Host & Impacted Community Resilience Activity (HICRA)

Organization: Friends In Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB)
Position: Field Facilitator (51 positions)
Location: Cox’s Bazar Contract Length: Open ended
Grade: III Post Type: Regular

INTRODUCTION:

Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachari districts are among the lowest ranked in Bangladesh for education, skills training, food security, poverty and agricultural productivity. The situation has worsened since 2017, with the Rohingya refugee influx, which has put enormous pressure on the local economies, resulting in loss of livelihoods, depressed local wages, and distorted local markets. Moreover, these districts are prone to chronic and rapid onset disasters.

In response, the USAID Host and Impacted Communities Resilience Activity (HICRA) led by Friends In Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB) is taking an integrated approach to improve the overall well-being and resilience of people residing in the communities hosting or impacted by the Rohingya refugee crisis.  This includes implementing livelihoods; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); natural resource management (NRM); and disaster risk reduction (DRR) interventions with an estimated 114,000 households across the four prioritized districts.

ROLE:

The Field Facilitator (FF) is the direct point of contact with the communities and participants with whom HICRA works. S/he represents HICRA at the community level, including building rapport with local leaders and community members, providing support for participatory rural appraisal processes and other studies, assisting with participant selection and group formation, facilitating group sessions, conducting training, coaching and mentoring participants, and assisting with data collection and monitoring of program participants to support progress. The FF plays a key role in supporting participants to increase skills and knowledge in all of HICRA’s promoted outcomes, including application of improved agricultural technologies, climate mitigation measures, increasing quantity and improving quality of production, increasing and strengthening  business skills, micro entrepreneurship and/or business management, linking with local service providers and markets, improving natural resource management and WASH practices, increasing savings and access to financial services, adopting risk reduction practices and utilizing improved  cookstoves. 

SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Upazila Coordinator
Dimensions: Union-level, extensive village-level work

Location:

4 Upazilas and 17 Unions (approximately 3 FF per union) -

Chakaria Upazila: Badarkhali, Dulahazara, Fasiakhali, Kakhara unions

Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila: Bharuakhali, Jhilwanja, Khurushkul unions

Ukhiya Upazila: Haldia Palong, Jalia Palong, Raja Palong, Ratna Palong, Palong Khali unions

Teknaf Upazila: Baharchhara, Nhilla, Sabrang, Teknaf, Whykong unions

Staff directly reporting to this post: Direct: Community Mobilizers
Doted: None
Budget Responsibilities: No
Key contacts: Technical Coordinators, Technical Officers, and MEL Officers

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Participant Selection

  • Orient the community on HICRA’s goal, objectives, participant selection process and planned program interventions
  • Assist in carrying out the participatory rural appraisal as per protocol - this involves facilitating wealth ranking and comprehensive social mapping exercises
  • Assist with the identification and selection of participants as per criteria
  • Conduct a household census per protocol with each of the participating families in each of the assigned areas, including data collection and entry in the system

Group Formation

  • Lead group formation for the relevant activities in assigned/respective areas including ultra poor graduation (UPG) groups, village savings and lending associations (VSLA), enhanced homestead food production (EHFP) groups, high value commodities (HVC) producer groups and/or income generation activities (IGA) groups/clusters as per guidelines
  • Orient project participants on HICRA interventions, including expectations of group membership and what HICRA will provide, i.e., training, technical assistance, follow-up support, and in some cases, conditional cash assistance, etc.
  • Assess the condition and needs of the participants assigned to you to assist them in overcoming challenges and successfully achieving program objectives, including improving their wellbeing

Group Sessions/training/Technical assistance

  • Conduct training and facilitate discussion sessions with participants in accordance with the intervention plan and related modules
  • Provide in person technical assistance to participants: coaching, facilitate guided discussion and help in problem solving
  • Utilize capacity development videos, such as ‘how to” videos on agriculture, livestock, leadership etc. as job aids/learning tools for participants
  • Sharing and projector screening of remote learning and tele-production videos at para
  • Work with technical officers to troubleshoot technical challenges and provide support participants
  • Link participants with relevant local service providers, input sellers and markets
  • Provide training and TA to participants to improve the knowledge and skills they need to improve their on- and off-farm IGAs, adopt improved technologies, and carry out business planning, negotiation and marketing
  • Facilitate relationship with local market committee, transporters and other local service providers for smooth function of the initiatives.
  • Liaise with the development stakeholders (Government and Non-Government) at union and para level to seek their support in project implementation and achievement of  improved outcomes for the participating families

