Community Manager – West and Northern Africa Region

Overview

• Work Location: Dakar (West & Northern Africa Regional Hub); relocation possible, or remote within the region
• Application Close Date: October 10, 2021
• Estimated Start date: November 1, 2021
• Department: Open Mapping Hub – West Africa
• Reports to: Regional Hub Director (line manager) & Head of Community (functional manager)
• Terms: Full time, one year initial contract

About HOT

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) sits at the nexus of participatory mapping, community-led development, humanitarian response, open data and tech. With a talented and diverse team spread around the globe, HOT is an NGO which supports a dynamic global community of thousands of dedicated volunteers using maps and open data for humanitarian response and the Sustainable Development Goals. Working with humanitarian and development partners like the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, UN agencies, governments and others, the HOT community maps in solidarity with those affected by or at risk of disaster, contributing the maps and data aid workers need to do their lifesaving work.
In 2020 the work of the HOT community was recognized by TED’s Audacious Project, a collaborative philanthropic initiative that serves as a springboard for social impact on a grand scale, leading to an exciting new phase of growth. HOT is expanding its activities: opening four regional hubs and scaling up its support to local mapping communities with the audacious goal of mapping an area home to one billion people in 94 countries at high risk of disasters or experiencing poverty – mapping with communities before they are in crisis.

About You

HOT is looking for someone passionate about, and experienced in, international development and humanitarian action. You should be able to work within a fast-paced, international organization responding to urgent crises and persistent development issues. You should be familiar with the operations and internal functions of international NGOs and knowledgeable about the sector. You will work on a broad range of tasks and projects and have exposure to all aspects of the functioning of the organization.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Community and Regional Hub Director – West & Northern Africa, this role will develop and manage community activities in the West and Northern Africa Hub region to support HOT’s strategy to ensure that humanitarian organizations, governments, community groups and other actors have access to the high-quality maps and open data they need to save lives, reduce suffering, and restore dignity. These maps will enable more effective and efficient aid through effective inclusion, participation and ownership of communities. Then communities will improve their participation in the decision making process to ensure that resources are allocated more effectively and transparently to improve public health, water, sanitation and hygiene, early childhood development and education, infrastructure, and better serve target communities – including the world’s children.

This role will be prioritized for applicants from the West Africa region. To learn more about which countries HOT plans to work in in West Africa, please see here.

Responsibilities

• Support the growth of OpenStreetMap communities in priority countries in the West and North Africa region (approximately 25), providing community support, capacity building, training, and mentorship to communities looking to grow
• Engage, and develop strong relationships between Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and communities across the region
• Analyse the state of OpenStreetMap in each priority country, including understanding opportunities for supporting improved community health, capacity and livelihoods.
• Ensure HOT’s Community Services / Support Programs provide relevant and appropriate support to OSM communities, and have the appropriate accountability to those communities.
• Develop and deliver community investment / granting programmes in the region, including appropriate community support, due diligence processes and reporting / impact evaluations.
• Ensure community diversity is represented in community growth, analysing current community diversity status and setting targets & agreeing to activities to improve diversity across gender, indigenous populations, and marginalized groups
• Lead in person and virtual training events across your region and support events implemented by other teams in the Hub or in HOT global
• Support organisation of regional conferences (e.g. State of the Map Africa), HOT conferences (e.g. Summit), and community events
• Contribute to ensuring that HOT-supported projects in the region produce high quality data
• Develop and support peer-to-peer / community-to-community learning and support mechanisms
• Support the Open Mapping Hub and HOT global teams with communication with relevant community members as and when needed

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to University degree level (Bachelors/Masters) OR a similar time-length (3-5 years) of relevant professional/community experience
• Demonstrated passion for humanitarian and development work, and a deep commitment to community-led change, which must be demonstrated through prior professional experiences
• Familiarity with OpenStreetMap communities / networks in West Africa
• A proven understanding of OpenStreetMap tools and workflows (especially where related to humanitarian / development / social change work)
• Experience in an entrepreneurial environment: an ideal candidate will be a self-starter with demonstrated experience starting an initiative from scratch
• Experience creating and running community support programs and working with community based organizations in West Africa,
• Experience in mobilizing communities, accompanying them in holding various activities,
• At least two years experience living and working in Low and Middle Income countries
• Comfortable engaging in discussions with individual community members publicly
• Experience with consensus-building
• Fluency in French and English
• A good sense of humour and willingness to learn
• Driven, goal-oriented and strives for continuous improvement

Desirable

• Fluency in local languages
• Experience in developing / managing grant or funding programs
• Experience developing training curricula and leading training sessions,
• Prior experience delivering entrepreneurship training
• Experience working remotely and leading projects/activities and coaching team members globally
• Experience managing a small team e.g. managing 1-3 direct reports

Are you missing a few of the technical skills listed? We would still like to see your application. While the skills above fit our vision of this role, we are open to those candidates with a strong knowledge foundation that are fast learners and highly motivated to close any skill gaps.

Top 2 – 3 priorities for the first 60 to 90 days

Build a strategy and support communities in identifying priorities in relation to our areas of focus, (organise meetings with OSM communities in WNAH) (KRs: Meetings held and axe of collaboration identified)

• Contribute to the workshop preparation for the launch of WNAH (KRs validation of the ToRs, tasks related to communities’s participation),
• Organise working groups and thematics of discussions with communities (KRs Thematic Groups are set up)
• Contribute to the official Launch of WNAH, ( KRs Launch held, with valuable contribution of communities to theaction plan of activities for 2022)

Compensation

HOT values transparency and equity. All HOT compensation globally is set according to a framework detailed on our website. HOT offers a work-from-anywhere culture, flexible working arrangements, a variety of health care options, retirement savings plans, and 24 days of annual leave for full-time employees, in addition to 12 paid holidays.

Equal Opportunity

We seek to recruit persons that reflect the diversity of the communities we work with and further, to support their retention and advancement within the organization. HOT does not discriminate on the basis of ability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. Our staff includes people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, lived experiences, and perspectives on the world. HOT is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to live our values and promote inclusivity in all locations. All of our staff work collectively and individually to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work of all is valued and respected.

HOT is committed to diversity within our team, and recognizes our role in closing the digital divide, including identifying obstacles that certain groups face in developing skills needed for roles in the humanitarian & technology sectors. Women, nationals of developing countries, and members of other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.