Department: Appraisal Monitoring & Evaluation Unit (AMEU)
Position: Beneficiary Engagement Officer
Direct Hierarchy: AME Manager
Contract duration: 6 Months
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Starting Date: September 2016
ACTED is a French humanitarian NGO, founded in 1993, which supports vulnerable populations, affected by humanitarian crises worldwide. ACTED provides continued support to vulnerable communities by ensuring the sustainability of post-crisis interventions and engaging long-term challenges facing our target populations, in order to break the poverty cycle, foster development and reduce vulnerability to disasters. Their interventions seek to cover the multiple aspects of humanitarian and development crises through a multidisciplinary approach which is both global and local, and adapted to each context. Their 3,300 staff is committed in to responding to emergencies worldwide, to supporting recovery and rehabilitation, towards sustainable development.
Position profile
Under the direct supervision of the Accountability Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, he/she is responsible for ensuring ACTED continuously engage in meaningful two-way dialogue with communities it serves. The Beneficiary Engagement Officer will be responsible for ensuring the implementation and management of a complaints mechanism, pro-active engagement with project beneficiaries and ensuring issues, questions and complaints are followed up in a meaningful and genuine manner. S/he will be responsible for ensuring mechanisms are in place in ACTED’s programmes to fulfil key Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Commitments. This is a very exciting initiative for those interested in and passionate about ensuring communities have direct influence in aid interventions and how they are carried out. This initiative is about giving a voice to communities and ensuring accurate needs and feedback is being listened to and acted upon in ACTED programs.
The Beneficiary Engagement Officer shall be responsible for:
· Liaise with communities, beneficiaries, local authorities and community leadership structures at field level;
· Analyse and set up the best system for ACTED, in consultation with key stakeholders (communities, NGOs, local authorities).
· Conduct monthly meetings on a structured basis including: focus groups discussions; household interviews; village relief committee meetings; key informant interviews (authorities etc).
· Act as a focal point for complaints and feedback to beneficiaries on ACTED programs by:
1) Providing timely feedback to the program team, and Area Co-ordinator on sensitive issues, on complaints raised by the communities on project activities; and
2) In co-ordination with respective departments (program team, co-ordination), provide timely feedback to all stakeholders on complaints raised. Produce monthly reports and databases on feedback gathered;\
· Contacting beneficiaries and key stakeholders on a regular basis to collect feedback on project activities;
· Undertaking field visits to train the project teams on the feedback and complaints system and solicit feedback from sample beneficiaries and key stakeholders.
· Map and assess community structures to ensure feedback is representative of all groups.
· Work closely with program teams to ensure all feedback is incorporated into approaches and future programs where possible.
· Work closely with community mobilisation teams as when necessary as a technical advisor on ensuring community focal points and structures (i.e. Village Relief Committees) are inclusive of all groups
· Launch the front line SMS initiative as an alternative way to communicate with all.
· Institutionalize and enhance accountability mechanisms to all ACTED projects.
· Participate in accountability forums to represent ACTED
· Field visits to support project teams on beneficiary accountability and learning systems
· Filing accountability and feedback materials.
· Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor
Requirements
· Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science, Community Development or related field.
· Extensive experience of social research methods to conduct monitoring and evaluation for humanitarian and development initiatives/interventions.
· Demonstrable understanding of conflict/post-conflict development contexts, with experience in remote-management contexts such as Somalia as an added asset. Certification in monitoring and accountability is a very strong asset
· Knowledge and experience of participatory rural appraisal methods will also be an asset.
· Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; the ability to successfully and effectively liaise with a variety of people in a multicultural set up.
· At least 3 years of work experience in a similar field; previous experience with INGO is an asset.
· Proven commitment to accountable practices.
· A Kenyan Somali national with good English communications skills (both oral and written) and report writing skills will be preferred.
· Strong team player of high integrity, pleasant personality, ability to work under least supervision and meet strict deadlines.
· Strong people management and leadership skills.
· Ability to work independently.
HOW TO APPLY:
Application Procedure
Qualified persons with the required skills are invited to submit their applications accompanied by detailed curriculum vitae detailing three work related referees and contacts to kenya.jobs@acted.org and received on or before 5.00PM on 22nd September 2016.
Please note that only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
ACTED will at no stage of recruitment process request candidate to make payments of any kind. If you receive any email/calls in relation to ACTED’s recruitment and you are unsure about its validity or origin, please contact us on nairobi@acted.org
ACTED is an Equal Opportunity Employer. s
