Community Engagement Assistant

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

The humanitarian situation in Iraq is one of the most severe and complex crises in the world. Escalation in conflict across the country has led to unprecedented displacement. More than 3.3 million people have been displaced since the beginning of 2014, and more are expected to face displacement in 2016. The majority of IDPs are scattered across more than 3,600 locations throughout the country, with over 90% living outside of camps. As the crisis continues to deepen, humanitarian needs among affected populations are intensifying.

Compounding these issues is a lack of information about humanitarian assistance and services among displaced communities. This information gap is fuelling isolation, confusion and growing mistrust amongst displaced people, significantly reducing their ability to cope with the growing crisis. With information being increasingly recognised as a vital form of aid – with disaster-affected people requiring life-saving information on services as much as water, food, medicine or shelter – humanitarian agencies are being asked to increase information exchange, improve dialogue with affected communities, and strengthen their ability to listen and respond to the needs of affected communities while providing a safe forum through which to communicate and access information on service provision.

Following a 2014 inter-agency assessment of information needs amongst displaced communities in Iraq, it was identified that access to information on humanitarian assistance is a key priority for affected populations. In response to the assessment, the Humanitarian Country Team agreed to the establishment of an inter-agency two-way communication and accountability mechanism that allows affected populations to shape their own relief and recovery.

Launched in July 2015, the Iraq IIC is implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) with financial support from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund (IHPF), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Office of the UN Iraq Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Operating as a toll-free humanitarian helpline with Operators speaking Arabic, Kurdish Sorani, Kurdish Badine and English, the Iraq IIC has handled more than 125,000 calls from people displaced across Iraq since it launched.

The Iraq IIC’s primary objective is to promote two-way communication between affected populations to:

1.     Empower communities through the provision of accessible and timely information on how to access humanitarian services and resources required to improve their situation and make informed decisions

2.     Help ensure efficient and effective coordination of humanitarian actors operating in Iraq by collecting and circulating information about the urgent needs and priorities of affected populations

3.     Support an environment of transparency and accountability by:

a.     Establishing an easy-to-access and safe mechanism through which affected populations can lodge feedback and complaints

b.     Channelling feedback and complaints to humanitarian actors to influence humanitarian programming and shape quality advocacy

2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment

UNOPS is seeking an Arabic-speaking Community Engagement Associate to strengthen field-level outreach to both affected populations and humanitarian partners. The Community Engagement Associate will conduct community and partner outreach across Iraq through activities such as focus group discussions and trainings. Outreach activities will include a special focus on communicating with vulnerable members of society, including women, children, the disabled and the elderly. This will lead to increased awareness of the call centre among beneficiaries, greater community feedback on the effectiveness of call centre's operations, and greater partner feedback on their ability to follow up on feedback and referrals. The primary objective of this position is to bolster collective accountability to affected populations in Iraq.

The position will be based in Baghdad, Iraq, with regular travel to governorates hosting affected populations.

The incumbent reports to the Iraq IIC Project Manager, who reports to the Head of Programme – UNOPS Operational Hub in Amman.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

With the aim of strengthening the quality of services provided by the project as well as the internal capacity of the Iraq IIC, the Community Engagement Associate will perform the following duties with transparency and integrity, and in adherence to the humanitarian standards for monitoring and evaluation as provided by the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP) and the Sphere Handbook.

Consultancy Objectives: The Community Engagement Associate will:

              I.        Contribute to the development of information, education and communication materials, messages and activities in collaboration with the project team, ensuring they are suitable and appropriate for the community and target audiences and are tested before dissemination;

             II.        In collaboration with the Project Manager, assist in the development and implementation of an outreach strategy and plan that also targets the most vulnerable members of society;

           III.        Develop and implement community mobilisation and information dissemination strategies, including: conducting group discussion sessions on the call centre; and information dissemination sessions in the community to promote and encourage access to the call centre and the services of its partners;

           IV.        Engage community members and influencers through ongoing dialogues and discussions to take action to document serious protection concerns and share feedback on services;

            V.        Implement field-level training briefings on the call centre to humanitarian actors;

           VI.        Engage with donors and partners to share evidenced-based data on needs and caller perception of accessibility to and relevance of services to which the Iraq IIC refers callers;

The incumbent must be fluent in English and Arabic (speaking, reading, writing), with fluency (speaking, reading, writing) in Kurdish desired

Duration and Timeline:  Two- month initial contract with extension based on performance.

The Consultant will perform other related duties as required.

Deliverables: The Community Engagement Associate will: Design and implement a field-level outreach strategy to enhance the call centre’s engagement with affected populations, humanitarian field actors, partners (including at the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group level), and funding partners. Deliverables include, but are not limited to:

                I.        At least two (2) field visits per month: assess awareness gaps; conduct focus group discussions; deliver trainings and briefings; engage with vulnerable members of society; develop relevant outreach and IEC materials; represent the call centre at field-level cluster meetings; track rumours, correct misinformation. The Community Engagement Associate will submit one (1) mission report per mission, including recommendations on improving the communicating with communities agenda. Findings from these reports will feed into evidenced-based data reports on needs shared at an ICCG level.

               II.        At least two (2) meetings per month with key partners to identify needs, share trend analysis.

             III.        Four (4) presentations on findings to be shared during quarterly board meetings.

·         Secondary education certificate/certificate in community development/social work/psychology or related field preferred. Diploma in similar fields would be an added advantage

·         Minimum of five years’ work experience in a relevant field

·         Proven experience in community engagement, including conducting focus group discussions

·         Proven experience in report writing

·         Experience in emergency humanitarian contexts

·         Strong oral communication skills

·         Experience working in the humanitarian field, preferably including the Middle East

·         Knowledge of current political, economic, and social fabric of Iraq

·         Knowledge of protection issues

·         Fluency in both Arabic and English is required.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.