Community Liaison Manager at Mines Advisory Group (MAG International)

Job Purpose

• To assist the Senior Management Team to ensure that MAG’s approach to community participation in mine action is integrated into the planning and implementation of programme activities.
• To undertake the management, training, assessment and monitoring of Community Liaison (CL) staff and activities in the field and recommend improvements to the Country Director (CD) / SMiC (Senior Manager in Country), Project Manager (PM) and Regional Programmes Manager (RPM) where appropriate.
• To manage CL resources and be responsible for the gathering and dissemination of relevant and accurate information to enable informed decision-making, maximisation of impact and the achievement of MAG’s vision, mission and key aims.

About the Role

• The Community Liaison Manager will assist the Senior Management Team in country to ensure that MAG’s approach to community participation in mine action is integrated into the planning and implementation of programme activities. 
• The postholder will also undertake the management, training, assessment and monitoring of Community Liaison (CL) staff and activities in the field and recommend improvements to the Country Director (CD) / Senior Manager in Country (SMiC), Project Manager (PM) and Regional Programmes Manager (RPM) where appropriate. You will be responsible for the gathering and dissemination of relevant and accurate information to enable informed decision making, maximisation of impact and the achievement of MAG’s vision, mission and key aims.

About You

• You will have demonstrable experience working overseas in community and/or educational development activities and in emergencies. You will need significant experience of participatory research techniques in a working context and of conducting needs or risk assessments in order to design and implement appropriate interventions.
• You will also be experienced in the monitoring and evaluation of development projects and in the design and delivery of formal or informal training and transfer of skills to others. The postholder will have experience working independently for extended periods of time in “stand-alone” environments with minimal supervision.
• To be successful in this role, you will need strong information and people management skills, relevant numeracy and IT skills and good spoken and written English skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to establish relationships with local authorities and people from a military, development and community background are required. You will also have sound understanding of rural livelihood and international development issues and excellent organizational skills with the ability to coordinate activities and projects.   
• In addition, you will be able to establish effective working relationships at all levels and to represent and promote MAG.
• The Community Liaison Manager will be sensitive to cultural differences, able to work in a wide variety of cultural contexts and have humanitarian and capacity building principles. You will need to be self-motivated, flexible, and have a strong interest in and commitment to MAG’s humanitarian mandate.
• You will be able to demonstrate initiative, be determined, and offer an enthusiastic and flexible approach to work.

Job Description
Technical:

• Provide research and analysis of relevant socio-economic data in order to help prioritise social target groups and geographical areas for Community Liaison activities: Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (RE), NonTechnical Survey (NTS), Impact Assessment (IA) and liaison for land release.
• Plan, prioritise and coordinate all CL activities in order to achieve maximum community participation and understanding during all stages of clearance activities.
• Maintain regular liaison with the SMiC to coordinate the deployment planning for CL teams, exchange information on operations, assess tasks from survey to completion and plan support to land release activities when required (non-exhaustive list).
• Plan CL activities efficiently to ensure project outcomes are met in a cost-efficient manner benefiting to the donor, beneficiaries and affected communities in general.
• Advise on safe and effective management of all aspects of CL and related tasks in the country of operation, in accordance with relevant IMAS, MAG Standard Operating Procedures and guidelines, and ensuring that these are consistent with MAG’s policies and mandate.
• Set a Quality Management (QM) system and tools to assess needs in capacity building in CL-related topics (including but not limited to RE, NTS and impact assessment activities) to plan and deliver training accordingly.
• Plan and conduct relevant training activities for national staff where required, including EO Risk Education, participatory learning techniques, communication skills and facilitation skills.
• Monitor and evaluate the on-going performance of CL and EORE activities by national staff in the field.
• Develop good capacity in the use of MAG Global Operations Management Information System to collect data and analyse information for reporting, strategic planning and impact assessment purposes
• RE: Assist in the design and implementation of programmes to mitigate the risk communities living with explosive ordnance face (including both child and adult-oriented risk education programmes)
• NTS: Ensure non-technical survey activities follow due process, adopting an evidence-based approach, using tools at your disposal accurately and following safety measures in place.
• IA: Coordinate among operations the impact assessment of MAG’s activities on communities and other relevant stakeholders. Where appropriate, design and apply relevant measurement tools and indicators. Ensure the capture of data on the outcomes and impact of MAG’s work and the communication of this data to relevant internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist in the design and implementation of programmes to mitigate the risk of living with remnants of conflict (including both child and adult-oriented risk education programmes)
• Coordinate the on-going evaluation of benefits MAG’s activities have on communities and other relevant stakeholders. Where appropriate, design and apply relevant measurement tools and indicators.
• Ensure the capture of data on the outcomes and impact of MAG’s work and the communication of this data to relevant internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist and support the development of the country programme strategy, plans, proposals and budgets with regards to CL training and operations in line with MAG’s mission and mandate
• Conduct assessments, including on-site interviews with beneficiaries, and other technical missions on behalf of MAG as required.

