Ukraine-based expert on communication, community engagement and accountability (CCEA) for the Ukraine response

CDAC Network is looking for someone experienced in communication, community engagement and humanitarian accountability to assist with initiating and managing our work to support the crisis response within Ukraine.

This position will strengthen the links between humanitarian response organisations, existing coordination systems and people and entities with skills and experience in communication and community engagement. With this connection, people affected by the crisis can communicate and share feedback so that relief efforts can address what people need to make informed decisions and become part of the aid and assistance process.

The right person for the position will have experience in community engagement activities and humanitarian relief operations. They will also be experienced in coordinating complex processes and have the diplomacy and organisational skills needed to do this. The right person will be strongly motivated to provide communication as aid, as they know the best humanitarian response efforts succeed because they are accountable to the people they serve.

This nine-month consultancy will suit a passionate and effective communicator with proven facilitation and mentoring expertise. They should be familiar with the aims and strategic goals of the CDAC Network and comfortable working with the membership at a senior level. The position is home-based within Ukraine, with the possibility of occasional regional travel as needed. If funding allows, the role may be extended.

ABOUT CDAC

The Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) Network has a vision ‘that communities have the information and resources they need to determine their own solutions and are central stakeholders in humanitarian and development decision making’. As a global network of leading humanitarian and dual-mandated organisations, including media development, Red Cross, NGO, UN and specialised entities, CDAC uses the collective clout of the network to reverse the focus of humanitarian and development decision-making – moving from global to local. This is done through in-depth engagement with local entities to strengthen sustainable communication and engagement ecosystems. Our work aims to ensure that communication, community engagement and accountability (CCEA) are at the heart of humanitarian response activities.

ABOUT THE WORK

The CDAC Ukraine response CCEA Expert will work closely with the CDAC Regional team (Eastern Europe) and the CDAC Secretariat to deliver CDAC’s project supporting the Ukraine crisis response. The project seeks to embed localised skills and experience in communication and community engagement into the response. This work will increase access by humanitarian responders to the communication, information, and engagement tools they need to be accountable and ensure that people in Ukraine are able to make more informed decisions about their options in the face of humanitarian challenges and crises.

Building on CDAC’s decade-long experience and learning from both individual and collective CCEA responses, this role will work towards the successful delivery of the following two outcomes.

1. A facilitated and coordinated pathway of engagement exists that bridges the gap between national and international actors and supports coherent dialogue and communication with all affected people. It will work to build links between new and existing responders, so skills are bridged and shared between all parties to deliver a shared two-way approach.
2. Knowledge and evidence gaps in local and regional communication and engagement are addressed on an ongoing basis. CDAC will intentionally and proactively provide targeted support to identify, establish, and share best working practices between local and international actors.

The CDAC Ukraine response CCEA Expert will need to deliver the following set of activities:

• The organisation and delivery of contextualised CCEA training and mentoring to responders using both expert CDAC trainers and by delivering some training themselves. Topics that are likely to be covered in this mentoring/training are those pertaining to community engagement and humanitarian working group coordination.
• Maintain a register of capacities on CCEA use for sharing, raise awareness of different response actors, and contribute to resources such as the CDAC quarterly snapshots reports on the use of CCEA in the Ukraine response.
• Support and work with existing coordination systems to design and convene multi-stakeholder events on timely CCEA events to improve coherence and collaboration between different actors working in CCEA.
• Work with the CDAC regional response team in organising CCEA quality and community of practice group meetings between national and international actors.
• Assist in the development of a CCEA lesson learning report(s) for sector-wide learning.
• Lead CDAC’s coordinated advocacy on communication, information, and engagement in Ukraine.

Overall, the CDAC Ukraine response CCEA Expert will be expected throughout the project period to:

• Represent CDAC with a variety of local, national, and international actors to further the programme’s goals.
• Develop synergies with humanitarian agencies, organisations, and working/coordination groups and actively facilitate the use of CCEA between humanitarian responders and the communities they serve. Supporting existing AAP/CwC/CCEA activities from CDAC members and other actors and work to promote cooperation and synergies.
• Identify opportunities for better collaboration between actors and work with existing coordination systems to intentionally include local and national actors in CCEA coordination and coordinated action; this may include gaps in terminology, language, pathways, and partnerships.
• Work with organisations to help determine their capacity to utilise CCEA as part of their work and what support they need to improve it, including providing tools, using available CDAC member services, or assisting in the provision of training/mentoring.
• Assist in the development or adaptation of CDAC tools, training and mentoring in CCEA coordination for a variety of local, national and international actors.
• Ensure the monitoring and gathering of evidence of the impact of CCEA an integral part of the programme and fulfil all donor reporting requirements.

The CDAC Ukraine response CCEA Expert will also contribute to the broader CDAC programme by:

• Contributing to the standardisation of tools, systems and templates for training and capacity bridging across CDAC’s programme.
• Constructively engaging at CDAC regional team meetings and planning.
• Staying up to date with current trends and methodology about CCEA and networking with CDAC Members and relevant organisations.
• Contributing to a positive, innovative, and supportive work environment.

The ideal candidate should have a good understanding of the international humanitarian response system, especially with the coordination of relief operations, as well as experience in humanitarian relief or social support in Ukraine.

SAFEGUARDING: This post is subject to a range of vetting checks. In CDAC, we will not tolerate any form of misconduct, including sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse. We have a code of conduct in place and are committed to creating a culture of integrity in the organisation where any misconduct is not tolerated, situations of abuse are quickly investigated, and perpetrators are dealt with effectively.