Civic Engagement Officer (2 positions)

Company Overview
Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger. For almost 45 years, across countries, we have been working to fight undernutrition and support communities affected by crisis across the globe.

We carry out innovative, lifesaving programs in Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Food Security and Livelihoods and Social Protection.

Action Against Hunger began operations in Nigeria in 2010 in response to the high rate of chronic malnutrition in Northern Nigeria, focusing on integrated programming. Action Against Hunger currently implements multi-sectorial humanitarian and development interventions in Northeast and Northwest Nigeria, funded by AFD, EU/ECHO, French Government, GAC, GFFO, SIDA, US Government, and WAM Foundation.
Action Against Hunger is currently looking to fill the role of Civic Engagement Officer, who will be responsible for supporting community and civil society participation by strengthening engagement, dialogue, and advocacy between citizens and relevant stakeholders across ACF-supported locations

Position Details
Reporting to: Deputy Program Manager
Proposed start date: February 2026
Work location: Sokoto, Sokoto State

Key Responsibilities:
Objective 1: Lead the implementation of the EU FPI civic engagement and social cohesion project.
Tasks and responsibilities

• Support day-to-day implementation of civic engagement, peacebuilding, and advocacy activities in targeted LGAs.
• Coordinate logistics and operational support for trainings, community dialogues, and outreach activities.
• Follow up on the successful implementation of project activities to ensure compliance with the project scope.
• Conduct regular field visits to monitor progress and provide hands-on support.
• Update stakeholder contact information at the state level and targeted local government area (LGA) for the health, protection, and advocacy sector regularly
• Ensure a feedback mechanism is established-between health facility, community-ward-LGA-state with active participation from the State and LGA authorities 
• Joint planning with state and LGA authorities to conduct review meetings and supportive supervision alongside project staff to monitor the quality of the EU FPI Project
• Facilitate inclusive civic engagement activities that promote citizen participation, accountability, and trust between communities and institutions.
• Support peacebuilding initiatives through dialogue platforms, conflict-sensitive programming, and community-led mediation efforts.
• Promote social cohesion by engaging youth, women, traditional leaders, and marginalized groups in participatory processes
• Support the other sector to conduct analysis, technical studies, and assessments in the EU FPI  project.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and ethical data handling standards.
• Ensures that project activities are carried out with an inclusive lens, cultural sensitivity, promotes gender equality, and inclusion of marginalized groups;
• Works with field teams to ensure access and participation of women, men, girls, and boys at risk in Action Against Hunger’s response, recovery, and rehabilitation work.
• Initiates innovative documentation process to capture learning and changes, support team to obtain sex, age, and other disaggregating data;
• Proactively represent Action Against Hunger and participate in protection and advocacy working groups in Sokoto.
• Ensures Protection and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) measures and reporting mechanisms are in place and raise awareness among teams, project stakeholders and the community.
• Work with consortium partners and media agencies on information management with a focus on misinformation, disinformation, and foreign interference

• Support community-level peacebuilding activities, including dialogue sessions and conflict prevention initiatives.
• Work with community leaders and groups to identify and address local tensions affecting service delivery and participation.
• Ensure conflict-sensitive and “do no harm” approaches are integrated into all RECAP activities.
• Support the identification, engagement, and capacity strengthening of Community Health Mediators and other community-based facilitators.
• Facilitate linkages between communities, health actors, and local authorities to improve trust, communication, and access to services.
• Support community-led awareness and mediation activities related to health, social services, and civic participation.
• Facilitate and coordinate visits, assessments, and research to reflect the project activities' impact.
• Identify outreach activities through dialogue sessions with project stakeholders (youth, community leaders, CSOs, and Gov rep) following the criteria selected by the project.
• Ensures identification and satisfaction of training needs for the project staff on relevant standards and instruments for gender equality and humanitarian protection. 
• Designs and implements demand-driven programme approaches and methodologies aiming towards capacity building, working in partnerships, policy analysis, and advocacy. 
• Designs and documents training modules and capacity building processes.

• Take the initiative to understand the logical framework and review the Civic engagement indicators (LFA) of the project accordingly.
• Ensure the compilation of need/feasibility assessments and related reports. These reports must be well synthesized, documented, and transmitted to the line manager.
• Ensure monitoring of project activities, and contribute to the project evaluation, including end of project survey and interviews.
• Monitor project activities and track outputs related to civic engagement, peacebuilding, and community participation.
• Document achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and community feedback.
• Contribute to assessments, surveys, evaluations, and learning processes.
• Prepare and submit timely field visit reports, activity reports, and weekly updates
• In collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning team, leads the design and implementation of transparent and accountable mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating progress for Action Against Hunger Programs.
• In collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning team, leads regular monitoring and evaluation as required to ensure quality project implementation and adherence to donors’ deliverables and program management policies.
• Monitor the external contexts and emerging needs regarding civic engagement work to introduce programmatic changes as necessary.
• Contribute to documenting civic engagement experiences, preparing specific reports, presentations, briefs, and articles for publication

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including government institutions, CSOs, traditional and religious leaders, youth groups, and community representatives.
• Represent the project at community, LGA, and state-level meetings as required.

• Support coordination with partners, volunteers, and field officers to ensure coherent implementation.
• Ensure proper visibility of EU-funded activities in line with donor guidelines.
• Support the sustainability of community engagement, mediation, and peacebuilding mechanisms.
• Ensure compliance with project scope, security protocols, and organizational policies.
• Work with Action Against Hunger Project Managers, Deputy Manager, M&E Manager, MHPSS, and support team to advance CSO engagement throughout the project cycle.

• A university degree in Management, International Development and Sociology
• At least 2 years of experience in international development or humanitarian assistance programs.
• Experience in civic engagement and outreach.
• Experience in project implementation and support of emergency and relief programs.
• Experience in conducting community participation activities
• Demonstrated experience in conducting training and providing capacity building to local partners and beneficiaries on peace and social cohesion
• Able to work under time pressure and long hours whenever required;
• Fluency in Hausa and/or Fulani is an advantage
• Resilience, flexibility, and adaptability to work successfully under stressful conditions;
• A high level of social-cultural sensitivity when dealing with colleagues, partners, and beneficiaries; 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and tact, to be able to liaise effectively with a range of stakeholders, including NGO partners, community leaders, and government officials;
• Creative problem solving and innovation in complex and /or restrictive working environments;
• User-level computer literacy (Office Package, Outlook, etc.).

• 100% health care coverage
• Free and direct access to Talent Soft e-learning platform
• Maternity or Paternity leave
• Compassionate leave for a hospitalized child
• Creche facilities for babies
   

Application Instructions:
All applicants MUST answer every question in the application form. Incompleted applications will not be considered.