Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) Senior Officer

Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) Senior Officer

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.

This position is based in the Northwest Syria team, and more specifically the Programme Performance and Quality Unit.

We are a dynamic, friendly and hard-working set of people who are committed to achieving our strategic outcomes using an informed, integrated and cohesive approach which puts participants and committees at the heart of our work. The team is agile, supportive and creates opportunities for team members to learn in a supportive environment.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. Mercy Corps has been working in Syria since 2008, delivering emergency assistance and addressing longer term needs both before and during the ongoing crisis. In 2020, our work reached over 1.6 million people across the country.. The program is implemented both directly and with local and regional implementing partners (IPs) and is managed remotely from Amman, Jordan.

Commitment to Accountability

Mercy Corps is committed to preventing all forms of exploitation and abuse. We create accessible and effective reporting mechanisms so that our participants and the communities in which we work are able to report critical situations or behaviors related to our staff, partners or programs, as well as any unlawful situations and behaviors. Community Accountability Reporting Mechanisms (CARM) are an essential part of Mercy Corps’ commitment to excellence and integrity. Effective reporting mechanisms are important because they empower individuals to report concerns and to feel confident that their complaint will be reviewed and addressed.

General Position Summary

Under the supervision of the PaQ NWS manager, the CARM senior officer will support in establishing/maintaining and continuously strengthening the accountability system in the organization in Northwest Syria. S/he will be dealing with day-to-day accountability feedback that includes handling of complaints and compliments as received fromparticipants. The CARM senior officer will compile reports on complaints and provide recommendations to programs and evidence that will inform our country strategy and improvve our work. The Senior Officer will also manage our response and encourage community participation and engagement in the CARM system usingdifferent approaches, ultimately ensuring every program has active feedback mechanisms and that proper procedures are followed.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Support to Direct-project Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Systems

Implement CARM Systems and Tools

• Ensure functioning complaints and response mechanism, through effective collection of complaints from different channels.
• Continuously coordinate the review of the CARM system to ensure it remains inclusive, locally appropriate, user-friendly and culturally sensitive.
• Handling of a centralized telephone based and internet feedback mechanisms on a daily basis.
• Complete data entry and management and ensure the quality of the CARM database.
• Maintenance of an effective record and filing system for all complaints solved and pending issues including correspondences and other related documents for quick and easy reference. Engage with new, technical options for CARM including data process automation and other ways to create efficiencies and improve the quality of our accountability services.
• Ensure that the feedback is kept confidential and access to that information is in line with guidelines.
• Ensure timely responses from relevant departments on feedback received and concerns raised by communities on Mercy Corps. Ensure that feedback loop is closed for all cases.
• Provide oversight for roll-out of CARM in the field and ensuring that office level work and committees are organized and effective.
• Specify CARM-related activities that need to be captured in SOPs for program activities (i.e. cash and voucher SOPs).
• Undertake regular coordination with Mercy Corps’ partners to ensure CARM implementation under the direct implementation of the partners.
• Communicate and disseminate procedures, policies and tools as appropriate to participants, project staff and other stakeholders.
• Support MEL and programme teams work on accountability to participants.
• Work with MEL and programme teams to ensure standard accountability tools, methods and guidelines are rolled out adhered to, and improved.

Capacity development of team and IP(s)

• Train field staff on CARM tools, and other processes as required.
• Train new team members on Mercy Corps’ accountability principles and the country CARM system and procedures.
• Provide technical support for the CARM field assistants in coordination with the MEL field officer.
• Follow up on trainings by mentoring staff/partners to develop identified technical skills.
• Assist the team in improving CARM initiatives by identifying good practices, field tested lessons learned, and creative recommendations; share with and encourage staff to incorporate these in their daily work.
• Support in building capacity in the MEL, programme and partners’ teams including the accountability principles.

Program-level results measurement and reporting

• Support on developing/maintaining community accountability reporting mechanism and following system.

Representation and Coordination

• Participate in and support internal office coordination, planning meetings and workshops, including with the MEL teams in Mercy Corps’ other Syria Response Offices, as required.
• As required by the supervisor, represent Mercy Corps at donor meetings, and government and sectoral coordination fora/meetings.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission or put the team, assets and mission at risk.
• Assist in any other task or duty assigned by the supervisor.

Program Management

• Support program managers to fulfill Mercy Corps' Programme Management and CARM Minimum Standards based on organization-wide Expectations.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to participant accountability standards.

Team Management

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

• Coordinate with CARM field assistants to follow-up on the CARM progress on daily basis.

• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

Organizational Learning

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
  to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Accountability

• Reports Directly To: PaQ NWS Manager
• SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: NA
• Matrix management: CARM field assistants
• Works Directly With: NWS PaQ director, PaQ NWS team, WoS CARM team members, Program managers, Program team, IM team and CARM advisor

Knowledge and Experience

Required

• BA/S degree in research methods, social sciences, communications, economics, epidemiology, related education sector or other relevant field required.
• Commitment to working together with partners and training and developing capacity in community accountability or participatory processes is required.
• Minimum three (3) years’ experience in accountability and in working across the different aspects of this principle including M&E but not limited to Accountability
• Proven experience remote management and in remote data collection.
• Proven experience in mobile data collection, data management and data visualization
• Experience in working with quantitative and qualitative data (survey designs, sampling, data analysis).
• Proven report/research writing skills are required (an evidence of previous writing samples may be requested).
• Ability to manage quantitative data while not losing sight of the bigger picture and meaning, information management and analysis.
• Active knowledge of humanitarian standards and codes, including SPHERE;HAP and CHS knowledge would be an asset..
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, considering cultural and language difficulties. Tact and diplomacy are essential.
• Familiarity with MS Office software (i.e. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is required;
• Arabic and English language written and spoken is essential.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the Syrian conflict context; and
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate closely with a broad range of stakeholders in different geographic locations, experience with remote management or monitoring.

Success Factors

In addition to a strong technical background in Accountability, Mercy Corps welcomes the ability to multi-task, innovate, and effectively communicate key information in support of changing program activities. Other success factors may include:

• Attention to detail and patience to work through data results.
• A willingness to take the initiative, creatively solve problems, juggle multiple priorities under pressure, and to calmly and diplomatically deal with unexpected and sudden events impacting program operations is also essential.
• An interest in and commitment to growing and enhancing impactful programming and supporting a team is essential.
• Sensitivity to multi-cultural humanitarian and development work and ability to train and facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and working styles are all critical.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination based on race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we encounter through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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