Community Mobilizer at Search for Common Ground (SFCG)

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium, Search’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from destructive approaches towards cooperative solutions. With more than 600 staff worldwide, Search implements projects in more than 30 countries across the globe.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Community Mobilizer

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employment Type: Full Time
Reports to: The Senior Community Mobilization Officer
Direct Reports: The community mobilizer will have no direct report

Position Summary

• The Community Mobilizer role is to mobilise and facilitate active participation and dialogue of target populations, including beneficiary children, caregivers, community and religious leaders, and other key men and women in target communities, to participate in the implementation of project activities within the “Supporting the Socio-Economic Reintegration of Children Associated with Armed Groups, and other vulnerable children, in North East Nigeria” project. 
• In particular, Community Mobilizer will develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in select communities, update the project team on context specific factors impacting the project, support in mobilising project beneficiaries for activities related to psychosocial, social and economic reintegration, as well as wider community strengthening initiatives, media visits, and other key activities as arise.
• The Community Mobilizer will motivate, inspire and support children in target communities, and contribute to detailed planning and implementation of activities in line with conflict sensitivity, do no harm, and Search’s common group approach, always ensuring that children’s best interests are promoted. 

About the Project

• In the past decade, states in the North East region of Nigeria have faced frequent attacks by Boko Haram militants leading to widespread displacement, violations of national laws, international humanitarian and human rights laws, and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Children, who are the most vulnerable members of society, have suffered the worst impacts as pre-existing problems of access to social protection, education and healthcare increase, new threats emerge, and the systems to protect children fails.
• This project aims to ensure that children verified and separated from CJTF receive a comprehensive child protection package including counselling, psychosocial support and socio-economic reintegration and that their communities understand the importance of their separation and reintegration.
• Search will work closely with the children, their families and communities, and CJTF to address the psychosocial and economic needs of the children and to influence the attitudes of communities and CJTF so they understand the negative impact of associating with armed groups on children and prevent the CJTF from using children. By increasing the resilience of children associated with CJTF and increasing their employability, this project will facilitate lasting reintegration of these children and amplify positive narratives around their role in communities as productive civilian actors and agents for peace.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Conduct community entry engagement sessions to ensure the project aims and objectives are communicated across communities, and that the communities are engaged from the outset and throughout the project. 
• Contribute to detailed planning and implementation of mobilization on Search activities in collaboration with the Security Manager. Ensure regular communication with education and enterprise teams. 
• Identify and mobilise participants for various project activities such as community dialogues among others. 
• Assist the project team to develop IEC and visibility related materials by ensuring voices from communities are captured. Support promoting Search acceptance within the target communities. 
• Support feedback mechanism within the project to ensure voices from direct beneficiaries and wider community are continuously shared, captured, and fed into project activities.
• Develop and maintain a network of external contacts with key individuals in the government, NGO sector, civil society and media. 
• With the support of Senior Community Mobilization Officers, facilitate community meetings and dialogues to identify key community needs that can be addressed through the community strengthening initiatives; support the implementation and monitoring of these initiatives.
• Keep abreast of local context and the security situation, and provide feedback in a timely manner.
• Draft activity and monthly reports. 
• Represent Search in relevant community and interagency stakeholders meetings and any other meetings that may be assigned by the supervisor.
• Complete any other task relevant to the position as requested by the supervisor.

Job Requirements
Education:

• University Degree or equivalent in Social Science, Education, Psychology, or a related field.

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years experience in the field of community work, particularly with children.
• Experience working with Children Associated with Armed Groups, and other vulnerable children.
• Experiencing coordinating activities within a large project.

Other Relevant Requirements:

• Familiarity with principles including the best interest of the child, do no harm, humanitarian principles, amongst others.
• Strong cross cultural communication and interpersonal skills.
• Highly organised and systematic, with excellent attention to detail. 
• Experience working in emergency settings
• Experience working in different communities in Borno State
• Experience working with refugees, IDPs, host communities, and other vulnerable populations 
• Excellent analytical and writing skills
• Knowledge of a local language (Hausa, Kanuri, Shuwa) a must.

Desirable:

• Good analytical, problem solving and project planning skills. 
• Ability to prioritise, plan, organise workflow to tight timeframes, handle multiple tasks, and be flexible with changing priorities. 
• Community oriented and respect for local culture.
• Good IT skills, particularly with MS Office - Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint.
• Strong command of both written and spoken English.
• Holds self and others to account to deliver on agreed goals and standards of behaviour.
• Demonstrates a high degree of professionalism/integrity.
• Provides good administrative and logistical support to team.
• Strong attitude towards teamwork and collaboration. 
• Actively seeks support in addressing difficulties in execution of duties.
• Strategic thinking and effective contribution to own work and organisational development.
• Sound judgment and decision-making in complex situations.
• Strong emotional intelligence including self-awareness.
• Leads by example to motivate high performance of others.
• Strong commitment to continuous learning.

Application Closing Date
30th September, 2021.