Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) Manager

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organization’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes and believes shall guide our actions and relationships. 

Background

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) supports people affected by displacement living in Lebanon and advocate for their rights inside the country, regionally and internationally. We also work to serve vulnerable Lebanese affected by the deteriorating economic situation in the country, and are providing assistance to vulnerable households in the neighbourhoods most affected by the Beirut port explosion.

In 2019, NRC’s programmes in Lebanon reached 330,314 refugees and Lebanese with ICLA (Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance), Shelter, WASH and Education. NRC Lebanon’s Covid-19 response includes crosscutting activities and sector-specific Covid-19 work. NRC also implements activities together with other NGOs to extend its access to people in need. In Lebanon, NRC has nearly 450 staff and has its Country Office in Beirut and operations in Beirut/ Mount Lebanon, Bekaa, South and North. The budget for 2019 exceeded USD 33 million.

1. Role and responsibilities

NRC Lebanon is committed to ensuring that its beneficiaries and stakeholders have access to Complaints, Feedback and Response Mechanism (CFRM), which are the established processes through which the Country Office receives, addresses and responds to complaints and feedback. The Country Management Group approved the design of a CFRM in August 2018, and a significant amount of work has been done to date to clarify, set-up and roll out. The CFRM has three main objectives. The first and most important objective is to enable stakeholders, including individuals benefitting from NRC's assistance, to provide complaints and feedback to NRC and to receive a response. The second is to improve accountability towards beneficiaries and stakeholders. The third is to contribute to improve programme design and organisational performance. 

NRC Lebanon continuously assesses the design and management of the CFRM in NRC Lebanon to ensure consistency and high-quality standards. The Accountability Manager will ensure the CFRM is adapted to the local context in Lebanon, and the mechanism accessible, trusted and utilised. NRC Lebanon is also in the process of centralising its Core Competency helplines used to request information and services from NRC. The Accountability Manager will oversee the set-up and smooth running of the helpline function.

The Accountability Manager will work closely with the Core Competency Specialists, Programme Development Managers, Emergency Response team and Consortia to ensure communities influence decision-making, information is shared effective and transparent, and NRC is being held to account. The position sits within the Programme Support Unit, together with Grants, Monitoring and Evaluation and Protection, and will contribute to programme quality by feeding accountability learning and findings into the different project cycles. The Accountability Manager will furthermore contribute to creating a ‘safe to speak up’ culture, through producing periodic reports and analysis that can strengthen programming and increase overall organizational accountability to beneficiaries and the wider affected population. The Manager will additionally oversee donor reporting in line with NRC’s approach of zero tolerance to sexual exploitation, harassment, and abuse, as well as aid diversion. 

Generic responsibilities

1. Support efficient and transparent dissemination of relevant information to refugees, vulnerable Lebanese and relevant stakeholders and ensure communities influence decision-making.
2. Ensure NRC is being held to account through appropriate follow-up of received complaints, feedback and concerns.
3. Contribute to programme quality by monitoring accountability minimum standards in coordination with Monitoring and Evaluation and Protection.
4. Oversee the set-up and smooth running of the centralized helpline function for the CC and Emergency response programmes for request for services and complaints/feedback.
5. Produce periodic (internal and external) reports and trend analysis that can strengthen programming and increase overall organizational accountability to beneficiaries and the wider affected population.
6. Ensure that NRC’s related activities are implemented within NRC’s Protection mainstreaming guidelines and report any breaches/concerns to the line manager and/or focal point for proper action.

Specific responsibilities

• Management of the Accountability to Affected Populations Unit, including the Accountability Coordinator, Accountability Officer, and Helpline Assistants.
• Coordinate the operationalization of NRC’s Accountability framework in Lebanon and develop/update CFRM Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), guidelines, and reporting channels.
• Oversee and monitor accountability targets and activities in Core Competency and consortia projects.
• Support programme staff in identifying and addressing all CFRM related needs and formalising feedback loops within the project cycle and inform programme management decisions.
• Monitor the triage of complaints received by NRC, transfer to relevant parts of NRC, and ensure that complaints are responded to in a timely manner.
• Work with the Country Director, Head of Support, Investigations Officer, HR and Protection Advisor to ensure appropriate response to sensitive complaints received (Code of Conduct and SEA)
• Produce regular internal (and external) reports on trends in complaints, concerns, response procedures, and any other relevant issues.
• Further develop existing guidance and frameworks for Country Office procedures, policies and processes that assist in institutionalizing and supporting CRFM in the country.
• Build and maintain good working relations with staff from programmes, projects and consortia.

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Programme Management Unit, Consortia Management Unit, Head of Support, Area Managers
• Protection Advisor and Coordinators
• Core Competency Specialists, Programme Development Managers and Project Managers
• Monitoring and Evaluation and Grants Units
• HR and Investigations Coordinator
• Regional Office CFRM focal point

2. Competencies

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

A. Professional competencies

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

Generic professional competencies for this position:

• At least 5 years of experience in an international NGO preferably in an emergency or post-conflict setting.
• Solid experience in handling sensitive feedback
• Ability to present (sensitive) data and convey information clearly and concisely and identifying trends
• Fluency in both English and Arabic (speaking, reading, writing)
• Computer skills, including MS Office (Word, Excel)

Context related skills, knowledge and experience (shall be adapted to the specific position):

• Strong analytical and communications skills
• Ability to receive and handle confidential and sensitive information (highly approachable, trustworthy and confidential)
• Strong management skills (ability to demand results and be empathetic, non-defensive but decisive, firm and resilient)
• Experience and ability to train others and transfer knowledge
• Knowledge of the context in Lebanon / Middle East and NRC activities in the country / region, as well as knowledge of Arabic considered an asset.
• Familiarity with NRC’s core competencies is an asset

B. Behavioral competencies

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. The following are essential for this position:

• Working with people
• Influencing
• Analyzing
• Planning and delivering results
• Managing performance and development
• Handling insecure environments