Community Engagement Officer - Border Security Programme

About the role

MSD, a non-profit civil society organization active in Ethiopia, is recruiting a Community Engagement Officer for its Border Security Programme (BSP), a UK FCDO-funded initiative aimed at reducing organized immigration crime and strengthening border security. The officer plans, coordinates and implements community engagement, mobilization and awareness-raising activities in Metema and surrounding border communities, reporting to the Migration/Protection Coordinator. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Key responsibilities

• Mobilize community leaders, religious institutions, youth groups, women's associations and local structures against human trafficking, migrant smuggling and exploitation.
• Organize awareness campaigns, dialogues and educational sessions on safe migration, trafficking risks, migrant rights and the consequences of irregular migration.
• Support community-based early warning and reporting mechanisms for suspicious recruitment, trafficking risks and exploitation.
• Facilitate safe, confidential channels for community members to report suspected trafficking and protection concerns.
• Build working relationships with local government offices, law enforcement, community-based organizations and traditional and religious leaders.
• Support the establishment, training and capacity building of community-based groups and local protection structures.
• Help identify vulnerable individuals and refer them to protection and support services with the Referral and Migration/Protection Officers.
• Promote meaningful participation of women, youth and other vulnerable groups in programme planning, monitoring and feedback.
• Document activities, collect feedback and prepare regular activity reports.
• Ensure all activities respect human rights, gender equality, child safeguarding, confidentiality, PSEA, inclusion and the do-no-harm principle.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Sociology, Social Work, Psychology, Community Development, Development Studies, Communication, Social Sciences or a related field; additional training in community mobilization, migration management, trafficking prevention or humanitarian response is an advantage.
• At least 3-5 years of experience in community engagement, mobilization, awareness-raising or humanitarian and development programmes.
• Experience designing and running community interventions on irregular migration, trafficking prevention and migrant protection, and with vulnerable groups such as returnees, women, children and youth.
• Excellent written and spoken Amharic is mandatory; good spoken and written English.

Required skills

• Community mobilization, facilitation, communication and stakeholder coordination.
• Behaviour Change Communication (BCC/SBCC), safeguarding, PSEAH and accountability to affected populations.
• Good computer skills, especially MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Applications are submitted online via the organization's career page; only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and the deadline is 7 working days after the announcement.