Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism (CARM) Intern at Mercy Corps Nigeria

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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism (CARM) Intern – THRIVE Program

Location: Jere, Borno
Employment Type: Internship
Length of Internship: 6 Months

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on adolescent girls’ empowerment, economic development, and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the Northeast of Nigeria and causing displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs. With funding from institutional donors, foundations and private corporations, Mercy Corps continues to aid and meet the basic needs of vulnerable populations in the areas of food security, shelter, water and sanitation, protection, and livelihoods.
• With the recognition of the protracted crisis in Northeast Nigeria, Mercy Corps’ strategy and expansion plans aim to address the root causes of the crisis and seek to build long-term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion and social protection, and youth empowerment with emphasis on adolescent girls and boys. With multiple funding streams from large institutional donors and foundations, Mercy Corps’ programs in Northeast Nigeria continue to scale up and serve communities by transitioning them from humanitarian aid to early recovery programs.
• A Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism (CARM) is an essential part of Mercy Corps' commitment to excellence and integrity, by providing individuals, organizations, local groups, and other stakeholders a means of raising concerns about potential staff misconduct or sharing feedback or programmatic activities (positive and negative) with Mercy Corps, independently from program operations. In the context of Nigeria, rolling out and implementing CARM will ensure that the Nigeria team will continue to uphold Mercy Corps' high standards of accountability.
• The CARM Intern will support CARM implementation primarily within the THRIVE program in MMC and Jere. The successful candidate will support the Country CARM Officer to the continued establishment, maintenance, management, and adaptation of CARM implementation and rollout of CARM into the THRIVE program.

Responsibilities
Implementation & Program Quality:

• Support the implementation and adaptation of CARM in the THRIVE program.
• Support to manage program-level feedback channels (helpdesk, suggestion boxes, community accountability community, community ambassadors, face-to-face).
• Regularly collect feedback from context-appropriate feedback channels.
• Log all feedback and responses in the CARM database.
• Support to refer sector-specific feedback to appropriate channels for resolutions. Ensure all feedback and actions taken are documented and response/resolution of the feedback is shared back to the informants.
• Ensure feedbacks are closed within the Mercy Corps’ CARM feedback grade turn-around time.
• Provide weekly CARM updates to the Country CARM Officer.
• Support in the development of work plan for the roll-out of CARM.
• Support to conduct routine CARM sensitization to community members. Ensure inclusive sensitization in all communities.
• Support the Country CARM team and/or local partners in designing and disseminating appropriate communication materials that promote the use of feedback mechanisms or transparency (hotline business cards, distribution signs, community signs and banners, etc.).
• Conduct field visits, and engage in CARM spot checks and trainings.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as required that may be assigned from time by the supervisor.

Learning Objectives

• This position will offer the intern an opportunity to understand what Mercy Corps stands for as well as understand the Humanitarian program in Borno State.
• Working in the CARM department, the Intern will be able to learn how to receive, document and manage feedback on the CARM database plan and prioritize work schedule in a fast-demanding work environment, in addition to working with participants of the different components of the program and the community in general.
• The Intern will work with other team members in THRIVE as well as other units and should be able to develop a good working relationship with the rest of the team.
• Major part of the job responsibility will be to support the Country CARM team with set-up and continuous management of context-appropriate feedback channels, CARM sensitization, feedback intake, and referral on the CARM database.

Deliverables
With the support of the Country CARM team, the successful candidate will:

• Regularly collect feedback from context-appropriate feedback channels.
• Log all feedback and responses in the CARM database.
• Refer sector-specific feedback to appropriate channels for resolutions. Ensure all feedback and actions taken are documented and response/resolution of the feedback is shared back to the informants within the turn-around time of each feedback grade.
• Engage in community sensitization and disseminate communication materials that promote the use of feedback mechanisms or transparency.
• Conduct CARM spot checks.

Qualifications

• A minimum of OND / NCE in a relevant field preferred
• Good organization skills.
• Ability to work under pressure
• Good oral and written skills and computer skills
• Strong computer skills on MS office programs
• Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa and Kanuri is required.

Working Conditions:

• The THRIVE program has lots of activities to be implemented that need to be completed within strict timelines. The Intern will be expected to work beyond the normal working hours some days and should be able to cope with pressure of doing every task fast, effectively, and efficiently.
• Office space, as well as working equipment is limited and Intern will have to cope with sharing space as well as equipment with the other team members.
• Mercy Corps Interns and volunteers represent the agency both during and outside of work hours and are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

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.

Application Closing Date
3rd October, 2022.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online