WPE Community Engagement Officer-Konduga

Work Arrangement: In-person

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, provides relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. The IRC is committed to bold leadership, innovation and creative partnerships. Active in public health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, youth development, and protection and promotion of rights, IRC assists people from harm to home.

IRC entered Nigeria in October 2012 in response to a widespread flood disaster. Since then, the IRC has expanded its scope and size of the programs as new areas became accessible after prolonged conflict and insecurity, in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States. The IRC’s response to the humanitarian situation includes integrated health and nutrition services, as well as reproductive health care and women protection services. In 2015 IRC Nigeria developed a five-year long term Strategy Action Plan. The plan has Health, Education and Economic Wellbeing as high priority program areas.

The IRC WPE program implements Prevention, Response and Empowerment activities to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and the focus of this program is to provide good quality health and psychosocial response services to conflict-affected women and girls in Borno State, North-Eastern Nigeria in a timely manner.

Scope of Work/ Job overview

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a serious human rights and public health issue affecting women and girls around the world. It impacts all aspects of women and girl’s physical, emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It has harmful consequences for the individuals who experience it, their families, and communities. The Community Engagement Officer will be based in Maiduguri, Borno state and with support from the WPE program managers, he\she will work in coordination with the prevention and response teams to design strategies using EMAP and SASA Together! modules to prevent gender-based violence as well as takes lead in engaging community leaders, community based structures and partners through trainings and awareness raising sessions that are geared towards GBV prevention and response. This position will have 80% travel in intervention sites and coordinate with other IRC sectors including the M&E, actors to conduct assessments (baseline and end line) and share reports that will be used to inform program design and quality. 20% of the time will focus on activities planning, strategies design and development and quality report.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

- The Community Engagement Officer assists the Program Manager in developing and sustaining a GBV community mobilization strategy that will allow members of the community to reflect on the GBV issues affecting their community and guide them in their effort to prevent GBV. - Work with community mobilization assistants and capacity building assistants to design key sensitization messages using the SASA Together! community sensitization guide. - The Community Engagement Officer access training needs and works with the Program Manager to plan and implement trainings accordingly. - Do regular field visits to assist capacity building assistants and community mobilization assistants in community mobilization using EMAP and SASA Together! modules. - Ensure key stakeholders such as police, judiciary, heads of schools, heads of health institutions, community leaders, local groups including women and adolescent girls’ groups, community volunteers and the ministry of women and social development are engaged for trainings and community sensitizations. - With support from Program Manager, take the lead in the commemoration of international events: international women’s day, 16 days of activism and international day of the girl child and submit a comprehensive evidence-based report. - Ensure the formation of women, and adolescent girls’ groups (WAG, EMAP, EASE, AG, SASA Together!) and develop guidelines for the formation of these groups and their roles with reference to the Nigeria context. - In coordination with the other WPE officers, assist in assessment and surveys including PDM, Safety Audits, knowledge checking etc. and provide update to improve program quality. - The Community Engagement Officer also helps to establish collaborative relationships with collaborating partners including subsector working group, local authorities: Ministry of women Affairs and Social Development, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of health to strengthen GBV prevention and response through a coordinated referral pathway. - Visit operational sites to monitor the progress of GBV activities. - Supervise and support capacity building assistants and Community mobilization Assistants to deliver quality programming. - Ensure field staff receive all necessary materials needed for training and awareness activities. - Monitor mobilization messages and other activities to ensure field staff maintain a consistent message that follows the GBV mobilization strategy and use a variety of mobilization tools in their work with the communities. - Liaise with community leaders, government agencies, IRC program sectors and other appropriate agencies to ensure that the program is meeting their needs. - In coordination with WPE Managers and prevention team, assess training needs of sub-sector working groups members and plan appropriate training. - Design, implement and evaluate quality GBV awareness raising sessions and training in a systematic and consistent manner by establishing GBV training procedures - Coordinate, monitor and closely supervise the capacity building and community mobilization activities in Borno State maintaining standardized trainings and a consistent message. - Compile and summarize monthly statistics and narrative on community mobilization activities and training reports from the field and submit an overall weekly and monthly reports to WPE Program Managers in Adamawa. - Ensure that all work is done in accordance with established protocols and within ethical guidelines. - Prepare and submit all financial documents including supporting documents of conducted activities in a timely manner

Qualifications

- University degree in Social Work, Political Science, or a related field. - 4 years’ experience implementing GBV prevention programming including experience in emergency or post-conflict project management. - Demonstrated experience in implementation GBV primary prevention activities like EMAP, SASA Together! And Advocacy. - Excellent communication skills, cultural sensitivity, flexibility, ability to improvise, team player. - Experience in using community based and participatory approaches. - Experience in community mobilization and awareness creation. - Experience in working in remote and hard to reach areas with limited amenities.

Languages:

- Fluency in English and other languages desirable. - Knowledge of the local language will be an added value.

Functional Skills

- Ability to use computer/Other Tech Requirements like Comcare, kobo collect. - Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. - Ability to live and productively work under stress and in insecure and harsh environments while maintaining a sense of humor.

Standards of Professional Conduct The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality****: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Working Environment

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.