Senior Community Engagement & Accountability Officer at The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Vacancy No:IFRC04282
Duration: 6 Months
Category of Staff: National Staff
Grade: Not applicable

Organizational Context

• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC or “the Federation”) is the World’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network. The Federation is a membership organization established by and comprised of its member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Along with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Federation is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The overall aim of the IFRC is” to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” It works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.
• The Federation is served by a Secretariat based in Geneva, with regional and country offices throughout the world. The Secretariat is led by the IFRC Secretary General and provides the central capacity of the International Federation to serve, connect, and represent National Societies.
• The Secretariat’s focus includes providing support to the IFRC governance mechanisms; setting norms and standards; providing guidance; ensuring consistency; coordination and accountability for performance; knowledge sharing; promoting collaboration within and respect for the RCRC Movement; and expanding engagement with partners.
• The Secretariat’s headquarters is organized in three main business groups:
  • Partnerships, including Movement and Membership;
  • Programs and Operations; and
  • Management. The Secretariat has five regional office, as follows: Americas (Panama City); Africa (Nairobi); Asia/Pacific (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); Middle East and North Africa (Beirut).
• The IFRC office in Abuja is the hub to support the Red Cross National Societies of the West Coast Cluster (Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone) and has a status agreement with Nigerian government.
• The West Coast cluster office deliver the IFRC mandate in the sub-region with a focus on Health, Disaster Management, Capacity Building of the National Societies and Humanitarian Diplomacy.

Job Purpose:

• Reporting to the West Africa CEA Delegate the, Senior Community Engagement and Accountability officer will be responsible for supporting West Africa National Societies to integrate Risk communications and community engagement (RCCE) activities and approaches into the current COVID-19 operations.
• The holder will also building the Community Engagement and Accountability capacity of Red Cross National Societies in West Coast and working with them to integrate CEA into long-term programmes and emergency response processes.

Job Duties and Responsibilities
Community Engagement and Accountability development and capacity building :

• Responsible for driving the roll out of a more systematic and integrated approach to CEA within the IFRC and across the 7 Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the cluster through mainstreaming CEA in National Societies and IFRC plans, processes and procedures.
• Work closely with National Societies and IFRC sectoral colleagues to help them identify gaps in their approach to CEA and then supporting them to address these by integrating and/or scaling up an appropriate mix of approaches and activities to communicating and engaging with affected people and communities within their programmes and operations.
• Drive the inclusion of CEA in Development and emergency operations and plans within the cluster,

Provide support and training to NS and IFRC staff on how they can:

• Ensure assessments are transparent and participatory, and capture people’s information needs and trusted and preferred communication channels.
• Build community participation into operational planning, design and implementation.
• Strengthen and/or help set up feedback mechanisms, including processes to make sure feedback is analysed and acted upon by operational teams.
• Strengthen and/or help set up systems for sharing life-saving, useful and actionable information with affected people about Red Cross and Red Crescent services, from selection criteria to health advice, as part of information-as-aid activities.
• To increase their reach and impact by helping teams, such as health, water and sanitation and disaster risk reduction, to set up methods to gain a deeper understanding of local perceptions, beliefs, culture, practices and values and to implement innovative behaviour and social change communication activities.
• To find ways to involve affected people in assessing the impact of the operational response.
• To ensure women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups have equal access to information channels and feedback mechanisms particular to their needs, and taking into account any specific protection issues.
• Plan and deliver CEA trainings to IFRC and NS staff and volunteers and for the various networks and working groups they support , providing people with the skills and knowledge to launch and manage CEA tools and approaches within their programmes and operations
• Develop evidence-based learning demonstrating the impact of community engagement on the quality and effectiveness of programming by supporting the rolling out of research, impact surveys, perceptions studies and case studies.
• Work closely with West Coast National Societies senior management, programme and operations departments to develop an appropriate and practical CEA strategies that will support the long-term integration of CEA activities and approaches into their programmes, operations and ways of working
• Provide CEA training and mentoring support to National societies CEA focal points , staff and volunteers
• Support the rolling out and adaptation of CEA Movement tools, methodologies and activities to West Coast National Societies context, using the CEA Movement guide and toolkit.