Communication and Reporting

• Conduct on-going liaison with all relevant stakeholders (government, INGOs, national NGOs, mine action centres, health care providers etc.) and establish and maintain networks for information exchange.
• Where MAG is implementing CL via implementing partners, ensure regular and cordial partnership relations.
• Assist in proposal writing and budgeting.
• Provide clear and accurate reports for donor and HQ purposes.
• Provide to MAG HQ case studies and oral testimonies of the variety of experience of living with conflict and remnants of conflict.
• Conduct research, develop and maintain an understanding of MAG’s CL approach and its evolution. Where required, undertake recording and documenting of CL resources (photographs, reports, EORE materials, etc.)

People Management and Capacity Building:

• Direct, supervise and manage CL team leaders and CL teams as required. • Coordinate and build capacity of implementing partners.
• Build and maintain good working relationships with all national staff to maximise results and objectives.
• Build and sustain acceptance and commitment for work in line with humanitarian principles and standards.
• Be a team player: work collaboratively and inclusively to manage and develop both your own and other teams.
• Assist with the recruitment and selection of national CL staff.
• Ensure Job Descriptions for CL staff are up to date and in line with MAG standards.
• Set objectives to MAG CL staff according to their positions and conduct appraisals of CL and any other line reports in line with MAG procedures.
• Plan and conduct relevant training activities for national staff where required, including RE/NTS/IA, participatory learning techniques, communication skills and facilitation skills based on continuous training needs assessment.

All International staff are expected to undertake the following general duties:

• Work within the framework of MAG’s core values, promoting its ethos and mission statement.
• Work towards achieving programme and/or department business plan objectives
• Ensure familiarity with and adhere to all MAG policies and procedures and keep informed of MAG activities
• Undertake and apply learning from appropriate training and development programmes.
• Undertake role in developing countries and areas in conflict where standards of living may be basic
• Undertake the role in a manner appropriate to the cultural context and within the local legal framework.
• Understand and uphold the standards outlined in MAG’s Safeguarding Framework, acting with due care and attention to safeguard the wellbeing of anyone that comes into contact with MAG’s work and reporting concerns if they do arise. This is a non-contractual document that can be varied from time to time as circumstances dictate.
• This job description is intended to summarize the main duties and responsibilities of the post; this is not intended to be a full and exhaustive list of tasks. All MAG staff are expected to demonstrate flexibility and willingness to perform appropriate tasks when the need arises.

Person Specification

Qualifications:

• Qualifications in a development research or an information management related discipline

Essential Experience:

• Experience of working overseas in community and/or educational development activities.
• Experience of conducting needs or risk assessments in order to design and implement appropriate interventions.
• Experience in the monitoring and evaluation of development and humanitarian projects.
• Experience in the design and delivery of formal or informal training and transfer of skills to others.
• Experience of leading, motivating and managing a diverse range of people.
• Experience of participatory research techniques and community-based approach in a working context.
• Experience of working independently for extended periods of time in ‘stand-alone’ environments with minimal supervision.

Essential Skills and Knowledge:

• Strong information management skills
• Understanding of humanitarian response and risk reduction
• Understanding of diversity and inclusion
• Understanding of political and cultural context and underlying causes of humanitarian crises.
• Good negotiation skills
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to coordinate activities and projects in line with accountability principles
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to establish relationships with people from a military, development and community background
• Excellent remote management, people management and coordination skills
• Sound understanding of rural livelihood and international development issues
• Relevant IT and numeracy skills
• Good spoken and written English language skills

Essential Aptitude:

• Ability to establish effective working relationships at all levels internally and externally
• Self-motivated, flexible and enthusiastic approach to work
• Innovative, creative and pro-active with an analytical and solution-oriented approach
• Ability to represent and promote MAG
• Do no harm approach, cultural sensitivity and adaptability
• Strong commitment to humanitarian and capacity building principles
• Commitment to MAG’s humanitarian mandate

Benefits

MAG staff are rewarded with generous benefits:

• The total starting salary package for this position is £40,600 GBP per annum (approx. $45,000 USD) per annum (including basic salary, and allowances)
• Salary: The starting salary package for this position is £40,600 GBP per annum including all allowances and this increases with service.
• Accommodation: MAG will provide accommodation in-country.
• Leave: We recognise our staff work hard and need the appropriate time out to stay motivated. You'll have a minimum of six weeks out of the programme per year
• Flights: MAG provides three international flights home per year
• Insurance: All international staff are automatically covered by MAG's comprehensive insurance package including: Personal accident and medical expenses insurance; Death by natural causes insurance and access to 24-hour medical assistance including evacuation and repatriation.