Social Support and Accountability Officer (7 persons)

IWCIDA is a nationally operating, nongovernmental and not for profit organization established in the year 2004 with the certificate and license number, 0107. It is devoted to bring about developmental changes in its operational localities in collaboration with indigenous local community and government bodies, as well as, international and national agencies committed to reduce poverty. In its strive to achieve its development objectives , IWCIDA, in collaboration with Palladium Group, is planning to implement a project titled “NPI EXPAND Project” in four woredas of Southwest Ethiopia People Regional State (TerchaZuria & ZabaGazo woredas of Dawuro Zone, and Amaya &Chida woreda of Konta zone).The project will work to improve the quality, availability and demand for family planning (FP) and maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services in aforementioned woredas through intervention of Social Accountability Activities with particular application of Community Score Card (CSC) tool. Henceforth, ILu would like hire qualified professionals on the following positions.

Job Summary

The purpose of the Social Support and Accountability Officer is to create and promote accountability system among project target community, FP/MNCH service seeking behavior, analyze complaints and provide feedbacks for program improvement with the objective of enhancing FP/MNCH services in project operational areas. The job holder will report to the project manager of IWCIDA. In consultation with the supervisor and in collaboration with other project staffs she/he develops annual implementation plans, monitor complaints, facilitate enabling environment, create accountability and identifying findings and lessons learned. He/she establishes and maintains effective working relationships with NPI-EXPAND Ethiopia staffs, key government partners and NGOs working in the geographic areas.

Responsibilities and tasks

Responsibility # 1: Project Implementation 

• Facilitate project baseline study in respective operational Woredas in collaboration with other project team.
• Organize and conduct community dialogues, in tandem with HEW and HCWs, by using social accountability tool (community score card).
• Closely work with primary health care staff to provide necessary support for successful implementation of planned action in step 6 of community score card.
• Strengthen and/or establish school girl clubs among the upper primary schools adjacent to health post targeted for the project.
• Facilitate enabling environment kebele/health post level conducted 1-30HDA doing the community score card in collaboration with health extension workers.
• Support health extension workers and health care workers of targeted primary health care unit in preparing school girls tailored key FP/MNCH messages.
• Facilitate enabling school girls club and support orientation on FP/MNCH key indicators using pertinent posters, leaflets and audio messages.
• Follow and support of school girls clubs delivery of key FP/MNCH messages to their sisters, mothers and neighbors using pertinent posters, leaflets and audio messages.
• S/he will build capacity of implementing project teams to mainstream and develop accountability practices and mechanisms into programming.
• Facilitate town hall woreda level interface meeting in collaboration with the project team and pertinent woreda health office and primary health care unit staff.
• Organize school level school girls club SA sensitization jointly with respective school directors, girls club focal person teacher and health extension worker.
• Identify and formulate accountability findings, lessons learned and recommendations to be integrated into planning and reporting efforts of project activities.
• Inform communities regarding their entitlement, on FP/MNCH service in special terms, to be consulted make complaints and provide feedback to service providers
• Ensure project staffs and communities follow COVID-19 protections measures

 Responsibility #2: Partnership and accountability

• Ensures productive relationships are established and maintained with implementing partners, governmental and non-governmental organizations at all levels and with expert institutions;
• Continuously monitor the ‘heart beat’ of strategic partners (including the beneficiaries of the project) and devise mechanisms to ensure feedbacks feed into accountability of all institutions horizontally and vertically;
• Proactively develop and maintain a good learning platform with all stakeholders and ensure that good practices are shared widely;

Responsibility # 3: Learning, documentation and sharing

• Identify, record and share lessons on program processes, practices and results with internal staffs, implementing partners and other stakeholders;
• Organize opportunities and forums for experience sharing and learning;
• Prepare and maintain up to date information on Social accountability activities, results and community based accountability systems;
• Prepare reports as deemed necessary.

 Responsibility #4: Leadership and representation

• Contribute to transparent, participatory, supportive and accountable management and decision making processes;
• Actively participate and support programmatic coordination and synergy;
• Contribute to a healthy working environment;
• Contribute to cohesive team spirit among staff and partners, while ensuring the achievement of the program objectives;
• Represent IWCIDA and other implementing partners on government coordination meetings at different levels;
• Exhibit and model behaviors consistent with IWCIDA’s principles, values, vision, mission and a good sense of ownership and leadership for gender equity and empowerment;
• Proactively seek feedback, work towards improving working conditions and relations and solve issues brought to her/his attention promptly.
• Maintain effective and positive communications internally, with NPI-EXPAND Ethiopia staffs and other stakeholders at all levels;
• Pay attention to ensuring that the project implementation process per the standards and are accountable to beneficiaries and to actively engage beneficiary communities as equal partners in the monitoring and evaluation of the project initiatives.

Education, Experience, Technical Skills and Competencies

• Required: BSc/BA in public health, nursing, psychology, sociology, social work or related fields
• Experience: 3-5 years of work experience related to partnership and/or accountability; out of which 3 years either in social accountability, social worker or community based project facilitator.

Technical Skills

• Excellent planning, organizational, analytical and decision making skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, Amharic and other local language spoken in project operation woredas
• Excellent- demonstrated analytical skill in the field of partnership, understanding of different stakeholders and a progressive worldview of mutual respect, downward accountability, social justice and equality;
• Proficiency in computer (Word, Excel & Access);
• Effective interpersonal skills, maturity, intuitive, tact and a high sense of responsibility,
• Ability to work harmoniously with people of different educational, cultural and technical backgrounds;

Competencies:

•  Respect, accountability, courage, and excellence), building partnerships, and managing performance for success, initiating action, interpersonal skills, contributing to team success, pro-active problem solving and organizing, good temperament and good sense of humor.