Duty Station:                           For KP province in Project Management Unit Swat and Punjab in Rahim Yar Khan or Rajanpur

Minimum Experience:             At least 5 years’ relevant experience in development sector of which 2 years must be on community mobilization officer in a reputable organization, preferably an NNGO/INGO. Experience of donor funded projects (preferably on climate change focussed project but it is not mandatory).

Minimum Qualification:          Master’s degree in social sciences (preferably in sociology, social work and anthropology) from HEC recognised institutions

Gender:                                   Both Men & Women

No. of Positions:                       Total 8 positions- 1 male & 1 female for each district of KP (Swat & Dir Lower) and 1 male & 1 female for each district of Punjab (Rahim Yar Khan & Rajanpur)

Direct Reporting to                  Project Manager

Indirect Reporting to              Manager Programmes

Introduction:

LASOONA: Society for Human and Natural Resource Development is a national, multi-disciplinary, development oriented and non-profit making organization. LASOONA affirms to be committed to the well-being of masses and envision a just and peace full society through empowering vulnerable and under- privileged communities through sustainable livelihoods, improved governance, social cohesion and enhanced resilience to environmental hazards, in impoverished pockets of Pakistan in general and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces in particular.

The organization was established in 1997 and Registered under Societies Registration Act, 1860, and is also certified/accredited by Pakistan Center for Philanthropy (PCP).

While pursuing its mission in the past 20 years, LASOONA has successfully gained credibility amongst the development partners and national and international stakeholders i.e. local communities/beneficiaries; national; local and provincial governments; and civil society organizations.  The organization has developed a reputation of being an innovative organization, with the capacity to expand thematic areas as per the need of the target communities, e.g., people affected through earthquake, conflict and flood disasters. It places the deprived and marginalized segments of the society at the core of its development strategies and is interested in promoting sustainable solutions to the deepening and growing poverty inherent in the social, political and economic sectors. The organization has created and sustained strong linkages and partnerships with national and international NGOs and donor agencies and they consider LASOONA as their trusted implementing partner.  LASOONA has created a team of dedicated volunteers and activists from within the communities, who are today leading their communities in development agenda.

Currently LASOONA has planned implementation of long-term development-oriented project titled “Changing Minds for Climate Resilience through Awareness Raising and Local Capacity Measures”. The project is planned to be implemented in selected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and South Punjab.  The main focus of the project is to increase resilience of vulnerable communities with particular focus on women, people with disabilities, youth and children through awareness raising and capacity development activities. The purpose of the project is to improve resilience and adaptation capacities of the target beneficiaries to better manage the impacts of climate change and reducing overall vulnerabilities. Following are the main outputs of the project:

• A range of knowledge products and tools have been developed for general awareness on climate change while focusing on the needs of vulnerable populations and are available with local authorities for further dissemination and usage -
• Communities and vulnerable groups i.e., women, disable people can understand climate related risks and their impacts on their health and livelihood and are able to take precautionary and adaptive measures in case of climate emergency.
• Youth and children are trained on capacitated to play their part in acting on climate change through individual as well as collective measures
• Vulnerable farmers including female farmers have improved access to information on climate-smart practices and are able to use that information for improved productivity and livelihood.
• Government departments make informed decisions for improved service delivery

Job Summary:

Under the supervision of the Project Manager the Social Mobilizer is responsible to lead the project implementation at field level, including social mobilization, Identification and selection of project beneficiaries, community leaders/activists, formation of community organizations/groups and facilitate implementation of the project plans at community level. He /She will be responsible to connect the Project team with beneficiaries’ especially vulnerable population groups i.e., women, gender minorities, people with disabilities, youth and children, communities and community-based organizations and civil society actors, Government officials, local elected representatives and general public/ citizens

Duties and Responsibilities

1.       Facilitate the project implementation at filed level in line with the project proposal, processes, the budget, the time-frame, regulations as per the partnership agreements signed with the donor

2.       Collaborate with the Project Manager MEAL Officer and thematic experts and beneficiaries for the efficient implementation of the project activities and sharing of progress.

3.       Assist Project Management and MEAL Officer in monitoring, evaluation of the relevant project and quality progress reporting.

4.       Regularly monitor expenditure of project financial resources and use of assets as per approved budgets and agreements & provide regular feedback

5.       Ensure smooth implementation of policies and accountability in respective project activities, and handling of beneficiaries and stakeholders’ complaints.

