Community Mobilizer at Search For Common Ground’s International

Location: Maiduguri, Borno - North East Nigeria
Reports to: Deputy Project Manager/ Child Protection Manager
Direct Reports: The community mobilizer assistant will have no direct report

Position Summary
We are searching for…

• A Community Mobilizer role to mobilise and facilitate active participation and dialogue of target populations, including beneficiary children, caregivers, community and religious leaders, and other key men and women in target communities, to participate in implementation of project activities within the “Supporting the Socio-Economic Reintegration of Children Associated with Armed Groups, and other vulnerable children, in North East Nigeria” project.
• In particular, Community Mobilizer will develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in select communities, update the project team on context specific factors impacting the project, support in mobilising project beneficiaries for activities related to psychosocial, social and economic reintegration, as well as wider community strengthening initiatives, media visits, and other key activities as arise.
• The Community Mobilizer will motivate, inspire and support children in target communities, and contribute to detailed planning and implementation of activities in line with conflict sensitivity, do no harm, and Search’s common group approach, always ensuring that children’s best interests are promoted.

About the Project

• In the past decade, states in the North East region of Nigeria have faced frequent attacks by Boko Haram militants leading to widespread displacement, violations of national laws, international humanitarian and human rights laws, and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Children, who are the most vulnerable members of society, have suffered the worst impacts as pre-existing problems of access to social protection, education and healthcare increase, new threats emerge, and the systems to protect children fails.
• This project aims to ensure that children verified and separated from CJTF receive a comprehensive child protection package including counselling, psychosocial support and socio-economic reintegration and that their communities understand the importance of their separation and reintegration. Search will work closely with the children, their families and communities, and CJTF to address the psychosocial and economic needs of the children and to influence the attitudes of communities and CJTF so they understand the negative impact of associating with armed groups on children and prevent the CJTF from using children. By increasing the resilience of children associated with CJTF and increasing their employability, this project will facilitate lasting reintegration of these children and amplify positive narratives around their role in communities as productive civilian actors and agents for peace.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Develop a Community Mobilisation and Sensitisation approach for effective project delivery.
• Ensure the project aims and objectives are disseminated across communities, and communities engaged and sensitised from the outset.
• Contribute to detailed planning and implementation of mobilisation on Search activities in collaboration with the Security Manager. Ensure regular communication with education and enterprise teams.
• Help to identify methods of community mobilisation that enhance partnership & coordination with government officials and local communities, as well as integration across sectors and projects.
• Help to identify areas of cross-project linkages within Search in assigned LGAs to ensure project leverages on broader strategic objectives.
• Assist mobilisation for regular program monitoring activities, i.e. identifying participants for key informant interviews, focus group discussions, media interviews.
• Assist the project team to develop IEC and visibility related materials by ensuring voices from communities are captured. Support promoting Search visibility in target communities.
• Support feedback mechanism within the project to ensure voices from direct beneficiaries and wider community are continuously shared, captured, and fed into project activities.
• Maintain a network of external contacts with key individuals in the government, NGO sector, civil society and media.
• With the support of Community Mobilising Officers, facilitate community meetings and dialogues to identify key community needs that can be addressed through the project’s community strengthening initiatives.
• Mobilise and facilitate the active participation of target populations to participate in planning, monitoring and implementation and evaluation of project initiatives.
• Keep abreast of local context and the security situation, and provide feedback in a timely manner.
• Role Model, along with Community Case Workers, positive examples for children building their futures.
• Support with data input for weekly and monthly reports.
• Support Search to become a key actor in the field of reintegration of ex BH children and other vulnerable children in NE Nigeria.
• Complete any other task relevant to the position as requested by the Deputy Project Manager or Child Protection Manager.
• As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key duties.

Qualifications
Education:

• University Degree or equivalent in Social Science, Education, Psychology, or a related field.

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years experience in the field of community work, particularly with children.
• Experience working with Children Associated with Armed Groups, and other vulnerable children.
• Experiencing coordinating activities within a large project.

Other Relevant Requirements:

• Familiarity with principles including the best interest of the child, do no harm, humanitarian principles, amongst others.
• Strong cross cultural communication and interpersonal skills.
• Highly organised and systematic, with excellent attention to detail.
• Experience working in emergency settings
• Experience working in different communities in Borno State
• Experience working with refugees, IDPs, host communities, and other vulnerable populations
• Excellent analytical and writing skills
• Knowledge of a local language (Hausa, Kanuri, Shuwa) a must

Desirable:

• Good analytical, problem solving and project planning skills.
• Ability to prioritise, plan, organise workflow to tight timeframes, handle multiple tasks, and be flexible with changing priorities.
• Community oriented and respect for local culture.
• Good IT skills, particularly with MS Office - Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint.
• Strong command of both written and spoken English.
• Holds self and others to account to deliver on agreed goals and standards of behaviour.
• Demonstrates a high degree of professionalism/integrity.
• Provides good administrative and logistical support to team.
• Strong attitude towards teamwork and collaboration.
• Actively seeks support in addressing difficulties in execution of duties.
• Strategic thinking and effective contribution to own work and organisational development.
• Sound judgement and decision-making in complex situations.
• Strong emotional intelligence including self-awareness.
• Leads by example to motivate high performance of others.
• Strong commitment to continuous learning.