South Sudan (Republic of): Community Services Officer- South Sudan

Community Services Officer

South Sudan, Maban

Background

The Danish Refugee Council has been in South Sudan since 2004 mainly working with returning refugees and internally displaced persons returning home after a long civil war. In 2012 DRC opened its operations in Upper Nile State (Maban County) to respond to the large influx of refugees coming from Blue Nile State in Sudan. DRC is the camp manager of the Yusif Batil camp where 35,000 refugees are currently living and also carries out protection and GBV activities in four camps in Maban comprising a population of 105,000 refugees. In addition, DRC in Maban is managing a workshop and carrying out shelter and livelihood activities. In 2012 DRC in South Sudan merged with the Danish Demining Group bringing together DRC’s protection activities and DDG’s AVR (armed violence reduction) activities.

Key tasks and responsibilities

The Community Services Officer is responsible for all activities linked to social protection, community mobilization and community development within the refugee camp. He/she promotes an age, gender and diversity sensitive approach in all activities, aims at strengthening protection mechanics within the refugee communities, and puts in places mechanics to identify and protect individuals and groups with specific needs.

Additionally, the Community Services officer undertakes activities to promote peaceful coexistence and dialogue between refugee communities and host communities.

Key responsibilities

• Establish and develop community structures with inclusive representation. Participants in community structures receive support and training, but otherwise encouraged to take on social responsibility. As a minimum, this includes:

o Refugee leadership/Committee o Women’s group o Youth group o Community Watch group o Refugee community outreach workers o Other groups may be established as needed

• Supervise Field Assistants and Field officers, as well as oversee the work of the Community outreach workers, ensuring that work and activities progresses as agreed and in line with applicable standards • Continually sensitize staff, partners, refugee leadership to the importance of respectful dialogue with the refugee community • In close cooperation with refugee community/committees, develop social, recreational and cultural activities in the camp.
• Income generating activities for specific refugee groups may also be developed through community-based structures • Develop operational protection responses to individuals in the absence of other actors or specialized services, e.g. support networks • Identify key protection concerns through participatory process for different age, gender and diversity groups among camp population, in close cooperation with DRC’s protection monitoring team • Sensitize staff to the importance of continuous and respectful dialogue with the refugee community • Responsible for ensuring that DRC has up-to-date records of refugee camp population, based on UNHCR registration, plot allocation, and leadership structures. If data entry is required, then the data entry assistant can be assigned to this task. • Regular review of registration data, critical analysis of data compared to actual population, and identification of vulnerable groups and individuals for further interventions. Also identification of any gaps between registration and actual population • Periodically draft reports on community mobilization activities to the Camp Manager for donor reporting • Participate in weekly Camp Coordination meetings and provide secretariat, including drafting meeting minutes & action points • Any other tasks assigned by the camp manager to support general camp management operations

Qualifications • Advanced university degree in social work, gender studies, human rights, social sciences or related field • 3 years professional project management experience, including supervision of national staff, budgetary oversight and program development • Technical expertise and understanding of participatory approaches, community mobilizations, inclusion of individuals with specific needs • Proven record of operationalizing protection principles in a humanitarian aid setting, preferably in refugee camps or other displacement situations • Excellent analytical and communication skills • Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with local staff, beneficiaries, duty bearers and other stakeholders • Proven ability to work and live in very basic living conditions in deep field locations • Ability to work under pressure, with minimal supervision, and in a culturally diverse team

We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, irrespective of nationality, race, gender or age.

Conditions

Availability: Start date: 6th June, 2013.

Duty station: Maban County, Upper Nile State, South Sudan. Non-family duty station. Contract: 6 month contract (with possibility of extension)

Salary and conditions in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates; please refer to www.drc.dk under Vacancies. The position will be placed at salary level A12.

Further information

You are welcome to contact Chris Young, Head of Programmes at head.programme@drc-ssudan.org for more information about the position.

Please note that applications are not to be sent to Mr Young. Applications sent directly to Mr Young will not be considered.

For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.dk.

Commitments

DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff is required to contribute to the achievement of this framework (http://www.drc.dk/HAF.4265.0.html).

Application process

Only motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications, sent together with a CV, will be considered. CV-only applications will not be considered. Please provide references, but do not attach any written recommendations.

Please submit your application by email to jobjuba@drc.dk , in English and marked “Community Services Officer – South Sudan” no later than 27th May, 2013. Do not apply for this position on the drc.dk/flygtning.dk – website!

Please write to job@drc.dk if you have questions to the application process or experience problems with your online application.