Community Liaison Officer Little Bay Port Development Project

Posted by Ministry of Communications, Works and Labour in Montserrat.

Job Title: Community Liaison Officer Little Bay Port Development Project

Location: Brades, Montserrat
Salary:
Expiry Date: Friday, October 8, 2021
Posted by Ministry of Communications, Works and Labour in Montserrat.

Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons to fill the role of Community Liaison Officer with the Port Development Project under the Ministry of Communications, Works and Labour in Montserrat.

 

BACKGROUND

Currently Montserrat is unable to provide a safe harbour for cruise ships, ferries, yachts, cargo and fishing vessels in the absence of a breakwater, adequate jetty length and suitable water depth at the jetty along with other related facilities on land. The port infrastructure is currently one of priority projects that are deemed to be pivotal for Montserrat’s revitalisation, economic recovery and sustainability.

The Government of Montserrat applied to Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for a grant to assist in financing a project for the development of the Port at Little Bay under the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF). The capital project proposed was initiated by the recommendations of a Specialist Port Engineering Advisory Appraisal Report funded by DFID UKCIF in 2016. The expected outcome of the project is improved efficiency, effectiveness and resilience of the Port facilities to provide a safe harbour and accessibility to all users.

Project implementation is expected to result in both positive and negative environmental and social impacts as well as socio-economic benefits. A Gender-Sensitive and Socially-Inclusive Training Package including Guidelines for Implementing Infrastructure Projects in Montserrat, Stakeholder Engagement

Plan (SEP) and Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) are to be developed, as part of the Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), in order to assist the Public Works Department (PWD) in developing and maintaining good communication and relationships with affected persons and other stakeholders over the life of the project and to provide a mechanism for addressing grievances or other issues that may arise.

PWD proposes to engage the services of an individual consultant, as a Community Liaison Officer (CLO), to assist in the implementation and monitoring of activities under the SEP. 

 

OBJECTIVES

The main purpose of the CLO is to engage with communities on a continuous basis in an effort to strengthen and maintain quality relationships between PWD and the affected communities and groups and other stakeholders.

 

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The CLO will promote constructive, gender-sensitive and socially-inclusive partnerships and communication between PWD and the affected communities on issues relating to project implementation and will be responsible for implementing community engagement activities as set out in the SEP. Among

other things, the CLO will:

(a) Review the SEP with a view to identifying and documenting any gaps in the:

(i) stakeholder identification and analysis that was undertaken;

(ii) stakeholder engagement programme (e.g., information to be disclosed, format and communication methods and stakeholder consultation methods);

(iii) schedule for the various stakeholder engagement activities; and (iv) venues for stakeholder engagement activities. Information in the ESIA and any relevant action plans – for example, the Gender-Sensitive and Socially-Inclusive Training Package and Resettlement Action Plan – must be used to support SEP review and implementation. The CLO must update the SEP to address any gaps identified.

(b) Maintain updates to the SEP as necessary based on issues arising during implementation. Any major changes to the project activities and/or schedule are to be duly reflected in the updated SEP in a timely manner.

(c) Provide timely feedback to PWD on concerns raised by community members and other stakeholders.

(d) Provide timely feedback to the community members on project implementation, concerns raised or important decisions taken by GOM in accordance with agreed stakeholder engagement protocols.

(e) Manage stakeholder engagement logistics such as collecting suggestions/grievances from suggestion boxes, placing communication materials on notice boards, and arranging community meetings.

(f) Facilitate stakeholder participation at all relevant levels in accordance with the identified needs of the different categories of stakeholders (particularly women and people with disabilities). This may include among other things - participatory assessments and problem solving of issues, concerns and opportunities; focus group discussions; information sharing; and community meetings.

(g) Identify and document potential grievances or project risks/opportunities for the attention of the PWD.

(h) Assist the PWD with management of grievances lodged through the Grievance Response Mechanism of the SEP.

(i)  Provide reports and analysis as needed on stakeholder engagement conducted and beneficiary feedback collected, disaggregated by sex, age and other factors as relevant. 

 

DURATION

The consultancy is expected to begin 4-6 weeks prior to the Contractor(s) initiating the works and last not more than 20 months from the date of contract signing. 

