Community Empowerment Officer

SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES GHANA is a child welfare organization that provides a stable Family-Like Care (FLC) for children in need. We also provide social services for families at risk through our Family Strengthening Projects. Currently, we operate in four locations; Tema, Asiakwa, Kumasi, Tamale with the National Office in Accra. Applications are invited from suitably qualified and dynamic persons for appointment as:

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT OFFICER

Duty Post: Kumasi

Position Summary:
The Community Empowerment Officer is responsible for supporting community-based partners to provide required support to families for the care and protection of children and young people. This is a specialist programme position that works closely with community-based partners in creating a responsive and conducive environment for the care and protection of children and young people. This specialist programme officer will work with other programme officers, government and CSO partners to strengthen the functional and financial sustainability of community based partners in responding to the welfare of vulnerable families, children and young people. The programme officer assumes the roles of facilitating and capacity building in the empowerment of the community based partners. The incumbent is expected to closely collaborate with government, CSOs, business corporate partners, local community structures, local authorities and other service providers to enable children who have lost or are at risk of losing parental care to grow within a caring and supportive family environment and secure community.

Main duties and responsibilities including key tasks:

1.0 Community mobilization/Engagement
• Mobilize communities to participate in project planning, development, implementation and monitoring.
• Mobilize government institutions, CSOs, and other enabling partners in planning, development, resource mobilisation, implementation and monitoring of interventions to empower community-based partners.
• Innovatively support community based partners to embark on sustainable community self-reliant projects.
• Mobilize grassroots organizations, Community structures and other civil society organizations to advocate for the welfare of vulnerable children and young people
• Facilitate Community Based Partners (CBPs) to access government social safety net programmes and other developmental programme support.
• Mobilize communities and other grassroots organisations in participating in the relevant child days and celebrations such as the Day of the African Child, Day of the Girl Child, and 16 days of activism against Gender based violence, among others.

2.0 Programme planning, budgeting and implementation
• Facilitate the carrying out of community stakeholder analysis
• Support the identification and assessment of the community based partner to work with in the community;
• Facilitate the conducting of community needs assessment
• Facilitate the conducting of community based partner capacity assessment and community resource/asset mapping;
• Facilitate the carrying out of livelihood market assessment
• Facilitate the development of community capacity and asset inventories
• Facilitate the development of community empowerment plan, community resource mobilisation plan and community exit strategy;
• Facilitate the development of community livelihood development strategy to support community and household livelihood interventions;
• Support communities in the development of emergency preparedness plans.
• Lead FS programming to identify areas of programme contribution in the community empowerment plan
• Lead the FS programme planning and budgeting on community empowerment
• Facilitate the mainstream of cross cutting issues (HIV/AIDS, child protection, gender and environment) in all community empowerment programme intervention development.
• Facilitate community action research and evaluations

3.0 Capacity building of Community Structures
• Support community based partners in acquisition of legal identity/formal recognition;
• Support community based partners to develop its own constitution (where there is none)
• Facilitate the development of community based partner capacity development plan
• Capacity build community based partners in project management
• Capacity build community based partners in proposal writing, report writing, governance, advocacy, financial management, financial reporting, and business management;
• Capacity build community based partners in resource mobilisations (raise and manage their own funds for operations and support to vulnerable families, children and young people.
• Facilitate capacity building of community-based partners in child rights and human rights based programming.
• Facilitate the development of community based partner readiness capacities for sub-grant management
• Mentor and coach community based partners in developing strategic networks and partnerships for community project implementation and management;
• Facilitate learning and practice sharing of community based partners with other organisations in areas identified for knowledge and practice enhancement;
• Build capacity of Community based partners on Volunteer management
• Facilitates capacity building for community based partners, community facilitators and volunteers (Zonal Representatives, FDP Coordinator, volunteers) in FDP management (mentor and coach them in FDP development and management);
• Build capacity of community based partners, community facilitators and volunteers in community and family empowerment monitoring and reviews (family self-evaluation, family book, home visits, FDP reviews, etc.)
• Support community based partners in establishing and strengthening community child related information hub (information centre, including community digital hub)

4.0 Networking and Partnerships
In networking and collaborating with different actors, the PO shall:
• Facilitate stakeholder analysis within the programme, maintaining and updating stakeholders’ profiles.
• Facilitate networking with local government institutions, CSOs, corporate business partners and other partners in planning and implementation of community empowerment interventions.
• Act as linking pin for community based partners to CSOs, faith institutions, government institutions, corporate business partners and local government in a bid to address community empowerment matters.
• Organize learning fora involving local government, CSOs, FBOs, NGOs and other relevant technical personnel.
• Represent SOS Children’s Villages at stakeholder engagements in the programme catchment community.

5.0 Monitoring and Evaluation
In liaison with the monitoring and evaluation Officer, the community empowerment officer shall;
• Facilitate participatory monitoring and evaluation of the community empowerment interventions.
• Facilitate regular data collection through appropriate monitoring tools on programme community empowerment interventions.
• Organize and facilitate regular project reviews and evaluations on community empowerment.
• In liaison with the community-based partner, carry out regular home visits to families and write home visit reports.
• Carry out regular visits to CBPs, family support groups and other partners in the respective community for timely and relevant programme support.
• Facilitate sharing of best practice amongst community-based partners and other external partners.

6.0 Reporting, Resource Management and Documentation
• The community empowerment officer shall prepare and submit timely progress reports to the FS Coordinator on community empowerment interventions. Document community empowerment success stories on program interventions. Support community development structures to document program Community empowerment processes. Keep, maintain and update the database and files of communities and families on the program in a timely manner.
• Support the collection and documentation of community empowerment impact stories.
• Comply and adhere to SOS Children’s Villages policies and guidelines.

Required qualifications, and experience
• Degree in Community development related social and natural sciences/disciplines such as Social Work, Social Sciences, Sociology, Development studies, Economics, Community Nursing, and Rural Development.
• At least two years’ experience in a similar role or implementing Community development and Children in need of care and Protection support programmes.
Key competencies and skills
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of child rights and experience of implementing/managing child protection and child rights interventions.
• Good communication and reporting skills, computer literate, understanding and ability to apply community development participatory methodologies, self-starter, ability to work in a team, strong family values, ability to work with minimum supervision
• Asset Based Community Development Approach
• Project cycle management
• Project Management – Readily applies project management methodology to basic or routine projects to achieve stated objectives and/or outcomes
• Embraces Diversity – Effectively engages people from diverse backgrounds in the workplace and community
• Solves Problems – Uses experience and knowledge of work area to assist in the development of solutions for day-to-day problems
• Innovation & Creativity – Demonstrates initiative and enterprise and supports others to work more effectively
• Integrity – Understands and SOS CV social, ethical and organisational standards and responsibilities in all interactions
• Possession of a motor cycle riding license will be an added advantage

Other mandatory requirements

• Police clearance as per local child protection policies/Act

At SOS Children’s Villages Ghana we believe in creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. Our hiring process is based on skills, qualification and experience. We have a strict zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment or bias of any kind. We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all.