          Explanation to the duties and responsibilities (Detail performance standards)                               

1.       Facilitate the project implementation at field level in line with the project proposal, processes, the budget, the time-frame, regulations as per the partnership agreements signed with the donor

Performance standard

• Formation, mobilization and strengthening of the community based organizations/groups of the target beneficiaries.
• Facilitate thematic experts in carrying out of short studies for impacts of climate change on vulnerable groups i.e., women, children, youth, people with disabilities and farming communities
• Led the awareness raising campaigns at community level for vulnerable groups i.e., women and people with disabilities on potential impacts of different climate related risks and extreme events on their health and livelihood
• Facilitate capacity building trainings at community level for target groups on preventive measures to cope with the negative impacts of climate change
• Identify and select master trainers from community-based organizations to conduct awareness raising activities through peer learning approach
• Dissemination of developed IEC material among target audience/communities  
• Establishment of Climate Clubs in Schools, identification/selection of youth Climate Champion and activists to create mass awareness among youth and children on climate resilience
• Facilitate the Identification of capacity needs and organize trainings of local farming communities on climate adaptation and resilience in agriculture sector
• Organize demonstrating of climate-smart technologies through farmer field days t community level.
• Facilitate farming communities in development networking with relevant public and private actors for improve resilience against climate related risks.
• Identification and selection of beneficiaries as per agreed criteria.
• Provide at least 90% of his/her official time to the field activities.

2:   Collaborate with the Project Manager MEAL Officer and thematic experts and beneficiaries for the efficient implementation of the project activities and sharing of progress.

Performance standard:

• Liaise with the project team, heads of other components, thematic experts for coordinated implementation of project activities at field level.
• Facilitate donor visits to communities and project interventions.

3.    Assist Project Management and MEAL Officer in monitoring, evaluation of the relevant project and quality progress reporting.

Performance standard

• Facilitate monitoring team in implementation of M&E plan by conducting different surveys/assessments.
• Compile, maintain and share data of the social mobilization component with project management and MEAL officer for timely submission of monthly, mid-term and final reports.

4: Regularly monitor expenditure of project financial resources and use of assets as per approved budgets and agreements & provide regular feedback

• For the field level social mobilization activities, ensure that the activities being carried out are as per budget with prior approval from competent authority
• Ensure the funds handling for component’s activities at field level is as per the organisational /donor policies.

5.  Ensure smooth implementation of policies and accountability in respective project activities, and handling of beneficiaries and stakeholders’ complaints.

Performance standard

• Ensure accountability as per core humanitarian standards in implementation of the component activities.
• Facilitate setting up of complaint and feedback mechanisms at community level and guide community / beneficiaries about complaint handling mechanism
• Oversee organizational assets and resources to be used in under his/her supervision and ensure its efficient and effective use

Other General Performance Standards

• Sense of Responsibility; Exerts a high level of effort and perseverance toward goals attainment. Works hard to become excellent at doing tasks by setting high standards, paying attention to details, working consistently, and displaying a high level of concentration even when assigned an unpleasant task. Displays high standards of attendance, punctuality, enthusiasm, vitality, and optimism in approaching and completing tasks.
• Planning and Organisation; Believes in own ability and maintains a positive self-confident approach to task achievement.  Demonstrates knowledge of own skills and abilities, is aware of impact on others, knows own capacity and needs and how to address them.

• Flexibility; Demonstrates willingness and ability to change.  Manages that change in a sensitive manner to effectively balance the needs of the task and the people involved
• Creative Thinking; Uses imagination freely, combines ideas or information in new ways, makes connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, and reshapes goals in ways that reveal new possibilities.
• Decision Making; Specifies goals and constraints, generate alternatives, consider risks, and evaluate and choose best alternatives.
• Problem Solving; Recognises that a problem exits (i.e., there is a discrepancy between what is and what should or could be), identifies possible reasons for the discrepancy, and devises and implements a plan of action to resolve it. Evaluates and monitors progress, and Exercises
• Dealing with Difficult Situations; Applies logic and sensitivity to transform difficult situations into opportunities for motivation and teambuilding.  Demonstrates ability to achieve positive output from conflict and challenge revises plan as indicated by findings.
• Good understanding of humanitarian and protection issues in Pakistan generally and target area specially

Require capacities and experience:

• Master’s degree in social sciences (preferably in sociology, social work and anthropology) from HEC recognised institutions
• At least 5 years’ relevant experience in development sector of which 2 years must be on community mobilization officer in a reputable organization, preferably an NNGO/INGO.
• Demonstrated knowledge skills and experience of social mobilization

• Experience of donor funded projects (preferably on climate change focussed project but it is not mandatory).

• Acumen with social mobilization, approaches, tools, strategies, awareness raising campaigns with women children and youth at community level
• Strong computer skills (MS Word, Excel, and Power Point
• Have good understanding of core humanitarian standards and practices of complaint response mechanisms.
• Have strong communication skills ability to communicate with the target communities and stakeholders
• Ability to communicate in English and URDU (in-writing and verbal) and can communicate with beneficiaries of the respective targets districts in their own languages (either Pashto, Punjabi Seraiki).

How to Apply:

LASOONA offers competitive salary package and conducive working environment. Please submit your CV to: [email protected].   

Clearly mention the name of position and district name in the subject line in your email.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further selection process.

LASOONA is equal opportunity employer.  Women candidates will be highly encouraged to apply.