Reconciliation & Social Cohesion Officer at Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)

Job Summary

The Reconciliation and Social Cohesion Officer (RSO) will be responsible for coordinating and implementing a pilot project of reconciliation, social cohesion with refugees/IDPs and surrounding host communities in Taraba, Borno and Adamawa States. The overall goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the JRS team and the refugee and host communities to build more constructive, just and peaceful relationships.

ROLE/MISSION

Thus, in general, the main mission of the Reconciliation and Social Cohesion Officer is to:

• Conduct regular trainings with stakeholders (JRS staff members, program beneficiaries such as youth, women, IDPs, refugees, community leaders etc.) to strengthen their skills to identify, mitigate, and resolve conflict and to build reconciliation and social cohesion;
• Mobilize community committees to promptly address conflicts that arise, to take steps to proactively prevent conflict, and to build peace through education and awareness activities planned together with JRS. 
• Develop and design educational and recreational activities that promote social cohesion, peace and reconciliation for various age groups, including children and youth.
• Enhance mutual understanding between refugees/IDPs and host communities and facilitate opportunities for encounter and dialogue. 
• Conduct regular trainings for selected elders and leaders from the host community, refugees and IDPs, to strengthen their skills to identify, mitigate and resolve conflict and to build reconciliation and social cohesion;
• Organize public awareness-raising activities that invite members of refugee and host communities to come together to build more peaceful relationships;
• Train and monitor selected teachers and peer educators.  
• Build inter-group understanding and skills for reconciliation and social cohesion among the refugees of all ages, through activities based on inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, action, and education. 

• Organize monthly meetings of relationship-building and training for selected leaders from the camp and host communities, who come from different religious and cultural traditions. Utilize an inter-religious approach to enhance their skills of conflict resolution and working in partnership; 
• Encourage more peaceful and reconciliatory relationships among members of the JRS project team 

• Hold monthly meetings for the JRS team (and others as necessary in response to need identified with the Project Director, Head of Programmes and Country Director) with a focus on learning about and applying the dynamics of reconciliation.
• Coordinate the participation of members of the JRS team in the activities planned to build reconciliation and social cohesion among refugee and host communities.

• Prepare the operational work plan of the project including detail monthly and quarterly plan. 
• Produce periodical report of the project and document project activities 
• Ensure coordination and information-sharing with the Head of Programmes and with the Coordinators of other departments of JRS project, with any partner organisations, and with external resource persons;
• Keep the Director of the JRS International Reconciliation Programme regularly informed about the progress of the project through meetings, emails correspondence and by filling in the monthly template for reconciliation coordinators about how the activities conducted relate to and reflect the JRS principles;
• Coordinate the collection of data for monitoring and evaluation of the project as instructed by the JRS Head of Programmes, the Country Director and the Director of the JRS International Reconciliation Programme;
• Attend regional or international meetings organized by JRS that are related to this job.
• Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATION

• Essential: BA Degree or MA degree in Reconciliation, Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution & Conflict Management, Peace Building and Conflict Transformation, Peace and Conflict Studies, Sociology, Social Work or Social Psychology or other related fields.
• Essential: Minimum 4 years of traceable experience in implementation of peace building, conflict resolution, social cohesion and governance related projects with particular experience in the North- Eastern states of Nigeria.
• Experience of being a group facilitator or mediator.
• Experience in training groups in peacebuilding, dialogue, conflict resolution, and related fields
• Critical: Outgoing personality with local language skills and advanced level of intra and inter-personal communication.
• Critical: Advanced security awareness and experience in similar environment.
• Critical: Excellent verbal, interpersonal and written communication skills in English and Hausa.

You are to adhere to JRS values and respect the code of conduct, be able to work in a high-pressure environment, have a good autonomy and be able to adapt quickly to your work according to local conditions.