Community Mobilization Officer

Job Description

Title: Community Mobilization Officer

Company Name: Center for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS)

Vacancy: 3

Age: Na

Job Location: Sylhet

Salary: Tk. 71663 (Monthly)

Experience:

• At least 3 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Masters

Master`s degree in natural resource governance or a related field, such as social sciences, environmental sciences, Fisheries, life sciences, Civil/Water resource engineering,  hydrology, development studies.

• At least 3 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): NGO

• Experiences: Preference will be given to candidates with 3 years of relevant work experience.

Skills and Additional Job Requirements:

• Having non-discriminatory and gender-sensitive perceptions along with safeguarding

• To protect children in connection

• Comprehensive knowledge of the Bangladesh context regarding natural resource governance and the challenges faced by marginalized grassroots communities.

• Profound understanding of stakeholder dynamics within the development sector.

• Exceptional proficiency in written communication in both English and Bangla.

• Competency in utilizing MS Office applications.

• Strong presentation abilities coupled with excellent interpersonal skills.

• Prior experience in water governance, community engagement or broader natural resource governance, is preferred.

• Demonstrated involvement in voluntary social work or collaboration with voluntary organizations.

• Experience in facilitating training sessions, workshops, and other capacity-building activities.

• Dedication to advocating for the rights of marginalized communities.

• Commitment to the preservation and conservation of river ecosystems.

• Adherence to core values such as accountability, inclusiveness, and empowerment.

• Strong dedication to promoting gender inclusion and upholding child rights.

• Appreciation for voluntarism and active participation in civil society initiatives.

• Ability to engage effectively with a diverse set of stakeholders, including government officials, private sector representatives, civil society members, and grassroots community leaders.

• Forward-thinking mindset with a visionary approach to water governance challenges and opportunities.

Location: Upazila level of Sylhet District, with frequent field visits to community levels

Job Nature: Full-time (Contractual)

Project Brief:

Bangladesh’s social, economic, and ecological systems are deeply interconnected with its river networks, particularly within the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) basin. In the northern Haor region, rivers and wetlands sustain millions of people through agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and ecosystem services. However, these fragile riverine landscapes are increasingly threatened by climate change, erratic rainfall, flash floods, ecosystem degradation, unplanned infrastructure, extractive activities, and fragmented water governance. Marginalized groups such as fisherfolk, smallholder farmers, women, youth, and day labourers are often the most affected, yet their voices remain underrepresented in planning and decision-making processes.

Despite the existence of national frameworks such as the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 and the Haor Master Plan, implementation has largely followed a top-down approach, with limited integration of community knowledge, local priorities, and basin wide ecological dynamics. At the same time, Bangladesh’s accession to the UN Water Convention (1992) in 2023 presents a critical opportunity to strengthen inclusive, participatory, and cooperative approaches to water governance at local, national, and transboundary levels.

The People’s Riverscape Project: Inclusive Planning and Citizen Engagement for Watershed and River Restoration seeks to respond to these challenges by demonstrating a people centered, ecosystem-based approach to river basin planning and restoration. Implemented under the Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA) programme, the project brings together communities, civil society, government institutions, private sector actors, and international knowledge partners to co-create inclusive People’s River Plans in selected river basins located mostly in the Haor areas of the Meghna–Barak system.

The project applies the People’s Landscape Approach (PLA), combining participatory rural appraisal, community dialogues (Nodi Boithok), and multi-stakeholder river dialogues (Nodi Shonglap) with technical analysis informed by Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and the Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus. By integrating local knowledge with scientific and policy expertise, the initiative aims to identify harmful trade-offs, build consensus among diverse stakeholders, and promote sustainable, climate-resilient river governance.

Centre for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS) with coordination and support from Oxfam, the project also strengthens institutional capacities to integrate citizen perspectives into formal planning processes and supports alignment with national priorities and international commitments. Through sustained dialogue platforms, participatory research, and locally led pilot initiatives, the People’s Riverscape Project seeks to contribute to long-term river restoration, improved governance, and resilient livelihoods in Bangladesh’s river-dependent communities.

Part I: Job Responsibilities and Tasks

• Mobilize and organize riverine communities in selected basins, ensuring inclusive participation of women, youth, and marginalized groups.
• Facilitate Nodi Boithok, PRA exercises, FGDs, community mapping, and other participatory processes.
• Support co-creation of People’s River Plans aligned with the People’s Landscape Approach (PLA), Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and the WEFE nexus.
• Coordinate Nodi Shonglap and other multi-stakeholder dialogues at community and district levels.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with community leaders, local government institutions, CSOs, youth, and women leaders.
• Support community-led identification of priorities, risks, and solutions related to river governance, restoration, and resilience.
• Assist implementation of locally led pilot initiatives emerging from People’s River Plans.
• Lead and contribute to the preparation of study reports, field reports, case studies, policy briefs, and learning notes based on field experiences and research findings.
• Prepare accurate and timely documentation, including meeting minutes, workshop proceedings, consultation reports, and event summaries.
• Support project communication and visibility by drafting social media content, short articles, photo captions, and success stories in coordination with the communications team.
• Promote and facilitate meaningful youth engagement through youth-led dialogues, capacity-building sessions, volunteer activities, and leadership development initiatives.
• Contribute to participatory monitoring, evaluation, learning, and documentation processes, including collection of stories of change and best practices.
• Ensure safeguarding, gender sensitivity, and Do No Harm principles in all field activities.
• Contribute to participatory monitoring, documentation, learning, and collection of stories of change.
• Perform any other relevant duties assigned by project management in support of project goals.

Safeguarding and Ethics- The Community Mobilization Officer is expected to uphold the organization’s safeguarding policies, ensuring the protection of children and vulnerable groups from any form of abuse, exploitation, or harm.