Community Engagement Technical Assistant- South

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organization’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity, and accountability. These attitudes and beliefs shall guide our actions and relationships.

Background

HARETNA (حارتنا) is a consortium project that aims to build local capacity to identify and organise around collective priorities, mobilize resources, implement projects, and influence the local authorities and key stakeholders. It aims to foster peaceful, community-led change, empowering diverse community members to work together to address their common challenges and reduce gender inequalities through strengthened social cohesion. This iterative process will demonstrate the value of collective action while strengthening the capacity of the selected communities to lead their own sustainable recovery and development. The Haretna Consortium will guide urban communities in North (Mina, Trab Mseihiyen & Muslimen), Beirut and Mount Lebanon (Chiyah, Hay El Jwar), and South (El Dekermen, Lower Taamir) through a participatory process of identifying and understanding community issues, developing solutions, and prioritizing what to work on through community-wide projects. It originates by bringing diverse community members, across different ages, gender, and identity groups, into a common process. Communities will discuss and assess their needs, and create first smaller Springboard projects, and later on larger Sustainable Recovery Plans (SRPs) with concrete projects that address their identified concerns. These SRPs will build on the process and structures developed from Springboard projects the first few months of the overall project. The consortium, funded by AFD and DANIDA, is composed of four members: the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) (Consortium Lead), Coordinamento delle Organizzazioni per il Servizio Volontario (COSV), the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (RDFL) and Tripoli Entrepreneur Club (TEC).

Purpose of the role

The Community Engagement Technical Assistant will work closely with the Haretna Consortium team leader to support the implementation of the Haretna project. They are responsible for assisting other consortium members, identifying, establishing, and training neighborhood groups, and will continuously work with a variety of community members in identifying their needs and actively participating in the search for community solutions. This will be achieved through regular visits and active engagement in community discussions, training, and other means.

What you will do

1. Work with the Community Engagement team to engage with diverse community members in the project.
2. Assist the team in conducting training on the community-based problem and solution analysis methodology for the community members.
3. Support the team in facilitating community discussions and assessing community needs to identify community issues and priorities.
4. Assist the Haretna team in enhancing community participation in the project, with a particular focus on women, girls, and persons with disabilities.
5. Work with the Haretna Consortium to ensure that the project is gender-inclusive and that the needs and perspectives of all community members are represented.
6. Assist in the coordination and implementation of community-led projects.
7. Support the monitoring and evaluation of project activities and results.
8. Implement the actions that are related to Consortium Gender Action Plan, in close coordination with NRC Gender Adviser and the Community Engagement Team Leader.
9. Perform any other duties assigned by the Community Engagement Team Leader.
10. Ensure that NRC’s related activities are implemented within NRC’s Protection mainstreaming guidelines and report any breaches/concerns to the line manager and/or focal point for proper action.

Specifically, you will;

1. Identify, establish, and train neighborhood action groups (NAGS) on community engagement modalities.
2. Monitor and work closely with NAGs
3. Support consortium members with their implementation of the Haretna project through the established and trained NAGs
4. Dissemination of community engagement trainings to external & internal stakeholders
5. Assist in organizing and facilitating community meetings, townhall meetings, and focus group discussions.
6. Participate in the gender analysis and consider regular needs’ assessment and reality-check discussions with both female and male participants.
7. Assist the team in identification of key influential members (formal and informal) of the community and involve them in the formation of community groups, using contextualized versions of existing tools for this process. 
8. Support the team in delivering training to the community groups / the neighborhood action groups on the community-based problem and solution analysis, using contextualized versions of existing tools for these exercises.
9. Meet regularly with community members and the neighborhood action groups to sensitise them on  project activities, progress, and results.
10. Ensure that gender considerations are mainstreamed in all the project activities.
11. Support the team to ensure participation of the hard-to-reach groups, including women, youth, and marginalized communities.
12. Maintain good relationships with community members, neighborhood action groups, local authorities, and other stakeholders.
13. Participate in regular team meetings, training and provide updates on project activities and progress.
14. Maintain archiving system up to date (both in hardcopies and electronically) and in a timely manner.

Professional competencies

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work or other relevant field (e.g. community development, international development)
• 1-2 years of experience in community engagement, community development, or a related field
• Experience working in a multicultural and diverse environment
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with diverse groups of people
• Fluency in Arabic and English, both written and spoken
• Experience working on gender-inclusive projects is an asset

Context/Specific skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Have a solid understanding of the geopolitics and local context in (South)
• Experience of working in consortium projects
• Experience of working in integrated programmes

Behavioral competencies

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. The following are essential for this position:

• Planning and delivering result
• Working with people
• Coping with change
• Communicating with impact and respect
• Handling insecure environments
• Analysing

What We Offer

NRC is an equal opportunities employer and aims to have staffing diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.

We offer an opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause and a chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields.

We are also looking for people who share our values:

• To be dedicated in what we do;
• To be innovative with our solutions;
• To act as one unified and inclusive team;
• To be accountable to the donors that make our work possible; the people we exist to serve, and to each other… the members of our NRC family.

Kindly note that empty or incomplete applications as well as CVs received via email will not be considered official and will not be processed.