Community Engagement Coordinator (m/f/x) – MSF Belgium - Brussels

REQUIREMENTS

Education & Experience

• Educational background (Master) in social sciences or public health. Individuals with medical and paramedical backgrounds may be considered but must have experience working in community engagement / participatory processes in medical-humanitarian contexts 
• At least 3 years of experience working with community engagement or participatory processes in medical-humanitarian settings 
• Minimum 3 years of Project management experience in the field with MSF (or other similar organisations)  
• Experience in capacity building and/or training development is an asset 
• Experience in change management is an asset 
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation is an asset   
• Experience in applying qualitative approaches is an asset 

Competencies

• Humanitarian interest and motivation
• Strategic vison  
• Leadership (able to set priorities, make choices and assume decisions) 
• Flexibility  
• Autonomy   
• Strong inter-personal and networking skills 

Languages

• Fluent in French and English
• Additional languages such as Arabic, Portuguese or Spanish are an asset

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides assistance in more than 60 countries to populations in distress, to victims of natural or manmade disasters and to victims of armed conflicts, without discrimination and irrespective of origin, religion, creed or political affiliation.

Community Engagement Coordinator (m/f/x) – MSF Belgium - Brussels

CONTEXT

In December 2022 the Transformational Investment Capacity (TIC) Selection Committee approved an OCB-led (Operational Center of Brussels) small grant proposal for a 2 years’ duration which has as title:  Community Engagement - Tackling Structural Barriers to Community Participatory Processes & Accountability in MSF Operations.

This proposal was an initiative triggered by two consecutive motions approved in 2021 at the MSF-OCB General Assembly and at the 2022 IGA (International General Assembly) where MSF was asked to dedicate resources and elaborate structural adaptations to foster more community engagement in operational decision making, awareness in all departments and projects, trainings and a system to monitor quality and impact. Meanwhile, an Operational research in collaboration with LuxOR and ITM - Institute of Tropical Medicine (Antwerp) was finalized, under the title: How Can You measure what you can’t define? A Qualitative study exploring community engagement at MSF-OCB by Gabrielle Schittecatte. The research and the 2 consecutive motions shed the basis for several internal discussions, and a volunteer working group engaged in writing a proposal for action plan.  

The general objective of this proposal is to better understand and systematically embed community participatory processes by developing tools and capacity building to help operational staff in projects, missions, and operational cells address structural barriers to community engagement in operations. Provide clear objectives for community engagement, capitalize on existing work (lessons learned), and build concrete outputs: a monitoring framework, improvements of participatory approaches from exploratory missions to exit strategies in the humanitarian project cycle.

A summary of this proposal can be found here: CE_TIC_Presentation_Oct2022.pptx

RESPONSIBILITIES

I.Provide support to projects, missions and operational cells, regional teams & technical HQ staff

Supporting operational teams in applying principles of community engagement in their projects, and throughout the humanitarian project cycle (e.g., improvement of exploratory missions, as well as at exit).  To do so, moments such as pre-AROs (Annual Review of Operations), round tables, and AROs, will be leveraged, as well as the initial phases of emergency response, while determining needs. This objective will also entail supporting projects, missions and cells on the implementation and use of the community engagement barometer (objective IV) during the aforementioned moments in the humanitarian response.

II. Capitalize on previous and current CE (Community Engagement) initiatives

Build a summary and assessment of lessons learnt by conducting a capitalization on previous work on community engagement done at MSF (studies, evaluations, guidelines, outcomes from stand-alone projects across all sections and OCs, etc.), as well the case studies from the field. 

III. Develop scenarios outlining proposed roles and minimum set of activities

to promote community engagement approaches across MSF operations, considering and addressing distinctions between default/emergency response and choice projects. An important focus would be how explo’s (explorative missions) are being conducted/done at MSF, how to improve community engagement during project implementation, and how to apply community engagement principles during project exit. 

IV. Create a Community Engagement Barometer

Develop and implement a monitoring framework on Community Engagement, that serves as a ‘community engagement barometer’. The barometer will monitor how well a project is doing in adopting an inclusive and participatory approach with the involved communities, throughout the project cycle of program. The barometer serves as a tool to visualize where projects stand relative to principles of community engagement and can be used as a tool for teams to increase community engagement overtime, up to a limit given each context and the objectives defined by the project. Importantly the barometer serves as an accountability mechanism for the projects.  The barometer also serves as a tool to facilitate discussions and collaboration with communities, by creating moments that the project may include communities in project monitoring, and in improvements of engagement throughout the project cycle.

V. Develop a Capacity Building Program and Community of Practice

Based on the gaps identified in operational research and outcomes from capitalization (objective II) and previous work, develop a capacity building strategy, including a training on community engagement within MSF and its approach in medical humanitarian settings, and a complementary Training of Trainers to facilitate the integration of this capacity building programs into existing learning events. This will be complemented by additional awareness raising to build a common language and understanding of Community Engagement at MSF and the development of a Community of Practice (COP) on the same theme.

VI. Work with the Operational HR department to adapt the job descriptions for different profiles, to include the roles and responsibilities related to integrating processes of community engagement

The roles, responsibilities and expectations related to the process of community engagement should be included in the induction packages for each profile.

VII. Build networks and relationship building with the different departments, operational centers, intersectional actors, and related TIC projects to reach the aforementioned goals

These actions will be to guarantee support for the continued integration of community engagement participatory approaches and the use of the tools developed during the TIC, while also advocating and building for support for the structural changes in MSF to improve community engagement in our operations. Networking and relationship building shall aim to gain support for organizational change and support the process of change management.

VIII. Leverage mix-methods operational research to document the TIC project and its results

The conclusions will illustrate what MSF proposes as a model of community engagement in humanitarian contexts and will include the barometer as an approach to monitor community engagement as a participatory approach in medical-humanitarian contexts.

CONDITIONS

• Expected starting date: As soon as possible
• Location*: Brussels (Belgium)
• Mobility up to 30% in the field
• Contract type: Fixed-term contract – Full time
• Length of contract: 24 months
• Salary according to MSF-OCB HQ grid
• Meal Vouchers – Hospital Insurance (DKV) – Pension Plan – 100% reimbursement for public transportation costs
• Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment
• Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments

* As this is a fixed-term contract, applicants without the permanent right and/or valid work permit to work in the mentioned location may face an important delay in the start of work and deliverables. However this is not an eligibility criterion.

*Possibility to consider candidates with residence in neighboring countries with possibility to come and work minimum 50% in Brussels’ HQ. The final outcome will depend on local legal limitations and on agreement with the hosting MSF entity/office of the/se location/s. The local contract and standard salary grid will then apply

Deadline for applications: 9 February 2023

How to apply?

Please, send your CV and cover letter to Recruit-HQ-Operations@brussels.msf.org and mention “Community Engagement Coordinator” in the subject of your email.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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