Inclusion and Accountability Advisor

Inclusion and Accountability Advisor

Number of Vacant Position:1
Location(s): Mercy Corps Kathmandu office

Background:

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.
In Nepal, Mercy Corps began operations in 2005, and since then has implemented projects in the sectors of agriculture, food security and nutrition, financial services, youth engagement, and disaster risk reduction/ climate change adaptation. To date, this programming has reached over 900,000 people in 23 districts. We work with a range of donors in Nepal, and have been a trusted prime partner of choice for decades.

General Position Summary

The Inclusion & Accountability Advisor (“Advisor”) will lead Community Accountability & Reporting Mechanisms (CARM), Safeguarding, and Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion (GDI) work for the Mercy Corps Nepal (MCN) country office and program portfolio. The Advisor will oversee these various workstreams, as well as the implementation of the recently developed Safe, Diverse, and Inclusion (SDI) workplan and approach, which brings together these areas of work in line with Mercy Corps’ global Pathway to Possibility strategy. The Advisor will be responsible for tracking workplan progress, moving strategic objectives and activities forward, and critically, engaging a wide range of team members in this work – including leadership, relevant technical leads, and focal points and working groups – while also continuing to build engagement and ownership for this work across the country office. The Advisor will ensure an adaptive and participatory approach to their work overall that responds to team member feedback, the evolving needs of the country office, and learnings. The Advisor will also work with regional and global colleagues to share progress and learnings, incorporate best practices and guidance, and contribute to thought leadership efforts as well as the development of tools and resources.

Description

Essential Job Responsibilities

LEADERSHIP

• Oversee CARM, Safeguarding, and GDI workstreams including: ensuring the smooth day-to-day functioning of systems and processes, supporting relevant team members with related responsibilities, developing and reviewing tools and guidance, identifying shared priorities and avenues for collaboration and coordination, andidentifying challenges and problem-solving, elevating, and seeking support as needed.
•  CARM: Guide country-level CARM processes and tools (develop, revise, roll-out, orient, and build capacity), oversee and grade feedback received through CARM system and maintain database, support program-level CARM focal points, collaborate with MEL team to ensure feedback received through CARM informs programmatic adaptations.
• Safeguarding: Collaborate with Senior Safeguarding & Protection Officer on Safeguarding strategy and activities, support awareness-raising and adherence to global Minimum Standards, support with reporting and case management as needed
• GDI: Oversee implementation of GDI activities and adaptation, lead GDI diagnostic components as needed, and engage relevant colleagues which may include focal points, HR department/leadership, and SMT.
• Lead SDI workplan, approach, and working group, including tracking workplan progress, adapting as necessary (including annual revision), ensuring regular report-outs as outlined in the approach, and convening the SDI working group regularly.
•  Bring strategic vision to MCN’s SDI work, identifying areas for improvement and growth, which may include increasing integration across CARM, Safeguarding, and GDI, impact measurement, further incorporating programmatic gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) work, strengthening shared priorities, engaging partners and increasing coordination with the localization strategy, and other items based on country office priorities and needs.
• Develop tools, resources, and guidance as necessary to support workstreams and SDI.
•  Engage in relevant working groups and communities of practice at the country, regional, and global levels, as well as relevant groups and platforms in Nepal.
• Lead and contribute to knowledge products and thought leadership efforts.
•  Document processes, successes, and learnings and share out with country team, regional colleagues, and more widely (e.g. communities of practice).
•  Contribute to business development and proposal efforts, bringing SDI-related best practices and global minimum standards, learnings, and activities into program design; engage in design workshops, proposal review and feedback, budget development, and related discussions as needed (will vary by opportunity).
• Bring key principles to this work overall, including accountability, protection, safety and well-being, and do-no-harm.

CAPACITY STRENGTHENING & TEAM MANAGEMENT

•  Ensure relevant focal points and working groups are in place, functional, and receiving adequate support, including Safeguarding focal points and champions and CARM focal points; review and adapt structure as needed based on country office needs and staffing.
• Ensure that onboarding materials are up-to-date and new team members are receiving orientations.
• Work closely with Human Resources to SDI principles and responsibilities are incorporated in position descriptions and support HR with related workstreams including diversity and inclusion in recruitment, hiring, and retention.
• Support the Director of Programs to incorporate relevant Mercy Corps Minimum Standards in proposal development and program design as well as ongoing program implementation; work with teams on understanding and adoption of relevant standards (including Safeguarding and CARM) by providing orientations, ongoing refreshers, and monitoring progress.

SECURITY

• Work closely with the country office security lead to promote and maintain systems that support the safety and security of all team members, incorporating an inclusion and accountability lens.
• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Supervisory Responsibility: to be determined

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

Works Directly With: Program Managers, Nepal country office leadership, Head of Operations and Security, relevant focal points (CARM, Safeguarding, GDI, and GESI), HR Senior Manager, relevant technical leads and teams (CARM, Safeguarding, GDI, GDI), regional CARM, Safeguarding, GDI, and GESI Advisors

Knowledge & Experience

•  University degree or equivalent in social sciences, gender/women’s studies, anthropology, social work, or other related discipline.
• 5-7 years of professional experience related to inclusion, accountability, gender equality and social inclusion, protection, safeguarding, and/or development.
• In-depth understanding of gender, age, caste, and other significant socio-cultural factors in the context of inclusion, safety, and accountability – both with programming and internal operations.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize effectively, balancing time-sensitive tasks with longer-term strategic work, and to communicate these priorities to teams, colleagues, and leadership.
•  Experience advocating for related issues with colleagues and leadership and creating buy-in and ownership.
• Demonstrated ability to lead the collection, analysis, and utilization of information from a broad range of sources – incorporating participatory methods as appropriate – and synthesize this information into relevant products, including workplans, approach documents, and reports.
• Strong facilitation skills and ability to communicate confidently and present information/argumentation in a straightforward and persuasive manner.
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse team in a sensitive environment.
•  Demonstrated attention to detail, adherence to details, and ability to work independently and cooperatively with team members.

Success Factors

The successful Inclusion & Accountability Manager will have a strong technical background combined with leadership skills, project management capacities, and strategic thinking. They will have an ability to engage colleagues at all levels – including leadership – in inclusion and accountability, facilitating conversations and thinking around challenging but important topics, and leading the process of turning reflections and learnings into action. They will have experience in working with diverse teams and capacity strengthening, including with team members they do not directly manage. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving, attention to detail, and strategic vision are essential. They will have an ability to think creatively about inclusion and accountability, and to take an evaluative approach to trying new things. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in changing environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.

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. 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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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.

Application Deadline: Sunday 13th August, 2023

Source: Kantipur Dainik, 5 August, 2023

Tagged as: Kathmandu, Mercy Corps, NGO INGO