Advertisement for Position of District Community Development Officer

Advertisement for Position of District Community Development Officer

BESIK, an acronym for Timor-Leste Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program (RWSSP) is funded by the Government of Australia through AusAID to provide assistance to the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste for the development of rural water supply and environmental health activities in Timor-Leste. The Managing Contractor for BESIK is IDSS.

BESIK is recruiting a potential Timorese national candidate for the position of District Community Development Officer (DCDO) for Manatuto. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Position: District Community Development Officer (DCDO)

Reports to: BESIK Community Development Advisor

Duration: Three months, with possible extension

Location: Based in District Manatuto with frequent travels to field locations in the district, and to other districts and Dili when needed.

1. Scope of Position :

The BESIK District Community Development Officer (DCDO) will work with District SAS Manager, District Facilitator (DF) and support Sub-District Facilitators (SDF) to assist with the implementation of RWASH activities in their district. Under the supervision and guidance of the Community Development Advisor and guidance from the Engineering Advisers, the DCDO will supervise BESIK contractors and partners at District level.

The DCDO will work under the supervision of the Community Development Advisor (CDA) and the National Community Development Officers (NCDO) to strengthen the skills and implementation capacity of SAS, NGO’s and the communities to improve access to and management of RWASH services. The DCDO will provide other support as described below in the implementation of the Community Development Strategy including the promotion of gender equity.

In carrying out this role, Community Development Officer will also work with:

• Community Development Advisor and NCDOs and those who are responsible for coordination and monitoring of all activities at the District, Sub-district and suco level.
• Gender, Social Training & M&E teams
• Engineering, Sanitation and Environmental Health Advisers
• BESIK administration and logistic staff.
• Counterpart staff from the District Water and Sanitation Service (SAS) of the National Directorate for Water Supply and Sanitation Service (DNSAS) of the government of RDTL.
• Other government and non-government agencies at District level.

2. Key Responsibilities and Duties

• Support SAS to implement community engagement including CAP and community management training modules at community level, directly and through partners that promotes gender equity & social inclusion;
• Monitoring of BESIK contractors
• Assist District Facilitator (DF) to carry out their activities and planning
• Mentoring to SAS staff on community engagement and management skills.
• Provide regular field support to Sub-District Facilitators (SDF) and work with the District Facilitator to build a strong network amongst the SDFs.
• Support SAS to provide ongoing monitoring and support to GMF’s in communities that have access to RWASH;
• Provide training to appropriate SAS and NGO staff to strengthen GMF follow-up.
• Work closely with the Social Training team to identify training needs, develop methodologies and delivery trainings.
• Implement the BESIK Community Development Implementation Strategy
• Plan, implement and report on BESIK activities in coordination with the National CDOs under the overall supervision of Community Development Advisor.
• Carry out basic research and data collection as required
• Provide assistance to the Community Development Advisor on the implementation of RWASH under BESIK.

3. Skills Required/Preferred

Required

• experience working with social/community development, particularly in the rural water supply and sanitation sector
• experience in developing and providing training to all levels, from Trainers to the community
• experience in facilitating community meetings
• experience in working with stakeholder at District level
• experience in project management skills
• demonstrated experience of working effectively with a team of international consultants; and
• excellent communication skills in a cross-cultural environment.
• proficiency in Tetun and Bahasa Indonesia

Desirable

• proficiency in English and Portuguese;
• experience working and delivering results in an AusAID-funded project; and
• experience working in a public administration environment.

Personal Attributes

It is essential that the DCDO can establish effective working relationships with the full range of key stakeholders, including government officials, international staff, and communities. This requires qualities of genuineness of approach and integrity, in order to build mutual respect and trust. The key personal attributes of such a person include:

• sensitivity to other cultures;
• demonstrable capacity to work well with others particularly peers in team settings and informal situations;
• ability to work according to agreed principles and model the desirable behaviours including openness, cooperation, a focus on the wider goals, and able to handle conflict appropriately and constructively;
• flexibility, responsiveness, discipline and patience;
• commitment to engaging communities and civil society in processes leading to policy and operational reforms.

Application Process

Interested candidates should send a cover letter, current CV and professional references by email to adacruz@besiktimor.org or delivery by hand at BESIK Office at DNSAS Compound, Caicoli-Dili

Deadline: 15 August 2011

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.