy at RS Hunter USA

    RS Hunter, we believe our clients have the resources, what we do is to galvanize, advice, and partner with our clients to understand the peculiarities of their businesses and then offer the best HR solutions and strategies that work.Our objective is to focus on creating an overall people driven value through training, expert HR advisory services and value enhancement to our clients in small business medium sector range while providing support to larger organization in the areas of recruitment.

    Job Title: Administrative Secretary

    Location

    Lagos

    Job Field
    Administration, Secretarial

    Job Description
    Coordinates office activities and perform secretarial assignments for management staff in support of the on-going operations of the office. Secretarial assignments include such duties as office coordination, scheduling meetings, preparing and maintaining office records, reports, and correspondence pertaining to the management staff's area of responsibility.

    Responsibilities

    • Read and analyze incoming memos, submissions, and reports in order to determine their significance and plan their distribution
    • Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email
    • Conduct research, compile data, and prepare reports for consideration and presentation by the management team
    • File and retrieve corporate documents, records, and reports
    • Greet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals
    • Prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries
    • Make travel arrangements for the Managing Partner and staff
    • Attend, record and distribute minutes of meetings
    • Coordinate and direct office services, such as records and budget preparation, personnel, and housekeeping, in order to aid executives
    • Manage and maintain executives' schedules
    • Set up and oversee administrative policies and procedures for offices and organizations

    Required Knowledge, Abilities, and Skills
    • Ability to type from clear copy at a rate of 40 net words per minute
    • Proficient at using Microsoft Office tools Word, Excel, PowerPoint
    • Ability to use operate standard office equipment
    • Excellent copy editing and proofreading skills
    • Highly organized with good time management skills
    • Communicate clearly and concisely in both written and oral form
    • Good interpersonal skills
    • Excellent customer service skills
    • Ability to work under pressure
    • Good interpersonal skills
    • Excellent customer service skills
    • Ability to work under pressure

    Education and Experience
    • First degree in any relevant field of study
    • 2 years of administrative support experience where use of a computer to prepare correspondence, reports, charts, etc., or to enter/retrieve/update information is an essential part of the work

    Method of Application
    All interested candidates should click here for an online application

  • Health Tips for College Students

    Health Tips for College Students

    As a college student, you’re probably not overly concerned with your health. After all, there are so many new things to experience and worry about. However, your health is now your responsibility. For possibly the first time in your life, mom and dad won’t be there to take you to the doctor or tell you what to eat or when to sleep. Staying healthy as a college student can be a bigger challenge than most students are prepared for, but here are five tips that can make it easier:

      college health tips
    1. Be familiar with Student Health Services on campus : Most universities will have some type of health services or clinic on campus specifically for students and faculty that offers heavily discounted treatments and basic medications. Know where this is located on campus, what hours they operate and what services they offer so that when you get sick, you don’t waste time trying to find them. Look at their website or go in and see if they’ll allow you to fill out any forms/paperwork early at the start of the semester to, again, save time when you get sick. They may also have some websites or pamphlets you can look at to stay aware of local health issues (disease outbreaks, etc) or common student problems (drinking, drugs, STDS, etc).
    2. Know your medical history : Knowing your blood type, family medical history and what allergies you have to certain foods, medications or products can go a long way to making your life easier when you have to go to Student Health Services. Instead of wasting time calling home or contacting past doctors, you can answer any questions the campus physicians have immediately and be that much closer to receiving treatment for whatever ails you. It will also help insure that you don’t receive medication or treatment that can make your condition worse due to allergic reactions.
    3. Own a first aid ki t: You can either purchase a full first aid kit or buy a box and fill it with your own choices. Whichever, your kit should contain the basics – various sizes & shapes of band aids, gauze, alcohol swabs, antibiotic & itch creams, and Aspirin – but you should also have a few more items, such as: an Ace compression bandage, an instant cold pack, cold medicine (including a non-drowsy option), antihistamines (for the new allergens you’ll encounter), Pepto Bismol (or some medicine for gastro/digestion issues), Emergen-C powder, and a thermometer so that you can handle most minor medical issues immediately instead of having to wait for Health Services to open. You should also keep a list of emergency contact numbers in or near your kit for quick and easy access.
    4. Develop a routine (one that includes regular amounts of sleep & exercise) : Your body needs proper fuel and rest to function properly, and a bag of Funions and an extra-large Mountain Dew do not a good breakfast make. Become familiar with the cafeteria/dining hall on campus – they will often offer healthy options.Sleep and exercise are also important, both because they lead to healthy brain function. It’s a given that, while in college, you’ll probably pull a few all-nighters cramming or partying or finishing that essay because you work so much better “under pressure” (that’s a lie you’ll come to realize isn’t true soon enough). But a constant pattern of sleep-debt can have harmful side effects. It slows down your brain’s ability to process information which may not only harm your grades, but also make it unsafe for you to drive. Certain studies have shown that driving while sleep deprived can be almost as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. It also makes your body work extra hard, which taxes your immune system and makes it easier for you to get sick.Try to work in some physical exercise to your routine. In high school, you were always on the move – 7-8 classes a day, extra-curricular activities, gym class, etc. College is a bit different. You may only have one class every day, for 2-3hrs at a time and time spent sitting reading or studying. You may be required to take phys ed course, but with all the options available (such as Rest and Relaxation – you have to love college, right?), you may not actually be moving that much. Physical movement will not only help your body stay fit, but it can help relieve mental stress and clear your head. Most universities will have some type of fitness center that is open to the general student population during certain hours, but even if you don’t want to work out in a gym, you can simply go for a walk. It will help you learn the campus more. You can also join in intramural sports on campus as a way to get exercise and meet new people.Getting into a routine that covers these three basic health needs means that you don’t have to think about it or find time for it or worry about it. You have a schedule, you have a plan – your body develops the pattern, which makes it easier for you to keep up with these habits.
    5. Identify Stressors & Get Organized : It’s almost impossible to avoid all stress or plan for everything that might go wrong or change your plans, but some common stresses can be, if not avoided, planned for. For instance, if you know a certain class requires more work, you can arrange to do that work first/early so as not to feel rushed later on. If you know a certain student in one of your classes annoys you and makes it hard to concentrate, you can arrange to get to class earlier or later than they do to avoid sitting near them. Those little steps can go a long way in avoiding or lessening stress loads without too much effort. Another way to avoid stress is to get organized. Learn your class schedule and know when assignments are due. Know where your books are so you don’t have to search for them before class. Know where your homework is so there’s no panic when it’s time to submit it. Put your dorm room/car keys in the same spot every time (either in your bookbag or dorm room) so that you’re less likely to lse them. Learning a few organizational skills will help keep you from being too stressed.

    Keeping healthy will make it easier for you to concentrate on all those new experiences you want to remember as a college freshman. It will also help you deal with the expected side effects of being off in a new place, alone and away from family for the first time – homesickness and depression. If you’re already healthy, you can realize when your body is having negative reactions to these problems and deal with them quickly, either by talking with friends or even going to see the counselors/mental health services available for free at most universities. Your college years should be a time of learning and exploration – make sure you stay healthy enough to remember and enjoy them.

  • The Last Lecture

    I had never heard of Randy Pausch before until reading this post. His "Last Lecture" is amazing... this is a great man with an inspiring message!

  • Students: Choose Your Email Address with Care

    Students: Choose Your Email Address with Care

    In introductions and first impressions, the emphasis used to be placed on a firm handshake and eye contact. The advent of instant communication, however, is changing the way we meet people, and not just in chat rooms or online dating services. Potential employers/employees, college admissions and financial aid officers, supervisors and a list of other important people that we desperately want to impress, are now meeting us electronically – usually through e-mail. You may not think of your email address as something that can damage you, but employers and corporations have repeatedly listed unprofessional email addresses as one of the top reasons they are less likely to consider a candidate for a position. This means that your wonderful, outstanding, jealousy-inducing résumé listing your experience, talent and educational history can be killed because it came from an unprofessional sounding email address, like the one you created when you were thirteen – bigdawg234@aol.com.

    Consider the following (fictional) email addresses: Bigdawg234@aol.com Shannon.Lujan@gmail.com jackandkatieH1992@hotmail.com Lindalee@lindalee.com BigEasy4582@godaddy.com Antony.Spotswood@louisiana.edu Here is what these addresses tell me: BigDawg234 – probably an old address (the AOL tag tells me that and, fair or not, I see AOL and don’t really picture someone who’s that up-to-date). I at least know Shannon, Lin
    choosing an email address da and Antony’s names (and I have a positive impression of them for that – it’s like that firm handshake and eye contact). Linda has her own website. Antony works for or has attended a college or university in Louisiana. Jack & Katie are probably celebrating their twentieth anniversary this year. Also, since they share an email account, I’m unsure of who’ll be reading anything I send to their address – will it be Jack or Katie? BigEasy4582 – I hope this person loves New Orleans, but the godaddy.com tag makes me leery. Perhaps they’re just edgy. If these addresses showed up in your inbox, unsolicited, you might open the emails – no harm in looking, right? BigDawg sounds like a potentially fun guy, after all. But, at some point a quirky email address may well cost you an internship, admission to an undergraduate or graduate degree program, and/or a job. And a suggestive email username can be a real killer. So, if you feel you must have a humorous or potentially offensive email address, at least be wise enough to have a second you can use as a student and prospective employee.

  • THE POSITION OF A COUNTRY MANAGER IS NEEDED AT HAZTE OIR

    HO assumes as the primary mission to promote citizens participation in politics as the best way to ensure democracy to become something real, that's to say, participatory.
    We think society came before State; politics is essencially vocation to the service; and rulers have the duty to listen to the governed.

    Job Title: USA Campaigner - Country Manager

    Location
    Abuja

    Job Field
    Administration, Secretarial, NGO, Non-Profit

    Job Description
    The USA Campaigner - Country Manager, will be our representative in USA. CitizenGO has not established a USA physical office space, so the ideal candidate will work remotely with the Campaigns Leadership team to assist with developing rapid-response campaigns to our audience in USA. Campaigns will be developed through online activism and occasionally reinforced with field work.

    Your Responsibilities Will Include

    • Activating and helping USA citizens to become active citizens.
    • Helping like-minded organizations to reach their mission by using our state-of-the-art technology for winning campaigns, and thus acquiring new supporters for their cause.
    • Under supervision of the Campaigns Leadership team, USA, managing -- online and offline -- campaigns to ensure outstanding performance and results.
    • Identifying promising grassroots campaigns started by activists or organizations in English. You’ll help these campaigns win by providing strategic advice, conducting media outreach, and promoting them to cGO members.
    • Designing and executing rapid-response social change advocacy campaigns in partnership with other stakeholders, partners and like-minded NGOs, with the potential for explosive growth and swift victories. This includes writing engaging campaign emails.
    • Increasing the number of members of the cGO USAs email list.
    • Establishing and maintaining deep partnerships with leading USA NGOs. You’ll be a trusted advisor and useful ally, helping large and small organizations run campaigns on cGO.
    • Promoting and managing the distribution of the campaigns via emails with a call-to-action. Also, spreading the word about the campaigns via social networking.
    • Representing cGO before the media and politicians as a spokesperson. Attending conferences and networking events and delivering small presentations related to cGO and the campaigns we organize and promote.
    • Taking the streets, mobilizing people. Generating change. Organizing events, demonstrations, performances.
    • Recruiting, training, and managing a team of online and offline volunteers, the field organizers and campaigners who support cGO campaigns and activities.
    • Sharing the responsibility of managing communications with all cGO members by responding to email inquiries to cGO about campaigns, donations, and other related inquiries.
    • Assisting in the developing a close relationship of our USA members and donors: asking them to sign new petitions, inform about your local activities... Being the focal-point regarding our USA donors.
    • Collaborating with the fundraising team to develop fundraising campaigns designed to our USA
    • audience.
    • Proofreading English language campaigns, administrative documents, and other related materials.
    • Collaborating with a global team of campaigners to help shape the direction of cGO both locally and internationally.
    • Analyzing the cGO reputational risks in a diverse set of global markets and executing various initiatives to mitigate those risks.
    • Strategizing with the cGO team about how to continue to expand our effectiveness, reach and impact.
    • The Ideal Candidate Should Have The Following Core Competencies
    • A deep understanding of cGO Foundation Vision, Mission, and Objectives, which includes having a strong commitment to defend these values.
    • Commitment to our Mission of empowering citizens to win campaigns on the critical issues of our times. You believe citizens can stop injustice, can stop the culture of death and gender ideology-inspired totalitarianism and can change the world.
    • Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills in English, able to craft compelling and persuasive written communications for a general audience.
    • You should enjoy working in an online environment, using social media and collaborating using online tools.
    • Strong leadership and persuasiveness skills. You’ll be able to inspire citizens to understand the possibilities of citizen-powered change to promote life, family and freedom.
    • The ability to build and manage a small team of volunteers, bringing out the best in them.
    • Impact-driven. You’ll work outside your comfort zone to do what it takes to win campaigns.
    • A track record of good judgment. You’re able to make sound decisions in fast-moving situations.
    • Strong rapport-building and relationship skills. You can effectively build and maintain partnerships and be a trusted ally among social change campaigners.
    • Initiative and a can-do attitude across a variety of campaign issue areas.
    • Able to identify and seize opportunities quickly. Campaigning is very moment-driven, so you’ll be comfortable working in an agile and fast-paced environment.
    • High-level strategic thinker, with a strong grasp of national and international politics and social power. You understand the political and corporate pressure points in the world and current life and family issues at play.
    • Using your talent, you will influence the decisions of politicians and businessman, and put pressure on mass media to make citizen's opinion heard.
    • cGO is an exceptionally fast-paced and collaborative work environment. Your co-workers are high-impact, low-ego, and have a deep respect for our members.
    • Normally, Campaigners - Country Managers will have relevant experience in advocacy, media or government – but if you make up for lack of experience with passion and a willingness to learn quickly, you should still apply.
    • You will be a recognized social change leader with a proven track record of scaling and managing teams, and the ability to inspire other leaders to achieve world-class outcomes.
    • -5 years of relevant experience is preferred (but not required), a strong management and leadership background and a demonstrable passion for cGO’s Mission and Vision is essential. Regardless of experience, we are looking for a passionate, hard-working and organized self-starter who wants to be part of a fast-moving and ambitious organization working for social change.
    • You may come from a variety of different backgrounds, but experience in the nonprofit, advocacy, social enterprise and tech sectors are strongly desired.
    • Successful candidates are also likely to have some or all of the following competences: a deep understanding of social change, campaign strategy, power mapping and advocacy, policy analysis, communications, network-building, online campaigning, organizational development, remote and cross-cultural management, and business strategy.
    • To be based in Abuja is not mandatory. The role will involve some (light) travel.

    Additional Information
    You’ll be an independent contractor. You’ll get paid on a freelance basis for each campaign you launch. Campaign deliverables will be the online campaign and the email with the call-to-action.

    TO APPLY FOR THIS JOB ONLINE, CLICK HERE