Community Accountability Manager – Ukraine Response (Candidates must have the rights to live and work in Poland)

Position Description

Location: Krakow, Poland

Position Status Full time

This position is for 3 months, with the possibility of extension depending on funding.

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.

PROGRAM/ DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps is responding to the Ukraine emergency since military operations were launched across the country in February 2022. The attacks set off a wave of displacement internally and into the countries along Ukraine’s borders. As an organization, Mercy Corps is committed to accountability to all of our stakeholders, including the people we serve, and to the resources that are entrusted to us. Mercy Corps takes a participatory approach in engaging with local communities throughout the program design and implementation. A Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) is an essential part of Mercy Corps’ commitment to program quality, integrity, and the prevention of any type of sexual exploitation and abuse, by providing individuals, organizations, local groups, and other stakeholders a means of raising questions, ideas, suggestions and complaints with Mercy Corps, through safe and confidential channels, and to receive a response. In the context of the Ukraine emergency response, designing and implementing an effective CARM will play a key role in ensuring that emergency assistance is responsive to the needs of displaced people, and continuously adapts over time.

General Position Summary

Under the umbrella of the Ukraine Performance and Quality (PaQ) Unit, and supervised by the Community Accountability Advisor, the Community Accountability Manager will lead CARM set up, implementation, monitoring and adaptation in all projects and programs which are delivered by Mercy Corps in Poland, in collaboration with our partners. This will involve a two part approach: 1) handling of CARM on behalf of partners, and 2) capacity sharing with selected partners to take on the management of CARM independently of Mercy Corps. The Community Accountability Manager will lead a team of Senior Officers and Officers to collaborate with partners on the selection of feedback channels and to conduct community sensitisation, and will directly implement standard operating procedures for logging, grading and responding to feedback, ensuring the appropriate management and response to all feedback, including referral to other partners as needed. The Community Accountability Manager will continuously monitor the use of CARM across the country to identify and make improvements related to access and inclusion of all crisis affected people and displaced populations, and will develop reports to promote the use of trends in community feedback to inform continuous adaptations to Mercy Corps’ programs.

Essential Job Responsibilities

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Work closely with Community Accountability Advisor, PaQ and Learning Lead and Finance Manager to ensure CARM staffing and operational costs are monitored and appropriately budgeted for in proposals;
• Ensure all projects/programs have operational feedback channels that are selected based on community preferences;
• Develop/refine Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials for community members that includes commitments on staff conduct and program operations, and how to provide feedback and/or report concerns via CARM;
• Develop Country CARM Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handling feedback internally, and for responding to feedback that is not about Mercy Corps or our partners;
• Develop Country CARM Standard Operating Procedures for data protection and privacy, in line with internal policy commitments and GDPR;
• In collaboration with Senior Community Accountability Officers, lead the implementation and monitoring of Country CARM Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for how all feedback and complaints are logged, graded and responded to;
  • Ensure timely logging and grading of feedback and daily updating of CARM database;
  • Ensure correct grading of feedback, through verification of feedback grades;
  • Ensure that appropriate action is taken, through the use of internal referral pathways, FAQs and decision making by case management committees (CMC/s), which will involve collaboration with our partners;
  • Ensure all Ethics-related reports are immediately and directly escalated to the HQ Ethics team;
  • Ensure that the feedback loop is closed for all feedback/complaints received;
  • Ensure compliance of global data protection and privacy standards such as the GDPR while confidentially receiving, following up on, and reporting on CARM feedback received.

MONITORING AND ADAPTATION

• Continuously monitor CARM, using agreed indicators, and present and use data to drive decision making on how CARM can be made more accessible and inclusive to all conflict affected and displaced community members;
• Work closely with MEL colleagues to integrate CARM related questions within all MEL tools and ensure CARM indicators are incorporated within each MEL Plan for all programs;
• Present trends in feedback/complaints and develop ways of working with the program teams that promotes the use of feedback to inform continuous adjustments and adaptations to our programming;

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT / SHARING

• Onboard and train Senior Community Accountability Officers and Officers, in line with the capacity development strategy that is established and monitored with by the Community Accountability Advisor;
• Together with HR, support integration of CARM / community accountability training into new employee onboarding;
• Implement capacity sharing strategy/plans with all partner organizations who are transitioning, with Mercy Corps’ support, to managing their own CARM.

COORDINATION

• Represent Mercy Corps at relevant internal and external coordination meetings.
• Collaborate with other actors to develop referral maps and mechanisms for communities where Mercy Corps implements programs.

SECURITY

• Ensure compliance with Mercy Corps global, regional and Poland-specific security procedures and policies, as determined by country leadership;
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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.

Code of Conduct

• Ensure all field and office-based activities are conducted in full respect to the humanitarian principles and in organized and 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.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Community Accountability Advisor

Line management: Senior Community Accountability Officer/s

Works Directly With: Programs Directors/Managers, Operations Teams, Poland Team Lead, Ethics/ Assurance/ Safeguarding, Community Accountability Senior Officer/s and Community Accountability Officer/s, Regional and Global Community Accountability team, MEL team, Partnership and Cash Managers.

Knowledge and Experience

• Required
  • Bachelor’s degree required in a field related to Social work, Humanitarian or International Development or relevant fields;
  • At least 3 years of related work experience,
  • Proven commitment to humanitarian and development principles and a demonstrable understanding of conflict contexts and high work ethics and commitment to the accountability to vulnerable population
  • Astute skills in relationship building and coordination;
  • Minimum Intermediate-level report writing skills are required.
  • Excellent Computer skills;
  • Fluency in English and Polish is required.
  • Fluency in Ukrainian and Russian is desirable.
• Preferred
  • Work experience with an international or local Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with previous experience leading or managing a team, and remote management is preferred;
  • Good command of Russian and Ukrainian or Polish is strongly preferred
  • Proficiency in MS Office package and some knowledge of database management would be an asset.

Success Factors and Transferable Skills

Any skills you have gained through education, volunteer, work, or life experience that are relevant for the position will be considered. Be sure to fully explain transferable skills and success factors and how they apply to this position in your cover letter.

The successful CARM Manager will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, demonstrated attention to detail, 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
• Proven ability to work cooperatively with internal and external stakeholders, and to play a leadership role in convening groups;
• Ability to work in a fast paced emergency response environment and adapt to the rapidly evolving context as necessary
• Excellent listening, interpersonal, communication and networking skills; and the ability to work with diversified populations.
• High level of self-awareness and self-development with the maturity to deal with constructive feedback
• 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
• Commitment to effective collaboration with partners
• Self-starter, multi-tasker, solution-seeker and innovator.

LIVING /ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

The position is based in Poland. The position requires travel to sub-offices within Ukraine, as security permits. Given the emergency context, this position requires exceptional work schedules, including evenings and weekends.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. 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.

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 on the basis of 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 come into contact with 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 theInteragency 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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.