Community and Social Mobilization Officer at Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Community and Social Mobilization Officer

Location: Yola, Adamawa
Employment Type: Full-time

Role Purpose

• The project design anticipates full participation of community members, market associations and government stakeholders at all levels in mitigating the impact of climate change.
• Using the Climate Resilience Measurement for Communities (CRMC), a diverse group of project participants will plan and implement activities to reduce vulnerability of communities to flood and other climate related disasters in the project states.  
• Project participants will take initiatives to make the communities more resilient to floods by strengthening the systems and providing relevant technical reinforcement to emergency management structures that need to be strengthened at the community, LGA and the state levels.
• The project requires strong coordination and purposeful collaboration among the agencies as well as good cooperation between individuals, groups and communities.
• There will also be a high level of community engagement, mobilisation of community structures, capacity building in organising, mobilisation, self-help, advocacy and policy influencing of the community structures.
• The Community and Social Mobilization Officer will be responsible for building strong relationships with local communities and relevant stakeholders across Adamawa and Yobe to promote a better understanding of the Alliance for Resilience to Climate-related Hazards (ARCH) interventions and ensure participation in all Climate Resilient activities in communities.
• This role involves organizing community actions on the project, conducting capacity building for participants, facilitating collaborative working and mobilizing community members to adopt climate-resilient practices.

Dimensions of the Role

• The Community and Social Mobilization Officer’s role works closely ccommunication unit on content and strategies for engaging with different external stakeholders.
• The role holder leads implementation in communities and LGAs working with community volunteers and other adhoc staff.
• The position holder will coordinate closely with Field Manager to build strategically partnerships and maintain an updated contact across the states for leverage by Plan International Nigeria partners when required.
• The staff will work closely with safeguarding unit and the complaint and feedback mechanism to strengthen reporting channels to ensure safe and accountable programming across the states.
• Will be responsible for building strong relationships with local communities and relevant stakeholders across Adamawa and Yobe to promote a better understanding of the Alliance for Resilience to Climate-related Hazards (ARCH) interventions and ensure participation in all Climate Resilient activities in communities.
• This role involves organizing community actions on the project, conducting educational outreach, and mobilizing community members to adopt climate-resilient practices.

Objectives of the Role
Community Engagement:

• Establish and maintain positive relationships with local emergency management committees (LEMCs), local community members, leaders, and stakeholders throughout the project.
• Build trust and rapport with the community by understanding their needs, concerns, and cultural sensitivities.
• Maintain clear and accurate records of community engagements and actions required and persons responsible.
• Prepare regular reports and updates on community mobilization efforts for project management.

Awareness and Education:

• Develop and implement community outreach and educative activities to raise awareness about climate change, its impacts, and the importance of climate resilience.
• Organize workshops, seminars, and information sessions to disseminate relevant information to community members.

Mobilization and Participation:

• Encourage active participation of community members in climate-resilient activities and projects.
• Work with communities to identify local needs and priorities for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Capacity Building:

• Provide training and capacity-building support to community members on climate-resilient practices, such as sustainable agriculture, water conservation, and disaster preparedness.
• Support the development of relevant context appropriate content for capacity building and orientation of project participants.  

Community-based action planning:

• Facilitate community-led planning processes to develop climate-resilient action plans and projects.
• Assist in the identification of potential funding sources and resources for the community level activities projects.

Coordination and Networking:

• Represent the project and community interests at local government and other state level coordination as may be determined by the project lead or Plan International.
• Establish partnerships and collaborate with relevant organizations (CBOs, CSO, INGOs) and government agencies.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are carefully planned and implemented.  
• Ensure staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field (e.g. Education, Environmental Science, Social Work and related field). With 3 - 5 years’ experience in similar role in an NGO
• Ability to coordinate activities involving different stakeholders
• Experience working in related context (North east).
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Familiarity with the culture and context of the Northeast.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse community members and stakeholders.
• Organizational and project management skills.
• Proficiency in local languages (English).

Experience:

• Experience working on education, behavioural change communication-related projects, climate-resilient projects, or environmental initiatives is plus.

Application Closing Date
10th February, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online