Accountability Officer

Background:

Active in Jordan since 2008, Acted’s focus has been on responding to the needs of refugees and Jordanian host communities affected by the influx of refugees and the Syrian crisis. As such, Acted has played an integral role in ensuring the provision of basic services to refugees and vulnerable Jordanians. In recent years, Acted’s focus has shifted to longer-term development programming, working in close partnership with local stakeholders to improve infrastructure and service provision, as well as being a key actor in strengthening civil society organisations in Jordan.

In addition, Acted is promoting a circular economy approach in Jordan, and thereby creating positive social, economic and environmental impact. To this end, Acted implements projects focusing on WASH and sustainable resource management while creating sustainable and inclusive income-generating opportunities.

Acted implemented more than 15 projects in 2020 with a budget of c. 10 million EUR, reaching over 90,000 beneficiaries of both host and refugee communities along three programmatic pillars: WASH & Sustainable resource management, Civil Society engagement and Livelihoods & Economic Development.

The Accountability Unit, part of the independent Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and learning (MEAL) Unit of Acted, has a core mandate of accountability towards affected populations (especially (non)beneficiaries in the locations where Acted implements its programmes) and quality of the programme delivery. Through its dedicated mechanism, it contributes to ensuring and fostering programmatic quality and relevance within the organization. 

Location: North of Jordan / Azraq and Zaatari camps.

Job Purpose:

The Accountability Officer contributes to improving the quality of Acted programming through the accurate registration and timely follow up of any feedback/complaints formulated as part of Acted’s Feedback Mechanism (AFM). He/she also contributes to the development and dissemination of appropriate AFM messaging and communication strategies. The Accountability Officer will need to be neutral and establish mechanisms that are based on Acted procedures and reflect the highest integrity standards, which (non)-beneficiaries can trust.

Objectives:

Establish and ensure the effective functioning of the Beneficiary Acted’s Feedback Mechanism (AFM)in line with Acted standard procedures, to enhance the trust and confidence of beneficiaries, identify areas of our work which need to be improved and ensure that Acted learns from the feedback provided through this process.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

1.     Identification and deployment of a range of available, accessible, relevant and appropriate communication means

a)     Under the guidance of the Country MEAL Unit, and at relevant frequency, assess communities’ preferred means to formulate complaints / feedback with Acted;

b)    Ensure the AFM offers as many communication means as possible, while taking into account the specificities of the local context and culture, as well as the type and resources of the project, beneficiaries’ specificities, vulnerabilities and preferences, etc.;

c)     Ensure all communication means guarantee total confidentiality of the information shared, in order to protect the privacy and safety of the complainant, the subject of complaint and other witnesses;

2.     Promotion of the AFM

a)     Participate in kick-off and close-out meetings to promote the AFM and present the project AFM implementation strategy;

b)    Develop project-specific strategies to provide beneficiaries, communities and stakeholders with readily available information on the AFM throughout the project cycle, notably including a clear repartition of tasks between MEAL and Project implementation teams;

c)     Build capacity and understanding among Acted staff, partners and contractors on beneficiary accountability and more specifically on the objectives and functioning of the AFM, as well as on what to do / not to do when receiving a complaint;

Conduct field visits throughout the project cycle (i.e. before, during and after the intervention), and coordinate with the MEAL and project implementation teams for the same, in order to spread information / awareness about the AFM to beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, as well as local authorities and stakeholders in Acted’s areas of implementation

a)     Develop and disseminate clear country-specific AFM information / awareness raising materials in a language and visual format that can be widely understood (including people with low levels of literacy);

b)    Regularly assess the effectiveness of all information-sharing efforts (notably via the assessment of communities’ level of awareness on the AFM at relevant frequency and under the guidance of the Country MEAL Unit) and incorporate findings into revised approaches.

c)     At all times ensure (non)-beneficiaries feel safe to express concerns, complaints and feedback to an independent and unbiased staff member.

3.     Complaints handling

a)     Receive and acknowledge receipt of complaints formulated through the AFM (including those received directly by other Acted staff, through the hotline, and actively seeking out feedback with the community);

b)    Ensure that the content of complaints/feedback is adequately captured, categorized and analyzed in the COMPFU (COMplaints Follow-Up) as per Acted procedures, paying specific attention to data quality;

c)     Maintain a good understanding of Acted programs, including through frequent meetings with Project implementation teams, to be able to respond directly, whenever possible, to requests for information (i.e. level 1 complaints as per Acted’s sensitivity grid);

d)    Channel complaints to the persons responsible for follow-up, as per Acted standard beneficiary AFM procedures;

e)    Treat urgent and/or sensitive complaints with the immediate attention they require;

f)      Follow-up in person into complaints received in accordance with Acted procedures;

g)     Follow up in a constructive and proactive manner on pending complaints with relevant persons responsible for complaint follow-up, and verify that all complaints are adequately and comprehensively addressed;

h)    Respond to complaints respectfully, objectively, accurately, and in a timely manner (15 days), as per talking points defined with line manager, as per talking points agreed with relevant persons responsible for complaint follow-up;

i)      Close complaints in the COMPFU once adequately addressed and a comprehensive response has been provided to the complainant, duly tracking all complaint resolution steps and efforts in the COMPFU;

j)      Under the guidance of the Country MEAL Unit, and at relevant frequency, assess communities’ feedback and satisfaction on the AFM, and incorporate findings into revised approaches;

4.     Reporting and Capitalization

a)     Maintain records of AFM information / awareness raising / promotion activities (including approximate numbers of participants) for each project, and share with Project implementation team and line manager as required;

b)    Maintain consistent, confidential and detailed records of all complaints in the COMPFU platform (and other electronic and hard copy filing systems, as appropriate) as well as enquiry reports (as relevant);

c)     Ensure the COMPFU and relevant documents are password-protected at all times and all locations, the confidentiality of complaints data is respected, and this information is shared only with authorized persons as per Acted procedures;

d)    Analyze patterns and trends in complaints and regularly share findings with line manager, to identify and discuss lessons land, and help Acted improve its programming;

e)    When relevant, and in collaboration with line manager, organize meetings with relevant colleagues (PMs, Area coordinators, etc.) to present the AFM status / findings and discuss incorporation of lessons learned into revised programming;

f)      Produce a quarterly and yearly analytic AFM report for use by the country mission;

g)     Provide regular and timely updates on progress and challenges to line manager; 

h)     Maintain relationships with peers from other agencies to ensure the effective use of referrals both into and out from Acted;

i)    Integrate any accountability-related lessons learned and/or recommendations to the MEAL-managed country learning database, and contribute to their diffusion with coordination / MEAL / project staff.

5.     Other:

a)     Assist project and MEAL teams with other activities, as requested by immediate supervisor;

b)    Assist with data collection activities and ensure that data collected is cleaned and according to data quality standards;

c)     Analyse MEAL data and help produce reports, factsheets with useful statistical analysis and presentation (charts, tables, histograms, box plots) as necessary in a timely manner;

d)    Provide data to the Project Development Team for use in preparation of reports to donors and other stakeholders, as required;

Perform any other related activities as assigned by immediate supervisor.