Somalia: Community Development Officer

Background

Islamic Relief Somalia (IRS) has been operating in Somalia since 2006 and has responded to conflict and drought affected people through provision of life saving assistance. Through our projects, IR has continuously been providing safe drinking water, improving hygienic sanitation facilities, increasing hygiene awareness, particularly to ones living in IDP camps; empowering the urban poor and distressed working children, engaging in conflict management and mitigation and strengthening of community cohesiveness and co-existence.

Job Purpose

The post of a Community Development officer is a key position for the Rural Integrated Development in Somaliland (RIDES) who ensures that communities are mobilized, the project concepts are shared with them ensuring that they bought the idea and commit their fullest participations in the project by allocating their times and local other resources to succeed.

The community development officer will ensure that the Villages Development Committee VDC and sectorial committees (men women, youths, pastoralist, agro-pastoralists, WASH and other appropriate committees have been formed through popular/open electoral process. Each of these committees have well discussed constitutions, roles clarity, mandate, authority, accountability and transparency.

The officer is responsible to recruit and train a pool of community mobilizer, trained and deploy them to varieties of strategic stations in the projects sites. Through them, mobilize, form and train the community based associations, develop detailed implementation plans adhering to their needs while remaining within the project frameworks, roll out the project through development of DIPs GANTT Chart, engaging staffs and community groups to succeed.

Together with M&E coordinator and the project manager, develop sectorial baseline study and feed regular data to the M&E coordinator for effective project management and learning from the project.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Planning and rolling out

• Design and (PRA, FGDs PLA etc.) for formation of beneficiaries groups as per the project document.
• Develop and introduce constitutions of each of the groups illustrating their roles, responsibility, authority, accountability and limitations.
• Plan for sensitization and awareness building training of the groups
• Support in recruit and deployment of community mobilizers
• Develop training plan and plan for required training materials adhering to the purpose of the group
• Ensure that group dynamics are maintained and they perform as an active partner of the project than of being project client to receive services.
• Support M&E Coordinator and other staffs to establish a baseline with measureable indicators for monitoring and evaluations.
• Facilitate/support livelihoods officer and team in participatory group planning ( Agriculture, livestock and other economic development) for women and youth groups as appropriate for the local context and implement them with effective support and effective M&E structure in place
• Produce weekly, monthly and quarterly and annual reports and case studies.
• Attend review meetings as planned

Management

The post holder is the overall supervisor of the operations in the project site, of relevant staffs, all property, and security and IRWs reputations in the project area and beyond.

Manage working relations with staffs, communities and with line manager

Financial

Plan, implement and control project expenses as per the plan Oversee Micro credit funds, recovery and liability funds in a careful manner and always ready for accounts manner.

Produce weekly and monthly financial report on the project

Audit

For internal and external audit, keep records in safe custodies and present them as and when needed.

Procurement

Together with Logistic teams, prepare plan and percolate in procurement process and use goods for the project with proper inventory records

Net working

Network with Government, local and regional NGO and private sectors as deem appropriate to promote, build links, seek support to create market for goods and services of project beneficiaries

Qualifications, Experience and skills

• University degree of Development Studies, Social science, Community Development, Environmental Studies and any other relevant field from recognized university.
• Minimum of 03 years’ experience including at least 02 years working for national and international NGOs.
• Knowledge of community based approaches in humanitarian and development settings is desirable.
• Knowledge of international standards such as Child protection, Sphere, do no harm, CHS and HAP is desirable.
• Experienced in Community Development activities or Environmental Development.
• Competency with the analysis of contextual information, and developing clear, informed recommendations.
• Proficiency in English (Written and spoken) is essential
• Good IT skills. Knowledge of Microsoft Office Word and Excel is essential.

APPLICATION PROCESS

· IRW Somalia Program is inviting applications from qualified/Motivated candidates who are interested to submit their CVs and cover letters explaining, how they meet Job description.

· Each application should be addressed to the HR account: hr.mogadishu@islamic-relief.or.ke and include the following:

· An updated CV; and · An application letter

· Academic Qualifications (certificates/Transcripts)

· Copy of your National ID card or passport

· And contact information for three work-related referees.

· Applications not including all of the above information will not be reviewed.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. IRS is an equal opportunity employer.

Note: Please make sure the job title in the mail subject line is clear as Community Development Officer