Job Description

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Accountability Officer – Hargeisa Somaliland

Background on ACTED

ACTED is a French humanitarian NGO, founded in 1993, which supports vulnerable populations, affected by humanitarian crises worldwide. ACTED provides continued support to vulnerable communities by ensuring the sustainability of post-crisis interventions and engaging long-term challenges facing our target populations, in order to break the poverty cycle, foster development and reduce vulnerability to disasters. ACTED interventions seek to cover the multiple aspects of humanitarian and development crises through a multidisciplinary approach which is both global and local, and adapted to each context. Their 3,300 staff are committed in to responding to emergencies worldwide, to supporting recovery and rehabilitation, towards sustainable development.

ACTED has been operational in Somaliland since 2009, actively delivering life-saving assistance coupled with resilience and recovery programming to communities. Programmatic interventions to date have been implemented in several sectors, including food security and livelihoods, WASH, shelter and non-food items, and camp coordination and camp management (CCCM). ACTED is further one of the major cash actors operating in Somaliland, actively providing critical relief for vulnerable households by the provision of cash transfers, both as a response to food insecurities and multi-sectoral needs.

Position profile

The Accountability Officer contributes to improving the quality of ACTED programming through the accurate registration and timely follow up of any feedback/complaints formulated as part of ACTED’s Feedback Mechanism (AFM). He/she also contributes to the development and dissemination of appropriate AFM messaging and communication strategies. The Accountability Officer will need to be neutral and establish mechanisms that are based on ACTED procedures and reflect the highest integrity standards, which (non)-beneficiaries can trust. 

ACTED is looking for professionally confident, self-motivated, experienced, and committed team player to fill the Accountability Officer position based in Hargeisa.

Objectives Under the direct supervision of the Snr. Accountability officer and Country MEAL Manager, the Accountability officer is responsible for ensuring ACTED continuously engages in meaningful two-way dialogue with the community it serves. The Accountability officer is responsible for ensuring the implementation and management of a complaint’s mechanism, proactive engagement with the project beneficiaries, and ensuring issues, questions, and complaints are followed up in a meaningful and genuine manner.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Identification and deployment of a range of available, accessible, relevant and appropriate communication means
2. a)Under the guidance of the Country MEAL Manager and Snr. Accountability Officer, and at relevant frequency, assess communities’ preferred means to formulate complaints / feedback with ACTED.
3. b)Ensure the AFM offers as many communications means as possible, while taking into account the specificities of the local context and culture, as well as the type and resources of the project, beneficiaries’ specificities, vulnerabilities and preferences, etc.;
4. c)Ensure all communication means guarantee total confidentiality of the information shared, in order to protect the privacy and safety of the complainant, the subject of complaint and other witnesses;

2. Promotion of the AFM
3. a)Build capacity and understanding among ACTED staff, partners and contractors on beneficiary accountability and more specifically on the objectives and functioning of the AFM, as well as on what to do / not to do when receiving a complaint.
4. b)Conduct field visits throughout the project cycle (i.e. before, during and after the intervention), and coordinate with the MEAL and project implementation teams for the MEAL, in order to spread information / awareness about the AFM to beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, as well as local authorities and stakeholders in ACTED’s areas of implementation.
5. c)Develop and disseminate clear country-specific AFM information / awareness raising materials in a language and visual format that can be widely understood (including people with low levels of literacy);
6. d)Regularly assess the effectiveness of all information-sharing efforts (notably via the assessment of communities’ level of awareness on the AFM at relevant frequency and under the guidance of the Country MEAL Unit), and incorporate findings into revised approaches.
7. e)At all times ensure (non)-beneficiaries feel safe to express concerns, complaints and feedback to an independent and unbiased staff member.

