Community and Stakeholder Engagement Officer

1. Main Function

 

WWF Mesoamerica works to conserve ecosystems while improving the well-being and resilience of communities that depend on them. This includes protection and sustainable use of terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems, by strengthening governance and participation, promoting sustainable livelihoods, and building community stewardship, including by assisting communities to adopt sustainable, climate-resilient income-generating activities that reduce pressure on those ecosystems while improving socio-economic outcomes.

 

The Community and Stakeholder Engagement Officer will coordinate and support meaningful engagement with terrestrial and coastal communities, including fishers and fisher families. The role is designed to strengthen inclusive participation, promote co-design of local livelihood initiatives, and build partnerships that enable the effective implementation of sustainable livelihood strategies. The Officer will support communication and coordination between WWF, communities and stakeholders, including youth, by ensuring inclusive, culturally appropriate, and gender-responsive engagement that enhances local ownership and long-term sustainability of interventions.

 

This position is essential to ensuring that local communities and stakeholder groups are active partners in conservation. By strengthening engagement, trust, and collaboration, the Officer will help ensure that livelihood solutions are sustainable, locally owned, and effectively reduce pressure on those ecosystems.

 

1. Key responsibilities:

 

1. Community Engagement and Mobilization
   1. Facilitate inclusive engagement processes with ecosystem-dependent communities.
   2. Support the development and maintenance of positive working relationships with community leaders, fishers, women’s groups, youth groups, and local enterprises.
   3. Support participatory planning and co-creation of livelihood initiatives.
   4. Ensure engagement approaches are culturally sensitive, inclusive, and gender-responsive.

 

1. Stakeholder Coordination and Partnerships
   1. Map and support engagement of key fisheries and tourism stakeholders including community-based organizations and private sector actors.
   2. Support multi-stakeholder platforms and dialogues related to sustainable livelihoods and terrestrial and coastal-marine conservation.
   3. Strengthen collaboration among partners to align efforts.
   4. Represent WWF in relevant meetings and forums.

 

1. Livelihood Support
   1. Assist in the implementation of sustainable livelihood activities (e.g., eco-tourism, sustainable fisheries, blue economy initiatives).
   2. Support beneficiary selection processes in a transparent and equitable manner.
   3. Coordinate training, capacity-building, and knowledge-sharing activities.
   4. Monitor community participation and feedback to improve interventions.

 

1. Communication and Knowledge Sharing
   1. Document lessons learned, success stories, and community experiences.
   2. Support the development of communication materials (including stories, briefs and case studies).
   3. Facilitate knowledge exchange between communities and stakeholders.
   4. Promote awareness of sustainable practices and conservation objectives.

 

1. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)
   1. Collect and report data related to community engagement and participation.
   2. Support tracking of livelihood outcomes and social impacts.
   3. Contribute to reporting requirements and adaptive learning processes.
   4. Ensure community feedback mechanisms are functional and integrated.

 

1. Safeguards and Inclusivity
   1. Support adherence to WWF social safeguards policies.
   2. Promote gender equality, social inclusion, and equitable benefit sharing.
   3. Report potential social risks and concerns related to project interventions to supervisor and contribute to mitigation actions as appropriate.

 

1. Other
   1. Any other tasks within the scope of the role as directed

1. Minimum Qualifications

 

Knowledge:

 

A Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, Natural Resource Management, Business Administration, Business Management or related field. Familiarity with community engagement, sustainable livelihoods, local economic development, or conservation initiatives is desirable.

 

Experience:

 

A minimum of 3-5 years of experience in community engagement, stakeholder coordination, or participatory development. Experience working with community-based development, conservation, or livelihood-related initiatives in Belize or the Mesoamerican region is desirable.

 

IV.   Working Relationships

Skills and Abilities:

 

• Strong facilitation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, including marginalized groups.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) including preparation of presentations, public speaking and writing technical report
• Demonstrated strong organizational and coordination abilities.
• Knowledge of sustainable livelihoods, conservation, or blue economy approaches.
• Good conceptual and analytical skills, and ability to think and operate innovatively. Ability to communicate complex messages in an accessible manner for varied audiences. Travel to local communities for stakeholder engagement, training, community meetings and project monitoring is required.
• Ability to work independently and to meet deadlines, and ability to work in close collaboration with team members and remote field offices are essential.
• Committed to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams.
• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Spanish and/or local languages (e.g., Kriol, Garifuna, Maya languages) are an asset.

V.   Key Competencies          

     Technical Competencies:

• Knowledge of community engagement, sustainable livelihoods, conservation, blue economy approaches, or related development initiatives.
• Ability to support the planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of project activities in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong facilitation skills to support community meetings, training activities, workshops, and participatory processes.
• Ability to collect, organize, analyze, and report project information and data accurately.
• Good conceptual and analytical skills, with the ability to identify issues, propose practical solutions, and contribute to continuous improvement processes.
• Ability to communicate technical or complex information in a clear and accessible manner to different audiences.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparation of presentations, technical reports, meeting summaries, and project documentation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and virtual collaboration tools.
• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Spanish and/or local languages (e.g., Kriol, Garifuna, Maya languages) is considered an asset.

     

      Relational Competencies:

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively with community members, government representatives, partner organizations, private sector actors, and other project stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to engage respectfully and effectively with diverse populations, including women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and marginalized or underrepresented groups.
• Active listening skills and ability to facilitate constructive dialogue and participation.
• Ability to communicate confidently in group settings, training sessions, community meetings, and public presentations.
• Commitment to promoting inclusion, respect, equity, and collaboration within teams and stakeholder groups.
• Ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary, multicultural, and geographically dispersed teams.

      Organizational Competencies: 

• Demonstrated organizational and coordination skills with strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to work independently under general supervision while exercising sound judgment and seeking guidance when needed.
• Ability to meet deadlines and deliver high-quality work in a timely manner.
• Ability to work effectively in close collaboration with team members, partner organizations, and remote field offices.
• Flexibility and adaptability to changing priorities and project needs.
• Commitment to continuous learning, professional growth, and knowledge sharing.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 20% of the time, including travel to Reef Guard stakeholder communities to support stakeholder engagement activities, training events, community meetings, field visits, and project monitoring.
• Demonstrated commitment to WWF’s core values of Courage, Integrity, Respect, and Collaboration and to fostering an inclusive organizational culture.
  • Demonstrates courage by speaking up even when it is difficult, or unpopular.
  • Builds trust with colleagues by acting with integrity, owning mistakes, and holding oneself accountable.
  • Welcomes other points of view and ideas, recognizing and embracing different and contrary perspectives with kindness, curiosity, and encouragement.
  • Makes conscious efforts to promote cooperative practices, behaviors, and ways of working across many groups and individuals.

Upload your complete application in a single PDF document, that contains:

• On the first page, a cover letter summarizing your work experience and ability that meet each of the minimum qualifications described in section III, at the end of the letter include your salary expectation. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• On the second page, include your resume  with at least three contacts of work references.
• Application deadline: Thursday, June 25th,  or before in case we do have enough candidates to close the process.
• Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to respond to inquiries via phone.
   

WWF will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability.

WWF values diversity and inclusion and welcomes diverse candidates to apply.