• Salary grade: D
• Reports to: Deputy Director
• Direct reports: Consultants and/or interns as required.
• Location: Preference for Geneva or London other locations considered for right candidate
• Mode of work: Hybrid
• Contract type: Open-ended contract - 80% to 100%
• Salary: 95’320CHF – 108’938CHF for a 100% Geneva based – salary adjusted based on location
• Starting date: As soon as possible

Background: 

People affected by crises have a right to voice their complaints to aid organisations and receive a timely and appropriate resolution to address their concerns. An effective complaints and investigation system is a crucial element for all organisations aiming to hold themselves accountable for their actions.

In the updating of the CHS, the importance of managing complaints remains one of the Nine Commitments, to ensure people and communities can safely report concerns and complaints and get them addressed (Commitment 5). This requires all organisations to apply a victim/survivor-centred approaches to investigate and address complaints and report any misconduct, including sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH). There is a lot of work that has been done, but as the data from CHS verification, we see there is a long way to go.

CHS Alliance provides several means of supporting organisations in their ability to handle complaints and investigations, specifically on having a victim / survivor centred approach to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. A critical imitative towards this is an ambitious project to strengthen the global capacity for conducting victim/survivor-centred SEAH investigation, with a particular focus on training more women and staff based in low- and low-middle income countries to become qualified investigators.

As part of this Investigator Qualification Training Scheme (IQTS), CHS Alliance will develop and set up a global investigation roster, to provide immediate expertise for organisations who do not have access to internal or local investigators. In addition, active learning and sharing Community of Investigators network for newly qualified investigators, to share feedback, provide support and identify gaps in the sector.

All these efforts are part of a wider and holistic series of CHS Alliance initiatives for a more accountable system, and to tackle Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), the SEAH Harmonised Data Collection and Reporting Scheme (HRS) and the Closing the Accountability Gap initiative that aims to give voice to victims/survivors of SEAH.

Job purpose:

This new position has been created to ensure that the CHS Alliance will be able to advance ongoing efforts in the sector for organisations to safely report concerns and complaints and to strengthen the sector’s capacity for conducting victim/survivor centred investigations. The person will play a key role in advising on and supporting the next steps for the IQTS project, including the Investigation Roster and the Shared Investigation Services, in close cooperation with the IQTS Programme Manager.

This is a senior advisory role which will require someone with strong network and relationship skills, to work closely across a wider range of internal and other external stakeholders working on complaints and investigations, including CHS Alliance members, donors, UN, consultants and other networks working on similar issues.

Key responsibilities for this role include: 

Representation and outreach

• Outreach to key stakeholders and representation in relevant bodies (e.g. IASC) to engage on sector wide improvements needed on complaints and SEAH investigations.
• Represent the Alliance in relevant coordination bodies, workgroups and task teams within the sector, pertaining to complaints and investigations to advance and ensure support for victim/survivor centred investigations.
• Influence practice and policy pertaining to investigations into SEAH through interaction and discussion with key stakeholders, including CHS Alliance members, UN fora, multi-lateral and bilateral donors.
• Lead on awareness raising and promotion of the IQTS to drive up standards regarding SEAH investigations.
• Inform and advise interested organisations on victim/survivor-centred approaches and how to strengthen their SEAH investigations and complaints mechanisms in accordance with CHS Commitment 5.

 Capacity support for organisations in relation to IQTS

• Ensure quality assurance for implementation of IQTS training scheme in close collaboration with Humentum.
• Adaptation and improvement of current IQTS training approach based on feedback and learning.
• Review and management of IQTS qualification maintenance scheme.
• In cooperation with the Programme Manager, support development of e-learning course on investigations for Managers.
• Development and set-up of a global/regional roster of qualified SEAH investigators.
• Development and management of Shared Services Investigation Model and related mentorship programme, in cooperation with Program Manager
• Coordinate a Community of Practice for newly qualified Investigators, in cooperation with the Programme Manager and expert consultants.

 Capacity support for organisations in relation to Complaint Handling

• Lead the existing CHS Alliance complaints mechanism designed to address complaints against CHS Alliance Member organisations and respond to complaints filed with the CHS Alliance Secretariat Complaints Working Group
• Provide support to organisations on establishing complaint mechanisms based on the CHS Complaint guide
• Develop other capacity support for organisations on complaint handling, building on training for organisations at national level
• Engage on inter agency best practice and support on complaint management

 Promotion of Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS)

• Promote the 2024 CHS and, in particular, requirements related to commitment 5.
• Promote the existing CHS Alliance best-practice guide on managing complaints and provide advice to CHS Alliance Members seeking to improve their complaints handling and investigation procedures.
• Provide strategic advice to ensure synergies and cohesion of IQTS with other PSEAH related initiatives implemented by the CHS Alliance.
• Help disseminate the work of the CHS Alliance through relevant social media channels or platforms, through conference presentations, workshops or other events, in collaboration with the communications team.

 Other

• Other responsibilities as assigned based on the needs of the CHS Alliance.

Key Contacts:

Internal: Deputy Director, Accountability Initiatives Team, Operations (Finance/Admin.) Team, Communications and Membership Team and Executive Director.

External: USAID (donor), Humentum, CHS Alliance members, international organisations, IASC and others as relevant.

Person Specification: