Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer (Under Contract)

 Job Description

1. Overall

The function of the Position Social Safeguard Officer will be part of the District Project Implementation Team (DPMT) for Feeder Roads Development Project. She/he will be responsible for identifying and overseeing Social Safeguards issues for the district and be involved in implementing appropriately the resettlement action plan, support for grievance and redress mechanism during project implementation. She/he will work closely with District staff and the Program Manager at the District level.

2. The expert responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• To support and guide the activities of Social Safeguard at the District level;
•  In collaboration with the social safeguards’ specialist, implementing the design of communication strategy (Stakeholders Engagement Plan) and action plan to strategically communicate with project beneficiaries and organize a community profiling process to generate sufficient and accurate information for community development plans;
• Follow up and supervise and implement the resettlement action plans;
• Recording and provide adequate responses to the complains of project beneficiaries
•  Prepare and maintain a project grievance database for the subprojects in the respective District,
•  To Ensure effective integration of social safeguard considerations into all aspects of identification, consultation, planning and implementation of project activities;
•  To ensure and liaise with the World Bank to ensure effective mainstreaming of social safeguard issues into the implementation of project activities;
•  To ensure that the Project activities are consistent in their approaches to social safeguard issues, thereby supporting full blending at the operational level;
• To work closely with officials of District and sector in all process of social safeguard;
• To prepare all documents related to process of social safeguard activities (MoU, grants agreements, etc.);
• To ensure that the contractors follow the Codes of Conduct signed by the Companies, Managers and Employees during the construction and maintenance phases;
• Review and supervise the Prevention and Response Action Plan (PRAP) in the different District’s Lots, for Labor Influx, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA), Sexual Harassment (SH) and Violence Against Children (VAC), prepared by the Contractors;
• To be part of the Project Compliance Team at District Level that will follow up the Prevention and Response Action Plan (PRAP) regarding Labor Influx, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA), Sexual Harassment (SH) and Violence and Abuse Against Children (VAC);
•  To be part of the training and raising awareness sessions with the communities about GBV, SEA, VAC, HIV/AIDS, Labor Influx Prevention, etc.
• To support in proceeding the payments from the district to the central activities; xvi. Providing regular social safeguard inputs to monitoring, evaluation, and reporting activities;
•  Following up the social aspects in projects sites;
• Any other responsibility assigned by the social safeguards specialist or the Head of feeder roads Department;
•  In collaboration with the local officials participate in the formation, organize, monitor and training of the Local Community Associations.

 Job Profile

4. Qualifications and Experience Requirement

• Education and experience: MSc in Development Studies, Sociology, Geography, with minimum of one (1) year of full- time relevant professional experience in the social safeguards sector related field or A0 in environmental studies, development studies, Sociology, with at least three (3) years of working experience in a social or environmental related field.
•  Have relevant social safeguards implementation experience, preferably in road development projects; including the development and implementation of social safeguards instruments (RAPs, EIAs, ESIAs, ESMPs, etc);
•  Knowledge and experience working with World Bank safeguards policies and instruments; or with similar standards and policies of other multilateral development institutions such as AfDB, EU, etc will be an important advantage.
•  Communication skills: Have very good communication skills (written and oral) in English and Kinyarwanda. Good knowledge of French will be an advantage;
•  Management skills: have well-developed planning and organization skills and good ability in working productively in a team environment of diverse backgrounds;

Other skills:

•  Quantitative and analytic skills,
•  Working knowledge of Microsoft programs (Excel, Word, PowerPoint),
•  Ability to manage priorities and be detail- orientated within a dynamic, fast-paced environment,
•  Work in a team environment to determine and or review ideas to find solutions to problems,
•  Ability to work independently with little or no supervision while maintaining a high,
•  level of efficiency and still upholding a team mentality, and,
• knowledge of Gender- wide topics, specially GBV, SEA, VAC and SH.