PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
Syrian refugees and asylum seekers began fleeing the insecurity and entering the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as early as March 2011. Currently, the estimates show that there are more than 800,000 registered and unregistered Syrian refugees residing in Jordan. Approximately 80% of Syrians refugees are living among host communities, rather than in camps. While host communities are trying to meet the needs of Syrians, they are struggling as their scarce resources continue to be stretched to the limit. Frictions between Syrians and Jordanian have emerged.
Mercy Corps has initiated conflict mitigation interventions to address growing tensions in the host communities. Mercy Corps will build capacity of Syrian and Jordanian community leaders in high-risk communities to resolve local conflicts and build consensus around common problems and joint actions required to solve them. Through small grants Syrians and Jordanians will work on joint community projects that address these sources of instability in their communities.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Community Engagement Officer will be responsible for the implementation of Conflict Management for Syrian refugees, Host Communities and Municipal Actors in Jordan. S/he will serve as a primary contact person for the project participants and will coordinate their participation in the project, including training modules, follow up, mentoring, management of sub grants and community projects identification and implementation. Community Engagement Officer will be responsible for liaising with the local communities and local CBOs during the project. S/he will also be responsible for monitoring the achievement of the results set by the project in his/her area of responsibility. Community Engagement Officer will also be tasked with data collection, conducting surveys, submitting progress reports and making logistics arrangements in cooperation with other Mercy Corps staff. Frequent travel to the field from Amman will be required.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Establish and maintain good working relationships with the program stakeholders in targeted communities (Jordanian and Syrian) including youth, community leaders, relevant government bodies, CBOs, and communities.
- Follow up on the project activities and deliverables in different governorates.
- Travel/ drive to project locations as planned and required in coordination with Community Engagement Coordinators and other field officers for day to day implementation of project activities.
- Work closely with Community Engagement Coordinators to coordinate with conflict resolution experts/ trainers on delivering training modules as co-trainers in selected sessions in coordination with the training team follow up and mentoring to the project participants’ attendance, logistical support.
- Working closely with youth leaders on developing and implementing their initiatives on the governorate level.
- Provide feedback for the training team on preferred/needed topics to be included in the trainings.
- Ensure the sustainability of implemented projects in accordance with project scope and report on the beneficiaries who benefit from the projects.
- Identify Engagement activities through dialogue sessions with project stakeholders (youth, community leaders, CBO and Gov rep) following the criteria selected by the project.
- Follow up on the successful implementation of the project activities ensuring the compliance with the scope of the project.
- Conduct regular meetings with community leaders to discuss project plan to ensure timely implementation of project goals.
- Ensure monitoring of project activities, and contribute to the project evaluation, including end of project survey and interviews.
- Document all program activities on activity log sheet, achievements and challenges in weekly reports.
- Plan, provide logistical support and implement peer to peer activities to introduce lessons learnt, challenges and share learning among community leaders from different areas and experiences.
- Follow up on the implementation and the closing of the sub grants with local CBOs.
- Submit required reports (field visit reports, activity reports, weekly reports) to the community Engagement coordinator
- Receive and review disputes reports and share them with training team and M&E team.
- Facilitate and coordinate visits, assessments, research to reflect project activities impact.
- Ensure proper visibility of project activities.
- Support other pillars in the project
- Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
- Other duties as assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Community Engagement Coordinator
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: M&E team, Finance, Admin and Procurement teams.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Conflict Management or other related field;
- At least 3 years of experience in development or humanitarian assistance programs;
- Experience in the field of conflict management, communications, community mobilization, and/or project management is desirable;
- Familiarity with data collection and monitoring and evaluation tools is desirable;
- Strong interest in conflict mitigation, international development, and cross-cultural communication
- Strong multi-tasking, organizational, prioritization skills are necessary
- Proficiency in written and spoken English is desirable;
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Excel and Word;
- Valid driver’s license.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
- Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles, follow procedures, and meet deadlines
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrated flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving
- Proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results
- Ability to work with diverse groups of people
- Conscientious, with an excellent sense of judgment