Community engagement officer

Community engagement officer

Reports to: Project/ Program Manager and Country Representative

Project: Greening communities: Upgrading of public spaces in Rihab and park maintenance in Zarqa and Gweirah trough Cash for Work approach

Within the framework of GIZ project: Improvement of green infrastructure in Jordan through Labour Intensive Measures (CfWGI)

About AVSI Jordan:

AVSI Foundation, an NGO created in 1972, carries out cooperation projects for development, with particular emphasis on education. In its work, its attention is focused on the defense and promotion of the dignity of the person, the cornerstone of every project. We work all around the world thanks to a network of 35 founding members and more than 700 partners worldwide.

AVSI Foundation has been operating in Jordan since 2006 and contributed in supporting the most vulnerable local communities, Palestinian, Iraqi and Syrian refugees through providing projects and activities that focus on health and psycho-social assistance, education, vocational training and job placement and income-generating activities.

About the project:

Supporting the rehabilitation and maintenance of public spaces using a participatory design approach, creating short term employment opportunities for 420 Syrian and Jordanian workers (women and men) and generating skills through on-the-job job training and labor market services to improve employability.

In Rihab, the rehabilitation of Rihab park and Djeineh park will create short term employment opportunities and generate skills through labor market services including on the job training to improve the employability. Emphasis will be put on raising community awareness on environment and green infrastructure through pilot community gardening interventions.

In Zarqa and Gweirah, the project will support the municipalities with the maintenance of Gweirah and Humayma park in Gweirah; and continue the support to the space management committees in Janaa and Queen Noor Park in Zarqa, to promote ownership and sustainability of the interventions between the local authorities and community. Additional works will be done in Queen Noor Park in order to proceed with the community priorities identified during the participatory process.

About the position:

The Community engagement officer will be responsible of providing and effective channel of communications between AVSI and the local community and mainstreaming protection activities into AVSI interventions. The main responsabilities including but not limited to:

· Bring together key local actors to develop an effective and coordinated mechanism to follow up the implementation of the works and the maintenance of the parks through the setting up of new and strengthening of existent Space Management Committees (SMC) in all locations;

· Develop clear SOPs (Standard Operation Procedures) in order to mainstream protection in CfW (Cash for Work) activities;

· Be the focal point for PSS (Psychosocial Social Support) activities for cash workers and other targeted groups;

· Facilitate and coordinate community engagement activities, events and trainings;

· Capacity building of project staff on protection and community engagement- awareness in order to mainstream protection into AVSI interventions;

· Liaise and collaborate with relevant local authorities and other key stakeholders;

· Ensure that projects target beneficiaries most in need of protection, explore and asses new and better ways to assist;

· Promote and share ideas for improvement and necessary changes in the activities;

· Coordinating with Amman office departments such as MEAL, protection, etc. in order to ensure the set up and correct operation of the projects;

· Ensuring that GIZ and AVSI procedures related to Child Protection and PSEA are followed by the field staff and act as Protection Referral Focal Point for AVSI Jordan as per internal procedures;

· Contribute to AVSI Jordan strategy development in the protection sector, project proposals and provide input on needs and gaps;

· Performing other tasks requested by the project/program manager and country representative such as reporting, meetings, networking, creating synergies between cash for work projects and other sectors, development of new interventions, etc.

Competencies:

· Minimum 3 years of experience in protection/ community engagement;

· Bachelor Degree in relevant subject (Social Work, Psychology, Education, Development or Humanitarian Studies, etc.)

· Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Arabic;

· Strong teamwork skills.

Other competencies:

· Experience in working with refugee communities;

· Previous experience in community-based interventions;

· Strong commitment to Humanitarian and Child Protection values;

· A very high sense of discretion and integrity when dealing with protection cases;

· Strong communication skills and abilities to mobilize stakeholders;

· Flexible team player;

· Proficiency in Office programs: Excel, Word and Power Point.