The Safe and Accountable Programming (SAP) Team, located within PCC, leads the Bureau’s work to ensure that beneficiary safety, accessibility, and accountability are central to every BHA strategy, policy, and program. The Team focuses on all aspects of humanitarian protection work that are cross-cutting in nature: the protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, accountability to affected populations, humanitarian protection mainstreaming and safe programming; and ensuring that issues of gender, age, disability, and diversity are included in all aspects of BHA humanitarian responses. The Safe and Accountable Programming Team focuses on beneficiary safety, with expertise in the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. The Team leads the bureau's efforts in its comprehensive approach to accountability to affected populations. The team also ensures that protection mainstreaming remains central to BHA's responses. The Team is responsible for ensuring inclusive programming in BHA's responses. The Team provides BHA staff and partners with guidance, tools, and direct technical leadership and assistance to ensure that the safety and protection of beneficiaries is foundational to every BHA response.
Job Requirements
The Accountability to Affected Populations and Community Engagement Advisor will serve as part of the SAP Team, which consists of Advisors in Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Safe Programming, Accountability to Affected Populations, and Community Engagement. S/he will also work with other elements of the PCC Division including advisors in humanitarian protection (child protection, gender-based violence prevention and response, and psychosocial support), and Gender, Age and Social Inclusion to provide a multidisciplinary approach to disaster response, and early recovery, risk reduction, and resilience. S/he will provide expert analytical and advisory support on BHA’s approach to community engagement and accountability to affected populations within a team and formulate sector strategies and recommendations for both response and disaster risk reduction, and provide technical support for TPQ, other offices within BHA and USAID, and to the interagency.
The Advisor will receive day to day guidance from the Team Lead for Safe and Accountable Programming and will collaborate closely with other advisors and specialists on the team to ensure that beneficiary safety, accessibility, and accountability are central to every BHA strategy, policy, and program; a comprehensive approach to accountability to affected populations; and that protection mainstreaming, and safe programming are integrated across all sectors of BHA's responses. The Team will provide BHA staff and partners with guidance, tools, and direct technical leadership and assistance to ensure that the safety and protection of beneficiaries is foundational to every BHA response.
Responsibilities
- Serve as an expert source of information on and analysis of community engagement and accountability to affected populations issues for BHA. Provide expert technical recommendations on all issues relating to SAP, particularly accountability to affected populations, community engagement, and safe programming/protection mainstreaming.
- Make recommendations on the formulation of TPQ’s AAP, community engagement, and safe programming technical and policy position and communicating the outcome through interactions with NGO partners, other donor agencies, the international humanitarian community, and other USAID staff.
- Conduct humanitarian programming assessments of BHA response efforts and recommend appropriate relief activities that adhere to cross-cutting protection requirements, while facilitating and coordinating USG emergency technical response activities with USAID Missions, other donor agencies, and the US Embassy.
- Advise regional teams and BHA partners on appropriate AAP, community engagement and safe programming strategies, including programming and advocacy recommendations, tailored to their regional context and protection needs.
- Provide technical feedback to BHA partners on the quality, relevance, and effectiveness of their programs, particularly as they relate to community engagement and accountability.
- Review and encourage inclusion of SAP principles and best practices in response strategies, project designs, applications, implementation plans, and other BHA documents.
- Coordinate with other PCC teams, TPQ and G3PC on the development and implementation of clear and concise policies, positions, and communications materials on safe programming, AAP, and community engagement in general
- Prepare TPQ senior management and BHA senior leadership, when necessary, to speak on AAP, community engagement and safe programming issues before UN bodies, NGOs, Congress, the interagency, media, and academic institutions.
- Represent BHA at donor and coordination meetings covering AAP, community engagement and other SAP issues.
- Coordinate with the various BHA and key USAID offices, (Add PPL/MEL for AAP) and the Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation, on AAP and safe programming issues.
- Coordinate with the State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration regarding the development of strategies addressing protection of disaster-affected populations, particularly on AAP and safe programming.
- Coordinate responses to relevant congressional and public inquiries and speak to various visiting groups about accountability to disaster affected populations.
- Coordinate with TPQ and PCC colleagues to develop internal protection policies, strategies, and program standards.
- Articulate relevant AAP and related protection policies to personnel within TPQ and BHA, USAID Missions and other USAID Bureaus, and to other USG agencies, donors, and implementing partners by participating in conferences, speaking engagements, and field visits.
- Increase the capacity of BHA staff to understand AAP, safe programming and community engagement principles and best practices.
- Deliver portions of the humanitarian protection training.
- Participate in assessment teams, Disaster Assistance Response Teams, Response Management Teams, and other office duties as requested.
- In collaboration with the Team, provide “in-service” brownbag presentations to USAID and BHA staff on current and agency-specific AAP, community engagement, and safe programming policies and priorities.
- Complete and execute an Individual Learning and Training Plan and Annual Work Plan.
- Participate in professional continuing education, skills trainings and professional meetings to enhance relevant technical skills and career development.
- Sign up for and serve as needed on Washington-based Response Management Teams (RMTs), which provide services and support to DARTs deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will vary;
- As needed, serve on Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment overseas for an extended period of time.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree and 7+ years relevant experience or Bachelor’s degree and 9+ years of experience in humanitarian assistance or related field.
- At least 5 years of professional experience with two or more technical disciplines (such as, social work, public health, community engagement or community development, social justice, and international law" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">humanitarian law, etc); job duties/responsibilities specifically related to SOW requirements.
- Understanding of key protection, beneficiary safety, and accountability issues related to displaced populations and other vulnerable populations and ability to represent the humanitarian and protection principles.
- Demonstrated ability to interpret strategy; to analyze, develop and present work results; and to monitor and evaluate implementation of programs.
- Background in implementing and managing operational research in humanitarian protection, safe programming, beneficiary safety or accountability to affected populations in humanitarian contexts desirable.
- Experience with design, implementation, and technical oversight over humanitarian programming desirable.
- Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environments.
- Strong written and oral communications skills, including the ability to write technical documents and give high level presentations to colleagues in and outside of USAID.
- Strong interpersonal skills and experience working effectively independently and as a member of a team.
- Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.
- US citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain secret clearance required.
