Civic Engagement Officer at Action Against Hunger | ACF-International

Key Responsibilities:
Lead the implementation of the EU FPI civic engagement and social cohesion project.

• Support day-to-day implementation of civic engagement, peacebuilding, and advocacy activities in targeted LGAs.
• Coordinate logistics and operational support for trainings, community dialogues, and outreach activities.
• Follow up on the successful implementation of project activities to ensure compliance with the project scope.
• Conduct regular field visits to monitor progress and provide hands-on support.
• Update stakeholder contact information at the state level and targeted local government area (LGA) for the health, protection, and advocacy sector regularly
• Ensure a feedback mechanism is established-between health facility, community-ward-LGA-state with active participation from the State and LGA authorities 
• Joint planning with state and LGA authorities to conduct review meetings and supportive supervision alongside project staff to monitor the quality of the EU FPI Project
• Facilitate inclusive civic engagement activities that promote citizen participation, accountability, and trust between communities and institutions.
• Support peacebuilding initiatives through dialogue platforms, conflict-sensitive programming, and community-led mediation efforts.
• Promote social cohesion by engaging youth, women, traditional leaders, and marginalized groups in participatory processes
• Support the other sector to conduct analysis, technical studies, and assessments in the EU FPI  project.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and ethical data handling standards.
• Ensures that project activities are carried out with an inclusive lens, cultural sensitivity, promotes gender equality, and inclusion of marginalized groups;
• Works with field teams to ensure access and participation of women, men, girls, and boys at risk in Action Against Hunger’s response, recovery, and rehabilitation work.
• Initiates innovative documentation process to capture learning and changes, support team to obtain sex, age, and other disaggregating data;
• Proactively represent Action Against Hunger and participate in protection and advocacy working groups in Sokoto.
• Ensures Protection and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) measures and reporting mechanisms are in place and raise awareness among teams, project stakeholders and the community.
• Work with consortium partners and media agencies on information management with a focus on misinformation, disinformation, and foreign interference

Support the capacity building for Project teams and organizational development for LGA  stakeholders

• Support community-level peacebuilding activities, including dialogue sessions and conflict prevention initiatives.
• Work with community leaders and groups to identify and address local tensions affecting service delivery and participation.
• Ensure conflict-sensitive and “do no harm” approaches are integrated into all RECAP activities.
• Support the identification, engagement, and capacity strengthening of Community Health Mediators and other community-based facilitators.
• Facilitate linkages between communities, health actors, and local authorities to improve trust, communication, and access to services.
• Support community-led awareness and mediation activities related to health, social services, and civic participation.
• Facilitate and coordinate visits, assessments, and research to reflect the project activities' impact.
• Identify outreach activities through dialogue sessions with project stakeholders (youth, community leaders, CSOs, and Gov rep) following the criteria selected by the project.
• Ensures identification and satisfaction of training needs for the project staff on relevant standards and instruments for gender equality and humanitarian protection. 
• Designs and implements demand-driven programme approaches and methodologies aiming towards capacity building, working in partnerships, policy analysis, and advocacy. 
• Designs and documents training modules and capacity building processes.

 Lead project,s monitoring, and reporting on Civic Engagement at the LGA and State level.

• Take the initiative to understand the logical framework and review the Civic engagement indicators (LFA) of the project accordingly.
• Ensure the compilation of need/feasibility assessments and related reports. These reports must be well synthesized, documented, and transmitted to the line manager.
• Ensure monitoring of project activities, and contribute to the project evaluation, including end of project survey and interviews.
• Monitor project activities and track outputs related to civic engagement, peacebuilding, and community participation.
• Document achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and community feedback.
• Contribute to assessments, surveys, evaluations, and learning processes.
• Prepare and submit timely field visit reports, activity reports, and weekly updates
• In collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning team, leads the design and implementation of transparent and accountable mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating progress for Action Against Hunger Programs.
• In collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning team, leads regular monitoring and evaluation as required to ensure quality project implementation and adherence to donors’ deliverables and program management policies.
• Monitor the external contexts and emerging needs regarding civic engagement work to introduce programmatic changes as necessary.
• Contribute to documenting civic engagement experiences, preparing specific reports, presentations, briefs, and articles for publication

 Local representation for ACF and coordination with other stakeholders within the intervention area

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including government institutions, CSOs, traditional and religious leaders, youth groups, and community representatives.
• Represent the project at community, LGA, and state-level meetings as required.

• Support coordination with partners, volunteers, and field officers to ensure coherent implementation.
• Ensure proper visibility of EU-funded activities in line with donor guidelines.
• Support the sustainability of community engagement, mediation, and peacebuilding mechanisms.
• Ensure compliance with project scope, security protocols, and organizational policies.
• Work with Action Against Hunger Project Managers, Deputy Manager, M&E Manager, MHPSS, and support team to advance CSO engagement throughout the project cycle.

Position Requirements:

• A university degree in Management, International Development and Sociology
• At least 2 years of experience in international development or humanitarian assistance programs.
• Experience in civic engagement and outreach.
• Experience in project implementation and support of emergency and relief programs.
• Experience in conducting community participation activities
• Demonstrated experience in conducting training and providing capacity building to local partners and beneficiaries on peace and social cohesion
• Able to work under time pressure and long hours whenever required;
• Fluency in Hausa and/or Fulani is an advantage
• Resilience, flexibility, and adaptability to work successfully under stressful conditions;
• A high level of social-cultural sensitivity when dealing with colleagues, partners, and beneficiaries; 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and tact, to be able to liaise effectively with a range of stakeholders, including NGO partners, community leaders, and government officials;
• Creative problem solving and innovation in complex and /or restrictive working environments;
• User-level computer literacy (Office Package, Outlook, etc.).