Community Engagement Specialist - NZMATES

We are trying to find the best possible candidates to make team stronger.

NZMATES Program Summary - MALUKU

The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has, through its Aid Programme provided funding for the New Zealand – Maluku Access to Renewable Energy Support (NZMATES) programme. New Zealand-based renewable energy company Infratec Ltd. has been tasked with the delivery of the NZMATES programme. Infratec has engaged with YMCI to jointly implement this five-year programme..

The main goal of NZMATES is to improve social well-being and economic development on Seram Island in Maluku province by supporting, accelerating, and enabling the sustainable development and utilization of the areas’ renewable energy (RE) resources (mainly hydro, solar, wind, and biomass) for the benefit of local communities. NZMATES will work towards promoting and accelerating the identification of RE projects and increase their attractiveness and viability, social and environmental assessments, technical considerations, and triggering and facilitating investment and funding from government, private sector, or other donors. NZMATES will partner and collaborate closely with PLN and EBTKE on increasing the use of renewables and improving energy access through grid-connected and off-grid RE projects.

The NZMATES Team will be based in Ambon and will provide support to fill gaps in knowledge, resources, and research, and will ensure that projects are aligned with the Government of Indonesia and community development framework and objectives. The proposed support for RE projects will include assistance with project identification and appraisal, technical and social assessments, finance matching, and project design to strengthen long-term sustainability. NZMATES is also intended to enhance local public and private sector capacity and offer opportunities for direct training, technical exchange programmes, and interaction between Maluku educational institutions and NZ renewable energy specialists. 

Community Engagement Specialist - NZMATES

The Community Engagement Specialist (CES) will be based at Mercy Corps Indonesia’s office in Ambon and spend a significant amount of time in remote program locations in Seram and surrounding areas. The CES will be the key liaison person between NZMATES and the communities on Seram Island where projects will take place. This role will lead community engagement activities for NZMATES, including identifying key stakeholders and groups within communities, communicating project activities and objectives, ascertaining community needs and barriers to participation, and encouraging involvement in project activities following good practice standards. The CES will conduct community-level assessments, stakeholder mapping, and energy needs assessments. 

The Community Engagement Specialist will support project implementation together with relevant community actors, including assisting communities with the development of RE plans and proposals and execution of RE projects. The CES will support monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities, and ensure community-level accountability and feedback mechanisms are in place. The CES will also support the NZMATES office in developing briefings for external actors visiting communities, and developing tools for community engagement and assessment.

Qualifications:

·               University degree in socio-economic development, social sciences, anthropology, or similar field;

·               5-10 years’ experience in community development programming;

·         Experience working with humanitarian or development organization (NGO or other);

·         Experience engaging with remote communities, local government (village, sub-district, and district level), civil society, and other local stakeholders;

·               Ability to foster positive and effective working relationships with variety of stakeholders;

·               Experience working in Maluku province and understanding of local context;

·               Familiarity in research and gathering data on socioeconomic indicators, statistics and other information on different communities, analyzing data and processing it;

·               Experience in carrying out socioeconomic surveys and field data gathering processes;

·               Experience in conducting community assessments, FDG, MEL, and KII;

·               Experience with energy needs assessments, evaluating energy needs priorities, capacity to pay, and other energy projects related requirements;

·               Experience with defining potential village-level management/support models, identifying champions, and assessing local capacities;

·               Experience in properly engaging and obtaining village representation from all sectors, including the most vulnerable ones;

·               Experience with carrying out disaggregated assessments and reporting;  

·               Experience with village funds, BUMDes, and other local village, sub-district, and district entities;

·               Strong facilitation skills as used for group meetings, negotiations, trainings, etc.

·               English language skills;

·               Familiarity with Word, Excel, and internet,

This role is open to all applicants. Women and people from Maluku are especially encouraged to apply..

Please send your CV together with form on this link with position applied on the email subject to hrd@id.mercycorps.org 

Vacancy will be closed 03 June 2018 and only short listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

We look forward to hearing from those who are interested in taking this opportunity to grow and develop with us.