Community Client Engagement Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 25 U.S. cities, we improve outcomes in the areas of health, safety, economic wellbeing, education and power.

The IRC has been working in Uganda since 1998 supporting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), refugees and various institutions in the country, notably the government, community-based organizations (CBOs), civil society organizations (CBOs) and the private sector. The current program portfolio in Uganda includes health and nutrition, support to persons with specific needs (PSNs) including case management, legal assistance to refugees, prevention and response to gender-based violence, and economic recovery and development (ERD). The IRC has a country office in Kampala and field offices in Amudat, Imvepi, Kyegegwa, Lamwo, Moroto and Yumbe, as well as an urban office in Nsambya within Kampala.

Program Background:

The IRC has been awarded a grant by IKEA Foundation to implement the Refugees in East Africa: Boosting Urban Innovations for Livelihoods Development (RE:BUILD) program.  The 5 years project will be implemented in Kampala and Nairobi. The IRC is the Lead Partner and will coordinate a consortium of local and international partners to deliver the program. RE:BUILD seeks to achieve economic self-reliance and benefit from strengthened urban economic, regulatory and social environments for urban refugees and vulnerable host residents. RE:BUILD will aim to enable change at varying levels, from better access to livelihoods opportunities and inclusive services within communities to improved refugee-related policies and more targeted and effective service delivery from national, regional and global actors.

Job Description:

The IRC is seeking a Community & Client Engagement Officer, based in Kampala, to work on the RE:BUILD project. The Community and Client Engagement Officer will work closely with Re:Build program staff, including the Advocacy and Communications Manager based in Nairobi, and directly under the guidance of the RE:BUILD Senior Business & Enterprise Development Officer. S/he will be responsible for client identification, obtaining feedback from clients and providing feedback to clients on the project activities, actions and impact on refugees and vulnerable host communities in selected neighbourhoods in Kampala City.  The Position is based at the IRC Nsambya field office, but the Officer will be expected to spend 60% of his/her time in the field.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

•  Support implementation of community engagement and response activities and provide support to the project team.
• Be actively present in the selected communities facilitating community dialogues and provide participatory feedback mechanisms,
• Maintaining contact and coordinating with other partners delivering community engagement activities, including the KCCA, UN agencies, other CBOs and NGOs.
• Facilitate active listening sessions and community dialogues in partnership with community volunteer, that address the questions, concerns, and feedback received from the targeted community members in Kampala, based on their information needs and preferences
• Organize and facilitate focus group discussions with women, men, girls, boys, and other representative community groups to seek their feedback and perspectives on planned RE:BUILD activities, and ensure that actions and decisions relative to their feedback or concerns are communicated back to communities
• Support the development of diverse and varied Information and Communications materials that is age-appropriate, gender-sensitive, and based on the information needs and preferences of targeted communities
• In coordination with the protection team, promote the use of interagency Feedback, Referral, and Resolution Mechanism (FRRM) for refugees and other accountability and complaints mechanisms, including for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA), in IRC-supported communities.
• Maintain up-to-date service mappings and referral pathways for both livelihood and protection concerns
• Serve as a bridge between the livelihood and protection teams to ensure that community engagement interventions and other awareness messages are inclusive, harmonized and technically sound.
• Work closely with the other project staff members to ensure that they are incorporating inclusive community engagement activities into their work, and to ensure that sufficient community engagement and information activities precede their work in neighbourhoods.
• Maintain up-to-date awareness of community perceptions of and feedback on various aspects, including Covid-19 preparedness and response efforts, particularly those led by the IRC. This may involve secondary document reviews, carrying out community meetings, etc.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, enhancing a strong team spirit.
• Consistently and proactively monitor/assess the safety and security issues in area of operation, promptly reporting concerns or incidents to IRC management and liaising with other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment.
•   Any other duties as assigned by the supervisor
  

Professional Standards

The IRC and RE:BUILD staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Deadline for receiving applications is December 12th,2020