Programme Accountability Specialist job at DanChurchAid (DCA)

Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

DanChurchAid (DCA) is an International Non-Governmental Organisation with headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. The organisation was founded in 1922, and have country offices in 19 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Ukraine, and Asia. DCA has been active in South Sudan since 2007 and works within the three Global Goals of DCA – Save Lives, Build Resilient Communities, and Fight Extreme Inequalities. We work across Upper Nile, Jonglei, GPAA, Central Equatoria, and Eastern Equatoria States primarily through national partners.

The Role:

The Programme Accountability Specialist will oversee the implementation of DCA South Sudan Accountability System. The incumbent will promote clear understanding of Accountability to the Affected Population (AAP) and the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) principles, processes, and implementation to DCA staff, partners, and project participants. The incumbent is expected to spearhead the implementation of the strategies to achieve measurable improvement in community engagement, information-sharing, community participation, complaints, and feedback mechanisms and the CHS. The incumbent will also manage the DCA accountability database integrated into Power BI platform, routinely analyse community feedback trends, document the lessons learnt and best practices for internal and external learning as well as used in future project designs.

Responsibilities or duties

The duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Promote awareness of AAP guidelines within DCA and external stakeholders (partners)
• Ensure the AAP system within DCA and partners upholds and mainstreams information sharing, community consultation and participation, complaints, and response to the affected population
• Ensure that the core humanitarian principles are upheld in all aspects of the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning functions and the general project management
• Ensure project participants and partners have constant access to information about DCA and partner projects and to channels that can process complaints and feedback with confidentiality and respond appropriately within the predefined standards
• Operationalize the DCA accountability tracking systems, integrated Power BI dashboard and the Hotline Toll-free system
• Facilitate project-level assessments to establish appropriate feedback and complaints mechanisms
• Build the capacity of DCA staff and partners on the AAP framework, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and child-friendly accountability system
• Monitor and report community engagements in project implementation, aimed at strengthening project ownership and improving accountability
• Collate, analyze, and disseminate program accountability data to inform management decision-making process
• Represent DCA in external engagements including the relevant Community Engagement and Accountability Working Groups.

Key outputs and responsibilities

Design and set up the accountability system

• With the technical guidance of the Head of MEAL, ensure community feedback and complaints mechanisms are in place for each project. The specific assignments will include:
• Conducting periodic accountability assessments and advice on the appropriate mechanisms for information provision, community consultation and participation processes, receiving feedback and complaints, responding to the complainants and partners in a timely manner
• Work with the Communications team to support all the projects to design, contextualize and translate the relevant accountability information materials and share with the community to create awareness
• Closely work with the Programme Managers, Sector Specialists and MEAL colleagues to ensure community feedback mechanisms are established and functional
• Ensure partners procure and distribute appropriate tools and information materials to facilitate the functionality of the feedback mechanisms initiated
• In collaboration with the local partners, facilitate the design of project level accountability frameworks
• Develop and implement monthly accountability plans, ensuring all the projects develop and implement accountability work plans
• Work with the local partners to ensure project participants are informed of project implementation strategies, beneficiary selection criteria, project timeline and entitlements for every project in the portfolio
• Ensure appropriate logistics and supplies are in place and deployed in all the projects to facilitate the accountability systems.

Implement functional feedback, complaints and response mechanism

• Ensure the community feedback and response mechanisms are well understood by internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide guidance and advice to the partner staff in processing and handling feedback in line with the DCA standard policies and procedures
• Ensure projects are compliant with accountability standards at project and program levels; enforce the implementation of DCA accountability SOPs
• Ensure formal consultations with the project participants, local authorities and other agencies are held regularly to receive feedback on our project commitments and staff conduct.
• Manage the accountability tracking database integrated into the Power BI platform, ensuring regular updates, data-entry, and documentation.
• Ensure all complaints and feedback are entered in the database and kept up to date to ensure that the feedback loop is closed in a timely manner for every call
• Mainstream the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) and Complaints Response Mechanism (CRM) in the project to enhance accountability.

