Officer, Accountable and Inclusive Programming (AIP) Job in Pakistan Recruiting by International Medical Corps

JOB SUMMARY

The Officer, Accountable and Inclusive Programming (AIP) is responsible for ensuring accountability mechanisms are in place at the country level, and that they are being implemented across all programs to fulfill IMC’s minimum accountability standards, especially with regard to community engagement (including information sharing, beneficiaries’ meaningful participation, and feedback and complaints handling). This position is also responsible for ensuring protection mainstreaming mechanisms are implemented across all programs, ensuring that IMC programs are safe, accountable, and inclusive, and that these programs adhere to the four main principles of Protection Mainstreaming in all programs: 1) prioritize safety and dignity and avoid causing harm, 2) provide meaningful access, 3) ensure accountability, and 4) support participation and empowerment.

The Officer, Accountable and Inclusive Programming will be responsible for day-to-day management of the country Community Based Feedback and Response Mechanisms (CBFRM) process. Additionally, this position may contribute to the development of country-level community information sharing strategy/plan, and facilitate complementary community engagement activities, providing meaningful opportunities for members of the affected population to make informed decisions about the assistance they receive. Furthermore, the Officer will also contribute to knowledge management and learning processes incorporating lessons learned and best practices from accountability to affected populations (AAP) activities, working closely with Program staff. Additionally, this position will provide regular reporting on feedback and complaints to the Manager, AIP and manage the country office’s CBFRM database. 

The Officer will support the country team’s protection risk assessment process and contribute to protection mainstreaming. Efforts to ensure that AAP and protection are mainstreamed across all stages of the program cycle will be done in collaboration with staff carrying out safeguarding initiatives across the organization. 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function with or without reasonable accommodation.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Policies, Guidance, and Procedures
• Assist with the development of strategies on SAIP related practices and standards, which are essential to mainstreaming protection and AAP within IMC programming (collaborating with safeguarding, program, technical, M/E, HR, and other departments as appropriate). This may include contextualization efforts to help country management and program teams better understand what risks communities face while accessing IMC programs in the country, and what “inclusivity” means in this context.
• 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.
• Ensure accountability processes are fully in line with IMC AAP commitments, including IASC CAAP, CHS, and the Sphere Humanitarian Charter.
• Support the Manager AIP for reporting on AAP and CHS commitments.

Safe, Accountable, and Inclusive Programming Initiatives
• Assist with development of guidance to support country teams to establish/improve community-based communication plans to ensure systematic information sharing/communication with affected communities throughout the programming cycle, ensuring that affected populations can make informed decisions about the assistance they receive and be able to hold humanitarian actors to account from programmatic commitments, the expected behavior of humanitarian actors, and rights and entitlements inherent in humanitarian action.
• Assist with development of information sharing/communications plans and tools for disseminating messages to crisis-affected communities in simple, easily understood terms, and accessible and preferred languages and formats.
• Work with program and technical teams to ensure SAIP messages are integrated into existing community-based information sharing processes (e.g., IEC campaigns, community heath promotions).
• Participate in routine solicitation and collection of beneficiary feedback regarding IMC’s activities and stated commitments. 
• Carry out regular checks as part of monitoring to ensure information shared with communities is understood, relevant, and useful, and update as necessary. 
• Support the development of SAIP information products, guidance notes, technical standards, and data analysis.
• Support programs and operations to adopt approaches to ensure protection mainstreaming. 
• Work with Internal Audit and country level compliance teams to monitor systematic implementation and integration of SAIP practices and processes.

Project Design and Planning
• Support the M/E team in ensuring that needs assessments and planning are inclusive of data collection from vulnerable and marginalized groups or appropriate key informants (women, children, older people, people living with disabilities, and other marginalized ethnic/social groups).
• Support country offices to conduct protection risk assessments for affected populations, ensuring that program teams properly identify risks and generate mitigating measures, and to maintain an updated Protection Mainstreaming Action Plan.
• Support the completion of complementary AAP analysis/assessments, including, but not limited to: stakeholder analysis, communication needs assessment, community consultations.
• Support the implementation of gender analyses and gender assessments.

Project Implementation
• Ensure that AAP data is collected routinely throughout the project cycle (not just at project mid and endpoints, enabling corrective action).
• Ensure tools and systems are in place for learning and decision making on the needs of vulnerable groups, including disaggregation of all data, development of mainstreamed and specific indicators, specific research questions, and targeted recommendations in reports.

