CARM ASSISTANT

Location:  Ramallah

Position Status:  Full-time  

Salary Level:  Grade 2A

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

As an organization, Mercy Corps is committed to accountability to all of our stakeholders, including the people we serve.  Mercy Corps takes a participatory approach in engaging with local communities throughout the program design and implementation. A Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) is an essential part of Mercy Corps’ commitment to excellence and integrity, by providing individuals, organizations and local groups a means of raising concerns about potential staff misconduct or sharing feedback on programmatic activities (positive and negative) with Mercy Corps, independently from program operations. In the context of Palestine, implementation and engagement of a CARM will ensure that the country team’s programs will continue to uphold Mercy Corps’ high standards of accountability

General Position Summary

The Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanisms (CARM) Assistant is a key position that will assist Mercy Corps’ Emergency Cash programs (ER) in Palestine. The CARM assistant will contribute towards the purpose of Mercy Corp’s CARM system to make programs more accountable, transparent, and responsive to citizen’s views and needs. Working under the CARM Officer, the CARM Assistant will plan and conduct sessions to create awareness on CARM purpose, platforms and access among stakeholders that include community members, local leaders, and partners. He/she will receive, classify, assign and follow-up on actions for suggestions, complaints and feedback received from communities.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Program Implementation:

• Receiving and answering CARM feedback through hotline (Calls, SMS) and document them in the CARM database on daily basis.
• Classify, translate, log and file in the CARM database and report suggestions and complaints received via CARM channels from beneficiaries.
• Follow-up with the feedback informant, when necessary, in case there is not enough details or missing information such as (location, names, age, phone number).
• Follow-up complainants for clarifications, collecting further details on complaints, actions taken and verification of actions on resolutions and closure of cases.
• Ensure the consistency of all logged feedback.
• Generate weekly updates about the status of all feedback received through the CARM channels and share it with the supervisor.
• Support the CARM Officer for data entry for logging the feedback and generating analysis monthly summaries.
• Conduct regular field visit to support the CARM Officers and conduct community sensitization sessions to create awareness and facilitate access to CARM platforms that include a hotline toll free number, SMS, helpdesk and in-person and complaints boxes.

• Participate in the training of community members, local leaders, and partners on CARM.
• Ensure CARM Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials are available at project sites and accessible to communities.
• Participate in regular CARM satisfaction surveys

Coordination and Reporting:

• Coordinate closely with ER program teams in planning to ensure visibility of CARM in all field activities
• Prepare regular activity ER reports including training, CARM feedback received and field monitoring visits
• Support the CARM Officer in analyzing the CARM suggestions and complaints received and preparing monthly reports
• Ensure accurate and safe filing of ER program documents
• Contribute to the documentation of CARM lessons learned and success stories.

Team performance

• Actively participate in team tasks to ensure effective performance
• Regularly provide feedback to the team to ensure responsiveness of CARM to changing context and concerns from communities

Logistics:

• Initiate the processing of requisite procurement needs for CARM activities following Mercy Corps’ procurement policies and procedures.
• Coordinate with program and MEL teams for required logistics to enable joint field activities
• Contribute to CARM requirements in monthly and/or quarterly procurement plans

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Keep his/her supervisor, Security Focal Point and ER Program Manager updated with regard to the security situation, and any security incidents, in the project implementation area.
• Maintain the highest standards of behavior when working with the project beneficiaries.

Accountability to beneficiaries:

The CARM Assistant is required to support efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Organizational Learning: 

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Supervisory Responsibility
-N/A

Accountability

• Reports directly to: CARM Officer
• Works Directly with: ER Program Teams, MEL, Cash Teams.

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

Knowledge and Experience

• A College qualification in communications, customer care, community development or other related fields
• One year’s work experience working with communities in roles that include mobilization is preferred, monitoring and evaluation, call-center management, and customer care
• Strong organizational & interpersonal skills.
• Effective multi-tasking and prioritization skills are necessary.
• Good communication skills including knowledge of spoken and written English.
• Good data management skills (collection & analysis)
• Report writing skills.
• Intermediate computer literacy, especially in Excel.
• Good judgment and commitment to adhere to MC policies
• Strong ability to work with and deal with diverse individuals

Success Factors

Strong ability for maintaining strict confidentiality and security of all feedback received. Ability to build relations and networks with local and international organizations implementing similar sector activities. Ability to take initiative, multi-task and meet deadlines. Demonstrating a high professional standard of work ethics as well as the willingness and ability to enforce compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies. Strong commitment for teamwork and accountability. Adaptable to evolving and changing environments. Effective written and verbal communications.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world's most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply online HERE no later than 14:00 on Thursday, 06 June 2024.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.