Qualifications or requirements

Are you a visionary and passionate professional within the space of programme accountability system. Do you have clear understanding of Accountability to the Affected Population (AAP) and the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) principles, processes, and implementation to DCA staff, partners, and project participants? Have you got solid experience in the humanitarian sector, that you can bring into the DCA Country Programme and ensure quality programming? Do you have experience in capacity strengthening of partners?

Experience needed

Solid experience in the humanitarian sector. Experience in capacity strengthening of partners.

Any other provided details (e.g., benefits, work environment, team info, or additional notes)

Then you might be our new Programme Accountability Specialist in DCA South Sudan!

• Promote awareness of AAP guidelines within DCA and external stakeholders (partners)
• Ensure the AAP system within DCA and partners upholds and mainstreams information sharing, community consultation and participation, complaints, and response to the affected population
• Ensure that the core humanitarian principles are upheld in all aspects of the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning functions and the general project management
• Ensure project participants and partners have constant access to information about DCA and partner projects and to channels that can process complaints and feedback with confidentiality and respond appropriately within the predefined standards
• Operationalize the DCA accountability tracking systems, integrated Power BI dashboard and the Hotline Toll-free system
• Facilitate project-level assessments to establish appropriate feedback and complaints mechanisms
• Build the capacity of DCA staff and partners on the AAP framework, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and child-friendly accountability system
• Monitor and report community engagements in project implementation, aimed at strengthening project ownership and improving accountability
• Collate, analyze, and disseminate program accountability data to inform management decision-making process
• Represent DCA in external engagements including the relevant Community Engagement and Accountability Working Groups.
• With the technical guidance of the Head of MEAL, ensure community feedback and complaints mechanisms are in place for each project.
• Conducting periodic accountability assessments and advice on the appropriate mechanisms for information provision, community consultation and participation processes, receiving feedback and complaints, responding to the complainants and partners in a timely manner
• Work with the Communications team to support all the projects to design, contextualize and translate the relevant accountability information materials and share with the community to create awareness
• Closely work with the Programme Managers, Sector Specialists and MEAL colleagues to ensure community feedback mechanisms are established and functional
• Ensure partners procure and distribute appropriate tools and information materials to facilitate the functionality of the feedback mechanisms initiated
• In collaboration with the local partners, facilitate the design of project level accountability frameworks
• Develop and implement monthly accountability plans, ensuring all the projects develop and implement accountability work plans
• Work with the local partners to ensure project participants are informed of project implementation strategies, beneficiary selection criteria, project timeline and entitlements for every project in the portfolio
• Ensure appropriate logistics and supplies are in place and deployed in all the projects to facilitate the accountability systems.
• Ensure the community feedback and response mechanisms are well understood by internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide guidance and advice to the partner staff in processing and handling feedback in line with the DCA standard policies and procedures
• Ensure projects are compliant with accountability standards at project and program levels; enforce the implementation of DCA accountability SOPs
• Ensure formal consultations with the project participants, local authorities and other agencies are held regularly to receive feedback on our project commitments and staff conduct.
• Manage the accountability tracking database integrated into the Power BI platform, ensuring regular updates, data-entry, and documentation.
• Ensure all complaints and feedback are entered in the database and kept up to date to ensure that the feedback loop is closed in a timely manner for every call
• Mainstream the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) and Complaints Response Mechanism (CRM) in the project to enhance accountability.

• Accountability to the Affected Population (AAP)
• Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) principles, processes, and implementation
• Capacity strengthening of partners
• Data analysis
• Database management
• Power BI platform
• Community engagement
• Information sharing
• Complaints and feedback mechanisms
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Project management
• Communication
• Reporting

• Clear understanding of Accountability to the Affected Population (AAP) and the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) principles, processes, and implementation to DCA staff, partners, and project participants.
• Experience in capacity strengthening of partners.