Community Mobilization & Gender Coordinator (National Position) 187 views0 applications

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries, including the United States. We aim to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education and economic opportunities. In times of acute crisis, we mobilize rapid assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters. Each year, we and our partners reach millions of children in communities around the world.

Community Mobilization & Gender Coordinator (National Position)

Ref Id: 190000AU
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employee Status: Permanent

The Organisation

• We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better health care, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.
• We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
  • No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
  • All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
  • Violence against children is no longer tolerated
• We know that great people make a great organization and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.  We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
• Save the Children is committed to ensuring that all our personnel and programmes are absolutely safe for children.
• We undertake rigorous procedures to ensure that only people suitable to work with children are allowed to join our organisation and all candidates will, therefore, be subject to this scrutiny.
• We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Role Purpose

• The Community Mobilization & Gender Coordinator will provide support to the project team and partners in the process of planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of community mobilization activities.
• S/he will ensure commitment and involvement of local authorities and community members in the program; and support community mobilization to ensure participation, sustainability of the program as well as the voices of community members, including women and children are heard.
• Will work in close coordination and maintain good working relationship with State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) office, State Agency for Mass Education (SAME), Local Government Education Authority, NGO partner, other government line agencies, and other stakeholders in the State and Federal level for the smooth operation of project activities.
• The CM & Gender Adviser will work closely with the project team in designing and implementation of behaviour change and communication strategies.

Key Areas of Accountability
The CM & Gender Coordinator will liaise closely with other technical Advisers, as well as the COP, DCOP, and partners. Key responsibilities will include:

Objective 1: Strategy Development:

• Support the review and production of community mobilization training materials and guidelines to encourage positive behavior and attitude change towards education.
• Support the project team and stakeholders to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the education planning, intervention, monitoring and evaluation.
• Support the implementation of participatory Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) planning, monitoring and evaluation of community mobilization in coordination with project team.
• Identify policy and practice change, on the basis of the program experience, that will promote and protect the rights of children.
• Support in formulating key advocacy messages and targets from lessons learned, assessments, research and evidence gained through project implementation on Education, School Health and Nutrition and child Protection.
• Acquire information and understanding of social policy and adapt strategies as necessary.
• Maintain a strategic overview of issues affecting children’s learning, monitoring trends in the external environment and inputting to organizational strategy and planning process
• The position will be responsible for helping to ensure close engagement of and partnerships with related government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), donor-funded programs, private/commercial entities, and NGOs.

Objective 2: Influencing:

• Develop good knowledge of local and national government structures, parliamentary and political processes and key decision making structures and how to influence them.
• Initiate and support lobbying, communications and other activities to inform and persuade policy makers, including donors and politicians, of the value of Save the Children’s policy recommendations.
• Support in building systems for research, analysis and documentation that underpin evidence based advocacy and influencing at state and national levels.
• Develop a feedback mechanism for communicating Save the Children programmes.
• Produce reports, briefing papers and presentations for internal and external audiences, as directed.

Objective 3: Collaboration & Representation:

• Develop and sustain strategic relationships with other agencies engaged in advocacy and policy work.
• Support in maintaining a network of external contacts with key individuals in the government, NGO sector, civil society and the media.
• Support in facilitating capacity building of staff from Save the Children and partner agencies in advocacy and communications.
• Represent the program and consortium at various policy forums and advocacy opportunities at state and LGA levels, as directed.
• Act as a spokesperson for the programme/ consortium to a variety of external audiences including policy makers and the media, as directed.

Objective 4: Programme Development:

• Provide technical support on voice and community mobilization to State programme team
• Develop a community mobilization strategy in collaboration with the team and ensure implementation
• To plan, manage and monitor all activities related to Community Mobilization of the project in coordination with the thematic technical leads and in line with the behaviour change communication strategy.
• Train and mentor Local consultants – Community support
• In collaboration with the rest of the programme team prepare and facilitate trainings
• Participate in the preparation or review of programme monitoring and evaluation tools where necessary
• Ensure correct use of programme monitoring and evaluation (recording) tools, including analysis

Qualifications and Experience
Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Social work, Psychology, Communications, or related Social Science field, and preferably post-graduate university degree, in subject related to emergency education.
• At least 5 years post NYSC substantial experience in advocacy and policy development / research in the development context.
• Proven experience in designing, implementing and evaluating gender-transformative social and behavior change communication interventions
• Experience in implementing gender-transformative approaches to education
• Relevant experience with demonstrated experience managing Emergency Education programs, particularly in a humanitarian context.
• Good understanding of the possibilities and tactics for influencing decision and policy makers, politicians, donors, and other key actors.
• Knowledge of the media and its role in raising awareness and shaping public policy.
• Excellent conceptual and analytical skills and demonstrable ability to think strategically, innovatively and practically to ensure achievement of desired change objectives.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences at local, state and national levels.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with partner agencies and key contacts in the government, NGO, civil society (coalitions) and media sectors.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to effectively handle multiple tasks and meet strict deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, flexibility, adaptability and ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
• Ability to develop reports, plans and community mobilization strategies, tools and IEC materials.
• Good computer skills (word processing, spreadsheets, email / internet) and ability to be self-supporting in most administrative tasks.
• Fluent English language skills (written and verbal).

Desirable:

• Good understanding of strategies for achieving child protection, Psychosocial programming policies through participatory processes, and the links with gender, diversity and other aspects of identity.
• Excellent analytical skills, and demonstrated experience with gender analysis.
• Experience of representation, including Cluster coordination, and ability to represent effectively in external forums
• Commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
• Proven capacity to supervise, train, coach and mentor staff
• Previous experience of managing a team
• Understanding of local languages.

Skills and Behaviours (our Values in Practice)
Accountability:

• Accuracy and timeliness in all areas of responsibility
• High level of accuracy in work, and ability to analyse complex sets of relationships and situations
• Holds self and others accountable

Ambition:

• Creating best-in-class EA function
• Future-orientated, thinks pro-actively

Collaboration:

• Working effectively with stakeholders to achieve common goals
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Designing more effective admin and data management systems
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency, demonstrates highest levels of integrity.