Field-level Community Engagement Officer (Female) 21 views

Positive Action for Development (PAD) is one of the most vibrant, rapidly expanding, and results-driven civil society organizations in Ethiopia. PAD is currently scaling up its interventions across the humanitarian, NEXUS, and development spectrum—expanding operations throughout the country, including in Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, Harari, Afar, Somali, Tigray, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Ethiopia’s southern regional states. As PAD broadens its reach, it remains firmly committed to inclusive, equitable, and conflict-sensitive programming—respecting the diverse realities of communities while fostering peaceful coexistence and sustainable development.

Vision: PAD strives to see a community of hope, humanity, and social justice.

Mission: PAD brings people together to work in partnerships; promotes hope, humanity, and social justice for every human life in all its fullness; and improves the livelihoods of disadvantaged groups for social and inclusive economic growth by actively engaging in positive actions, promoting responsive care and support, and addressing the root causes of poverty in Ethiopia.

General Overview:

This document outlines the standard roles and responsibilities associated with this position. The descriptions of the post cannot be exhaustive, and the post holder may be required to undertake additional duties that align with the key responsibilities described herein. The roles and responsibilities are also subject to change.

Job Summary

The Field-level Community Engagement Officer (Female) will be the primary link between PAD and the IDP communities, ensuring their active, dignified, and safe participation in all project activities. Focused on building trust and facilitating two-way communication, she will lead community mobilization, sensitization, and the operationalization of accountability mechanisms. Her role is critical to ensuring a gender-sensitive, inclusive, and participatory approach, with a special emphasis on engaging women, girls, and other marginalized groups to voice their needs and feedback.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1. Community Mobilization & Sensitization

• Lead the formation, training, and ongoing support of inclusive Community Committees and Beneficiary Selection Committees in each site, ensuring representation of women, youth, persons with disabilities, and older persons.
• Organize and facilitate regular community meetings, sensitization sessions, and workshops on project objectives, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention, fire safety, PSEA, and the use of provided items.
• Conduct door-to-door visits and focus group discussions, particularly with female-headed households and vulnerable individuals, to ensure their understanding and involvement.
• Mobilize community members for project activities, ensuring timely participation in distributions, trainings, and feedback sessions.

2. Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) & Feedback Mechanisms

• Establish, manage, and promote accessible Feedback, Complaint, and Response Mechanisms (FCRMs) in all project sites.
• Receive, document, and refer community feedback and complaints (including sensitive protection concerns) through appropriate channels, ensuring confidentiality and a timely response.
• Regularly communicate back to communities on how their feedback has been acted upon, closing the feedback loop.
• Ensure all community engagement activities are safe, confidential, and uphold the dignity of beneficiaries.

3. Protection & Gender Mainstreaming

• Actively identify protection risks, especially for women and girls, and refer cases to relevant services in coordination with the Project Coordinator and protection partners.
• Ensure all project activities are designed and delivered with meaningful participation of women and girls.
• Support the establishment and community-led management of Women’s Safe Spaces, facilitating discussions on issues affecting women and girls.
• Integrate Do No Harm, age disability, and gender considerations into all community interactions.

4. Monitoring & Reporting

• Support the Project Coordinator in conducting Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM) and participatory assessments.
• Document community perceptions, success stories, testimonies, and challenges to inform programmatic adjustments and reporting.
• Maintain detailed records of all community engagement activities, meeting minutes, FCRM logs, and attendance sheets.
• Submit regular activity reports to the Project Coordinator.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Social Work, Community Development, Gender Studies, or a related field.

Experience:

Minimum of 2-3 years of experience in community engagement, mobilization, or AAP roles in a humanitarian/development context. Experience working directly with IDPs/refugees is highly desirable.

Technical Skills:

Proficiency in basic Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel). Experience with data collection tools (e.g., KOBO) is a plus.

Core Competencies

• Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Strong empathy and ability to build trust with displaced communities, particularly with women and girls.
• High level of integrity and ability to handle sensitive information confidentially.
• Cultural sensitivity and adaptability.
• Proactive and problem-solving attitude.

Technical Competencies

• Understanding of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) and community-based feedback mechanisms.
• Knowledge of protection principles, GBV core concepts, and PSEA.
• Experience in community mobilization and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques.
• Familiarity with humanitarian standards and gender mainstreaming in project cycles.

Number required: 1 (One) (Female)

Duty Station: Amhara region, Debre Birhan

Female applicants are highly encouraged to apply

Equal Employment Opportunity

• Positive Action for Development (PAD) promotes fairness, equity, and diversity in the workplace. We welcome applications from qualified individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of gender, age, disability, ethnicity, religion, or other personal status. Hiring decisions are made based on skills, experience, and suitability for the role.
• We are committed to creating a respectful and inclusive environment where all staff can thrive, contribute meaningfully, and grow professionally.

Zero Tolerance for Misconduct

• PAD has zero tolerance for any form of abuse, harassment, exploitation, or misuse of power. We take safeguarding seriously and expect all staff, volunteers, and partners to follow our policies and uphold our values at all times. All successful candidates will go through background checks and be required to follow PAD’s code of conduct and safeguarding principles.

Recruitment Flexibility

• PAD reserves the right to recruit more than one candidate from this announcement or keep qualified applicants in our database for future similar roles.

Important Notice on Recruitment Fraud

• PAD does not request any payment at any stage of the recruitment process. If you receive any suspicious messages claiming to be from PAD, please report them to our office through official contact channels. www.padethiopia.