Work Planning and Reporting

  • Prepare weekly/monthly/quarterly work plans in accordance with approved project DIP and carry out planned activities against DIP targets
  • Track and monitor progress against work plans to ensure that all activities are on track in terms of number of sessions planned/conducted, etc.
  • Prepare achievement report and share with supervisor and relevant TOs/coordinators
  • Seek technical support from the relevant technical officers, and administrative support from the Upazila Coordinator
  • Meet monthly with relevant TOs/coordinators
  • Actively participate in learning sessions
  • Follow modules/guidelines, etc. to ensure effective delivery of training content and inclusive approaches

Supportive Supervision

  • Supervise the Community Mobilizers assigned to your catchment area
  • Support Community Mobilizers to develop weekly/monthly/quarterly work plans in accordance with approved project detailed implementation plan (DIP) and carry out planned activities against DIP targets
  • Track and monitor the Community Mobilizers’ progress against work plans to ensure that all activities are on track in terms of number of sessions planned/conducted, etc.
  • Conduct regular/pre-scheduled field visits to project sites to monitor and encourage participant progress, and provide support to community mobilizers
  • Report on implementation progress to relevant TOs/coordinators

Collaboration, Learning and Adaptation

  • Document lessons learned and success stories
  • Watch and report on any new needs arising in the project target areas
  • Participate in external and internal project evaluations, assessments, etc. as per need
  • Participate in any orientation/training organized by program team/management
  • Perform any other duty assigned

Data Collection and entry

  • Collect data using various prescribed tools as per project requirement
  • Enter data collected using a smartphone and HICRA protocols
  • Accurate and timely, activity level Geo Spatial Data collection and electronically transfer into HICRA’s MIS in real time.

ESSENTIAL

Working experience:

  • At least 3 years of experience in providing training, facilitating sessions, and/or coaching and mentoring participants in the areas of homestead food production, income generation activities and market facilitation
  • Experience also conducting sessions/training/social and behavior change messaging related to gender and social inclusion, disaster risk reduction (DRR), water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), savings and lending (VSLA, SILC, other), and/or natural resource management - preferred
  • Experience working in multi-sectoral programs funded by USAID, FCDO or EU preferred
  • Working familiarity with USAID requirements, regulations, and policies preferred
  • Experience in facilitating and supporting programmatic decision making, adaptive management, and learning.

Knowledge:

  • Knowledge of the Bangladesh context and priorities in the areas of economic growth and livelihoods, climate resilient agriculture, natural resources management, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), market systems, and/or disaster risk reduction
  • Knowledge of agriculture, on- and off-farm income generation activities and market development
  • Contextual knowledge of CHT region and Cox’s Bazar following the Rohingya crisis will be a value addition. 

Skills:

  • Facilitation
  • Coordination and/or management
  • Good organizational skills, the ability to pay close attention to detail and capable of reporting in a timely manner.
  • Willingness and ability to live within and travel frequently to the program areas in Cox’s Bazar and the CHT districts, and other locations as required.
  • Capacity and willingness to be flexible and accommodating in difficult working circumstances.
  • Proficient written and verbal communication skills in Bangla
  • English written, verbal and/or reading skills preferred
  • Conversant with the local dialect will be added advantage
  • Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience

Competencies:

  • Credibility
  • Leading and inspiring others
  • Delivering results
  • Developing self and others
  • Problem solving and decision making
  • Innovating and adapting

DESIRABLE

Academic:

  • Minimum Higher-Secondary Certificate (HSC). Bachelors Degree in Social Science, Development Studies, Business Administration, or relevant discipline preferred.
  • Educational qualification can be relaxed for the professionals with relevant expertise.

Expertise:

  • Technical expertise to implement and manage village-level development activities related to homestead food production, commercial agricultural production, livelihoods, and/or microenterprise
  • Technical expertise in savings and lending clubs, natural resources management, water, sanitation and hygiene, and/or disaster risk reduction (DRR) desired.
  • Experience in collaborating and coordinating with local authorities, local leaders, and other relevant stakeholders on development issues.
  • Preferred experience of working with international and national NGOs within a consortium arrangement
  • Experience working in Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong Hill Districts is preferred

Attitudes:

  • Ability to work independently or as a member of the team, ability to thrive in a matrix organization,
  • Ability to be detail-oriented, and ability to manage stress effectively in a fast-paced environment.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality on work-related matters.
  • Non-discriminatory and gender sensitive.
  • Willing to work in remote, rural locations.

Additional job responsibilities:
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Health and Safety:
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with HICRA Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Application Deadline : November 28, 2024