Accountability & Complaints Officer

Background CARE is a leading relief and development non-governmental organization fighting global poverty. Established in 1946, it is now a confederation composed of 14 members. In 2012, CARE worked in 84 countries around the world, supporting development and humanitarian aid projects to reach more than 83 million people. While CARE is a large international organization with more than 11,000 employees worldwide, we have a strong local presence: 97% of our staff are nationals of the countries where our programs are run. CARE is implementing a regional response to the Syrian Crisis to meet the immediate and most urgent needs of the women, men, boys and girls who have fled Syria. CARE is very well established in the region and set up an office in Jordan as early as 1948. CARE International in Lebanon (CIL) is supporting refugees as well as local communities through WASH, NFIs and Cash assistance activities in the North and Mount Lebanon Governorates. The ACO will be based in the Beirut office but will support CARE’s field offices in Mount Lebanon and Tripoli. Furthermore, the ACO will be in contact with other CARE members, especially at the regional level to coordinate the response, harmonize and share tools as well as lessons learnt.   Job Summary: The ACO is part of the CARE Lebanon for the Syrian refugee Support Programme. The ACO is in charge of preparing, organizing and coordinating all complaints & accountability processes and tools in line with donor requirements and CARE International standards. S/he provides technical guidance to field units and proposal developers with regards to operating hotlines. The ACO also coordinates with the programme team for efficient and timely generation of critical information from the interventions for reporting and public communications. The ACO is fully accountable for the application and monitoring of agreed  accountability & complaints mechanisms (providing timely feedback to beneficiaries)  and ensuring beneficiary/staff privacy especially in reporting complaints against Care staff. Job Outcomes: Functional System to log complaints Consistent tools and processes within the system Accountability & complaints processes implemented efficiently Efficient data transmission and storage for future reference Timely complaints reports (weekly) Beneficiary complaints are addressed and appropriate feedback is delivered in a timely manner. Feedback & complaints hotlines are consistently monitored and kept operational at all times during working hours Tools and processes harmonized with key partners and coordinated with peers Safe data storage and confidential data management procedures and mechanisms respected Detailed Responsibilities & Tasks: In charge of  managing CARE’s hotline and other feedback and complaints mechanisms In charge of following up complaints which require further investigating and documenting for a formal review and decision In charge of giving feedback to complainants once the review process is completed Support the MEAL team in the development and improvement of complaints mechanisms to ensure accountability towards beneficiaries Participate in home visits as part of assessment teams and field visits to follow up on complaints Train volunteers, staff and partners CARE’s complaints and feedback mechanisms Effective day to day coordination & follow-up with hotline attendants and program staff Operating complaints & feedback hotlines as needed. Supervisor: MEAL Manager   Supervisees: S/he supervises hotline attendants in field offices. Experience: Minimum 1 year experience in implementation and/or monitoring of humanitarian assistance programmes with humanitarian organizations. Good understanding of humanitarian principles and humanitarian processes. Demonstrated knowledge of complaints & accountability procedures employing a gender sensitive approach Demonstrated strong people management skills (e.g. the ability to coach, train, mentor and manage); good team player; Proven strong communication skills and experience communication effectively with a wide range of stakeholders. Ability to operate effectively under extreme circumstances including stress, security risks and sometimes harsh working/living conditions. Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity; experience and ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner; and capacity to make accurate self-assessment particularly in high stress and high security contexts. S/he must be well organized even within a fluid working environment and takes initiative to resolve problems as they arise. Highly desirable: experience in handling hotlines and or customer service queries IT / SOFTWARE / TECHNICAL SKILLS: Knowledge and facility with standard office computer systems and software. Required: proficiency in MS Excel, SPSS or similar statistical  software desired. Competencies: Able to work under pressure Adapt to changing environment Coaching and mentoring skills Decision-making skills Demonstrate fairness and impartiality Demonstrate sectorial expertise Diplomacy Effective implementation of  personnel policies Effective liaison between  supervisor and peers Effective teamwork Effective use of administrative systems Initiative and resourcefulness Innovation/Use of best practices Problem solving and mediation Verbal communication Work well in a team context Ability to strictly adhere to reporting & communication lines within Care’s organogram Ability to strictly adhere to task deadlines