Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.
Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.
We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.
ROLE PROFILE
Title: Community Development Facilitator
Functional Area: Programme Areas
Reports to: Programme Area Coordinator
Location: Lira
Travel required: Regular field work in rural areas
Effective Date: September, 2020
Grade: C1
ROLE PURPOSE
The Community Development Facilitator is the organisation’s front-line community development staff responsible for the effective facilitation of Child-Centred Community Development and building meaningful relationships among the multiple stakeholders in the community development process.
Dimensions of the Role
• Coordination of programme planning and implementation;
• Facilitate Community Based Project and Community managed sponsorship
• Supervise Sponsorship communication in allocated communities;
• Create, maintain and nurture close working relationship with local government leadership, communities and partners;
• Timely preparation of reports .

Accountabilities
• Program/project management
• Facilitate the children, youth and other marginalised segments of the community to identify their own problems and development priorities.
• Build the capacity of parish development structures/committees to manage their own inclusive planning process and have a Community Development Plan (CDP) as well as ownership of the programmes and projects.
• Disseminate the programme objectives and approaches defined within the CSP among communities and other stakeholders while protecting the organisation’s image
• Prepare and design projects and budgets in accordance with Plan International guidelines and complete project outline modifications as needed and submit to Programme Area Manager (PAM)
• Prepare monthly project progress reports and post them in SAP (the corporate finance and programme management system).
• Facilitate children and communities to prepare Project Requests in accordance with their CDP and the CSP as a basis for writing projects.
• Maintain cordial working relations with local authorities (sub-county, parish and village) and ensure they are adequately consulted/informed of Plan International Uganda’s operations and investments
• Monitor and document all projects and write Project Completion Reports (PCRs) within one month of project completion.
• Contribute to regular reflection, learning and action to ensure continuous improvement in Plan International Uganda’s operations and document and share lessons learned on Programmes and Projects in liaison with the M&E coordinator
• Ensure that budgets and grants are managed effectively and efficiently and there is value for money as per donor requirements
• Promote teamwork within community mobilisers and stakeholders in the sub-county
• In liaison with the respective technical specialists and the PAM, carry out capacity building of communities
• Facilitate groups/communities to identify and prepare for engaging in advocacy and lobbying with the state on issues they have prioritised
• In coordination with Country Technical Specialists, apply programmatic operational guidelines as appropriate in project design and implementation
• Promote effective communication and dissemination of Plan International values in the community
Sponsorship
• Provide leadership and direct supervision of community-managed sponsorship operations
• Coordinate and facilitate a team of community volunteers to produce sponsorship communications in a timely manner and review sponsorship communications for quality and submit to the Programme Area Coordinator (PAC)
• Coordinate caseload management with the community mobilisers and the PAC
• Facilitate a highly participatory process in the production of Area Updates and Area Overviews
• Ensure all sponsor visits are well managed
• Ensure all sponsorship key performance indicators (KPIs) are achieved every quarter
• Ensure that Plan International’s Child Protection Policy and principles are adhered to at all times by all Plan International Uganda Staff and associates
• Act as the first point of contact for unannounced visits in the areas of operation
• Visit each sponsored child at least once a year and complete a home visit report
Empowerment and sustainability
• Maintain a welcoming and engaging Community Resource Centre within area of operation
• Create relationships based on trust and mutual respect
• Be aware of power relationships and identify most vulnerable and marginalised through social mapping and wealth ranking
• Facilitate the inclusion of marginalised groups into the community development process
• Identify and build relationships with community leaders, groups and other typically marginalised groups
• Establish an inventory of civil society/ community groups and organisations in the area
• Facilitate civil society/community groups capacity development and networking
• Facilitate community leadership development, gender equality and the promotion of the rights of the child.
• Strengthen the capacity of civil society, community, youth and children groups to manage their own development process and projects.
• Facilitate community local resource mobilisation
• Equip civil society and community groups with the skills and confidence to effectively engage with local government and hold them accountable for performance and results
Community Managed Projects (CMPs)
• Facilitate partner communities under the Parish Development Committees (PDC) structure to plan and implement CMPs
• Facilitate the PDCs to identify training needs
• Support in the development of training modules and facilitate training for community members
• Support the development of a Community Based Monitoring and Documentation System (CBM & D)
• Together with the PDCs and communities, ensure timely accountability of project funds as per CMP guidelines.
• Carry periodic mapping and profiling of NGOs/CBOs operating in the parish/sub county
• Develop and document benchmarks for the CMPs.
• Carry out analysis, community agreements and monitor Plan International funds under communities
Dealing with Problems:
• Managing expectations of community volunteers and keeping them motivated
• Poor accountability of resources for CMPs by PDCs structure
• In case of sponsorship, when families or sponsored children shift it becomes hard to trace/follow them up

Key relationships
• Plan Partners
• The PDCs- partners in the community, work together in reaching the children
• The community volunteers- processing of sponsorship work.
• PUM- seek guidance on project implementation challenges
• Accountant- make requisitions for funds to implement activities and tracking monthly expenditures
• Sub county LG – in planning and implementation of community projects

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge
• Bachelor’s degree in Social Science, Development Studies or any other related technical field
• Two (2) years’ experience in facilitating the implementation and monitoring of community managed projects and familiarity with children’s issues in particular
• Experience in use of participatory approaches to programming
• Knowledge and application of rights based approach to programming
• Knowledge of basic laws and policies related to children – UNCRC, Children’s Act, Local Government decentralization policy
• Basic knowledge of monitoring and documentation of projects
• Knowledge and experience in child centered community development
• Well conversant with PRA (appraisal tool) skills and application
• Computer application skills – MS word and Microsoft excel
• Experience in the design, implementation, and monitoring of community development projects
• Good communication and writing skills
• Experienced in networking with NGOs, local government partners, and local community-based organizations
• Team work, self-drive and willingness to work long hours
• Exhibit high level of integrity, honest and easily approachable
• High levels of humility and respect for others
• Results oriented and focused