Community engagement and partnership Officer

Who we are

SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia is an International Non-governmental organization and a member of SOS Children’s Villages International Federation. We started our humanitarian work in Ethiopia with the opening of our first Village in Mekelle, Northern part of Ethiopia in 1974. Since then, we have expanded our programs to different regions where there are significant needs for intervention and where we believe we can work in partnership with all relevant actors to bring sustainable positive outcomes for children’s and young people.

Today, we have grown significantly to meet the persistent challenges that confront Ethiopian children who have lost parental care and those that are at risk of losing their parental care. Working in close collaboration with international donors, local government and community-based organizations across seven program locations; we aspire that every child grows up with love, respect and security.

Why we need you?

We seek individuals who support people’s empowerment, collective action, and solidarity. Facilitates and encourages active participation of and networking between individuals and communities in recognizing problems, identifying solutions, and implementing project activities related to the identified solutions for gender equality. Establishes and maintains close working relationships with communities and civil society organizations in the working area.

What we provide?

An amazing work environment that promotes personal growth through providing professional space to grow and advance your career!

Your role?

Priority task and responsibilities 

• Provide support to the day-to-day implementation of the project related to capacity strengthening of community, Gender discussion group for women economic empowerment and creating social cohesion among communities, tanneries, and municipalities.
• Work directly with civil society organizations (CSOs) members to facilitate the implementation of community projects and design of sustainable strategies for operation and maintenance of resulting services.
• Support tanneries and community-based organizations to strengthen, design and effectively implement comprehensive corporate social responsibility programs and create social cohesions along the triple bottom line economic, social, and ecological dimensions of business.
• Work on conducting community conversation to promote community led development to have local needs, priorities and initiatives integrated into community development planning for the implementation of local community development projects.
• Undertake initial stakeholder assessment (Identify existing social institutions, CBOs, for potential leveraging points) in Harar town
• Ensure gender and protection concerns are mainstreamed across program at household, community, and institutional levels (business enterprise).
• Establish and strengthen women-led steering committee
• Work as a trainer and resource person in the trainings organized for the communities and other partners in the project implementation area.
• Promote project through stories, articles, and other PR activities, ensure implementation of Organization and donor visibility strategy
• Develop and maintain effective coordination and long-term mechanisms with external partners including partner CSOs, government offices, community-based organizations, and private sector partners
• Together with the supervisor, regularly engage internally and externally (especially with in the region)
• Ensure equal participation and benefit of girls and boys with disabilities in all phases of project implementation.

Child and Youth safeguarding 

• Responsible for taking part in awareness-raising sessions and capacity-building training in relation to Child and Youth Safeguarding (CYS) to prevent and protect children and young people from all forms of abuse, abandonment, exploitation, violence, and discrimination
• Support children and young people to make them understand the CYS risks and protection mechanisms
• Responsible for reporting any CYS suspicion, concern, allegation, or incident immediately, following Child and Youth Safeguarding reporting procedures. CYS reports should be made to the CYS team at program level and/or to the respective line manager

Job Requirements

Education: BA/MA in Social Science, community development, gender and development, Social work, and other related field of study and at least 5 years relevant experience of which at least three years experience with NGOs

Experience : Professional and technical experience matching the above-mentioned duties and responsibilities.

Competencies – Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Experience working in the community, voluntary, science engagement or a related sector
• Experience in coordinating project work and working on multiple projects at the same time
• Ability to build good working relationships with internal colleagues, external partners & stakeholders
• Knowledge of community mobilization and participation in the development project
• Good organizational and time management skills
• Clear communication skills
• Resilience – adaptable with the ability to remain calm and effective when working on fast-moving, high-pressure projects
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications.
• Understanding the organization and commitment to its vision and mission: able to clearly communicate SOS Children’s Villages Who We Are (Vision, Mission & Values), “Living our Values” policies and strategies in all areas.

Required competency

The following set of value-based competencies are behaviors that are expected from everyone who works for or on behalf of SOS Children’s Villages to achieve a culture of safeguarding.

Lead Competencies

• Role Model: Act as a role model for the organization, living our values and inspiring and learning from others
• Collaboration: Remove barriers to participation, share decision making and build partnerships
• Empowerment: Promote inclusion and equitable sharing of power
• Strategic Thinking: Live the values and mission, setting realistic goals and translating them into actionable plans

Core competency

• Kindness: Act with empathy towards everyone he/she works with.
• Continuous Learning: Make an effort to learn, understand and grow as a person, admitting your own mistakes.
• Inclusiveness: In any actions show respect and care for others.
• Initiative: speak up when things are not right, do not hesitate to act, and adapt to change when necessary.
• Results Orientation: look for solutions and focus on desired results.

How to Apply

Excited to take on a new Challenge..

Then send us your application (application letter, detailed CV containing contact detail of there references) electronically through SOS Children Villages Application portal (ICIMS)

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia holds strict child safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy for conducts of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered.  Parallel to technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring decisions will give due emphasis to assessing candidates value congruence and thorough background checks, police clearance reference check processes.

SOS Children's Villages Ethiopia provides equal employment opportunities to all co-workers & qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or class.