COVID-19 Responsibilities:

• Act as the RCCE technical support focal point for identified National Societies, supporting them to develop appropriate and context specific RCCE strategies and response plans, including ongoing guidance to implement activities.
• Guide NS to collect, analyze and use community feedback to gain a deeper understanding of community perceptions, beliefs, suggestions, questions, rumors and complaints about COVID-19 and the Red Cross Red Crescent response.
• Support regional approaches to provide accurate information to counter major rumours and misinformation, through channels such as social media and rumour fact sheets for National Societies.
• Support the development/adaptation and rolling out of RCCE tools, methodologies, trainings and activities for COVID-19 response in coordination with health colleagues.
• Assist with collecting information on National Societies actions, identifying gaps and needs and preparing reports and analysis of key challenges and gaps.
• Support the mapping of RCCE capacity and current approaches across the National Societies in order to understand gaps and opportunities for COVID-19

Project and Budget Management:

• Project and budget manager for CEA within the cluster including development of annual CEA log frames and activity plans, integrating CEA in emergency plans of action and ensuring the inclusion of CEA in cluster level plans and strategies.
• Donor management, including identifying opportunities, preparation of funding proposals, donor relationship management and providing high quality, timely and accurate reports to donors.
• Supporting NS under West Coast to develop their own CEA strategies, activity plans, budgets and to put in place robust monitoring and reporting processes.
• In collaboration with the Planning and Programming Coordinator, monitor expenditure on CEA pledges.
• Ensure expenditure on CEA pledges are in line with the budgets.

Coordination, Representation, Relationships and Reporting:
With the support of CEA West Africa Delegate,  the Community Engagement and Accountability Senior Officer  will:

• Attend and represent the IFRC at external coordination networks and mechanisms, such as the Communicating with Communities Working Group and Quality and Accountability Working Group and ensure a coordinated approach to CEA with other NGOs, humanitarian agencies, UN and private sector.
• Identify opportunities for partnership with external organisations, including the use of technology and innovative approaches to enhance CEA within NS and IFRC program and operations.
• Position IFRC West Coast Country Cluster support in CEA through attending and speaking at internal and external events, conferences, meetings and workshops that allow us to highlight achievements and lessons learned.
• Produce and disseminate internal and external reports, evaluations, brochures, case studies, press releases and web stories that demonstrate the impact of CEA, promote it to new audiences, and raise the profile of NS and IFRC in West Africa (West Coast ).
• Establish and ensure effective working relationships with the other sectors, in particular working closely with the West Africa (West Coast ) cluster program and finance teams.

Corporate Communications:

• Write stories profiling the achievements of National Societies, with a focus on the impact on individual lives:
• Increase the frequency of stories published on the organizational social media and other online platforms
• Improve the quality of storytelling: focusing on people-centered stories
• Use evidence-based approach to showcase the impact of the work on National Societies and IFRC

Requirements
Education:

• A university degree in a relevant area such as Social Sciences, Public Health,  Behaviour Change Communication

Experience:

• Five years’ experience working in community engagement and accountability, communication for development, or social mobilisation in developing countries for a humanitarian or development organisation.
• Experience responding to humanitarian emergencies, complex crisis or conflict situations. Experience of responding to disasters and public health emergencies crisis in Africa an advantage.
• Experience setting up and managing tools for communicating with communities. For example radio programmes, TV shows, SMS systems, community committees, social mobilisation or mobile cinemas and community dramas etc.
• Proven experience in planning targeted and appropriate behaviour change communication strategies.
• Experience setting up and managing accountability to communities systems. For example, feedback and complaints mechanisms, rumour tracking systems, or participatory planning processes findings as well as a good understanding of information management (including data flows, protection and analysis), as well as qualitative and quantitative data collection methods.
• Experience of working with international organisations and/or National Societies to develop strategies and build long term capacity and create ownership
• Experience of planning and delivering training and awareness sessions to staff and volunteers at all levels
• Experience of designing and implementing assessments, community consultations, research, perception studies and/or focus groups discussions.
• Experience of working with UN Humanitarian Coordination Teams, clusters and health emergencies coordination systems
• Experience working with Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies.
• Experience of leading social science research and/or community feedback systems, including presenting and advocating for action.

Knowledge, Skills and Languages:

• Good strategic planning skills, with the ability to identify areas for improvements in programmes and operations through the integration of CEA approaches and activities.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and networking skills, able to effectively sell an idea to staff and volunteers at all levels, creating buy-in and ownership
• Good coordination skills, with the ability to work with people across different teams and levels
• Good knowledge of Red Cross Red Crescent planning and disaster management cycle.
• Good knowledge of gender and diversity issues
• Highly motivated proactive self-starter, able to set and achieve goals using own initiative.
• Strong written, presentation, facilitation and training skills.
• Ability to multi-task and work under stressful conditions to meet deadlines.
• Fluently spoken and written English is required
• Fluently spoken and written French is preferred

Competencies and Values:

• Professionalism
• Communications
• Collaboration and teamwork
• National Society and customer relations
• Building alliances
• Accountability
• Creativity and innovation