Community Liaison Officer

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
General Responsibilities:
• Maintain regular engagement with community stakeholders, including local authorities, community leaders, community groups, and households within the assigned area
• Serve as an accessible and trusted point of contact for community stakeholders by receiving feedback, responding to inquiries, and escalating concerns and issues through appropriate Project channels
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement activities undertaken by other functions, including monitoring visits, surveys, community consultations, community awareness campaigns, and other activities
• Maintain and update stakeholder mapping and profiles within the assigned area of responsibility
• Coordinate the Village Liaison Officers (VLOs) Network, ensuring effective communication, information sharing, and reporting between communities and Project teams
• Maintain accurate records of stakeholder engagements and community grievances within designated Project systems

Specific Responsibilities:
a) Community engagement and awareness
• Manage day-to-day relationships and interfaces with Project-affected and neighbouring
communities

• Facilitate stakeholder engagement activities, including individual meetings, focus group
discussions, community consultations, public meetings, and townhall sessions
• Communicate Project activities, schedules, employment opportunities, community programs, and relevant updates in a timely and culturally appropriate manner
• Receive, document, and communicate community concerns, questions, and feedback to relevant stakeholders and ensure timely responses and/or resolutions
• Promote inclusive participation and engagement of vulnerable and underrepresented groups as appropriate

b) Community grievance management
• Support the implementation of the Project Community Grievance Mechanism by promoting awareness of grievance reporting channels and engaging with community stakeholders on grievance-related matters
• Support grievance assessments and investigations with relevant Project functions, contractors, local authorities, and community representatives
• Engage community members to communicate grievance outcomes and proposed resolutions to complainants in a timely, transparent, and respectful manner
• Verify and monitor grievance status and ensure grievances are addressed and closed within agreed timelines
• Refer non-project-related grievances to appropriate entity and provide updates to the stakeholder

c) Community intelligence and information gathering
• Identify emerging social risks, conflicts, misinformation, or stakeholder concerns and report these through appropriate channels
• Encourage community members and stakeholders to provide direct feedback on Project activities and potential risks and/or impacts.
• Remain informed about community investment, livelihood restoration, and development initiatives being implemented within the area
d) Safety compliance, monitoring and reporting
• Conduct stakeholder engagement activities in accordance with Project policies, ethical standards, and applicable regulatory requirements
• Immediately report security incidents, community tensions, or emerging risks through established reporting channels
• Gather, monitor, analyse, and report community-related socio-economic data, including:
o Indicators of induced in-migration such as commodity prices, rental, population movements, etc
o Community and household profiles, employment status, etc
o Non-Project livelihood activities, sources of income, SME business activities

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
• Degree in social sciences, community development, sociology, environmental, external affairs, or a related field
• 3 - 5 years’ of experience in community relations work, grievance management, and social performance
• Experience working with government stakeholders, community leaders, civil society organizations, and vulnerable groups
• Strong interpersonal, facilitation, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills
• Fluency in English and Portuguese; knowledge of local language (Swahili, Kimwane, Makonde or Makua) is an advantage
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong reporting, documentation, and organizational skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and work ethic
• Self-motivated and able to manage tasks effectively