Programme Accountability Specialist for DCA, South Sudan

Are you a visionary and passionate professional within the space of programme accountability system. Do you have clear understanding of Accountability to the Affected Population (AAP) and the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) principles, processes, and implementation to DCA staff, partners, and project participants? Have you got solid experience in the humanitarian sector, that you can bring into the DCA Country Programme and ensure quality programming? Do you have experience in capacity strengthening of partners?

Then you might be our new Programme Accountability Specialist in DCA South Sudan!

DanChurchAid (DCA) is an International Non-Governmental Organisation with headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. The organisation was founded in 1922, and have country offices in 19 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Ukraine, and Asia.

DCA has been active in South Sudan since 2007 and works within the three Global Goals of DCA – Save Lives, Build Resilient Communities, and Fight Extreme Inequalities. We work across Upper Nile, Jonglei, GPAA, Central Equatoria, and Eastern Equatoria States primarily through national partners.

The Role:

The Programme Accountability Specialist will oversee the implementation of DCA South Sudan Accountability System. The incumbent will promote clear understanding of Accountability to the Affected Population (AAP) and the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) principles, processes, and implementation to DCA staff, partners, and project participants.

The incumbent is expected to spearhead the implementation of the strategies to achieve measurable improvement in community engagement, information-sharing, community participation, complaints, and feedback mechanisms and the CHS. The incumbent will also manage the DCA accountability database integrated into Power BI platform, routinely analyse community feedback trends, document the lessons learnt and best practices for internal and external learning as well as used in future project designs.

Specific duties and responsibilities

The duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Promote awareness of AAP guidelines within DCA and external stakeholders (partners)
Ensure the AAP system within DCA and partners upholds and mainstreams information sharing, community consultation and participation, complaints, and response to the affected population
Ensure that the core humanitarian principles are upheld in all aspects of the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning functions and the general project management
Ensure project participants and partners have constant access to information about DCA and partner projects and to channels that can process complaints and feedback with confidentiality and respond appropriately within the predefined standards
Operationalize the DCA accountability tracking systems, integrated Power BI dashboard and the Hotline Toll-free system
Facilitate project-level assessments to establish appropriate feedback and complaints mechanisms
Build the capacity of DCA staff and partners on the AAP framework, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and child-friendly accountability system
Monitor and report community engagements in project implementation, aimed at strengthening project ownership and improving accountability
Collate, analyze, and disseminate program accountability data to inform management decision-making process
Represent DCA in external engagements including the relevant Community Engagement and Accountability Working Groups.

Key outputs and responsibilities

Design and set up the accountability system

With the technical guidance of the Head of MEAL, ensure community feedback and complaints mechanisms are in place for each project. The specific assignments will include:

Conducting periodic accountability assessments and advice on the appropriate mechanisms for information provision, community consultation and participation processes, receiving feedback and complaints, responding to the complainants and partners in a timely manner
Work with the Communications team to support all the projects to design, contextualize and translate the relevant accountability information materials and share with the community to create awareness
Closely work with the Programme Managers, Sector Specialists and MEAL colleagues to ensure community feedback mechanisms are established and functional
Ensure partners procure and distribute appropriate tools and information materials to facilitate the functionality of the feedback mechanisms initiated
In collaboration with the local partners, facilitate the design of project level accountability frameworks
Develop and implement monthly accountability plans, ensuring all the projects develop and implement accountability work plans
Work with the local partners to ensure project participants are informed of project implementation strategies, beneficiary selection criteria, project timeline and entitlements for every project in the portfolio
Ensure appropriate logistics and supplies are in place and deployed in all the projects to facilitate the accountability systems.
Implement functional feedback, complaints and response mechanism
Ensure the community feedback and response mechanisms are well understood by internal and external stakeholders.
Provide guidance and advice to the partner staff in processing and handling feedback in line with the DCA standard policies and procedures
Ensure projects are compliant with accountability standards at project and program levels; enforce the implementation of DCA accountability SOPs
Ensure formal consultations with the project participants, local authorities and other agencies are held regularly to receive feedback on our project commitments and staff conduct.
Manage the accountability tracking database integrated into the Power BI platform, ensuring regular updates, data-entry, and documentation.
Ensure all complaints and feedback are entered in the database and kept up to date to ensure that the feedback loop is closed in a timely manner for every call
Mainstream the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) and Complaints Response Mechanism (CRM) in the project to enhance accountability.

Reporting and communication

Ensure DCA and partner projects are informed with updated accountability findings to support accountable programming:

Analyze community feedback paying attention to key trends and propose to management adjustments to current programming to align with community-identified needs
Closely work with other relevant colleagues across all projects, to ensure trends reported through the hotlines are kept track of, and that emergency cases are forwarded to the respective team.
Identify and analyze accountability lessons learned/best practice and share with relevant stakeholders to guide future design, policy and procedure formation
In close collaboration with the Programme Managers, organize feedback sessions to inform partners about issues identified and agree on appropriate actions necessary to address them.

Capacity strengthening

Develop and nurture appropriate capacities in the community and among DCA and partner staff to effectively implement accountability for improved project performance.

Provide periodic accountability training to the DCA and partner staff
Support the projects and partner in the development of field level information provision strategy
Mentor the partner staff on feedback and complaints handling process across South Sudan Programme.

Other duties

Performing other duties as may be assigned by the Head of MEAL and Programme Managers.
Ensuring compliance for all participants and beneficiaries in terms of data privacy, informed and signed consent, and data protection.

Required Competencies:

To be successful in this role the ideal candidate has:

Expertise and at Minimum of 5 years’ working experience in humanitarian emergencies, monitoring and evaluation with reputable humanitarian organisation and at least two years of working experience with the focus on mainstreaming accountability to the affected population in projects.

A bachelor’s degree within a relevant field

Technical qualifications required: Analysis using qualitative and/quantitative methods including use of participatory methods and tools for planning, monitoring and evaluation, and data visualization.

Professional technical skills desired: Knowledge of the SPHERE standards, Code of Conduct for Red Cross/Red Crescent, Humanitarian Accountability Partnerships (HAP); Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) and other international humanitarian standards and other capacity-building skills.

Experience in planning and managing surveys

Experience in developing and refining data collection tools

Experience with data quality assessments and oversight

Experience in managing and providing training to target beneficiaries.

Technical and language skills:

Excellent analytical skills

Good team player, flexible and capable of working with a multinational country team, and capable of working under pressure

Strong computer application skills, with good command of Kobo Toolbox and Power BI

Good organizational skills

Fluency in English, Arabic and the local languages in South Sudan.

What we can offer you:

The successful applicant will be offered a contract for One year with the possibility of extension dependent on both funding and performance.

The position is for South Sudanese nationals. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Expected starting date: 15.05.2026 or at earliest possible date after this.

Working hours: 40 hours per week.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, abilities or ethnic affiliation are encouraged to apply for the vacancy. DCA conducts an anti-terror check as part of the recruitment process. It is a prerequisite that you can pass this check and maintain this status throughout your employment with us. Everyone applying for a job with DCA must be ready to comply with our Code of Conduct, Staff Policy on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment and our Child Safeguarding Policy.

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