Common Feedback Mechanism (CFM) Administrator Analyst

Background

UN Women (UNW), grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women’s triple mandate, along with its global network and deep policy and programming expertise, continues to endow the Entity with a unique capacity to: (i) support Member States to strengthen global norms and standards for gender equality and women’s empowerment, and mainstream gender perspectives in other thematic areas; (ii) promote coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment; and (iii) undertake operational activities to support Member States, upon their request, in translating global norms and standards into legislation, policies and strategies at country level.

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). In line with the national priorities, the work of UN Women for the period 2023-2025 is aligned with three of the Palestine United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s (UNSDCF) outcomes:

•            Palestinians have greater access to economic opportunities that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, including decent employment and livelihoods opportunities in an empowered private sector.

•            Palestinians, including the most vulnerable, have equal access to sustainable, inclusive, gender responsive and quality social services, social protection, and affordable utilities.

•            Palestinian governance institutions, processes, and mechanisms at all levels are more democratic, rights-based, inclusive, and accountable.

Its three-year Strategic Note supports the efforts to achieve measurable results in country in terms of four UN Women global Strategic Plan impacts (2022-2025): (SP Impact 1). Governance and participation in public life; (SP Impact 2). Women’s Economic Empowerment; (SP Impact 3). Ending Violence Against Women and Girls; SP Impact 4. Women peace and security, Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Reduction.

After the escalation of hostilities following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Israeli and foreign nationals, and the taking of over 200 hostages, many of whom are women, the situation in OPT has changed dramatically. The Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory is targeting 2.7 million people in critical need of assistance across the OPT, where humanitarian needs have been driven by the protracted Israeli occupation of more than 56 years, 16 years of the Gaza blockade, and recurrent hostilities between Israeli security forces and Palestinian armed groups. Today, the Palestinians in Gaza are seeking to survive under an ongoing siege and heavy Israeli aerial bombardment and ground military operations. Close to 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, around 70 per cent of whom are estimated to be women or children.  In Gaza, the loss of life and severe humanitarian needs are at unprecedented levels. As of early 2024, the majority of the population of Gaza has been forcibly displaced on foot multiple times. The entire population of Gaza — roughly 2.2 million people — are in crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.

Violence has continued to spread beyond Gaza, with unprecedented number of Palestinians killed, including children, in the West Bank since the 7 October. Demolitions of public infrastructure and housing continue, and the revocation of Israeli work permits, and other movement restrictions have also significantly impacted the livelihoods of Palestinians in the West Bank. Beyond the severity of everyday needs, the immense psychological toll of the crisis on the population in the OPT is devastating.

UN Women’s response to the crisis in Palestine addresses women’s needs across Gaza and West Bank and structured around providing life-saving assistance to women and girls, strengthening accountability towards gender commitments in the humanitarian response and supporting the Palestinian women to influence decision-making at all levels. Through funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), UN Women is working on Strengthening Collective Gender Responsive and inclusive Accountability to Affected People (AAP) in OPT project through the establishment of a Community Feedback Mechanism (CFM) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The inter-agency CFM is a system encompassing communication channels that enable the affected population to communicate on needs, complaints, provide feedback and request for humanitarian assistance. It encompasses the procurement and adaptation of a Customer Relations Mechanism (CRM) to receive, host, manage inputs from different sources, an automated referral of cases, and analysis of trends in feedback. The holistic CFM will enable the tracking of the status of cases and aim at increasing the awareness of the available aid, services and CFM channels among the affected population and the generation of analysis to inform the evidence-based humanitarian response at country level. Covering the technical software, stand-alone tools, an interagency automated referral system and feedback/complaints channels, the CFM will provide a common solution to HCT and implementing partners.

Under the overall supervision of UN Women’s Special Representative and direct supervision of the Head of the Sub-Office in Gaza,   the CFM Administrator Specialist will work on Strengthening Collective Gender Responsive and inclusive Accountability to Affected People (AAP) in OPT project. The CFM Administrator Specialist will work closely with and supervise the CFM Manager. The position will be a key contribution to the setting up of a comprehensive community feedback mechanism, building on existing capacities, in a situation where the demands and feedback/complaints from the affected people in the OPT have spiked.

The incumbent will be directly supervising the CFM Manager and might oversee the work of AAP Associate as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

Coordinate and provide substantive technical support for the implementation and management of the inter agency AAP in the OPT.