3. Complaints handling
4. a)Receive and acknowledge receipt of complaints formulated through the AFM (including those received directly by other ACTED staff, through the hotline (if any), and actively seeking out feedback with the community);
5. b)Ensure that the content of complaints/feedback is adequately captured, categorized and analyzed in the COMPFU (COMplaints Follow-Up) as per ACTED procedures, paying specific attention to data quality;
6. c)Maintain a good understanding of ACTED programs, including through frequent meetings with Project implementation teams, to be able to respond directly, whenever possible, to requests for information (i.e. level 1 complaints as per ACTED’s sensitivity grid);
7. d)Channel complaints to the persons responsible for follow-up, as per ACTED standard beneficiary AFM procedures;
8. e)Treat urgent and/or sensitive complaints with the immediate attention they require;
9. f)Follow-up in person into complaints received in accordance with ACTED procedures;
10. g)Follow up in a constructive and proactive manner on pending complaints with relevant persons responsible for complaint follow-up, and verify that all complaints are adequately and comprehensively addressed;
11. h)Respond to complaints respectfully, objectively, accurately, and in a timely manner (15 days), as per talking points defined with line manager, as per talking points agreed with relevant persons responsible for complaint follow-up;
12. i)Close complaints in the COMPFU once adequately addressed and a comprehensive response has been provided to the complainant, duly tracking all complaint resolution steps and efforts in the COMPFU;
13. j)Under the guidance of the Country MEAL Unit, and at relevant frequency, assess communities’ feedback and satisfaction on the AFM, and incorporate findings into revised approaches.

4. Reporting and Capitalization
5. a)Maintain records of AFM information / awareness raising / promotion activities (including approximate numbers of participants) for each project and share with Project implementation team and line manager as required.
6. b)Maintain consistent, confidential and detailed records of all complaints in the COMPFU (and other electronic and hard copy filing systems, as appropriate) as well as enquiry reports (as relevant);
7. c)Ensure the COMPFU is password-protected at all times and all locations, the confidentiality of complaints data is respected, and this information is shared only with authorized persons as per ACTED procedures;
8. d)Analyze patterns and trends in complaints and regularly share findings with line manager, to identify and discuss lessons land, and help ACTED improve its programming;
9. e)When relevant, and in collaboration with line manager, organize meetings with relevant colleagues (PMs, Area coordinators, etc.) to present the AFM status / findings and discuss incorporation of lessons learned into revised programming.
10. f)Produce a monthly analytic AFM report and send to line manager, Country Director and HQ MEAL Manager, following the standard ACTED template.
11. g)Provide regular and timely updates on progress and challenges to line manager;
12. h)Maintain relationships with peers from other agencies to ensure the effective use of referrals both into and out from ACTED;
13. i)Integrate any accountability-related lessons learned and/or recommendations to the MEAL-managed country learning database, and contribute to their diffusion with coordination / MEAL / project staff.

5. Other
6. a)Assist project and MEAL teams with other activities, as requested by immediate supervisor;
7. b)Perform any other related activities as assigned by immediate supervisor.

Experiences and Qualifications

Key Performance Indicators

1. a)% of ACTED staff trained on accountability and the AFM
2. b)% of complaints closed within 15 days during the past 6 months
3. c)% of beneficiaries interviewed who report being aware of the existence and use of the AFM
4. d)1 consistent, password-protected, up-to-date and comprehensive COMPFU maintained
5. e)% of monthly AFM report and COMPFU submitted in time
6. f)Average and median number of days for case closure

Qualifications:

1. Bachelors degree in public health,  degree in a relevant discipline (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Management Systems, Statistics, Mathematics, etc.) with relevant work experience.
2. 3 years of experience in Data Science, Statistics, programming, and/or GIS, preferably in a humanitarian context, 
3. Excellent analytical skills, 
4. Good understanding of various sampling frameworks, 
5. Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility, 
6. Ability to work independently and remotely, 
7. Written and spoken fluency in English required, 
8. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage with diverse stakeholders.
9. Editorial skills and ability to write a large number of documents in English.
10. Knowledge of donor requirements and regulations related to project implementation and reporting.

Skills Required

Attachment

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