Field Communications Officer

Job Title: Field Communications Officer
Division: Programs
Location: Daet, Camarines Norte
Reports to: Area Program Manager, with a functional reporting line to Child Sponsorship Coordinator

Values, Vision and Purpose

At Food for the Hungry, we operate under a set of guiding principles we call “The Heartbeat.” This includes our Values, Vision, and Purpose, which serve as the explanation of who we are and how we work as an organization. Together we follow God’s call responding to human suffering and graduating communities from extreme poverty.

Safeguarding Policy

FH Philippines (FHP) strives to provide an environment free from sexual exploitation and abuse and harassment in all places where relief and development programs are implemented. FHP holds a zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and abuse and harassment. FHP expects employees to maintain high ethical standards, protect organizational integrity and reputation, and ensure that FHP work is carried out in honest and fair methods, in alignment with the FH Heartbeat and safeguarding and associated policies. It is understood by the undersigned that violations of stated policies will be subject to corrective action up to and including termination of employment.

Position Purpose

The Field Communications Officer (FCO) is responsible for meeting Sponsorship requirements in the assigned Area Program. They contribute to developing end-to-end mutual transformation with child-sponsor communications. The FCO works closely with the Program delivery team in the planning and conduct of child participation activities. This position also monitors the well-being, participation, and progress of registered children. FCO is tasked with organizing and building the capacity of the Food for the Hungry mobilizers (FHM)/volunteers.

This position reports directly to the Area Program Manager and functionally to the Child Sponsorship Coordinator

This role serves primarily in the specific locations of the Area Program but may be assigned to support other locations in the Area Program, particularly when there are urgent requirements.

Responsibilities

*Please note: this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Key Result Area 1# Effective Compliance to Sponsorship Requirements

1. Receive and distribute sponsor correspondences to the communities and ensure that required responses are facilitated in a timely manner;

2. Identify/Plan appropriate and creative strategies to work with families and communities for the completion of requirements and correspondence;

3. Check correspondences from children. Ensures translation and quality content according to sponsorship guidelines for all correspondences coming from a sponsored individual;

4. Ensure that all correspondences follow FH’s safeguarding policy;

5. Collaborate with Field officers to come up with child participation activities with registered children;

6. Coordinate with the Field Officer in the preparation of new case history gathering;

7. Collect the enrollment/intake information of registered children. (e.g. case histories, photos, etc.) – Validate the information collected through home visits, interviews with families and parents, and others;

8. Maintain and update individual child folders per DSWD and SDO guidelines;

9. Organize and ensure the security and privacy of individual child’s folder;

10. Monitor and process requests in WorldLink 2;

11. Upload and package correspondences;

12. Provide annual child profile update to the Sponsorship coordinator for encoding to the world link system;

13. Encode accurate information in the WorldLink system as assigned.

Key Result Area #2 Community and Volunteer Engagement

1. Implement the project activities within his/her respective area of responsibility as per the approved annual work plan and budget;

2. Ensure the implementation of the approved work plan is consistent with FH Policy;

3. Maintain close coordination with Field Officer in planning, monitoring (joint), and sharing (reports) on project implementation;

4. Act as a field-level representative of FHP during community meetings with the FH mobilizers, volunteers, and other community partners;

5. Conduct orientations and trains FHM/volunteers to ensure that staff and volunteers understand communication requirements and data collection/management procedures;

6. Engage volunteers in monitoring the well-being of registered children and in meeting sponsorship requirements following guidelines and standards set by the SDO;

7. Develop good relationships, communicates and coordinates well with families in the communities including registered children, volunteers;

8. Collaborate with Field Officers to include FHM/volunteers in relevant training activities facilitated by Program.

Key Result Area #3 Monitoring and Reporting

1. Provide timely information for uploading in Smart sheet and WL3, in coordination with the M&E Officer;

2. Support M&E Officer during periodic data collection and conduct of evaluations and assessments;

3. Prepare monthly reports /updates as required;

4. Conduct visitations and report any concern, incidences, or major development in the life of the registered children/families in a timely manner based on the guidelines set by the SDO;

5. Coordinates with Senior Field Officer and Sponsorship Coordinator any issues/concerns and interventions that may be needed.

Key Result #4 Human Resource, Administrative, and Finance Requirement

1. Prepare timely request and liquidation of cash advances in accordance with FH Policy;

2. Ensure proper storage and careful use of all project supplies and equipment;

3. Immediately report to the Area Program Manager or Field Communication Officer- Team Leader any untoward incident and overall well-being in times of emergencies/crisis situations.

Key Result #5 Personal Development and Learning

1. Pursue ongoing training, professional and personal development in the form of seminars, conferences, and online learning opportunities.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty/function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

● A commitment to serving the poor and in full agreement with FH’s foundation and beliefs as expressed in The Heartbeat: our Values, Vision, and Purpose;

● Excellent people skills including warmth and sensitivity, conversational, able to relate to and effectively communicate with people from different cultures (at various levels within the organization);

● High integrity and a strong sense of professional ethics;

● Able to self-manage a diverse and dynamic set of responsibilities, proactively solve problems, and/or suggest viable solutions while advancing goals and objectives;

● Demonstrated computer operating skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office products, Google platform, and virtual technologies such as Skype and/or GoToMeeting;

● Excellent organizational skills; ability to plan and coordinate work, ensure the efficient flow of projects and processes;

● Strong people management skills / interpersonal skills with the ability to motivate, teach, and mentor staff and volunteers;

● Comfortable and persuasive when speaking before both large and small groups;

● Ability to interact positively with all levels of the organization and across organizational and cultural boundaries.

● Ability to travel frequently to Area Programs and expansion communities

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Education, Social Science, Community Development, or related field required.

Experience: At least 3 years of relevant experience in development work; Experience in community organizing and working with children; Experience in training facilitation and partnering with local government units and community-based organizations, with frequent travels and monitoring in the field.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position does not have direct supervisory responsibilities.

Language: Proficiency in spoken and written English, Tagalog, and local language (a plus). Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and training guides. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.