Community-Based Feedback and Response Mechanism
• Support Manager AIP in developing and maintaining local CBFRM, a systematic process to capture, monitor, resolve and respond to feedback and complaints from crisis-affected communities. 
• Support Manager AIP with the implementation of methodologies to consult communities on their preferences based on the operational context.
• Support Manager AIP in designing CBFRM channels with input from community members to ensure they are safe, non-threatening, and accessible to all (including women and men, boys and girls, and vulnerable and marginalized groups).
• Support Manager AIP to ensure that feedback is received regularly from the field offices through various channels (feedback boxes, WhatsApp, email/phone hotline, help desks, etc.) and is entered promptly into the CBFRM database.
• Conduct field visits as necessary to monitor data collection and ensure proper placement of suggestion boxes in supported facilities.
• Serve as a primary focal point to receive beneficiary feedback on the quality of IMC programs through the dedicated channels and to raise awareness of the channels. 
• Maintain and update CBFRM database, tracking all feedback and complaints from point of receipt through closure.
• Review, categorize, and refer feedback to relevant internal departments and external service providers.
• Oversee the processing of all feedback/complaints and coordinate closely with Manager AIP to ensure that beneficiary complaints and feedback are properly addressed.
• Ensure that complaints are systematically responded to, explaining IMC actions/decisions to resolve issues are communicated back to the individual/community who raised them.
• Provide Manager AIP with weekly/monthly reports on the status of the feedback system, caseload, and recommendations. 
• Support Manager AIP in developing reports analyzing trends and capturing learning for senior management and program teams.
• Conduct periodic quality checks of the CBFRM database and documents to ensure compliance with IMC procedures. 

Data Management Systems 
• Contribute to development and testing of IMC central CBFRM database software to improve processes related to data organization, analysis, and reporting.
• Facilitate CBFRM database troubleshooting and user requests.
• Conduct routine quality checks of CBFRM database entries to ensure timely and accurate recording of community feedback and complaints, re-educating IMC staff as needed. 
• Ensure central CBFRM database is maintained, and data is analyzed for trends and disseminating findings.
• Support the development of database for tracking and documenting AAP activities (e.g., trainings community sensitization and consultations).

Capacity Development and Training
• Assist in the delivery of basic level training to staff (handling of feedback and complaints, information sharing, use of tools and core concepts as they pertain to SAIP and the CHS). 
• Assist with the planning, management, and delivery of required CBFRM training to IMC staff and volunteers. 
• Maintain staff training records to ensure all staff receive CBFRM training.

Perform other duties as assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed in this document are representative of the nature and level of work assigned and not necessarily all inclusive.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Typically, a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, public health, or international development, with experience or background in accountability to affected populations, protection mainstreaming, and/or safeguarding. Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
• 3+ years of applied experience with a humanitarian organization and/or working with refugees/IDPs in humanitarian settings, and 5+ years of work specific to AAP and/or protection mainstreaming
• Understand key concepts and commitments regarding AAP, e.g., IASC CAAP, Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), protection mainstreaming/protection risk assessments, and safeguarding. 
• Knowledge of quality management and accountability initiatives, codes of conduct, principles and standards commonly used in the aid sector, in particular: 
o The International Red Cross Movement and NGO Code of Conduct in Disaster Relief
o The Sphere Project’s Humanitarian Charter and Protection Principles
o The Minimum Standards for Age and Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Action
o The Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action 
o The Secretary-General’s Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse the International Red Cross Movement and NGO Code of Conduct in Disaster Relief 
• Strong training facilitation/presentation skills and/or experience with carrying out community level information education communication (IEC) campaigns.
• Demonstrated knowledge of accountability mechanisms.
• Should be highly computer literate, with demonstrated experience with database development or management, and advanced skills in Microsoft Applications, including Word and Excel.
• Demonstrated analytical and writing skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent inter-personal, communication and listening skills, with ability to work with people from various groups and backgrounds.
• Self-driven and able to deliver results with minimum supervision. 
• Demonstrated understanding of data protection and confidentiality as part of data collection and management practices, and ability to respect and maintain confidentiality.
• High-level English proficiency (Speaking – Reading – Writing).
• High-level proficiency in COUNTRY-SPECIFIC LANGUAGE (Speaking – Reading – Writing).

Code of Conduct

Safeguarding

Equal Opportunities