Senior Community Engagement and Accountability Officer

Job Title

Senior CEA Officer

Classification Level

7

Organizational Unit / Duty Station

(Department / Zone Office / Delegation, etc)

British Red Cross, Kathmandu

Immediate Supervisor’s Title

PMEAL Coordinator

Technical Manager’s Title (if applicable)

Number of Direct Reports (if applicable)

Number of Indirect Reports (if applicable)

This role will sit within the structure of the British Red Cross’ Nepal Office in Kathmandu. This role will require the incumbent to travel within Nepal to project sites.

Context

The British Red Cross (BRC) helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. We enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help them to recover and move on with their lives. Within the UK, the BRC operates through about 3500 staff and over 30,000 volunteers. 

We are part of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world’s largest independent humanitarian network and are committed to and bound by its fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. 

Within the International division, the Programmes and Partnerships department provides single oversight of our community resilience and capacity building partnerships with national societies and disaster management activities. The department is structured regionally and works in partnership with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The department functions internally within a matrix relationship of technical advisers and policy professionals, located in other teams within the International Division.

BRC in Nepal

Following two earthquakes that hit Nepal on 25th April (7.8) and 12th May 2015 (7.3), the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) provided emergency relief in the affected areas with the assistance of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners. A recovery framework was developed with the participation of different Red Cross Movement actors. This includes a commitment to engaging in the four sectors of shelter, livelihoods, WASH and health, in addition to organisational development/capacity building across all 14 highly-affected districts. Within this, the BRC and NRCS have developed a recovery programme with interventions across 50 rural, peri-urban and urban communities within 3 districts, specifically the Kathmandu valley districts of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Laliptur. These interventions are funded a combination of funds raised by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal and BRC’s own Nepal earthquake appeal. 

BRC has partnered with NRCS, working in these same districts (Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Kathmandu) for four years, implementing the Earthquake Preparedness for Safer communities in the Kathmandu valley (“EPS”) programme for four years between February 2012 and March 2016. Following on from this programme the DFID funded SURE programme, which started in October 2016 is a five-year multi-risk reduction programme, targeting the groups most vulnerable to disasters in the Kathmandu valley and two western and far-western districts, building on the work of EPS. 

The BRC and NRCS have partnered on programmes for 11 years, with BRC present in Nepal since 2012 to support:

• an Earthquake Preparedness for Safer Communities (EPS) project in the Kathmandu Valley (completed in March 2016)
• an Integrated Disaster Resilience Programme (IDRP) in Jhapa district (which began in January 2015)
• a small-scale HIV/AIDS project in Pokhara sub-metropolitan city (completed in May 2016)
• a DM consortia led by NRCS and Danish RC and funded by DIPECHO (Phase 1 finishing in April 2016; Phase 2  in June 2017)
• The Strengthening Urban Resilience and Engagement Programme in the Kathmandu valley, Kailali and Kaski, which began implementation in March 2017
• strategic National Society development in areas such as PMEAL, community engagement and communications, cash-based programming, logistics capacity building, and programme management

Overall purpose of the role

The post of the Senior Community Engagement and Accountability Officer builds on more than three years of support that BRC has provided to NRCS in CEA. It is situated in the BRC Nepal Country Office’s Planning Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (PMEAL) team and will work closely across all BRC-funded programmes to provide timely, tailored technical support and capacity strengthening in partnership with the Nepal RC. 

This position will ensure that all BRC Nepal funded programmes are applying appropriate programme quality and accountability interventions at every level; community, district/municipal and headquarters. The Senior Community Engagement and Accountability Officer will specifically make sure that robust accountability strategies are fully functioning in all operational areas. S/he will ensure accountability towards programme participants including community members/citizen, government bodies, partners and back donors. The Senior Officer will ensure alignment with global best practice in accountability as well as donor requirements, community needs and partner priorities. The post holder will work closely with counterparts in NRCS and with project stakeholders to ensure a high level of awareness and capacity when designing and implementing humanitarian interventions, including adherence to CHS (Core Humanitarian Standard) and GESI (Gender, Equality and Social Inclusion). 

