As a member of the Safe and Dignified Programming unit, the Accountability Senior Project Officer is responsible for ensuring that mechanisms are established within projects and programs to comply with CRS internal policies, particularly the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Policies and Procedures (MPP), as well as key accountability commitments such as the Core Humanitarian Standard, Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), and other emerging standards.

This role involves working on accountability activities with CRS and partner staff across various projects, providing technical guidance throughout the project cycle in accordance with CRS MEAL policies and procedures. The officer will lead the setup and implementation of field-level Feedback and Complaint Response Mechanisms (FCRM), ensuring they are accessible to community members, project participants, and other stakeholders.

Additionally, the role includes coordinating feedback and complaints through multiple channels, such as the Country Program hotline, post-distribution monitoring surveys, and routine field monitoring. The officer will assist with information-sharing and community participation processes to ensure timely responses. Collaboration with the Accountability team is also essential for capturing and sharing insights from different accountability systems within projects and partners.

Job Responsibilities

Develop and strengthen accountability system:

• Establish and oversee Feedback, Complaint, and Response Mechanisms (FCRM) in close coordination with project or response leadership, ensuring accountability to beneficiaries, donors, and stakeholders.

• Support and build the capacity of CRS and partner staff to design, implement, and monitor FCRM systems, enhancing program quality and accountability.

• Establish sustainable FCRM systems at project sites, ensuring that project participants can submit confidential complaints and receive timely responses.

• Develop systems to track and analyze feedback trends to continuously improve programming.

• Monitor the functionality of the hotline system in collaboration with the call center supervisor.

• Develop Terms of Reference, launch, and lead an accountability working group with partners to enhance the functionality of the FCRM system.

Capacity development

• Collaborate with CRS implementing partners to assess accountability capacity, develop, and implement strategies to improve feedback and complaint handling, and strengthen data management systems.

• Provide training and capacity-building sessions for CRS and partner staff on FCRM tools, processes, and data management to ensure consistent and effective implementation across all project sites, with a particular focus on frontline staff.

• Build the capacity of staff, partners, and project participants in safe and dignified programming frameworks and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) policy and procedures (MPP), with a strong emphasis on accountability practices.

• Facilitate the application of safe and dignified programming principles, particularly accountability, in project design, implementation, and partnership agreements.

• Actively participate in the Inter-Agency Accountability Working Group (IAAWG) in Addis Ababa, representing CRS-ET, and ensure that updates on accountability systems and relevant information are shared with key staff.

In support of Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and knowledge management

• Identify and ensure that the priorities of target communities are incorporated into program design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes.

• Support the integration of CRS Ethiopia’s accountability framework into project design and the overall MEAL system during startup and any MEAL review exercises.

• Monitor and report on key elements of the country program’s accountability mechanisms, including progress related to the feedback system, information sharing, and community participation.

• Organize learning events focused on lessons learned from accountability practices and the application of CRS Ethiopia’s accountability framework.

 In support of Safeguarding, protection and gender integration

• Ensure that safeguarding, protection, and gender issues are thoroughly considered in the development of the Country Program accountability system and the application of the CRS Ethiopia framework. Specifically, ensure that the overall accountability mechanisms, particularly the complaint and response system, address gender issues, including incidents of abuse and exploitation.

• Ensure that accountability data collection tools, checklists, and reporting templates gather disaggregated data on sex as well as other relevant social, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects useful for decision-making, including information on disability.

• Ensure that male, female, and other relevant segments of the community are fairly represented in the complaint handling process (primarily complaint committees), as well as in training and monitoring activities.

• Support CRS’s work in Ethiopia by undertaking additional tasks as appropriate and required.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

 Education and Experience

• MA/MS or BA/BSc degree in social work, social science, or a related field.

• 3 years of relevant experience for MA or 5 years for BA degree in a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on accountability.

• Experience in accountability to communities, project participants, and donors.

• Proficiency in monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning.

• Experience in establishing and managing feedback and response systems, information sharing, and community engagement, with demonstrated knowledge of participatory methods and adult learning principles.

• Proficient in using MS Windows and MS Office applications (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).

Personal Skills 

• Strong observation, active listening, and analytical skills, with the ability to make sound judgments.

• Excellent relationship management skills, capable of working closely with local partners and community members.

• Detail-oriented, ensuring accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.

• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented.

• Familiarity with NGO operations is desirable.

• Demonstrated experience in facilitation and training skills.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to work systematically and in an organized manner.

• Strong commitment to respecting and maintaining confidentiality.

Required/ desired language: English and Amharic

Travel Required: frequent travel to project implementation areas estimated to be 50%.

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory: None

Internal: Accountability Manager, Safe and Dignified programing Technical
Advisor, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Technical Advisor, DHoP-Program Quality, Sector Program Managers, EARO/HQ MEAL RTA.

External: Partners, MEAL working group, Consultants.

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.

• Acts with Integrity – Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.

• Builds and Maintains Trust – Shows consistency between words and actions.

• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.

• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

How to Apply

If you are ready to take on this rewarding opportunity and make a difference in the lives of others, you may fill out the application form through THIS LINK and attach your up-to-date CV on/before the application deadline of October 25, 2024. You will be contacted only if selected for a written exam/interview. Phone solicitations will not be accepted. These job opportunities are open to Ethiopian nationals only.