Vacancy Community Outreach Coordinator Saba

Saba is an island in the Caribbean and a special municipality (public entity) of The Netherlands. The island is known for its beautiful scenery and diving.  Mount Scenery, at 887 meters high, is the highest point in the Dutch Kingdom.  Saba, including Green Island, became a special municipality after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on October 10, 2010.  The island is five-square miles and has approximately 1900 inhabitants.  There are four main villages: The Bottom (the capital), Windwardside, St. John’s, and Hell’s Gate.

This Island Government is looking for a: Community Outreach Coordinator

The context

The Island Government of Saba is known for its stability and aim in maintaining good relations with the Netherlands while striving to achieve widespread and sustainable results in the various domains. Within the organization, people work together on the further development of the island. Our colleagues work on infrastructure (airport, harbor, water management), public works, planning, solid waste collection and processing, tourism, community development, health care, agriculture, HRM, ICT, finance, communication, civil affairs, legal advice, and various policy areas. In total, there are about 180 employees.

The position

You will work at the Department of Community Development. This department is working intensively together with the other departments and partners on the island towards a more integral approach to social and educational development and aims to bring the level of social participation, healthy ways of living, and developmental growth within the community of Saba to a higher level. The Community Officer will be part of a team of social workers, project leaders, policy advisors, domestic violence and child abuse coordinators and other support staff members that together as the Department Community Development, are addressing various social and developmental issues on Saba. As Community Officer you will initiate activities and host guiding programs aimed at promoting community participation, physical health, social inclusion, and character building of both youth, adults with or without an intelligence disability, as well as creating ways of bringing the community and department closer to each other.  

The profile

Your main tasks will include:

Individual support

• Providing individually based, tailor-made and consistent programs, interventions, and support with an eye for the individual;
• Having an outreach, low-threshold, de-escalating, and uplifting approach; 
• Taking trending community issues and addressing these in a constructive way while focusing on character building, physical health and social inclusion;
• Ensuring social participation of the most vulnerable through physical activities and individual attention;
• Conducting (joint) individual case assessments, documenting client contact reports, and issuing where needed referrals to relevant stakeholders. 

Community assistance

• Promoting healthy communal behavior by introducing educational programs and community-based activities catered to the youth, adults, physically impaired, and psychologically challenged;
• Creating more social participation and advocating for better physical health for all groups though especially the ones living socially isolated;
• Being hands-on while implementing new tools to motivate more intense family support;
• Being outreaching, open-minded, proactive, culture-sensitive, and community-oriented;
• Maintaining a constructive, positive, open-to-feedback, and solution-based approach when working closely with all relevant stakeholders;
• Advising team members and stakeholders on courses and training catered at increasing social inclusion and physical health;
• Supporting and collaborating with team members on different team projects;
• Having basic knowledge of mediation, motivational interviewing, crisis intervention, first aid, group training, counseling, and de-escalation.

As a person you are

• Socially engaged and involved with the current cultural and economic situation of Saba. You are activelymotivated to make a difference;
• Independent and resourceful, yet a team-player, demonstrating strong communication skills while being result-oriented;
• Honest and able to do your work as transparent as possible and with compassion in a small community such as Saba;
• Able to effectively prioritize and organize your work;
• Skilled in making contact, initiating community-based activities, motivating, supporting, constructivelyconfronting, de-escalating, and hands-on guidance;
• Able to build a professional network within a short time and maintain these relations in order to strengthenthe collaboration with partners;
• Stable and able to stand your ground in difficult situations where a viable solution is not always available; 
• Outreaching, no 9 to 5 sitting behind the desk mentality, flexible, having a listening, ear, and able to take feedback. 

Commitment

You are prepared to commit to our organization for an extended period of time and you are willing to establish yourself on the island.

Job requirements

We are looking for someone with the following qualifications:

• Followed higher education degree, preferably in Communication, Project Management; 
• Experience in working with elderly, youth, vulnerable youth and adults with a physical or psychological disability;
• Knowledge of first-aid, intervention skills, and basic physical and psychological health challenges;
• Sound knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation related to community and social care;
• Excellent command of English, both spoken and written; a good command of Dutch and/or Spanish is a plus;
• An affinity with the Caribbean and an understanding of the local situation and culture.

We offer

We offer a 36-hour workweek and a two-years employment contract with the possibility of extension. The salary is according to government salary and depending on skills and competences of the ideal candidate, scale 10: start 2956 USD to end 4218 USD. Excellent primary and secondary work benefits.

Procedure

You can apply until August 1^st, 2022, by sending your letter of application and CV in English to the attention of HRM personnelaffairs@sabagov.nl. In case inquiries or questions, you can contact the team of Community Development through social@sabagov.nl.