Social Cohesion Intern at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

• The Social Cohesion Intern will be responsible for providing administrative and field support to the Social Cohesion Officer in mainstreaming social cohesion strategies across all sectors of implementation in the THRIVE program. Support the implementation of activities by sectors and partners and ensure conflict-sensitive approaches are applied.
• Ensure participants including IDPs, returnees and host communities have a smooth pathway to interventions.
• He/She will work directly with the Social Cohesion Officer to support administrative tasks as well as field activities in mainstreaming social cohesion, conflict mitigation and re-integration activities under the THRIVE program.
• The Intern is to ensure close interactions with host community members and local governance structures to promote awareness and facilitate the establishment of sustained community-based schemes for promoting social cohesion. S/he will report directly to the Social Cohesion Officer and will work closely with other sectors.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Support the Social Cohesion Officer to ensure program progress according to the developed schedule and work plan.
• Support in organizing area-based committee community monthly meetings, community mobilization and sensitization/awareness.
• Support in ensuring equal representation of various community groups in the implementation of activities.
• Keep the program officer and management updated about the security situation in the project implementation area.
• Support the documentation of lessons learned and success stories on the program.
• Support in making routine field visits within the program areas to ensure social cohesion strategies are adhered to.
• Adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in the MC policies and procedures manual.
• Conduct himself/herself professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in the country of operation.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Other duties as assigned.

Finance & Compliance Management:

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Proactively ensure that members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging participants' communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Accountability:

• Reports Directly To: Social Cohesion Officer
• Works Directly With: Finance, Program, MEL, and Operation Teams, Partners

Knowledge and Experience

• Diploma or Bachelor's Degree from a recognized university.
• 1 year or less working experience with a local or international NGO working with marginalized communities.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills and capacity to maintain relations with the community
• Experience in building and maintaining strong/productive relations is required.
• Proficiency in computer use particularly Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is preferred.
• Knowledge of Hausa and any other local languages is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, and team building experience and ability to meet deadlines.
• Willingness to spend much time in the field and work closely with program target groups.

Success Factors

• Strong work ethics, having the ability to learn the most efficient way to complete tasks and finding ways to save time while completing daily assignments.
• Dependability and responsibility, having the ability to come to work and be there when they are supposed to be and are responsible for their actions and behaviour.
• Adaptability, being adaptable and maintaining flexibility in completing tasks in an ever-changing workplace. 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 MC’s policies and procedures and values always and in all in-country venues.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions:

• The position is based in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria, this is a relatively insecure location where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.

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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.
• 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 to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policiesand values at all times.
• Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.