Community Mobilization Officer at Creative Associates International

Position Summary:The Community Mobilization Officer will be responsible for implementing activities to increase community awareness and support of schooling in targeted non-formal education and alternative education learning center communities. This includes implementing a small grants program to enable CSOs to establish community coalitions and learning centers, building the capacity of CSOs and executing awareness campaigns to strengthen the community’s demand for education.The Community Mobilization Specialist will be responsible for implementing activities related to reestablishing a national culture of reading. This includes coordinating with national efforts.

****Reporting & Supervision:****

This position is housed in Abuja, Nigeria, reporting to the Deputy Chief of Party.

Primary Responsibilities:

• mobilize communities around formal and non-formal schools to promote access to education,
• establish community coalitions and learning centers, building the capacity of CSOs,
• conduct awareness campaigns to strengthen the community’s demand for quality education,
• promote a culture of reading through innovation, social accountability, and ownership of reading gains by enhancing civil society engagement;
• promote public discourse about reading;
• engage Nigerian organizations to develop and lead projects aimed at piloting or scaling-up effective models to stimulate reading, introduce additional reading materials at the community level;
• support research related to reading acquisition and correlating factors;
• generate momentum with communities themselves to spearhead increased interest and opportunities for everyone to participate in reading through community engagement campaigns and a grants mechanism for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs);
• work with communities to develop strategies, identify funding needs, and monitor projects in collaboration with community-level networks;
• help create a generation of children who want to learn to read and parents who want teachers who can teach their children to read, generating a demand for future reading instruction and assessment improvements by working with communities to re-establish a culture of reading;
• Engage parents and siblings in fostering a culture of reading (e.g., listening to children read)

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• At least 5 years of experience in community outreach or community mobilization
• Demonstrated experience managing community engagement campaigns, preferably in the education sector
• Experience with international organizations’ community grants mechanisms
• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing capacity building plans in culturally, politically, and security sensitive environments
• In-depth understanding of the role of civil society in development
• Demonstrated capacity in managing staff
• Fluency in English
• Bachelor’s Degree in International Development, Communications, Social Work, or other related field. Master’s degree preferred.