TERMS OF REFERENCE
COMMUNITY OUTREACH OFFICER
1. BACKGROUND
1.01 The Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (CDRRF) is a multi-donor fund established by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) with grant financing from the Global Affairs Canada and the European Union under the ACP-EU-CDB Natural Disaster Risk Management in Cariforum Countries project. The Fund finances community-based disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) initiatives at the local level across eligible borrowing member countries of the CDB, with the exception of Haiti. Additional information on CDRRF is available at the website http://www.caribank.org/programmes/cdrr1.
1.02 The Government of Jamaica is the recipient of grant funding from the CDRRF which will be used to finance the Climate Change Adaptation and Risk Reduction Technology and Strategies to Improve Community Resilience (CARTS) Project which was designed by the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC) which is one of 14 local authorities in Jamaica. WMC has primary responsibility for local governance in Westmoreland. WMC’s mission is to foster the orderly development and good governance of Westmoreland, by providing effective and efficient services to residents and visitors, and facilitating commercial activities within a planned and sustainably developed environment. The Corporation executes its responsibilities through a committee system, which includes Physical Planning and Environment, Parish Disaster; Planning and Management, Public Health, and Infrastructure and Maintenance.
1.03 The CARTS Project seeks to address some of the disaster risks, climate change (CC) impacts and related livelihood issues in Savanna-La-Mar, the parish capital by improving the resilience to CC and enhancing the disaster risk management capacities within the town and three surrounding communities, specifically Russia, New Market Oval, and Llandilo. Specialist services are required for ongoing engagement of the stakeholders in Project’s target communities. Recognising this, WMC is seeking to procure the services of a Community Outreach Officer (COO).
2. OBJECTIVES
2.01 The role of the COO will be to keep the wider community informed and gather feedback on all activities related to the CARTS Project, in compliance with the policies and guidelines of CDB and WMC. The COO will be a member of the Project Management Team (PMT) and will report to the Project Coordinator.
3. RESPONSIBILITIES
3.01 The COO shall be responsible for organizing community engagement activities in Russia, New Market Oval, and Llandilo communities and any other communities identified during implementation of the Project. The COO will respect the confidentiality of all information acquired through working as a member of the WMC CARTS Project Management Team (PMT).
3.02 The COO’s duties will include, but not be limited to:
Engagement
(a) Conducting a mapping exercise to determine the various routes to engage with fisherfolk, women, men, youth, vulnerable and hard to reach groups.
(b) Acting as the key point of contact between the PMT and the community and providing timely feedback on issues/concerns raised.
(c) Working with the other members of the PMT to develop and implement appropriate plans of engagement to best gather wide ranging and representative knowledge during project implementation.
(d) Organising and attending a range of community group outreach events to promote gender equality, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change and obtain views on these issues. The target audience for the events include women, men, and youth, vulnerable and hard to reach groups.
(e) Attending and participating in the planning and delivery of wider community development activities in Russia, New Market Oval and Llandilo.
Marketing
(a) Developing marketing tools, in collaboration with fisherfolk, children and young people, vulnerable groups, community groups, and other key partners.
(b) Identifying and implementing creative approaches for the use of the marketing tools including social media.
(c) Building awareness within the PMT of creative ways of involving the stakeholders in the target communities in project activities.
Volunteer Development
(a) Developing a list of community volunteers.
(b) Working with the communities to identify volunteering opportunities for fisherfolk, youth and adults and encouraging active involvement in the Project’s activities.
(c) Assisting with the identification of and delivery of training that will help to improve volunteering skills and knowledge.
Reporting
(a) Producing reports on activities and the views and opinions of the wider community.
(b) Preparing monthly reports for submission to the PM.
(c) Providing the PM with suggestions or recommendations to improve engagement and project implementation based on feedback from the communities.
Other Duties
(a) Participating in the planning and team building activities within the PMU and contribute to the core operation and development of the unit.
(b) Participating in project supervision meetings.
(c) Undertaking any other duties requested by the PM which are commensurate with the overall responsibility of the COO.
4. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
4.01 Prospective candidates education should include at least a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Public Administration, Social Work or Social Sciences or a related field. A minimum of three years proven practical experience in working with outreach activities and the implementation of community development projects.
4.02 Strong communication, community engagement, interpersonal, problem solving, community motivation, monitoring and reporting skills are required. Knowledge of gender issues and their importance in community development projects will be an asset. The COO shall have qualifications and experience that are acceptable to CDB.
5. DURATION
5.01 The services of the COO will be required for twelve (12) months.
