Community Education & Engagement Advisor At The Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security

Job Title: Community Education & Engagement Advisor
Reports to Position Title: Director of Global Programs and Partnerships
Faculty/ Department: The Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security
FTE (based on 35 paid hr work week): 100%
Duration: 2 Years
Date Created/Updated: June 2024

About the Dallaire Institute

Lt. General Romeo Dallaire founded the Child Soldiers Initiative in 2007 and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, provided a home to the Initiative in 2010. In 2020, the Initiative became the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security, an international repository of expertise, research, and advocacy to prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed violence. The Dallaire Institute is the co-developer of the 2017 Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers. As part of Dalhousie University, the Dallaire Institute hosts a prestigious Tier 1 Canada Research Chair on International Peace, Security and Children and offers undergraduate and graduate courses. Through academic and practitioner training and community engagement, the Dallaire Institute’s interdisciplinary and applied research advances innovative strategies for preventing the recruitment and use of children in armed violence. The Dallaire Institute is supported through private, public and international contributions.

To achieve this important objective, the Dallaire Institute conducts activities on four fronts:

• World-class, interdisciplinary research to build and share knowledge, which in turn leads to new solutions.
• High-level advocacy activities to create and promote the political will to end the use of children in violence as central to the achievement of global peace and security.
• Education and programming to sustain the efforts to make the recruitment and use of children as soldiers unthinkable by inspiring leaders, educators, and policy makers to implement new approaches, conduct research, and actively share their knowledge on the prioritization of the children’s rights upfront approach.
• Comprehensive, prevention-oriented training to security sector actors, in the service of broader security sector reform, as well as collaboration with civil society to create and implement tools that protect children from the dangers associated with recruitment.

Job purpose

The Community Education & Engagement Advisor will play a pivotal role in contributing to the achievement of the Dallaire Institute’s mission through their thematic expertise within the context of armed conflict. The incumbent will primarily contribute to Dallaire Institutes’ Community Education and Engagement Strategy. They will work closely with community stakeholders, including youth, women, and journalists, program teams, state actors, and regional advocates through providing subject matter expertise, and ensure policy and programming coherence, awareness raising, capacity building and fundraising. They will provide technical expertise and guidance to ensure increased action undertaken by security sector actors based on community and women’s perspectives and gender-responsive recommendations on the prevention of recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.

Duties and responsibilities

Thematic Advisory and Technical Quality Assurance:

• Translate Dallaire Institute’s global strategy into programming objectives and initiatives.
• Provide high-quality technical assistance in Community Education and Engagement

  thematic area to program delivery teams, ensuring evidence-based implementation of

  gender-transformative approaches.

• Maintain line of sight on technical quality at the country level through effective

  relationships with Regional and Country offices.

• Review project deliverables and donor reports from a technical quality control

  perspective.

• Contribute to the development, dissemination, and monitoring of community education

  and engagement quality tools, including supporting program evaluations from a

  thematic perspective.

• Develop curriculum for local CSOs on early warning systems, map existing CSOs, provide

  training to peace clubs and youth and women networks, convene technical meetings, and connect CSOs to organizational development training opportunities.

  Advocacy & Business Development:

• Support business development by leveraging technical expertise to develop concept notes and proposals.
• Support the execution of advocacy strategy to influence policy changes and resource mobilization.
• Produce high-quality thought leadership materials and lead positioning activities such as representation at industry panels and presentations to donors.
• Support the development of youth councils, provide technical support, and facilitate action plan development meetings
• Engage Youth and women networks/councils with local government/ministries, security sector actors, and other stakeholders in developing early warning plans to prevent recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.

Program Learning & Innovation:

• Support Country and Regional Offices in the design, testing, and evaluation of innovations to advance quality community education programming.
• Distill learnings and evidence generated into programmatic guidance and thought leadership for internal and external consumption.
• Monitor sector developments to refine program models and identify new partnerships and collaboration opportunities.
• Partner with the Communications team to develop and disseminate technical and project materials.
• Organize local dialogues, convene high-level policy roundtables, and produce visual and audio communication materials on the outcomes of these events.

  Capacity Building:

• Assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Country Offices in relation to community education and engagement.
• Contribute to developing community education and engagement strategies and modules to build capacity of youth, women, and journalists in early warning systems to prevent conflict.
• Support the development and implementation of capacity strengthening plans for Country Offices and local partners in community engagement programming.
• Educate Country Offices on Canadian donor priorities, especially Global Affairs Canada, providing advice on approaches and donor-specific language and terminology.

  Technical Expertise and Quality in Program Implementation:

• Provide contextualized support for GAC and other donor-funded programs, focusing on community education and engagement.
• Lead in developing program designs and implementation strategies.
• Evaluate and oversee the technical quality of Community engagement activities and

  develop strategies for improvement.

• Initiate programming in the thematic and contribute to Dallaire Institute’s overall strategy.

  This job description is a general outline of responsibilities and qualifications and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. The responsibilities and duties may evolve based on the organization’s needs, and additional tasks may be assigned as required.

  Qualifications

• Degree in international relations, social sciences, human rights, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working in child protection, community

  education/empowerment and / or related fields, preferably in Canada and / or globally

• Proven track record of engaging with state actors, regional advocates, and security

  sector institutions on policy implementation and capacity-building initiatives.

• Strong analytical, communication, and advocacy skills.
• Fluency in English is required; proficiency in other languages, especially French, is an asset.
• Ability to travel internationally, as required.

  Skills:

• Excellent ability to forge relationships at all levels and work across multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Adept at handling confidential information with discretion.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively.
• Be action-oriented and a problem solver.

  Assets:

• In-depth understanding of and experience in designing and implementing Global Affairs Canada-funded projects
• In-depth understanding of international policy frameworks related to child protection, particularly the Vancouver Principles.

  Working conditions

  When located in Halifax, NS, the position is intended to have a Hybrid role, eligible for a combination of in-person work and remote work.

  If located in any other place in Canada, the position will be remote. The position includes at least 20 % travel to project countries.

  Supervisory/managerial

  The position is an individual contributor and will work closely with cross-functional teams at Headquarters, Regional, and Country levels with no direct supervision responsibilities.