 

REPORTS/DELIVERABLES

The CLO will report to the Project Coordinator. CLO will furnish reports/deliverables on the assignment as set out below, and in alignment with Appendix 6.8: Reports:

(a) Prior to construction and in conjunction with PWD develop and implement a results-based, gender-sensitive and socially inclusive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan for the SEP, in alignment with the Project RMF, that monitors the implementation of the SEP and includes the following indicators 

(i) number of consultation meetings and other public discussions (fora, focus groups, etc.) conducted within a reporting period. The reporting period will be defined in the framework (e.g. monthly, quarterly, or annually);

(ii) vulnerable groups (for example women, PWDs, youth and migrant workers) as a percentage of participants in consultations by reporting period;

(iii) number of grievances received within a reporting period and number of those resolved within the prescribed timeline, disaggregated by sex and age of the person laying the complaint; and

(iv) number of project-related press materials published/broadcast in the national media.

 

(b) Other information to be collected shall include:

(i) number and type of grievances received in total, disaggregated by sex, age, disability, country of origin of responder, community of origin on Montserrat if applicable;

(ii) average time to resolve grievances, by category of grievance;

(iii) Reasons for non-resolution of grievances disaggregated by sex, age, disability, country of origin of responder, and community of origin on Montserrat if applicable;

(iv) an analysis of trends related to grievances received disaggregated by sex, age, disability, country of origin of responder, and community of origin on Montserrat, etc. and

(v) analysis of project-related press releases content: proportion that is favourable, unfavourable, neutral and trends.

 

(c) Provide a weekly (structured) field report to PWD including consultations undertaken, attendance registers (where applicable), concerns raised, requests raised, concerns resolved, potential risks, grievances or opportunities identified. Information on the number and nature of concerns and grievances raised should be disaggregated by sex, age, disability, country of origin of responder, community of origin on Montserrat if applicable.

 

(d) Assist in compiling quarterly reports for external stakeholders on stakeholder engagement activities undertaken including the current status of M&E actions. The quarterly report shall include summarised information on participatory methods employed, grievances received from stakeholders (including information on incidents and events that resulted in grievances) and will be collated by the responsible staff and referred to the PC. These summaries will be accompanied by information on the implementation status of associated corrective and preventative actions and recommendations. This report shall form part of the quarterly status reporting (provided by the PC) for the project.

 

(e) Assist in the compilation of relevant sections of the Project Completion Report.

 

6.  COMPENSATION

Basic Salary: $5,040pm

Travel Allowance: $800pm      

Telephone Allowance: $60pm

Gratuity: 12.5% on basic salary

 

7. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The consultant should possess the following minimum qualifications:

(a) A post-graduate degree or equivalent qualification in sociology, anthropology, women’s studies, social work, community development or other relevant discipline. 

(b) A minimum of ten (10) years relevant practical experience encompassing stakeholder engagement practice, gender assessment, community development, and/or social research using participatory approaches.

(c) Fluency in English.

(d) Experience working in multi-lingual and multi-cultural contexts would be an asset 

(e) Working knowledge of Spanish and French would be an asset.

(f) Experience working in Montserrat and knowledge of the local community, culture, administrative systems, and government organization would be an asset. 

 

HOW TO APPLY

Application forms can be obtained from the Government of Montserrat’s website at www.jobs.gov.ms or by contacting the Human Resources Management Unit, Brades, Montserrat by e-mail to jobs.hrmu@gov.ms or by telephone at (+664) 491-2365/2444 or by fax at (+664) 491-6234. To view detailed Terms of Reference for the Community Liaison Officer please click on the following link https://www.gov.ms/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/TOR-Community-Liaison-Officer-Port-Project.pdf

To apply, submit your completed application form, along with a covering letter with the names of at least two referees in a sealed envelope Application for the post of “Community Liaison Officer”, clearly marked in the upper right hand corner.  The envelope should be addressed to the Chief Human Resources Officer, Human Resource Management Unit, Office of the Deputy Governor, Government Headquarters, Brades, Montserrat.  The deadline for receipt of applications within HRMU must be no later than Friday, October 8, 2021 at 4:00pm.