The post holder will support NRCS to develop relevant and appropriate strategies to reach and meet the needs of the most vulnerable groups, across all BRC-funded programmes, and provide practical support to NRCS staff and volunteers to do ensure quality implementation and learning.

1.        Capacity building and support to local BRC and NRCS staff and volunteers, especially to M&E and Accountability Officers/Community Engagement/Social Mobilisation/ Communications Officers, on engagement, accountability and social inclusion.  

2.        Provision of regular, tailored technical assistance and training to all front-line staff from RC and, where appropriate, stakeholders such as municipal government, local DM committees, etc.

3.        Develop and implement innovative strategies to reach and meet the needs of the most vulnerable across all programme areas.

4.        Report progress against the outcomes of the CEA strategy to BRC back donors and Headquarters.

5.        Monitor spend against the CEA budget in all BRC funded programmes.

6.        Ensure all accountability mechanisms (e.g. complaints and feedback) are properly registered, investigated and responded in a timely and appropriate manner and are considered in programme decision making processes.

7.        Create, test and utilize innovative and contextualized means for effective citizen and stakeholder engagement including information sharing, participation in NRCS programming.

8.        Ensure awareness of and adherence to the Core Humanitarian Standard and other minimum standards/commitments for humanitarian responses particularly those that address Gender Equality and Social Inclusion.

9.        Link and demonstrate RCRC Movement’s core values, programming principles, strategic objectives, gender equity and equality in programming and behaviours.

10.     Support, and deliver BRC CEA strategy and plan of action across all BRC-funded programmes; support NRCS to develop a similar strategy.

11.     Ensure strategies and activities are integrated, mutually supportive and in-line with the overall NRCS/ IFRC strategies/policies/best practice.

12.     Oversee the completion of regular mobile phone based surveys and collection of qualitative data in programme areas, ensuring data collected ties in with monitoring framework and accountability requirements, and feeds into evolution of Red Cross activities.  

13.     Capitalise on availability of overarching Red Cross communication tools – hotline, radio show, newspaper column, Facebook, website etc – to support implementation of programmes. 

14.     Support development of targeted awareness raising and behaviour change communication campaigns across funded programmes. 

15.     Ensure BRC remains engaged and coordinated with national and international CEA initiatives related to Nepal.

16.     Where appropriate, support NRCS to facilitate focus group discussions and other community outreach systems to inform programme learning and implementation.

17.     Coordinate with, and where appropriate, support the IFRC and Partner National Societies (PNS) in CEA related activities especially where shared learning opportunities and standardisation of approaches are possible.

18.     Identify and develop partnerships with leading disability, social inclusion and child protection organisations to enhance RC programming.

19.     Proactively support NRCS to disseminate and apply learning emerging from CEA tools with the RCRC Movement and the broader sector.

1.

Work towards the achievement of the Federation/PNS goals through effective managerial and lateral relationship and teamwork

2.

Produce timely reports based on defined templates and indicators

3.

Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross/Red Crescent principles

4.

Perform other work related duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the line manager.

Education

Required

Preferred

 University qualification in Development Studies and Social Work or related degree and/or demonstrable experience

X

Trained in social community empowerment or development

X

Experience

Required

Preferred

Experience in social mobilization and community organising in development and/or emergency contexts for minimum of 3 years.

X

Substantial experience designing and facilitating skills and knowledge building training and capacity building interventions for a variety of stakeholders.

X

Experience working within the Red Cross movement or with I/NGOs or CBOs in Nepal

X

Exposure to work in cross-cultural environments with expatriate staff

X

Experience working with vulnerable and marginalised groups

X

Experience designing and implementing feedback mechanisms at the community level

X

Experience using qualitative and quantitative monitoring and evaluating methodologies

X

Knowledge and Skills

Required

Preferred

Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Nepali

X

Competency in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, e-mail and the internet

X

Flexibility, motivation, honest, reliable and cultural awareness

X

Ability to work in demanding situations and sometimes under pressure

X

Ability to work in an organised and systematic manner

X

Understanding of gender equality, inclusion and disability

X

Ability to coordinate internally and externally and provide technical oversight

X

Languages

         Required

        Preferred

English and Nepali

X

Other relevant language

X

Competencies (to be filled in by HR)

 Accountability

Integrity

Communication

Building Trust

Team work