Under the supervision of the JEOP Technical Manager, the Community Engagement and Participation Officer (CEP) will play a critical role in implementing inclusive and comprehensive community engagement and participation strategies across JEOP operations. The position is designed to ensure that the voices, needs, and priorities of crisis-affected populations, particularly marginalized and vulnerable groups, are meaningfully integrated into the planning, implementation, and evaluation of humanitarian responses.

The CEP Officer will work closely with JEOP implementing partners, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), civil society networks, and like-minded organizations to promote safe, dignified, and people-centered programming. Key responsibilities include providing technical guidance, conducting capacity-building and training sessions, facilitating community feedback mechanisms, and ensuring learnings are documented and applied across all program areas.

This position is vital for enhancing community ownership, accountability to affected populations (AAP), and inclusion. The CEP Officer will monitor and evaluate community  engagement and participation strategies, advocate for the rights of vulnerable groups, and contribute to influencing policies and practices that support inclusive humanitarian action at both field and coordination levels.

Duties and Responsibilities

Job Responsibility 1: Technical Support community engagement and participation (40%)

• Follow the implementation of community engagement and participation activities in JEOP 2.0, as outlined in the detailed implementation plan, ensuring alignment with organizational quality standards, donor guidelines and requirements.

• Support the development and contribute to the rollout of JEOP strategies, tools, standards, and approaches for effective community engagement.

• Serve as the technical officer/focal point for community engagement and participation within the organization, liaising with CRS, JEOP partners, and technical teams on matters related to disability inclusion, youth engagement, and safe and dignified programming.

• Provide technical support to mainstream community engagement and participation across all JEOP interventions, applying humanitarian principles, Positive Youth Development (PYD), and youth workforce development approaches.

• Provide and facilitation of training on community engagement and participation for JEOP staff at all levels, in collaboration with the CRS community engagement and participation and relevant JEOP sectors or units.

• Monitor and report on the implementation of youth- and disability-inclusive activities, ensuring compliance with organizational, donor (USAID), and JEOP accountability standards.

• Ensure accurate and complete documentation of community engagement efforts, learning processes, and inclusive practices across all activity locations.

• Provide cascading training and capacity building to staff on community engagement and participation principles and practices.

• Guide, mentor and provide technical support to the field staff on community engagement and participation in all thematic areas. 

Job Responsibility 2: Coordination and Representation: (30%)

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with partner organizations, local stakeholders, CRS, JEOP staff, government agencies, community-based organizations, and OPDs to promote the integration of community engagement and participation in all activities.

• Represent CARE Ethiopia in external and internal platforms.

• Participate in TWG workshops, annual reviews, etc. to ensure disability inclusion and youth planning processes are implemented in the program.

• Collaborate with the CRS community engagement and participation team to develop and implement joint initiatives.

• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, community-based organizations, and OPDs to ensure effective coordination and synergy and share knowledge as well as experiences with other organizations and stakeholders.

Job Responsibility 3: Documentation, Reporting and Dissemination of Lessons Learned: (15%)

• Develop approaches and tools for documenting lessons learned on community engagement and participation specifically focusing on disability inclusion and youth engagement. 

• Document good practices in disability inclusion and youth that can be replicated within and outside CARE.

• Collect and promote good practices and lessons learned, contributing to a collection of replicable good practices on protection mainstreaming.

• Support and facilitate sex, age, and disability disaggregated data collection in collaboration with CRS and JEOP sectors.

• Ensure disability-inclusive and youth engagement assessments and reporting, supporting the JEOP MEAL team and JEOP staff in disability-disaggregated reporting and analysis to inform program improvements.

 Job Responsibility 4: Lead Community Engagement and Participation activities (10%)

• Ensure reviewed and inclusive tools are used under JEOP processes and work towards inclusive tools and communication materials for effective mainstreaming.

• Understanding and demonstrated commitment to the importance of community engagement and participation and social inclusion issues.

• Ensure community engagement and participation during food relief assistance starting from targeting verification and validation. 

• Collaborate with local stakeholders, OPDs, and youth-focused organizations to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact.

• Collaborate with the MEAL team to integrate community engagement and participation perspectives into research, assessments, and evaluations, and ensure the collection of sex, age, and disability disaggregated data.

 Job Responsibility 5: Perform other duties assigned (5 %)

• Other activities as assigned by line manager.

III. GENDER EQUALITY 

• Understanding and demonstrated commitment to the importance of gender, youth, and social inclusion issues.

• Demonstrated commitment to principles of Gender Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and PSEAH (safeguarding), as evidenced in previous positions / programming.

Salary:746USD

Job Requirements

IV. Qualification

Required

• B.A degree in social work, disability studies, international development, or a related field is required. With a minimum of 4-5 years of demonstrated experience and a solid understanding of disability inclusion and youth engagement programming, preferably in humanitarian settings. A strong grasp of disability rights and inclusive development principles is also essential.

Technical Skills:

• Knowledge of Washington group questioners’ community engagement and youth engagement programming.

• Proven experience in delivering training on disability inclusion and youth engagement.

• Strong skills in different assessments. 

• Training, facilitation, and capacity-building skills.

• Quantitative and qualitative data analysis skills.

• Proficiency in office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Competencies: 

• Language proficiency in written and spoken English and other language advanced.

• Computer proficiency.

• Good communication and report-writing skills.

• Firm belief in teamwork 

• Ability to conduct Terms of Reference (ToR).

• Gender sensitive

V. Travel Required: The position requires frequent field travel of up to 50% to provide on-site support for the field team.

How To Apply

If you are interested to be part of our dynamic team, exciting work environment and contribute to CARE Ethiopia’s mission and vision, please send your CV (not more than 3 pages) and cover letter (not more than one page) through THIS LINK

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Make sure you indicate the position title and location on your application letter.

Passionate and dedicated candidates who meet the requirement are strongly encouraged to apply, especially women!

CARE seeks to improve the lives of the most marginalized, particularly women and girls. Our diversity is our strength. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

CARE Ethiopia is committed to preventing all unwanted behavior at work. This includes sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and child abuse. We expect everyone who works for us to share this commitment by understanding and working within the CARE Safeguarding Policy and related framework. CARE Ethiopia has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives, or partners.

CARE Ethiopia reserves the right to seek information from job applicants’ current and/or previous employers about incidents of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment the applicant may have been found guilty to have committed or about which an investigation was in the process of being carried out at the time of the termination of the applicant’s employment with that employer.

By submitting the application, the job applicant confirms that s/he has no objection to CARE Ethiopia requesting the information specified above. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks