Program / Department Summary:
With funding from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), Mercy Corps is leading a consortium of Kenyan and International partners in implementation of Nutrition in ASALs Within Integrated Resilience Institutions (Nawiri) program, a $145 million (USD) Resilience Food Security Activity (2019 – 2027), which aims to sustainably reduce persistent acute malnutrition in Turkana and Samburu Counties of Kenya.
Through a phased approach that emphasizes evidence gap analysis, as well as partnership, learning, and co-creation, the program takes a robust county-centered design with government leadership, active engagement from communities, the private sector, and civil society. During phase I of the program, USAID Nawiri commissioned various studies to improve understanding of the complexities and interplay of the causalities contributing to persistent acute malnutrition in the two Counties. The evidence generated from the studies informed the design of the program interventions with the aim of strengthening nutrition resilience of individuals, households, and local communities by bridging critical knowledge gaps and transforming practices.
The Mercy Corps – led consortium consists of Save the Children, Research Triangle Institute (RTI), the BOMA Project, African Population & Health Research Center (APHRC), Caritas Lodwar and other local implementing partners bringing together global leadership, research capacity, technical expertise, and implementation experience necessary to partner with local institutions to test, adapt, and scale evidence-based solutions. Together we will sustainably reduce persistent acute malnutrition for vulnerable populations in Turkana and Samburu Counties.
General Position Summary
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. This is achieved through coordinated implementation of the organizations’ Safeguarding Policies and Safeguarding Core Standards. Mercy Corps further recognizes the importance of community engagement, openness and accountability which is reflected in the organization’s Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) Policy, which is an essential part of Mercy Corps’ commitment to excellence and integrity. It gives individuals, organizations and local groups a means of raising concerns or sharing feedback (positive and negative) with Mercy Corps, independently from program operations.
Under the supervision of the Field Director, the Safeguarding and CARM Officer will work on establishing and strengthening the accountability system for the Nawiri program in Mercy Corps Kenya. S/he will be managing day-to-day accountability feedback mechanisms that includes handling of beneficiary feedback and building a feedback loop into adaptive program management. S/he will be responsible for implementing Safeguarding prevention initiatives and facilitating the integration of safeguarding across different functions in the program. She/he will lead the implementation of safeguarding and CARM activities in the two Counties and will be responsible for internal and/or external referrals, compiling reports on processed feedback and providing recommendations to the program for improving timely response.
Essential Responsibilities
SAFEGUARDING PREVENTION
Facilitate safeguarding training and capacity building sessions for program staff, partners, short-term workers, contractors, vendors, and consultants; in collaboration with the Mercy Corps Country PaQ Manager/ Country Safeguarding Focal point, Country CARM Officer, Safeguarding champions, and the Ethics Assurance Manager.
Facilitate and coordinate awareness and sensitization sessions for program participants and community members on Mercy Corps Safeguarding commitment in collaboration with safeguarding champions.
Support in conducting Safeguarding and CARM induction for newly recruited program staff, volunteers, local implementing partners organizations, stakeholders and partners including Safeguarding Champions and CARM focal points from the sub – field offices in collaboration with the PaQ Team.
support in the Country Focal Points in updating the County Programs Safeguarding risk analysis and mitigation plans in collaboration with the Mercy Corps Country PaQ Manager/Safeguarding Focal point, CARM Officer, Nawiri Gender, Youth and Social Dynamics Lead and Gender officers.
Provide technical support and oversight of Safeguarding Champions and CARM focal points in sub – field offices.
Work with the Country PaQ Manager/ Safeguarding Focal Point, Country CARM Officer and Communications Advisor to develop safeguarding / CARM IEC materials; including translation to local languages.
Ensure availability and dissemination of safeguarding / CARM IEC materials in all strategic implementation areas in collaboration with the Safeguarding Champions and CARM focal points.
Consolidate and report the program face to face feedback, including feedback logged in issue logs and in suggestion boxes and share it with the Country CARM Officer for log-in into the Country CARM Database.
Share monthly and bi-monthly safeguarding and CARM dashboard reports, learnings and discuss areas of adaptions the program teams and partners.
SAFEGUARDING MAINSTREAMING
Facilitate the implementation of the Safeguarding Core Standards in collaboration with the Mercy Corps Country PaQ Manager/ Safeguarding Focal point, Country CARM Officer, Safeguarding champions, and the Ethics Assurance Manager
Act as an ambassador for Safeguarding/CARM at all times.
Ensure safeguarding/protection issues are integrated in program design and implementation by sharing protection and safeguarding concerns with relevant program team members and technical leads.
Conduct supervision and monitoring visits to program implementation sites to ensure safeguarding/CARM implementation and adoption is in place.
Maintain accurate records of the number of staff, partners, volunteers, contractors, vendors, consultants, and other parties trained in safeguarding and child protection and submit the same to the PaQ Manager/Safeguarding Focal Point and Country CARM Officer.
Support staff to take proactive steps to ensure that all program activities identify and mitigate the potential risks.
DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT CARM SYSTEM AND TOOLS
Support implementation of community accountability reporting mechanisms to capture feedback from program participants, community, and stakeholders, including complaint handling mechanisms and data management systems in line with the approved Country CARM SoP.
Communicate and disseminate feedback/complaints standard operating procedures, policies, and tools as appropriate to program participants, program staff and other stakeholders.
Maintain accurate and up to date records of feedback received and actions taken in response to feedback.
Support MEL and program teams in utilizing the community accountability and reporting mechanisms to advance learning and adaptation.
Conduct regular analysis of feedback received from in program participants, community, and stakeholders to identify trends, issues and areas of improvement.
Develop and implement capacity building initiatives for staff and partners on community accountability and reporting mechanisms in collaboration with the Country CARM Officer and PaQ Manager.
Develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders such as community representatives, local authorities, and other partners to promote the use of the community accountability mechanism.
Regularly assess the effectiveness of all the feedback channels (both for MCK and partners) by evaluating the community level of awareness on CARM at relevant frequency and incorporate findings into revised approaches in collaboration with the Country CARM Officer and PaQ Manager.
Follow-up with relevant stakeholders on agreed upon system corrections, adjustments, and actions, informing, and strategizing with the PaQ Manager and Country CARM Officer.
In collaboration with program teams develop program specific strategies to provide beneficiaries, communities, partners and stakeholders with available information on CARM and feedback channels throughout the program cycle with clear repartition of tasks.
Organize CARM technical meetings to discuss emerging issues and adjust the system based on evidence from the field.
Ensure visibility of the CARM system within the organization, community, partners and stakeholders.
Develop training materials and conduct accountability related training in collaboration with the Country CARM Officer and PaQ Manager.
REPORTING
Provide timely feedback to safeguarding co-investigator, Country CARM Officer, the program participants and stakeholders, whenever required.
Work with Country PaQ Manager/Safeguarding Focal Point, CARM Officer, Safeguarding Co-Investigator and Regional Safeguarding Advisor to ensure timely feedback on concerns raised by communities regarding program activities to program teams and Mercy.
Ensure CARM Monthly Dashboard and Bi-Monthly Narrative reports are shared with relevant stakeholders including, safeguarding champions and CARM focal points, program team members, partners and other stakeholders at the County level.
Communicate with the safeguarding focal point after a disclosure to ensure an appropriate referral is made, when needed.
STAFF TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING
Develop CARM training modules that help staff and partners understand the importance of a feedback mechanism, how to use it and how to respond to feedback.
Conduct training and awareness sessions for staff and partners to ensure they understand safeguarding and CARM and how to report effectively.
Work with staff and partners to ensure that safeguarding and CARM activities are implemented correctly, and feedback is routinely collected during implementation of activities.