• Coordinate the overall project work plan implementation according to the project document and work plan; provide technical inputs to the annual workplan and budget in relation to the AAP project.
• Oversee the procurement, management, and customization of the Customer relationship management (CRM) system to enable the operations of the community feedback mechanism, integration of different channels, ensuring that the follow up and closing the loop of both sensitive and non-sensitive cases is successfully conducted.
• Ensure all modification of the system is integrated throughout the project cycle based on the arising needs and experiences.
• Develop the stand-alone AAP CFM tools, including the interagency referral protocol, the population/ updating of the service directory, FAQs and other related tools; develop CFM Standard Operating Procedures.
• Work closely with the CFM manager on aggregating the feedback and community perceptions and insights and presenting them to county-level humanitarian leadership in a regular, systematic and coordinated manner to enable decision-makers to act upon them, and course correct and adapt the response accordingly.
• Ensure the CFM adheres to UN Women corporate requirements for a functioning CFM as well as personal data protection and privacy policies. To ensure the CFM compliance with SOPs, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) procedures and other corporate Ethics standards.
• Gather inputs and coordinate the preparation of work-plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to UN Women and donor.
• Conduct visibility and sensitization efforts to raise awareness of the CFM among affected people and community structures.
• Record and maintain documents on relevant project activities, issues, and risks.

Guide coordination with national partners and other stakeholders

• Lead and manage the AAP working group and ensure coordination throughout the agreed-upon AAP governance structure (NICCG).
• Participate in relevant inter-agency coordination and in technical working groups with relevant technical teams to translate CFM findings and trends analysis, into joint recommendations and immediate course-correction.
• Collaborate with cluster and subcluster working group coordinators and thematic coordinators, to ensure their active engagement and involvement in the setting up and operationalizing of the interagency CFM.
• Work closely with the CFM manager on follow up with relevant thematic coordinators and cluster coordinators on trends in feedback and complaints received through CFM channels to support programmatic adaptation and updating of the FAQs and tools accordingly.
• Coordinate relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the project, raise potential problems and suggest solutions.
• With the support of the CFM Manager and the responsible party partner, organize and coordinate AAP field missions to Gaza and the West Bank to reach the most vulnerable groups that cannot be reached through the hotlines, to collect data on needs, concerns, challenges in access to aid, and feedback on humanitarian assistance and programs. 
• Offer technical support to the training of humanitarian workers on the AAP and the use of the new community feedback mechanism.

Coordinate the monitoring and reporting of the project

• Establish systems for project planning, implementation and monitoring, in collaboration with partners.
• Coordinate monitoring and reporting for the project in collaboration with programme teams.
• Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting on the projects from the planning to the evaluation stages.
• Monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds; conduct regular monitoring visits, as required.
• Draft and provide inputs to annual and quarterly reports; coordinate the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports.
• Provide inputs from AAP project activities and results to UN Women Palestine Country Office reporting.

Manage people and finances of the project

• Coordinate development and preparation of financial resources of the programme including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting.
• Monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners.
• Act as a supervisor of the CFM Manager and part-time finance associate of the project.

Advocate and facilitate knowledge building and management and communication

• Document the project implementation process and products.
• Contribute to the exchange of information and provide inputs to the development of knowledge products internally and externally of the project as needed.
• Provide inputs to the development of partnerships and resource mobilization strategies.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is an office-based consultancy in Ramallah, Jerusalem, or Gaza.

Competencies

Core Values: 

• Respect for Diversity 
• Integrity 
• Professionalism 

Core Competencies: 

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues 
• Accountability 
• Creative Problem Solving 
• Effective Communication 
• Inclusive Collaboration 
• Stakeholder Engagement 
• Leading by Example 

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:  

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: 

• Strong knowledge and experience related to current policies and practices in the fields of gender equality, protection and humanitarian action, including humanitarian coordination. 
• Strong knowledge of the region.
• Strong networking skills.
• Ability to interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising.
• Ability to perform qualitative and quantitative policy research.
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings.
• Strong knowledge of programme development, implementation, results-based management and reporting
• Experience working with, and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and in the field is required.
• Experience leading and coaching staff is required.
• Excellent computer skills, including use of office software packages, spreadsheets and databases, and experience in handling of web-based management systems, is required.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in human rights, gender, international relations, international development, international law or other social science fields is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A project/programme management certification (such as PMP®, PRINCE2®, or MSP®) would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least 3 years of progressively responsible experience in designing and managing AAP programmes, with a particular focus on gender and protection in emergencies is required.
• At least 2 years of technical experience in inter-agency coordination, preferably AAP coordination and protection cluster coordination is desired.
• At least 2 years of experience in core humanitarian standards, accountability and community engagement practices and methodologies in the humanitarian sector.
• At least 2 years of working experience with Customer Relations Management (CRM) systems, and knowledge of the humanitarian coordination structure and information management is required.
• Experience working with the UN is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.