COMMUNITY MOBILIZERS

Position Description

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

The Program / Department Summary

The USDA McGovern-Dole Food for Education (FFE) Program, ASCEND, is a five-year initiative designed to improve literacy, school attendance, nutrition, health practices, and food security among primary school children in Liberia. The program serves public primary schools through daily school meals, literacy interventions, school health and nutrition programming, community engagement, and capacity strengthening of government and school-level systems.

ASCEND combines school feeding with education, nutrition, health, WASH, and community participation interventions to improve learning outcomes and strengthen local ownership of school feeding systems. The program works closely with schools, Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), Food Management Committees (FMCs), School Management Committees (SMCs), local government structures, and communities to promote sustainable and accountable program implementation.

The Position

The Community Mobilizer supports implementation of ASCEND activities at the school and community level across assigned districts and schools. The position combines community mobilization, school health and nutrition, school feeding support, and school-level commodity management functions.

The Community Mobilizer is responsible for strengthening community participation and ownership of school feeding, literacy, health, and nutrition interventions while ensuring effective management, accountability, and monitoring of USDA food commodities at participating schools.

Approximately 60% of the role focuses on school health and nutrition, and community mobilization responsibilities, including community engagement, school structure strengthening, training, coaching, mentoring, and support to school feeding operations. Approximately 40% of the role focuses on commodity management responsibilities, including school-level commodity accountability, record keeping, stock monitoring, safe storage, food distribution oversight, and coaching school commodity management actors.

Essential Responsibilities

Program Mobilization, School Health and Nutrition, and Community Engagement (60%)

• Lead community entry and stakeholder engagement activities in assigned schools and communities.
• Build strong relationships with school administrators, PTAs, FMCs, SMCs, community leaders, local authorities, and caregivers.
• Mobilize communities to actively participate in school feeding, literacy, health, nutrition, WASH, and sustainability activities.
• Promote community ownership and participation throughout program implementation.
• Facilitate regular community meetings and sensitization sessions to support achievement of program objectives.

School Structure Strengthening

• Support the establishment and strengthening of PTAs, FMCs, and other school support structures.
• Facilitate development and implementation of school and community action plans.
• Support school-level governance, accountability, and sustainability mechanisms.
• Promote inclusive participation of women, caregivers, and marginalized groups in school management structures.

School Feeding and School Health and Nutrition Implementation

• Support implementation of school feeding activities in accordance with program guidelines.
• Promote safe food preparation, food safety, hygiene, and nutrition practices among school communities.
• Support school health, hygiene, and behavior change activities.
• Conduct awareness sessions on nutrition, handwashing, food safety, environmental sanitation, and healthy practices.
• Support school gardens and other community-led initiatives that contribute to sustainability of school feeding activities.

Training, Coaching and Mentorship

• Deliver training to PTAs, FMCs, school administrators, storekeepers, cooks, and community volunteers.
• Conduct regular coaching and mentoring visits to strengthen community and school capacities.
• Develop and implement improvement plans to address identified gaps at school level.
• Facilitate peer learning and experience-sharing among schools and communities.
• Provide ongoing technical support to school-level structures to improve performance and compliance.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Conduct regular monitoring visits to schools and communities.
• Collect and report implementation data according to program requirements.
• Identify implementation challenges and recommend corrective actions.
• Document lessons learned, success stories, and best practices.
• Support accountability and community feedback mechanisms.

Commodity Management and School Feeding Accountability (40%)

School Commodity Management

• Support establishment and maintenance of school commodity management systems.
• Ensure food commodities are properly received, stored, handled, prepared, and distributed according to USDA and Mercy Corps requirements.
• Verify that schools maintain safe, clean, and secure storage facilities.
• Ensure proper use of commodity tracking tools, ledgers, stock records, stack cards, attendance registers, and distribution documentation.
• Support proper filing and retention of commodity management records.

Commodity Receipt and Distribution Monitoring

• Witness and verify commodity deliveries to schools.
• Ensure quantities delivered match dispatch documentation and waybills.
• Facilitate proper handover of commodities to designated school authorities and FMC representatives.
• Verify food quality and report instances of damage, loss, spoilage, theft, or misuse.
• Assist in documenting commodity transactions and accountability processes.

Commodity Monitoring and Compliance

• Conduct routine physical inventory counts and stock verification exercises.
• Compare physical inventory with commodity records and identify discrepancies.
• Monitor compliance with approved food ration sizes and feeding procedures.
• Monitor food preparation and meal distribution processes to ensure adherence to program standards.
• Conduct regular inspections of storerooms, kitchens, food preparation areas, and feeding facilities.

Commodity Coaching and Capacity Building

• Train and mentor school administrators, storekeepers, FMCs, cooks, and volunteers on commodity management procedures.
• Support schools to improve record keeping, stock control, reporting, and accountability practices.
• Provide onsite coaching to address commodity management weaknesses.
• Support implementation of corrective actions identified during monitoring visits.

Reporting and Coordination

• Prepare and submit timely commodity monitoring reports.
• Report commodity losses, discrepancies, misuse, damage, or compliance concerns.
• Coordinate closely with commodity, logistics, procurement, MEL, and program teams to support effective implementation.
• Contribute to commodity forecasting, planning, and distribution coordination processes.

Influence & Representation

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with government stakeholders, implementing partners, donors, school communities, and other relevant actors.
• Represent the school feeding program in external meetings and coordination forums, as delegated.
• Communicate effectively to support achievement of program objectives and donor commitments.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Lead Mobilizer (Grand Bassa County)

Works Directly With: MEL Officer, Logistics & Warehouse Officer, Operations Officer, and Finance Officer, Agriculture & Markets Advisor, Nutrition & Health Advisor, Safeguarding & CARM Officer, Literacy Coaches (Partner staff), School Structures (PTA, FMC, Cooks), and MOE Staff.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Community Development, Social Sciences, Education, Agriculture, Nutrition, Public Health, Rural Development, International Development, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in community mobilization, school feeding, education, nutrition, commodity management, food assistance programming, or related development programming.
• Experience in riding motorbike with a valid rider’s license required
• Experience working with community groups, schools, local authorities, and civil society actors.
• Demonstrated experience conducting training, facilitation, coaching, and mentorship activities.
• Knowledge of school feeding, ESHN, community engagement, and behavior change approaches.
• Understanding of basic commodity management, inventory control, distribution, and accountability systems.
• Experience collecting data and preparing accurate reports.
• Strong planning, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to remote schools and communities.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will be a proactive and community-oriented professional with strong facilitation, relationship-building, and organizational skills. They will demonstrate attention to detail, accountability, and commitment to quality implementation. The individual will be able to balance community mobilization and commodity management responsibilities, work effectively with diverse stakeholders, and provide practical support to schools and communities. Strong coaching, mentoring, communication, and problem-solving abilities, combined with a commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, and community ownership, will be essential for success in this role.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Grand Bassa County and requires frequent travel to schools and remote communities. Travel may constitute up to 80% of the role and may involve difficult terrain and locations with limited amenities.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Team Engagement and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or by our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).