Delegate, Community Engagement and Accountability

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally led humanitarian action. IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our work on values, power and inclusion. The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability.
IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centres and delegations across the globe.
IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.
This position is based in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), within the IFRC Country Cluster Delegation covering the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. Depending on operational needs and the evolution of the Bundibugyo Virus Disease (BVD)/Ebola response, the role may require frequent travel within the cluster countries and deployment to affected areas.
Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) is at the core of Red Cross and Red Crescent programming and operations. It is an approach geared towards putting people and communities, vulnerable to and affected by crisis, at the centre of what we do. It encompasses a set of activities that embed and integrate participation, communication, feedback and learning throughout the program cycle, in service delivery and in strategy development. The goal is to enable people and communities to lead and shape positive, sustainable changes in their own lives, communities and society.
The CEA Delegate will support the planning, implementation, and coordination of CEA activities, ensuring that affected communities are informed, consulted, and actively involved in response efforts. The position contributes to strengthening trust, community participation, and the effectiveness of humanitarian interventions through evidence-based feedback and accountability mechanisms.

The Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) Delegate supports the National Society and response partners to ensure that affected communities are at the centre of decision-making throughout the response. The role strengthens systems and approaches that enable communities to access trusted information, participate in decisions that affect them, express concerns and priorities, provide feedback, and influence response strategies and services. The Delegate works across operational sectors to ensure that community perspectives, experiences, and priorities are systematically collected, analysed, and used to inform decisions, strengthen accountability, improve programme quality, and build trust between communities and responders.

• University degree (in Communication or Social/Behavioural Sciences i.e. Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology or Health Education) or relevant experience is required.
• IMPACT or equivalent knowledge. Preferred

Required

• 3-5 years of relevant professional experience in CEA, communication for development, or social mobilisation for a humanitarian organisation;
• Experience responding to humanitarian emergencies, complex crisis or conflict situations. Experience of responding to food crises, forced displacement or epidemics in Africa an advantage.
• Experience setting up and managing tools for communicating with communities. For example, radio programmes, TV shows, SMS systems, community committees, social mobilisation or mobile cinemas and community dramas etc.
• Proven experience in planning targeted and appropriate behaviour change communication strategies.
• Experience setting up and managing accountability to communities’ systems. For example, feedback and complaints mechanisms, rumour tracking systems, or participatory planning processes.
• Experience of coaching and developing staff and volunteers to build long-term capacity and create ownership, including planning and delivering training courses.

Preferred

• Experience of designing and implementing assessments, community consultations, research and/or focus groups discussions.
• Experience working with Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies.

• Good planning skills, with the ability to identify areas for improvements in operations through the integration of CEA approaches and activities. Required
• Good coordination skills, with the ability to work with and engage people across multiple countries and cultures, both in person and remotely. Required
• Good knowledge of Red Cross Red Crescent disaster management cycle, including planning and response processes and procedures. Preferred
• Good knowledge of protection, gender and inclusion issues in emergency response operations. Preferred
• Highly motivated proactive self-starter, able to set and achieve goals using own initiative. Required
• Strong written, presentation, facilitation and training skills. Required
• Ability to multi-task and work under stressful conditions to meet deadlines.Required
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively (up to 60% of the time) to support field operations. Required
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and networking skills. Required
• Demonstrated core proficiency in (a) digital communication & collaboration, (b) basic digital content creation, (c) digital safety & security, (d) data literacy, and (e) problem solving with technology (including responsible use of AI assistants.Required
• Understanding of and commitment to IFRC’s mission and values. Required

Languages

Fluent spoken and written English. Required

Good command of French. Required

Good command of another IFRC official language (Spanish or Arabic). Preferred

• Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability;
• Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust;