Community Services Officer (Skaramagas) - National Contract
Athens
- Organization: DRC - Danish Refugee Council
- Location: Athens
- Grade: Mid/Senior level - Mid/Senior - Internationally recruited position
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Occupational Groups:
- Social Affairs
- Architecture, Building and Property Management
- Civil Society and Local governance
- Closing Date: Closed
Background
DRC has been operating in Greece since December 2015, providing support to the Greek Ministry of Migration Policy (MoMP) in ensuring dignified reception conditions for refugees and migrants arriving on Lesvos island. In March 2016, DRC expanded its operations to the Athens area, Larissa and Thessaloniki in response to the changing context and the build-up of refugee populations on mainland Greece, while maintaining its protection activities in Lesvos island. In mainland Greece, DRC is currently providing Site Management Support (SMS), similar to the roles and responsibilities of the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) sector, to the Greek authorities in 10 refugee sites.
Purpose
Under the direct management of DRC’s Community Services Team Leader, the Community Services Officer in close collaboration with the DRC’s SMS staff, will be responsible for supporting the relevant Greek authorities in the day-to-day management of the sites by fostering and maintaining positive relationships with the refugee community. This will entail designing and supporting participatory and community led structures, which support the refugee community to take an active role in all aspects of their life within the sites. The Community Services Officer will also be expected to collaborate closely with DRC staff in the sectors of SMS, shelter, WASH, NFI distribution and protection.
Duties and Responsibilities
Management and Programme Quality
- Support the Community Services and SMS teams with the daily management of the site by developing and maintaining constructive and cooperative working relationships directly with Persons of Concern (PoCs), their community representatives, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Through community engagement, mobilization and participatory approaches, support the Community Services and SMS teams to identify gaps and needs in service provision in the site and develop proactive solutions and strategies in agreement with the responsible Greek authorities.
- Support representative committees and community groups, including their participation in coordination initiatives with humanitarian actors.
- Support the Community Services and SMS team to ensure that all DRC activities in the site are relevant and responsive to the PoC’s needs and interests, and are culturally appropriately.
- Support needs assessments, data collection, information management and information dissemination activities through focus group discussions, key information interviews, awareness raising sessions and other site-wide campaigns.
- Organize and facilitate activities, events and initiatives which aim to promote community engagement and social cohesion within the site and which promote positive relations between PoCs, humanitarian actors and the host community. All activities will encourage the active participation of women, people with special needs PSNs and other less represented groups.
- Assist the SMS Manager and Community Services Team Leader in the development of site-specific strategies and plans, including strategies for the regular and participatory engagement with the communities.
- Design and implement communications and feedback strategies with the refugee communities as well as other engagement activities which foster positive relationship between the refugee communities and humanitarian actors.
Monitoring and Reporting
- Ensure that projects and associated activities are implemented in accordance with agreed strategies, principles, implementation plans, and donor requirements.
- In collaboration with the Athens-based M&E team, ensure the implementation of activities comply with quality standards and are monitored in accordance with pre-defined objectives and indicators.
- Support the SMS Manager and Community Services Team Leader in developing accurate and timely reports.
Finance and Administration
- Collaborate regularly with the SMS Manager and Community Services Team Leader to monitor spending and ensure the timely utilization of all assigned budget lines.
- Ensure full compliance with DRC and donor financial guidelines and policies.
Human Resources and Personnel Management
- Manage assigned teams and support respectful and positive working relationships, which allow for the effective implementation of all activities.
Logistics and Procurement
- Collaborate with other field staff and the Athens-based logistics and procurement team to develop and maintain procurement plans.
- Collaborate with the Athens-based logistics and procurement team to ensure field-based records are well managed, fulfill DRC and donor requirements, and are always up-to-date for use in donor reports.
Security
- Comply with DRC safety and security procedures including Chapters 19 and 20 of the organization’s Operations Handbook.
- Ensures that security incidents at the site-level are reported to the SMS Manager.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 2 to 3 years of experience implementing humanitarian or community-based projects and activities at an officer level with an international or local NGO, UN agency, and similar organization.
- University degree in social sciences or similar.
- Fluency in written and spoken English, Greek and Arabic or Farsi and/or Kurdish with excellent analytical and writing skills.
- Proven capacity to adapt to a dynamic and changing operational environment.
Terms and Conditions
The contract will be under the Greek Labor Law, and all allowances will be provided to the employees (Christmas, Easter, Vacation bonus).
DRC provides training opportunities to develop and strengthen the quality of its services as well as its staff members’ professional and personal development.
The position will be based in Attica (Greece) and national terms and conditions apply.
General Regulations
The employee shall follow DRC instructions on safety, confidentiality and ethical guidelines, including the Code of Conduct and the Humanitarian Accountability Framework.
The employee should not engage in any other paid activity during the DRC contract period without prior authorization.
The employee should not engage in any activity that could harm DRC or the implementation of any project during the DRC contract period.
The employee should not give interviews to the media or publish project-related photos or other material without prior authorization.
The employee shall return all borrowed equipment for the project to DRC after the end of the contract period or upon request.
Application Process
Interested? Then apply for this position on line: www.drc.dk/about-drc/vacancies/current-vacancies
All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages). Both must be in English.
Applications close on 3rd November 2017.
Due to the urgency of the position DRC reserves the right to recruit a candidate who matches the required profile before the above deadline.
This vacancy is now closed.