Kinshasa

The Dallaire Institute for Children

The Dallaire Institute

Job Description

About the Research 

Lt. General Romeo Dallaire founded the Child Soldiers Initiative in 2007 and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, provided a home to the Initiative in 2010.  In 2020, the Initiative became the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security, an international repository of expertise, research, and advocacy to prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed violence.  The Dallaire Institute is the co-developer of the 2017 Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers. As part of Dalhousie University, the Dallaire Institute hosts a prestigious Tier 1 Canada Research Chair on International Peace, Security and Children and offers undergraduate and graduate courses. Through academic and practitioner training and community engagement, the Dallaire Institute’s interdisciplinary and applied research advances innovative strategies for preventing the recruitment and use of children in armed violence.  The Dallaire Institute is supported through private, public and international contributions.

To achieve this important objective, the Dallaire Institute conducts activities on four fronts:   

• World-class, interdisciplinary research to build and share knowledge, which in turn leads to new solutions. 
• High-level advocacy activities to create and promote the political will to end the use of children in violence as central to the achievement of global peace and security. 
• Education and programming to sustain the efforts to make the recruitment and use of children as soldiers unthinkable by inspiring leaders, educators, and policy makers to implement new approaches, conduct research, and actively share their knowledge on the prioritization of the children’s rights upfront approach.   

Comprehensive, prevention-oriented training to security sector actors, in the service of broader security sector reform, as well as collaboration with civil society to create and implement tools that protect children from the dangers associated with recruitment.

Job purpose 

The Community Engagement Officer directly supports the successful integration of The Vancouver Principles by leading programming that harnesses the power of welcoming communities. S/he collaborates with other departments and local organizations’ staff to determine needs, coordinate community outreach, build effective relationships, and connect with community-based resources. All that contributes to the results achievement of the Dallaire Institute across the countries of focus, in this case, the ones relevant to the PVPSSA project. 

The officer will report to the country Project Manager of PVPSSA and work closely with the Africa Center of Excellence (ACoE) team, global representatives, and country-based teams.

Duties and responsibilities

Community Interaction

• Organize and lead community dialogues involving community members, security sector actors, youth, and CSOs.
• Participate in briefing meetings with Dallaire Institute and local community staff on preparation work and design of events.
• Work with the Project Manager and other focal points to select participants for community dialogues.
• Assist in drafting and reviewing questions for discussions.
• Implement accountability tools required to capture beneficiary feedback such as FGDs, feedback, and complaints forms.
• Complete After-Action Reports following each community dialogue session.
• Contribute activity-based inputs to donor reports.
• Refine and implement an effective local community engagement strategy for the benefit of the community and PVPSSA project. Community engagement includes general support of The Dallaire Institute's mission and donors, by community-based groups, including but not limited to businesses, civil society, and faith-based organizations.
• Plan and implement opportunities that foster deeper connections between The Dallaire Institute, local supporters, and the community in general.
• Serve as the primary point of contact at The Dallaire Institute with local community members and groups. Provide initial orientation to community sponsorship participants and assist throughout the process. Support the resolution of any issues that may arise.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Conduct monitoring visits and collect data to ensure community engagement activities are on track.
• Document progress, challenges, and corrective actions to support decision-making and improve performance.
• Provide inputs for quarterly program reviews and donor reports.

Capacity Building

• Conduct ongoing coaching for project staff and community participants on community engagement practices.
• Provide capacity building to project-level partners to ensure timely and quality engagement activities.
• Collaborate with The Dallaire Institute colleagues to amplify messaging about our work and how community members can support children and their families.
• Increase community engagement through outreach. Meet with community members, deliver presentations, represent The Dallaire Institute at local meetings, and create tools, fact sheets, presentations, and templates.

Learning and Knowledge Sharing

• Conduct end-of-project lessons learned events, document, and share learning and recommendations for future programming.
• Support the project team in the use of engagement data for decision-making.
• Create summary reports of community engagement activities and disseminate them internally.
• Build relationships with the country’s stakeholders, for instance: school districts, law enforcement, child protection services, and additional stakeholders who work with children protection objectives.
• Build and maintain a local resource bank accessible to the project’s staff, The Dallaire Institute and other stakeholders.
• Other duties as assigned.

Additional Responsibilities

• Proactively participate in planning and performance processes, including annual appraisals and regular meetings.
• Promote a safe and secure work environment in line with the organization’s core values and the Dallaire Institute Workplace Principles.
• Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of children, particularly the prevention of the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.
• Comply with Dallaire Institute’s financial and operational requirements and uphold high standards of honesty and integrity in personal conduct.

Qualifications

Requirements:  

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field including Social Sciences, Community Development, International Development, or related disciplines.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in community engagement, facilitation, or related fields.
• Minimum 1 year of experience managing or coordinating community dialogues or consultations.
• Prior volunteer or professional experience in community development or volunteer coordination is strongly preferred.

Skills 

• Able to manage and be managed in a dotted line hierarchy.
• Demonstrate ability to work effectively across multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary teams both on-site and remotely.
• Fluent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Strong relationship-building, diplomacy, and networking skills; ability to effectively build internal and external relationships.
• Self-starter with excellent problem-solving skills

Knowledge  

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 

Abilities

• Proven ability to multi-task, prioritize duties, and manage time effectively.
• Self-direction and initiative, when needed, to take the lead and to follow through to completion.

Assets  

• Working in a multi-currency environment.

Working conditions

Presential role: Due to operational requirements, the successful applicant is required to work in person.

The position is based in the required country, with the need for regional travel up to 50% of the time.

Supervisory/managerial

The position is an individual contributor who will interact and advise the PVPSSA country team and must be ready to participate in daily activities.

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