Community Liaison Assistant at Mercy Corps

Position Status: Full-time, Regular

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on adolescent girls’ empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation.
• With the insurgency spilling over from the Northeast of Nigeria and causing displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs. With funding from institutional donors, foundations and private corporations, Mercy Corps continues to provide assistance to meet the basic needs of vulnerable populations in the areas of food security, shelter, water and sanitation, protection, and livelihood.
• In 2020, Mercy Corps intends to implement a five-year, $30 million USAID-funded Rural Resilience Activity in Nigeria’s northeast. The purpose of the Rural Resilience Activity is to sustainably move people out of chronic vulnerability and poverty.
• The Rural Resilience activity will enable individuals and communities to engage in strong and sustainable market systems rather than continuing to rely on humanitarian assistance and faltering with each new shock. To achieve this purpose, the Activity will have five components and five cross-cutting elements:
  • Component 1: Provide up-to-date evidence for the selection of market systems, livelihoods and employment opportunities that contribute to inclusive and resilient growth and improved nutrition.
  • Component 2: Stimulate market systems growth and diverse economic opportunities (Pull activities).
  • Component 3: Build capacity to take advantage of market systems opportunities (Push activities).
  • Component 4: Sequencing, layering, integrating (SLI), and collaborative learning to improve activity effectiveness, sustainability, and scale.
  • Component 5: Supporting Market Resilience to COVID-19 Shocks.

General Position Summary

• As a member of the Rural Resilience team, the Community Liaison Officer (CLO) will serve as the focal point for community engagement and entry.
• He/She will support project teams to establish and maintain relationships with community members and local leaders and monitor and report on all project activities in support of Mercy Corps support MSD programming in Northeast Nigeria (Gombe state).
• The Community liaison officer will work closely with the Senior Program Officer, MRM team, and operations staff (including finance and operations) to ensure that activities are implemented according to schedule, budget and required quality.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy and Vision:

• Recognize opportunities to evolve the current portfolio into a more effective and impactful portfolio addressing the changing needs of conflict-affected populations.
• Contribute to countrywide strategy development.

Representation and Coordination:

• Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with communities, local authorities, and other stakeholders.
• Ensure effective coordination with relevant stakeholders and agencies.

Program Management:

• Support the Program team and partners to identify community entry points, potential conflict triggers related to program activities and devise mitigating measures where needed.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to community needs, meets targets, and is carried out in line with best practices.
• Develop and maintained a community stakeholder directory to include but not limited to key contacts in the community, local community-based organization groups, local government agencies and INGO’s.
• Monitor and report any challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. Assist partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences related to community engagement.
• Coordinate communication and facilitate information sharing among the project team, implementing partners, and project beneficiaries at the community level to assist local partners in strengthening the community interest, involvement, and support networks.
• Liaise with various community stakeholders and mobilize them to ensure full involvement of community leaders, community representatives, and local government representatives in the overall implementation and improvement of project activities.
• Adhere to all MC policies related to security, operations and transport/ logistics information related to programming.

Team Management:

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

Finance & Compliance Management:

• Ensure compliance with all donor and Mercy Corps regulations.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• None

Accountability:

• Reports Directly to: Senior Intervention Officer - Gombe
• Works Directly with: Intervention Team, MRM Team, Finance, and Operation teams.

Knowledge and Experience

• A High School Diploma required. Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• Minimum one year of experience working in project support and community engagement.
• Experience in participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and to organize and prioritize a variety of initiatives.
• Required Languages - English, Hausa, and other local languages.
• Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 75% of the time to field locations.
• Experience required working with international NGOs in emergency response.
• Familiarity with MSD programming is desirable.
• Demonstrated high-level interpersonal and communication skills.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive, and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building.
• S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.
• Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together.
• Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges.
• We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
• We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

• Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a sustained global impact.
• We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all.
• We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics:

• Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity.
• We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC.
• We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and always adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values.
• Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.