Promote compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and quality criteria in programs.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COORDINATION
Discuss and review lessons learned with the program teams, CLA Coordinator, Mercy Corps Country PaQ Manager/Safeguarding Focal Point and Country CARM Officer and on a monthly and/or quarterly basis.
Coordinating with program Field director, Deputy Field Director, Field Coordinators, M&E Coordinator, and other relevant staff to ensure that CARM feedback is integrated into program design, monitoring and evaluation.
Liaise with the grants and PaQ team to assess partner feedback mechanism identify strengths, gaps, and capacity of implementing partner feedback mechanism at due diligence stage.
Closely work with partners, government agencies, private business/enterprise, and other stakeholders to ensure they are aligned with requirements and expectations cited in the CARM policy.
Establish strong relationships with external partners and stakeholders that ensure CARM is meeting the needs of program participants aligned with expectations of stakeholders.
Ensure coordination and working relationships with CARM counterparts in other relevant international NGOs, and local NGOs and associations whenever necessary.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Ensure all field and office-based activities are organized and conducted in compliance to the humanitarian principles and in a dignified way.
Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
Other duties as assigned by the supervisor.
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.
Supervisory Responsibility: No direct supervisory responsibility. The safeguarding and CARM officers provide technical support to Nawiri safeguarding champions, CARM focal point and other program staff. Operational and technical oversight of field-based activities is undertaken by Field Director, Deputy Field Director, and Sub – Field Office Program Managers.
Accountability:
Reports Directly To: Field Director with strong dotted line to the Country CARM Officer and Country Safeguarding Focal Point.
Works Directly With: Deputy Field Director, Sub – Field Office Program Managers, Partnership and Capacity Building Manager, Safeguarding Co-Investigator, Safeguarding Champions, CARM Focal Points, County – level Purpose Area Leads, CLA Coordinators, MEL Coordinator, Program teams, People & Culture Team and Mercy Corps Country PaQ Manager, Country CARM Officer, Ethics Assurance Manager and Regional Safeguarding Advisor.
Knowledge and Experience
Bachelor’s degree in social work, law, education, communications, gender, international development or relevant field.
At least four years of related work experience in safeguarding and/or child protection preferably with an international or local Non- Governmental Organization (NGO).
Proven interest and commitment to humanitarian and development principles and a demonstrable understanding of conflict contexts and remote work.
Knowledge in project management, monitoring and evaluation including experience with remote data collection, analysis, reporting and visualization concepts.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to engage with program participants, stakeholders, and colleagues at all levels.
Experience in working in multi-cultural and diverse environments with sensitivity to different cultures and customs.
Proven track record of implementing feedback and complaints mechanisms in complex programs and projects while ensuring confidentiality is maintained.
Excellent Computer skills: proficiency in MS Office package, some knowledge on data analysis and management would be an asset. Experience in creating and designing Power BI reports and dashboards.
Highly developed interpersonal skills and ability to communicate complex and sensitive information as well as coordinate and facilitate training to a wide and diverse audience.
Experience in leading and managing teams.
Ability to conduct assessment, excellent documentation and report writing skills are required.
Fluency in spoken and written English and Kiswahili languages is required.
Success Factors
The successful Safeguarding and CARM Officer will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, demonstrated attention to details, will be committed to working with Mercy Corps stakeholders regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, abilities, or gender. S/he will be highly motivated, and capable to work without direct supervision. Other factors include:
The ability to work under pressure.
Willingness and ability to quickly learn new information/concepts and implement them.
Strong team player with initiative and positive attitude towards problem solving.
A learning approach to work with excellent capacity building skills.
Attention to detail and patience to double check data results.
Self-starter, multi-tasker, solution-seeker, and innovator.
Excellent listening and communication skills, always upholds confidentiality and self – accountability to Mercy Corps values.
Respects and practices the values of non-discrimination, non-judgement, and inclusivity at all times.
Willingness to travel to and work in hard-to-reach areas within the County.
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