Community Engagement & Policy Consultant

The Civil Society Enablement Unit invites Community Engagement & Policy Consultants to apply to be part of the Fostering Community Advocacy Project team.

About the Civil Society Enablement Unit

The CSEU started in 2018 with the aim to develop the capacities of local community-based organizations, civil society organizations, and initiatives to enhance their skills and provide them with the necessary support that addresses community issues and focuses on improving awareness and empowering individuals and groups in civil society.

About Fostering Community Advocacy Project

The CSE Unit, through the Fostering Community Advocacy project, seeks to strengthen the capacities of Civil Society Organizations in representing and advocating for civil, human rights, and humanitarian issues at stake in their communities as well as to provide them with the necessary tools and guidelines to raise awareness on related issues. The project also seeks to strengthen the leadership and networking capabilities of these organizations in an effective way allowing them to advocate for civil, human rights, and humanitarian issues and to respond to the needs of their communities.

To support reaching this aim, the Civil Society Enablement Unit is calling for a “Community Engagement & Policy Consultant” to join the Fostering Community Advocacy Project to develop and empower networking and research capacities of targeted CSOs/CBOs in the project. The “Community Engagement & Policy Consultant” will be responsible for the technical and facilitation support that may include, but is not limited to:

• Facilitate 2 networking workshops among the local civil society actors participating in the project.
• Provide guidance during the community dialogue sessions; which will be implemented by the targeted CBOs/CSOs in the project, to identify and clearly understand their communities' priority rights.
• Supervise and support the targeted CBOs/CSOs in producing policy briefs based on the data collected through the community dialogue sessions.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct in-depth research on policy issues related to the advocacy goals of civil society organizations and highlight key issues, recommendations, and potential impact.
• Collaborate with CSEU relevant departments and external stakeholders to gather data, evidence, and input for policy briefs accurately.
• Provide guidance and support to the civil society organizations participating in the project, during the implementation of the community dialogue sessions and activities, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and strategies.
• Facilitate 2 networking sessions for the CBOs of the project.
• Monitor and evaluate the progress of the CBOs writing the policy papers, ensuring their adherence to organizational policies and objectives.
• Develop concise and well-researched policy briefs with the CBOs highlighting key findings, recommendations, and advocacy messages.

Additional information: 

• Experts may perform tasks in person or remotely.
• The applicant must have experience in a similar project that targets civil society.
• Experts must perform the tasks within a period of 5-6 months.
• Fees will be determined after the interview.

Required Qualities:

• A university degree in general policy, international development, economics, or any other related field.
• Applicants should hold previous experience in joint session facilitation.
• Applicants should hold previous experience in producing policy briefs.
• Applicants should have previous experience working with civil society actors.
• Applicants must have 3-5 years of experience, whether in private or local organizations or in civil society organizations.
• At least two years of experience in the humanitarian field.
• Well-knowledged and experienced in the regional context.

Required Skills:

• Proficiency in Arabic language (oral/written) is mandatory
• Proficiency in the English language (oral/written), an added advantage
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, including demonstrated effectiveness in communication particularly in collaboration, team building, and planning, and the proven ability to bring together individuals and teams to build trust and deliver on shared objectives.
• Strong communication and coordination skills
• Ability to manage time and multiple activities, identify priorities, meet deadlines, and solve problems in a complex context.
• High standards of confidentiality, reliability, and discretion.