Community Engagement and Accountability Officer

Position Title: Community Engagement and Accountability Officer

Duty Station: IOM Somalia in Nairobi*, Kenya

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade P2

Type of Appointment: Special short-term graded, six months with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 05 September 2023

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

Context:

The International Organization for Migration (IOM – Somalia) has recently been appointed the Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) Task Force Co-lead. IOM is committed to take a strategic role in strengthening community engagement and accountability within the humanitarian sector and aims to catalyse programming from multiple units to provide holistic support to communities.

Under the Emergency and Post Crisis (EPC) Pillar, IOM programmes seek to build capacity and accountability of relevant governance structures to lead on solutions, provide sustainable basic services, livelihood opportunities and working towards (re)integration support to Displacement Affected Communities (DACs), whilst also supporting locally led, participatory processes that promote social cohesion and ownership. Through government-led inclusive community planning processes and collective efforts for recovery focused on the most vulnerable, EPC programmes also aim to support foundations for peace and reduce drivers of conflict.

Against this background, the EPC unit seeks to recruit a community engagement and accountability officer to help strengthen CEA as a strategic area of focus. This includes providing technical, administrative and logistical support for the development of IOM’s CEA expertise that supports the humanitarian sector to adopt a more systematic and coordinated approach to accountability, and establishes IOM Somalia as a relevant and leading actor within this area.

Under the overall supervision of the Senior Programme Coordinator (EPC) and the direct supervision of the Programme Manager, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), the Community Engagement and Accountability Officer will contribute to efforts to institutionalize and strengthen CEA within IOM Somalia’s programmes and operations. This includes assisting with building CEA understanding and capacity across the organization, and the integration of CEA into the overall strategy, plans, policies and tools. The Community Engagement and Accountability Officer will also work with colleagues to help integrate meaningful community participation and support Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) teams from IOM and implementing partners (IPs) to include CEA in key processes and assist in developing guidance and learning manuals that build institutional capacity.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

1. Provide technical inputs and guidance to support the development of the CEA Task Force and its terms of reference in close collaboration with the national partner co-lead.
2. Provide technical guidance, inputs and support for the development of sector-specific CEA approaches, tools, and frameworks in close collaboration with the relevant sector leads.
3. Work closely with the Monitoring, Accountability and Evaluation teams to facilitate the inclusion of CEA in key processes and activities across the EPC unit.
4. Participate in capacity building and training activities for IOM Staff, Implementing Partners(IPs), and government officials on community engagement and accountability. Participate in relevant Task Force fora vis-à-vis international, regional, and national donors, partners, and stakeholders.
5. Encourage the standardization of accountability to affected population processes throughout the EPC unit including the consistent use of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), and other guidance documents, facilitating coherence, alignment, and integration of CEA across units.
6. Encourage synergy, coherence, and harmonization of community engagement actions across CEA Task Force and other related thematic areas.
7. Support the Emergency and Post Crisis unit Project Officers and Senior ProgrammeCoordinator by drafting specific sections of internal and external reports, strategic documents, presentations, and proposals; provide technical inputs on community engagement and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) related content; and participate in donor presentations and government meetings.
8. Facilitate the uptake of best practices and learning across the EPC pillar and IOM Somalia. Recommend feedback mechanisms at the national and local levels to help build CEA Task Force responsiveness to community priorities. Check that systems are in place that responds to feedback through programme adaptation, communication, and community initiatives.
9. Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree, in Political or Social Sciences, Humanitarian Affairs, Human Rights, International Affairs, Migration Studies, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with two years of relevant professional experience; or
• University degree in the above fields with four years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Experience in community engagement, accountability, and communicating with communities;
• Experience in coordinating or supporting a cluster, sector, working group, or task force;
• Experience in carrying out technical assessments related to community engagement and accountability;
• Experience working in partnership with national authorities/institutions;
• Experience in drafting inputs for the development of strategies, SOPs, and guidance documents related to CEA;
• Experience in the development and/or conduct of trainings and workshop with national staff or Implementing Partners; and,
• Experience and knowledge of the Somali context is an advantage.

Skills

• In-depth knowledge of humanitarian, development, and durable solutions context;
• Expertise in direct communication with internal displaced persons and host communities in emergency context;
• Knowledge of UN and bilateral donor programming; and,
• Knowledge of INGO and Local NGO programming.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish.

For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of Somali (Maxa Tiri and Maay) is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

This position is based in Nairobi with frequent travel to Somalia.

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the Organization’s vision. Assists others to realize and develop their leadership and professional potential.
• Empowering others: Creates an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
• Building Trust: Promotes shared values and creates an atmosphere of trust and honesty.
• Strategic thinking and vision: Works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.
• Humility: Leads with humility and shows openness to acknowledging own shortcomings.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.pdf

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.