Community Empowerment Officer X3 Needed At SOS Children’s Villages International (CVI)

Position title: Community Empowerment Officer X3

Working location: Shamva; Wedza; Bulawayo

Supervisor: Family-Strengthening Coordinator

Established in 1949, SOS Children’s Villages International (CVI) is a dynamic, international social development organization working globally to meet the needs and protect the interests and rights of children without parental care and those who are at the risk of losing it.

SOS Children’s Villages Association of Zimbabwe is a member of SOS International – a worldwide children’s social welfare organisation, providing vulnerable children without homes with a family home and educational opportunities as well as strengthening families to reduce poverty.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Facilitate and participates in community stakeholder analysis; community needs assessment and community resource/asset mapping;
• Support the identification and assessment of the community based partner to work with in the community;
• Mobilize communities to participate in project planning, development, implementation and monitoring.
• Mobilize government institutions, CSOs, and other enabling partners in planning, development, resource mobilisation, implementation and monitoring of interventions to empower community based partners.
• Support community based partners to embark on innovative and sustainable community self-reliant projects
• Mobilize grassroots organizations, Community structures and other civil society organizations to advocate for the welfare of vulnerable children and young people
• Facilitate Community Based Partners (CBPs) to access government social safety net programmes and other developmental programme support
• Facilitate the identification of opportunities and mobilization of local resources for the action plan to meet the needs of each household and community.
• Support communities in the development of emergency preparedness plans.
• Led the FS programme planning and budgeting on community empowerment
• Facilitate the mainstream of cross cutting issues (HIV/AIDS, child protection, gender and environment) in all community empowerment programme intervention development.
• Facilitate community action research and evaluations
• Facilitate learning and practice sharing of community based partners with other organisations in areas identified for knowledge and practice enhancement;
• Build capacity of community based partners, community facilitators and volunteers in community and family empowerment monitoring and reviews (family self-evaluation, family book, home visits, FDP reviews, etc)
• Represent SOS Children Villages at stakeholder engagements in the programme catchment community
• Facilitate networking with local government institutions, CSOs, corporate business partners and other partners in planning and implementation of community empowerment interventions.
• Facilitate participatory monitoring and evaluation of the community empowerment interventions.
• Documents, prepare and submit timely progress reports to the Project Coordinator on community empowerment interventions
• Support the collection and documentation of community empowerment impact stories
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Qualifications and Technical Competencies

• Degree in Community development related social and natural sciences/disciplines such as Social Work, Social Sciences, Sociology, Development studies, Economics, Community Nursing, and Rural Development.
• At least 4 years of professional work experience in a similar role or implementing Community development and OVC support programmes.
• Valid Class 4 Driver’s License and ability to ride a Motorcycle (Class 3) is a requirement.

Skills & Knowledge

• Sound understanding of child rights, child development, family and community development, rights based programming and management of CBPs.
• Good communication and reporting skills, computer literate, understanding and ability to apply community development participatory methodologies, self-starter
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from diverse backgrounds, within and outside the organisation, develop effective working relationships to deliver outstanding results.
• Asset Based Community Development Approach
• Knowledge of the Project cycle management demonstrable ability with applying project management methodology to basic or routine projects to achieve stated objectives and/or outcomes
• Demonstrates initiative and enterprise and supports others to work more effectively
• Understands and SOS CV social, ethical and organisational standards and responsibilities in all interactions
• Willingness to travel to and be posted in any SOS program locations according to programming requirements.

SOS Children’s Villages Zimbabwe holds strict child safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace and program activity locations. Parallel to technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring decisions will give due emphasize to assessing candidates value congruence and thorough background checks, police clearance reference check processes.

Candidates should be willing to work in any of the SOS Programme Locations.

Applications accompanied by a detailed curriculum vitae (CV) with at least 3 traceable references and copies of certified academic certificates should be submitted electronically not later than 28 October 2022. Please note the applications will be reviewed as they come in. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted Applications that are late do not have a CV or certified certificates attached will be disqualified. E-mail applications should bear the reference number of the position in the subject line of the email. E-mail: Applications should be sent electronically to: Resourcing.SOS@sos-zimbabwe.org