WORK FOR AN AWARD-WINNING NON-PROFIT SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

This position is open to citizens and residents of Dominica only.

Job Title: Community Mobilization Coordinator - Dominica
Industry: Non-profit/International Development
Function: Community Engagement
Job Location: Roseau, Dominica
Start Date: July 29, 2019
Term: 3-month consultancy, with possibility of extension
Compensation: Competitive, consultant agreement

Organization Description

Build Change is an international non-profit social enterprise founded in 2004 with the mission of greatly reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses caused by housing and school collapse in earthquakes and hurricanes in challenging post-disaster and vulnerable environments. Our team of dedicated staff designs disaster-resistant buildings, trains people to build them, facilitates access to capital for safe reconstruction and retrofitting and works with governments to enforce building standards and develop systems that promote development and progressively reduce disaster risk.

Build Change works in both post-disaster and mitigation contexts and currently has programs in Indonesia, Haiti, Philippines, Colombia, Guatemala and Nepal. In addition, Build Change regularly conducts reconnaissance, consultation or construction industry analysis including in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominica, St Lucia and Micronesia after recent devastating windstorms. To date, Build Change has trained over 43,000 people in disaster-resistant design and construction who in turn have built over 57,000 safer buildings. In the process, Build Change has created more than 18,000 jobs.

Build Change has been working in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake, providing engineering technical assistance to safely construct homes and schools, and recently have begun to expand our work into other Caribbean nations including the Commonwealth of Dominica. To learn more about us and our programs in Indonesia, Colombia, Guatemala, Philippines, Nepal, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands, visit www.buildchange.org.

On May 24, 2019, Build Change signed a contract with the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Ministry of Housing and Lands for consultant’s services under the Housing Recovery Project. Under this contract, Build Change will provide specialized technical advisory services and development of a management information system (MIS) for homeowner driven reconstruction to support the Dominica Housing Recovery Project.

Position Description

The Community Mobilization Coordinator - Dominica shall work with the in-country Project Lead to help deliver community mobilization and coordination aspects of assigned projects for Build Change in Dominica and ensure that community engagement deliverables are met including quality assurance, timely reporting and other related requirements. This position reports to the in-country Project Lead with general direction from the Director of Programs and Partnerships – Caribbean.

Responsibilities:

• Support PIU recruitment of a strong network of social engagement staff for disseminating key messages such as eligibility criteria and self-nomination procedures, as well as to reach the most vulnerable homeowners identified through pre-screening in a timely manner.
• Liaise and coordinate with PIU staff as well as local government bodies on social engagement activities in the project.
• Provide non-technical project advice and safe construction and advice to local homeowners, builders and partner organizations’ staffs.
• Assist in trainings for PIU social engagement staff and non-technical content to PIU site survey staff including development of training materials and presentations.
• Facilitate coordination of social engagement field activities and site survey implementation.
• Lead by example using the phone-based data collection and awareness applications with potential beneficiaries.
• Assist PIU social engagement and site survey staff in solving problems and generating solutions in the field for special cases.
• Assist in controlling quality of information and implementation for projects in Dominica.
• Compile weekly monitoring reports on social engagement reach and effectiveness and assist in other reporting as requested.
• Communicate and report to the Project Lead about the progress/issues of projects implemented by Build Change.
• Support communication strategy to establish a strong communications posture and brand for the Project in the local context, with specifically clear messaging to engage the target potential beneficiary base at the local level.
• Support the PIU Communications Officer to refine and target simple messaging as the Project communication needs evolve so the population clearly understands the project objective.
• Advise on community messaging to be disseminated through passive and active channels such as billboards, town halls, radio broadcasts, social media, newspaper articles, a mobile awareness application, and community broadcasts (e.g. vehicles with speakers) to promote audience engagement.
• Advise on tailoring messaging and tools to specific audiences, including the indigenous Kalinago community.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Media & Communications or similar with minimum 3-years professional experience in related areas OR college education with 10-years professional experience in related areas.
• Extensive knowledge of local communities within Dominica. Experience working in post-disaster community engagement, mobilization and coordination projects. Work experience in community led building projects will be an advantage.
• Proven ability to connect with vulnerable populations and communicate complicated topics effectively to ensure engagement of the most vulnerable in project activities.
• Experience coordinating with local and/or national Government bodies would be an advantage.
• Experience using phone-based applications and social media will be an advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment.
• Superior organizational skills, problem solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks.
• The successful candidate will be expected to be flexible, humble, patient, and have a good sense of humor.
• Driving license with fully insured vehicle available to move around the Island. All project related travel costs will be reimbursed.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English required. Proficiency in other local languages such as Creole would be a plus.
• This position is open to citizens and residents of Dominica only.

Tenure and Compensation:

• The assignment will be for three months in the first instance subject to possible extension for an additional month.
• Compensation will be commensurate with qualification and experience.
• The successful candidate will be expected to be available for immediate commencement of engagement.