Accountability Officer at International Medical Corps

Location: Maiduguri, Borno

Job Summary

• The Accountability Officer will be the primary support person for designing and implementing the Community Based Feedback and Response Mechanisms (CBFRM) process, as the first point of contact for receiving, reviewing, addressing and responding to beneficiary feedback and complaints.
• S/he will build capacity of program staff to ensure the integration of accountability best practices in project design implementation and will coordinate closely with MEAL, program, and senior management staff to ensure that beneficiary complaints and feedback are properly addressed.

Main Responsibilities
For closely tracking the project progress, the accountability officer will:

• IMC’s policies, guidelines, and procedures.
• Actively promote Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) standards within IMC and amongst its beneficiaries.
• Contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organization, notably through the application of the Code of Conduct, humanitarian principles and the 9 Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments. Apply the basic monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning concepts and the purpose of MEAL, with a specific focus on accountability to affected populations (AAP).
• Manage the implementation of policies and procedures for monitoring, evaluation and reporting in the country specific to AAP and CHS commitments.
• Guide the MEAL teams on participative monitoring methodologies (e.g. constituent voice, community scorecards).

Project design and planning:

• Identify the budget/resources needed for MEAL activities of projects pertaining to establishment and maintenance of AAP systems and activities.
• Plan and manage a needs assessment that includes direct data collection from most vulnerable sub-groups of disaster affected communities or appropriate key informant (women, children, elderly, handicapped/special needs, and other marginalized ethnic/social groups).
• Support MEAL team in adapting needs assessments and planning to be more inclusive of direct beneficiary consultation, particularly in the identification / inclusion of vulnerable groups.
• Conduct complimentary AAP analysis/assessments, including, but not limited to: stakeholder analysis, communication needs assessment, CBFRM community consultation.

MEAL system:

• Collect qualitative and quantitative data effectively at different levels: facility, community.
• Ensure data entry using an electronic database.
• Lead data collection activities following the data collection and reporting flow put in place for a project.
• Develop simple data collection tools based on monitoring indicators.
• Train data collectors in basic principles of data collection.
• Maintain effective MEAL system (ensure data collected translate to MEAL Framework/IPTT).
• Ensure that AAP data is collected routinely throughout project cycle (not just at project mid and endpoints, enabling corrective action).
• Develop and maintain local Community Based Feedback and Response Mechanism (CBFRM)

Procedures as per organizational CBFRM Guidelines.

• Lead/Conduct Regular community consultations, surveys, FGDs to gauge/monitor how well country team is adhering to AAP commitments and progress towards achieving AAP work plan objectives.

Conflict Sensitivity:

• Oversee the implementation of the Conflict Sensitivity approaches across the project/program.
• Oversee IMC’s adherence to Do No Harm and the conflict sensitivity (Safe and Effective Humanitarian Response) framework at the mission.

Qualification and Experience

• Bachelor degree in Social Work/Social Sciences or equivalent
• Minimum of 3 years of applied experience with a humanitarian organization and or working with refugees/IDPs in humanitarian settings
• Familiarity with and experience in implementing the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), Quality COMPASS or similar humanitarian quality management initiative.
• Understand key concepts and commitments regarding accountability to affected populations (AAP) e.g. IASC CAAP, CHS, Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Protection Principles.
• Knowledge of quality management and accountability initiatives, codes of conduct, principles and standards commonly used in the aid sector, in particular:
  • The International Red Cross Movement and NGO Code of Conduct in Disaster Relief
  • The Sphere Project’s Humanitarian Charter and Protection Principles
  • The Minimum Standards for Age and Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Action
  • The Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
• Strong training facilitation/presentation skills and/or experience with carrying out community level information education communication (IEC) campaigns
• Excellent report writing skills in English
• Demonstrated understanding of data protection and confidentiality as part of data collection and management practices, and ability to respect and maintain confidentiality.
• High-level LANGUAGE proficiency in Hausa, Kanuri and Fulfulde (Speaking – Reading – Writing).

Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse:

• Actively promote PSEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) standards within International Medical Corps and amongst beneficiaries served by International Medical Corps.

Compliance & Ethics:

• Promotes and encourages a culture of compliance and ethics throughout International Medical Corps.
• As applicable to the position, maintains a clear understanding of International Medical Corps’ and donor compliance and ethics standards and adheres to those standards. Conducts work with the highest level of integrity.