Description
Job Summary
Target Malaria Uganda is seeking a Community Engagement Officer to join its team.

Minimum Qualification: Postgrad
Experience Level: Senior level
Experience Length: 5 years
Job Description/Requirements
Community Engagement Officer (1 position available)

Location: The person will be based at UVRI campus in Entebbe. The position will require frequent travels to the Island sites (about 70% of work time will be spent on Island sites).

Working hours: This is a full-time position (40 hours per week minimum)

Reports to: Target Malaria Stakeholder Engagement Manager at UVRI.

Length of Appointment: Until 31st January (renewable) with six months’ probation period

Job Summary

Target Malaria Uganda is seeking a Community Engagement Officer to join its team.
Stakeholder engagement is one of the three pillars of this project, together with regulatory affairs and scientific research. This position will be responsible for planning, coordinating, organising, controlling, and budgeting for various stakeholder engagement activities. The Community engagement officer will be responsible for formulation of field work tools, procedures and policies for stakeholder engagement and implementing engagement plans and strategies.
This position will be responsible for ensuring provision of adequate information on the project to stakeholders. He/she will ensure consultation of stakeholders before implementation of activities, communicate key messages and provide adequate project information to specific stakeholder groups and target audiences in a suitable language. In addition, the officer will develop and maintain positive working relationship between the team and various stakeholders.

This position will identify, manage and control risks related to stakeholder acceptance of the project. The Community engagement officer will participate in community mobilisation and consortium activities related to stakeholder engagement.

A deep commitment to the mission of developing and sharing new, cost-effective and sustainable genetic technologies to modify mosquitoes and reduce malaria transmission is required.
Roles and Responsibilities

This role will facilitate dialogue between the stakeholders and the project, promotion of trust and confidence between the communities and the project in following aspects:

Ensure adequate information is disseminated to community level stakeholders on project activities (whether current or future);

Ensure appropriate consultation of community stakeholders before the implementation of activities, and feedback concerns and suggestions to the project for consideration;

Map project stakeholders and ensure that the community level dialogue is inclusive ;
Plan, coordinate, organise, document and report on various stakeholder engagement activities.
Provide support function to field entomology team through providing adequate information to stakeholders, seeking consent and acceptance/agreement for project work from individuals and community leadership/representatives.
Develop, consult, and maintain positive working relationship between the team and various stakeholders; provide feedback to both the project and stakeholders.

Support the implementation of the grievance mechanism at community level.
As such, the Community Engagement Officer is responsible for successful implementation of engagement activities, seeking consent and acceptance for the project at field sites.

Strategy activities

Participate in the formulation and implementation of a stakeholder engagement strategy at community level in Uganda;
Participate in the formulation of tools, procedures and policies for stakeholder engagement and documentation of activities;
Participate to the consortium activities related to stakeholder engagement;
Take part in the risk management of this project for issues related to stakeholders’ acceptance of the project;

Reporting activities

Participate in the monitoring and evaluation of the engagement and stakeholders’ acceptance level for the project;

Provide activity report and support the update of tools allowing a follow-up and reporting on engagement activities at community level;

Report regularly to the Stakeholder Engagement Manager;
Essential Requirements

To be successful in this role you must possess the following:

Postgraduate qualification in Social Sciences (or similar), or an equivalent combination of relevant knowledge, extensive training and/or experience in community engagement
Experience in planning, organising and implementing stakeholder engagement strategies and activities.
Excellent communication, influencing and interpersonal skills with a positive and supportive attitude;
Ability to communicate with stakeholders in local languages such as Luganda, Lusoga, etc
Ability to work collaboratively and productively in a team, with colleagues, external consultants, and multiple stakeholders.
Ability and willingness to travel to field sites within Uganda.
Please note that job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, and the post-holder may be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.

Further Information

All applications must be in English and include a Curriculum Vitae, a cover letter explaining why this position is attractive and why your profile fits, and three references.