Community Development and Outreach Officer at Mobilising for Development (M4D) - 6 Positions

Mobilising for Development (M4D) is an innovative governance programme aimed at supporting the improvement of MDG related service delivery and accountability at the local government level in Nigeria. It will work in nine LGAs in three states (Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa) and help facilitate the inclusion of excluded groups, especially adolescent girls and people with disabilities, in decision making processes as well as supporting the capacity of policy makers and service providers to respond and be accountable while innovating new and better-fit ways of service delivery and accountability. In this regard, we seek to hire additional hands with the recruitment of additional 9 Community Development and Outreach officers (GDOOs) who will be expected to enable the programme to better respond to the demands and meet the needs of communities while also ensuring that results are achieved in a timely manner.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Community Development and Outreach Officer

Location: Kaduna (Kachia, Kudan, Igabi); Kano (Garun Mallam, Sumaila, Dawakin Tofa); Jigawa (Miga, Ringim, Mallam Madori)
Slot: 9 (One in each Local Government)

Overall Responsibilities

• The role of the Community Development Outreach Officer will be to act as the primary interface between the programme and the communities on the one hand, and policy makers and service providers on the other. Key roles include:
  • Acting as a guide and mentor to oversee the work of the Community Based Organizations, Adolescent Girls, People with Disability Platforms and Community Mentors during implementation
  • Supporting the groups in engaging in the local setting with sensitivity to the local politics, conflicts and the community.
• The CDOO will also work closely with relevant community development staff at the LGA and with councilors, the Chairperson and the political heads of the respective sector portfolios such as health, education, water and sanitation.
• The CDOO will also play a key role in training and support, grants management support, and, monitoring and evaluation.
• The CDOO will work under the leadership of the Local Governance Coordinator and the overall guidance of the State Programme Manager
• The CDOO will develop a modus operandi between the programme and LGAs on the implementation of the programme, and provide intensive support to upto 10 communities in each year (30 communities in total) covering six (6) wards,
• The CDOO will also provide support on Monitoring and Evaluation, These roles are highly embedded within the community and the LGA structures and processes Where appropriate a small basic office will be provided but it is expected that these persons will spend most of their time with communities and policy makers and service providers.
• The CDOO is expected to be a competent communicator in Hausa and English with good written skills in English; S/he should also possess strong networking skills with evidence of good networks at local level

Core Responsibilities
Demand side:

• Support the identification and engagement of wards, communities, and key community based organizations, besides organizations of people with disabilities with whom M4D will work and build strong relationships
• Support capacity building activities for CBOs, including mentoring
• Support the processes linked with the setting up of safe spaces for adolescent girls
• Support demand side engagement with PMs and Sps
• Identify and strengthen community engagement mechanisms
• Support communities and excluded groups to engage and demand services
• Support the identification of grant ideas development of proposals and implementation of Grants Awards at community level

Supply Side:

• Support the identification and engagement of relevant policy makers and service providers at LGA level and develop strong working relationships with them.
• Support capacity assessment and development of relevant supply-side actors
• Engage with and support interface between M4D and other appropriate programmes
• Support and promote participatory planning and monitoring processes
• Support and promote engagement of PMs and SPs with demand-side actors
• support the delivery of grants to PMs and SPs
• Support PMs and SPs in promoting evidence gathering and documentation of results

Innovations

• Support the identification of potential new and better- fit approaches (BFAs) that can be developed and piloted at local level
• support the piloting of approved BFAs
• Support specific innovative and solution projects of M4D within LGAs
• Support the monitoring and evaluation of BFAs

All CDOOs will be stationed in the respective state LGA assigned and would be line managed by the Local Governance Coordinator (LGC)

Application Closing Date
15th December, 2015.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications consisting of Application letter, Competency statement and CV's with clearly stated referees with preferred work state provided in the subject box to the "Admin, and Finance Manager", M4D and submitted via e-mail to: [email protected]

Note: Application from Women are especially encouraged.