Community Liaison focal person- MMC and Jerenew

JOB PURPOSE

Under the supervision of the Livelihood Project Manager, the Community Liaison Focal Person is the project's day-to-day presence in each LGA. They are the trusted link between the project team, the facility committees, landowning families, traditional leaders and community members at the livelihood facilities in MMC, Jere and Mafa.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key responsibilities

1. Community entry, mobilisation and communication

• Introduce the project to traditional leaders (District Head, Lawans, Bulamas), religious leaders, landowning families, women and youth groups, and IDP and returnee representatives in the assigned LGA.
• Mobilise participants for consultations, dialogues, trainings, elections and General Assemblies. Make sure women, youth, persons with disabilities, IDPs and returnees are invited and able to attend.
• Explain project decisions, selection criteria, fees and agreements clearly in Hausa, Kanuri or other local languages.
• Share information on the Feedback and Complaints Response Mechanism (FCRM) in every meeting.

2. Support to ownership and social cohesion activities

• Support the Social Cohesion Officer in the ownership and tenure audit by locating documents, identifying landowners and arranging consultations.
• Organise and record landowner consultations, community dialogues, public validation of agreements, recognition events and community open days.
• Support the Peace and Grievance Committees: arrange meetings, take notes and follow up on agreed actions.
• Report any tension, dispute or rumour about the facilities to the Social Cohesion Officer the same day, and log it in the tension log.

3. Facility committee support

• Attend Facility Management Committee meetings and help with agendas, minutes and follow-up actions.
• Support transparent selection of members and supervised elections, and help committees apply their constitutions.
• Check that membership lists, plot allocations, fees and monthly accounts are publicly displayed.
• Remind committees of their reporting duties to the LGA Facility Oversight Committee, and support preparations for quarterly social audits.

4. Day-to-day enterprise facilitation

• Visit each facility in the LGA at least once a week.
• Coach treasurers and records keepers on the cash book, sales records, fee registers and stock records, following the Business Development Officer's tools.
• Check that maintenance logs, equipment logs and asset registers are kept up to date, and report faults to the relevant officer.
• Follow up on production plans, water schedules (irrigation), stocking and harvesting plans (fish farms) and order books (tailoring), and flag problems early.
• Support logistics for trainings, deliveries and commissioning events at the facilities.

5. Data collection and reporting

• Collect routine monitoring data using digital or paper tools from the MEAL Officer: attendance, facility days operational, sales, fees collected, maintenance and complaints.
• Submit a weekly activity report and photos, and contribute to monthly reports.
• Support baseline, endline and perception surveys.

6. Accountability and referrals

• Receive feedback and complaints from community members, record them accurately and pass them to the FCRM focal point within 24 hours.
• Refer protection and safeguarding concerns immediately and confidentially, only through the approved channels. Never investigate such cases personally.

Cross-cutting duties

• Stay neutral and never make promises on behalf of the project, government or landowners.
• Follow PSEA, safeguarding, confidentiality and security procedures, and report any security incident immediately.
• Carry out any other reasonable duties related to the project, as assigned by the supervisor.

Essential requirements:

Qualifications, experience and competencies

Education

• Essential: an OND, NCE or HND in Social Sciences, Community Development, Agriculture, Business, Adult Education or a related field.
• Desirable: a B.Sc in one of these fields, or certificates in community mobilisation, facilitation, record keeping or peacebuilding.

Experience

Essential

• At least 2 years of experience in community mobilisation, community development or field work with an NGO, UN agency or government programme.
• Experience organising and facilitating community meetings with mixed groups, including women, youth and displaced persons.
• Good knowledge of the assigned LGA, its communities, traditional structures and local dynamics. Residence in or strong ties to the LGA are a strong advantage.

Desirable

• Experience supporting community committees, cooperatives, VSLAs or Water User Associations.
• Experience with livelihoods, agriculture, aquaculture or tailoring activities.
• Experience collecting data with mobile tools such as KoBoToolbox or ODK.
• Experience with complaints and feedback mechanisms.

Skills and competencies

• Excellent communication and listening skills; able to explain ideas simply and respectfully.
• Trusted by and able to relate well to leaders, elders, women, youth and vulnerable groups.
• Neutral, discreet and honest, with good judgement in sensitive situations.
• Organised and reliable; able to work independently in the field with little supervision.
• Basic numeracy and record keeping, and basic smartphone and MS Office skills.
• Commitment to inclusion, PSEA and humanitarian principles.

Languages

• Essential: fluent Hausa and Kanuri; good written and spoken English.