Community Liaison Officer at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Job Code: 200000FU
Location: Caro, Borno
Job: Program Management
Schedule: Regular
Employee Status: Entry Level
Job Type: Full-time
Job Level: Day Job
Travel: Yes, 50 % of the Time

Project Background

• In its twelfth year, the crisis in Northeast Nigeria continues to significantly impact local populations, with over 2 million people still displaced. The economic system of the NE region has been severely disrupted, with serious impact on agricultural and income generating activities resulting in reduced purchasing power at the household level and in the ability to meet their families’ basic needs. Despite continued scale up in humanitarian assistance, significant gaps remain, as thousands of people affected by the conflict have not been reached and secure access to many areas is still not possible – pushing people into secondary displacements to access assistance. IDPs, returnees and host communities are all impacted as their livelihoods continue to be interrupted by the conflict and overcrowding has put a strain on existing resources. In 2020, 7.68 million individuals are expected to be in need of humanitarian assistance across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, with 4.4 million people requiring urgent assistance in all sectors.
• In this emergency context, IDP households are among the worst affected populations as displacement has resulted in the loss and destruction of key assets, the interruption of livelihoods and extensive trauma. In order to effectively respond to the crisis, CRS Borno’s emergency and early recovery programs are focused on food, WASH and shelter for vulnerable IDPs, returnees and host families. To provide flexible and appropriate solutions, CRS is implementing WASH and Shelter projects which seek to improve living conditions of vulnerable IDPs, returnees and host families through water infrastructure rehabilitation, hygiene promotion, shelter and sanitation infrastructure construction, NFI support and capacity building. Where possible, CRS seeks to maximize project impact, efficiency and effectiveness by adopting market-based approaches – through e-vouchers and the RedRose OneSystem platform – privileging integrated programming and empowering targeted communities through participatory approaches.

Job Summary

• As a member of the emergency shelter and WASH project team, the Community Liaison Officer (CLO) will serve as the focal point for community engagement and entry. You 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 Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) work serving the poor and vulnerable.
• Your thorough and service-oriented approach will ensure that the project consistently applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Support the coordination and implementation of all assigned community engagement activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Facilitate participatory community workshops as needed to engage end-users in programming decisions;
• Facilitate the development of the OFDA III communication plan and its implementation, coordinating closely with the accountability team and team leaders;
• 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.
• Support the CRS and partner field teams to identify community entry points, potential conflict triggers related to program activities and devise mitigating measures where needed.
• Build capacity among CRS and partner staff in the area of community engagement and effective communication techniques for trust and relationship building.
• In coordination with the project team support capacity building events for community representatives.
• Coordinate, monitor, and report on volunteer activities.
• Compile data provided at the community level as per project requirements and contribute to the preparation of reports.
• 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 humanitarian workers.

Key Working Relationships:

• Internal - Hygiene Promotion team, Infrastructure team, HLP team, Program Manager II, MEAL staff, operations staff
• External - Works collaboratively with partner CBO counterparts per LGA, as well as other stakeholders including focal points from local partners, government offices, non-governmental organizations and other agencies in field locations

Basic Qualifications
Education and Experience:

• High School diploma required. Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Minimum three years’ experience working in project support and community engagement.
• Experience required working with international NGOs in the area of emergency response.
• Familiarity of shelter and WASH programming desirable.
• Demonstrated high level interpersonal and communication skills
• 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, Kanuri and other local languages
• Travel - Must be willing and able to travel up to 60% of the time to field locations throughout the work week
• Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (SKAs):

• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners, community members and government partners.
• General knowledge of local and state government practices
• Well-developed knowledge of local community cultures, leaders, customs and practices through prior involvement in the community. Additional experience may substitute for some education.
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data preferred
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)
These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Strategic Mindset
• Accountability & Stewardship