Community Mobilisation, Public Awareness and Communication Officer (CMPAO)

Background

The Hailemariam & Roman Foundation (HRF) is a non-profit international NGO established by the Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn, and the Former First Lady of Ethiopia, H.E. Mrs. Roman Tesfaye. It strives to support the efforts of government, communities and partners in bringing socioeconomic transformation in Ethiopia and the broader continental Africa.

With its programmatic focus areas- maternal and child health and nutrition, climate-smart conservation and ecotourism, agricultural transformation, and economic empowerment of women and youth, synergizing each other, the foundation envisions seeing A healthy and economically empowered community in a well-conserved environment. Geographically, its support focuses on areas with the highest disparities where the foundation could add value.

Job Summary

The Climate Smart Conservation and Ecotourism (CSCET) Program of HRF is a flagship initiative with the main goal of ensuring collaborative and community-based response measures towards addressing the two interrelated problems of biodiversity loss and lack of secure community livelihoods in a way that mitigates persistence of both anthropogenic and climatic impacts on the biodiversity stock. To attain this goal, the program adheres to a community-based sustainable conservation approach whereby local communities and their institutions work in close affinity with the park officials while ensuring sustainable benefits from their conservation endeavors through the creation of various forms of alternative livelihoods, including ecotourism. Ultimately, the program work is meant to create as many alternative livelihood strategies as possible for all of the community members around the national parks who depend on these resources to support their living (food, fuel, fodder, etc.) and empower them to be in full charge of protecting the resources from further depletion.

The Maze conservation and community livelihoods project, entitled The Preservation of Maze National Park and its Watershed in Ethiopia is a five-year (2024-2028) project fully funded by the Agence franaise de dveloppement (AFD) and implemented by Hailemariam & Roman Foundation (HRF). The project is aimed at ensuring the long-term integrity of Maze National Park for the benefit of nature and communities around the park with three key components: a) Maze National Park is functional and achieves its conservation objectives; b) a win-win approach regarding natural resources management is in place between communities and the park; and c) the water flow in the park's rivers is ensured and sufficient. For the implementation of this project, HRF has set up a project Management Unit (PMU) located in Maze NP, Morka Town, Gamo Zone. The PMU has been set up to coordinate the implementation of the five-year project through mobilizing and engaging local communities, park management, local government offices, and other relevant partners towards the realization of the stated project goal.

Effective implementation of this project depends on how much the project management unit coordinates the stakeholders and local communities. However, raising the level of awareness of communities and different stakeholders on the nitty-gritty of the project, its goal, strategies, key components, project outcomes and intermediate outcomes, and ecological and social benefits to be accrued from the project in the short and long-term, etc., is the most demanding task of the unit, which is to be guided by a comprehensive communication strategy. To this end, the Community Mobilisation, Public Awareness and Communication Officer (CMPAO), as a spokesperson of the Project Management Unit (PMU), is entitled to prepare an annual communication plan and guide the execution through using locally and digitally available media outlets including face to face communication whereby communities, local youth groups, student clubs, environmental defenders, conservation campaigners, livelihoods associations, water user groups, fire brigades/task forces, local government officials, incoming and potential tourists, etc., will be addressed with clearly crafted contents about the project, its goals, strategies, targets, and activities. Based on the project communication strategy document, the officer must create project knowledge among communities and all stakeholders by working closely with the three officers and the project coordinator. Overall, the position holder is required to work towards creating the highest level of awareness of the project, which would result in informed decision-making, voluntary labor and resource mobilization for conservation works, active participation in selected alternative livelihood activities and ecotourism ventures, consensual actions for park protection, and self-initiated guardianship of local people and their institutions over the park biodiversity, as well as increasing flow of tourists and tourist revenue to the park.

Specific Roles and Responsibilities of Community Mobilisation, Public Awareness and Communication Officer (CMPAO)

• Prepare an annual communication plan of action in line with the project document project communication strategy and consultation with the three component leads/officers of the PMU and guide its implementation through coordinating the PMU staff and relevant stakeholders.
• Facilitate community discussions and consultation platforms with respective project component officers and the project coordinator in a way that leads to effective community engagement in implementing the project targets.
• In close collaboration with the PMU respective officers and the Maze National Park management, organize advocacy platforms such as community forums, school clubs, local youth volunteer groups, environmental defenders, conservation campaigners, livelihoods associations, water user groups, fire brigades/task forces, local government officials, etc, and convey the project goals, strategies, and activities.
• Prepare and communicate regularly concise and clear communication content through a variety of media outlets that could reach wide-ranging target audiences.
• Design and guide implementation of the overall communication activity of the project through using print media, digital platforms, and local and regional electronic media outlets.
• Set up or establish associations, committees or other relevant platforms with the project implementation and speed up the implementation of the three components of the project.
• In collaboration with the PMU and the MNP management, organize events, community days, annual conservation campaigns, etc., whereby the project goals and well-crafted conservation credos are conveyed and disseminated.
• Work in close collaboration with the Maze NP management and coordinate the effective implementation of project activities that are deemed to ensure the proper implementation of the Maze NP General Management plan.
• Plan and undertake promotion activities that ensure a continuous flow of tourism and tourist revenue to the park in a way that does not compromise the ecological and socio-cultural integrity of Maze National Park and its surroundings.
• Document best practices and facilitate the exchange of these practices among different project-based entities such as water users, livelihoods, and ecotourism associations.
• Oversee and support the effective execution of the gender and women empowerment activities of the project.
• Undertake other relevant and specific activities as assigned by the HRF Program Chief.

Job duties:

• The job holder should work in line with the New Labor Proclamation - Proclamation No. 1156/2019, at least eight hours daily (Monday to Friday). The position requires physical presence in the workplace (Gamo Zone, Kucha Wereda, Moka Town).

Nature of supervision:

• The position holder is directly responsible to the Project Coordinator of the PMU and is to be supervised as per the Foundations HR policy and in line with the project Implementation Manual.

Quantity: 1

Sex: Both and female candidates are encouraged to apply

Duration of contract: for one year with the possibility of extension.

Vacancy number: HRF- CSCET-PO-005/2024

Required qualifications and competencies

• The Community Mobilisation, Public Awareness and Communication Officer (CMPAO) must have a Masters degree in academic fields such as Media and Communication, Tourism Promotion, Rural Development, Development Studies, Gender Studies, or any other related fields with practical exposure to Natural Resource Management.
• The Officer must have relevant work experience of 8 years and above, particularly in project communication and public mobilization environments.
• Demonstrated expertise and experience in media and communication works.
• Proven experience communicating and collaborating with local communities, private sector, and local, national and regional stakeholders to achieve agreed collective outcomes.
• Excellent facilitation and coordination skills, the ability to manage the timely and effective delivery of quantity and quality work on time.
• Demonstrated expertise and experience, knowledge and skills in gender issues and women empowerment in the protected areas setting.
• Familiar with and working efficiently on Office 360 and other project management software using smart technologies.
• Strong communication and presentation skills and an ability to prepare appropriate and timely reports to various audiences and cultures/contexts.
• Proven command of written and spoken English; conversing with the local language of the project area community and culture is mandatory.