Accountability Officer at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Purpose

The Accountability Officer is to ensure that DRC maintain high standards of accountability and transparency. He oversee monitoring and evaluation, establish community feedback mechanisms, ensure compliance with policies and standards, and promote transparency. His role also involves capacity building, risk management, and detailed reporting on accountability measures. This position is crucial for fostering trust with beneficiaries, donors, and stakeholders, ensuring that the organization’s operations are ethical, effective, and responsive to community needs.

To this end, the accountability officer will liaise with DRC staff across departments to ensure compliance with DRC MEAL/AAP SOPs and the maintenance of SOP-compliant records during programming as directed by the MEAL Team Leader. Additionally, the role of the accountability officer is to ensure the development and implementation of an efficient, accountable, durable solution and measurable all program in the areas where DRC is operational and within the geographical area of responsibility.

Duties and Responsibilities:

General Programming & Operations

• Establish and run the Community and Feedback Mechanism.
• Ensure that all beneficiaries can make community feedback in confidence and with full privacy.
• Be the first point of contact for the beneficiaries’ community and feedback.
• Ensure that the mechanism is fully trusted by the beneficiaries.
• Ensure printed information on the complaints and feedback procedure is clearly visible.
• Ensure that beneficiaries can safely and easily access the Community and Feedback Mechanism.
• Support and assist beneficiaries at the time of making a community and/or providing feedback.
• Listen to complaints and/or feedback to guide beneficiaries that seek assistance.
• Ensure timely response to the community or feedback submitted by the beneficiaries.
• Ensure data collection, reporting, and follow-up on each community/feedback received.
• Monitor community and feedback received and respond/follow up through developing and maintaining a systematic tracking mechanism.
• Ensure that persons of concern receive up-to-date information on available services.
• Actively disseminate information among the beneficiaries about the community and feedback mechanism.
• Communicate with relevant field staff on the community and feedback received.
• Compile monthly reports on the implementation status of the Community and Feedback Mechanism.
• Analyze trends of the community and feedback received to help improve programming.
• Ensure respect for confidentiality as well as age, gender, and diversity in all steps of the community and feedback mechanism process.
• Maintain documentation of records; classified community should be in a secured database, and periodically update data in order to produce reports on a weekly and monthly basis to superiors.
• Follow up on pending complaints with the superiors.
• This job description is not intended to be all inclusive, and the employee will also perform other related tasks as required.

Coordination and representation 

• Collaborate with relevant Internal and External technical experts on issues related to MEAL.
• Represent DRC at AAP meetings and other relevant technical coordination meetings at the field level if needed.
• Ensure integration and support of MEAL activities with other DRC sectors.
• Coordinate with MEAL/AAP counterparts in other locations in the implementation of commonly funded projects.
• Ensure good representation and reputation of the MEAL sector at all levels.
• Actively participate in internal and external AAP coordination meetings.

Project Development:

• Assist in developing project plans and budgets for funding
• Assist in the development of the projects’ MEAL tools
• Ensure Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning for all Projects in the field level.
• Ensure quality control during the implementation of all activities in accordance with Sphere and National standards.
• Prepare AAP weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports to relevant authorities as per need.

Logistics / Finance:

• Support the line Manager to monitor financial commitments and expenditures against budgets and provide timely feedback on budget follow-ups.
• Support in initiating procurements and ensure their execution.
• Contribute to grants management of all MEAL projects through management of day-to-day project expenditures with line manager.
• Assist the MEAL Team Leader in developing a procurement plan at the start of the project cycle to forecast procurement needs.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Support in developing and implementing the project monitoring and evaluation plan, and timely submission of reports and other document requirements.
• Provide feedback on project implementation modality, assist in achieving maximum efficiency in project delivery, and inform the development/update of DRC’s MEAL/AAP strategy in Nigeria.
• Support in developing appropriate accountability tools and ensure their implementation.
• The responsibilities listed in the JD are not exhaustive and may be readjusted according to operational needs but will remain in line with the overall purpose of the role.

Experience and technical competencies:

Essential:

• Minimum of 2 years of previous experience with implementing Community Feedback Mechanism or with monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian programs.
• Knowledge of MEAL and AAP Approaches and SHERE Standard
• Solid computer skills and competency in MS Word and Excel as a minimum.

Desirable:

• Project Planning and Management is an added advantage.
• Excellent facilitation skills and a strong understanding of how to collect feedback safely and accurately from all members of a community regardless of their age, gender, or other diversity factors.
• Experience working in emergency response with NGOs, preferably in a humanitarian context.
• Fluency in written and spoken English. Fluency in local spoken languages (Hausa, Kanuri etc).

Education: (include certificates, licenses etc.)

• Bachelor’s degree in social science, business, development, or any related field.
• Excellent communication, presentation, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.

We offer.

• Contract length:  1 year with the possibility of extension.
• Level: NM - H, Step 1
• Start date: October 2024