Complaint Feedback and Accountability Mechanism Officer

About the Role

• The CFAM Officer will help ensure that affected populations, programme participants, and other stakeholders have safe, accessible, confidential, and appropriate channels to provide feedback, raise concerns, and submit complaints about the organization's activities, staff conduct, services, and assistance.
• The post holder will support the timely receipt, documentation, referral, follow-up, and resolution of complaints and feedback in accordance with organizational policies, safeguarding standards, confidentiality requirements, and applicable donor commitments.
• The successful candidate will work closely with programme teams, the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) function, safeguarding focal persons, field staff, and community representatives to promote meaningful participation, transparency, responsiveness, and continuous improvement in programme delivery.

Key Responsibilities
Complaints and Feedback Mechanism Management

• Support the establishment, implementation, and continuous improvement of the organization's Complaints, Feedback and Accountability Mechanism across programme locations.
• Ensure that appropriate channels are available for community members and programme participants to submit feedback, suggestions, inquiries, and complaints safely and conveniently.
• Support the use of suitable reporting channels, including help desks, community meetings, telephone contacts, designated focal persons, suggestion boxes, and other approved mechanisms.
• Ensure that complaints and feedback channels are inclusive, accessible, culturally appropriate, and responsive to the needs of women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons, and other potentially marginalized groups.
• Regularly review the effectiveness of feedback channels and recommend improvements based on community needs and operational realities.

Receipt, Documentation and Tracking of Complaints:

• Receive, record, categorize, and track complaints, feedback, suggestions, and inquiries in the approved CFAM database, registers, or tracking tools.
• Ensure that all cases are documented accurately, consistently, and securely, with appropriate restrictions on access to sensitive information.
• Assign case reference numbers where applicable and maintain an up-to-date record of case status, referrals, actions taken, and closure.
• Distinguish between routine programme feedback, service-related complaints, staff conduct concerns, safeguarding disclosures, fraud allegations, and other sensitive cases to ensure appropriate handling.
• Follow established procedures for acknowledging complaints and communicating expected next steps to complainants where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Complaint Referral and Follow-up:

• Refer complaints to the appropriate programme team, management, safeguarding focal person, Human Resources function, or other authorized personnel in accordance with approved procedures.
• Monitor referred cases to ensure timely follow-up and appropriate action by the responsible personnel.
• Maintain communication with relevant teams to track progress while protecting the confidentiality and safety of complainants.
• Escalate overdue, unresolved, recurring, or high-risk complaints through the appropriate reporting channels.
• Ensure that complaints are closed only in accordance with established procedures and that feedback on outcomes is provided to complainants where appropriate and safe.

Community Engagement and Awareness:

• Conduct community sensitization on the purpose of the CFAM, available feedback channels, the complaints process, and the rights of programme participants.
• Explain how community members can raise concerns without fear of retaliation, discrimination, or loss of assistance.
• Work with community representatives, field teams, and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen awareness and trust in the organization's accountability systems.
• Ensure that information about feedback channels is communicated in languages and formats that community members can understand.
• Collect community perspectives on barriers to reporting and recommend practical measures to improve access, participation, and trust.

Safeguarding and Sensitive Complaints:

• Ensure that safeguarding-related complaints, including allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse, exploitation, and other serious misconduct, are handled in accordance with the organization's safeguarding policies and reporting procedures.
• Immediately refer sensitive or high-risk allegations to the designated safeguarding focal person or other authorized reporting channel without conducting unauthorized investigations.
• Apply a survivor-centred approach when receiving safeguarding disclosures, prioritizing safety, dignity, confidentiality, informed consent, and the wishes of the affected person, within applicable reporting obligations.
• Avoid promising absolute confidentiality where disclosure may be required under established safeguarding procedures or applicable law.
• Ensure that sensitive case information is not shared with unauthorized staff or entered into general complaint registers where doing so could expose individuals to harm.
• Promote awareness of the organization's Code of Conduct, safeguarding commitments, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and prohibition of retaliation against complainants and whistleblowers.

Confidentiality and Data Protection:

• Maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and security of complaints, feedback records, and personal information.
• Ensure that records are stored securely and that access is limited to authorized personnel with a legitimate need to know.
• Follow organizational requirements for data collection, retention, sharing, reporting, and disposal of sensitive records.
• Obtain and document consent where required before sharing identifiable information, while following applicable safeguarding and mandatory reporting procedures.
• Ensure that complaints are handled respectfully and impartially, without discrimination based on gender, age, disability, ethnicity, religion, or other personal characteristics.

Accountability to Affected Populations:

• Promote the organization's commitment to accountability to affected populations by ensuring that community feedback informs programme decisions and service improvements.
• Work with programme teams to ensure that beneficiaries understand programme objectives, eligibility criteria, selection processes, entitlements, and available services.
• Identify recurring complaints relating to beneficiary selection, assistance distribution, staff conduct, service quality, communication, or programme implementation.
• Encourage meaningful participation by community members in identifying concerns and proposing solutions.
• Support the organization to close the feedback loop by communicating relevant actions and improvements to communities in an appropriate and accessible manner.

Coordination with Programme and MEAL Teams:

• Collaborate with programme and MEAL teams to integrate feedback and accountability activities into programme implementation, monitoring, and learning processes.
• Share anonymized complaint trends and feedback analysis with authorized teams to support programme adaptation and evidence-based decision-making.
• Participate in programme review meetings and contribute accountability-related findings and recommendations.
• Support the use of feedback data to identify service delivery gaps, operational risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Coordinate with field teams to ensure that accountability procedures are applied consistently across locations.

Data Analysis and Reporting:

• Prepare regular CFAM reports on the volume, type, source, status, referral, and resolution of complaints and feedback.
• Analyze trends, recurring concerns, response times, and unresolved cases to identify systemic issues and recommend corrective action.
• Produce accurate, timely, and confidential reports for management and relevant programme teams.
• Ensure that reports use anonymized or aggregated data wherever possible and do not expose complainants or other affected individuals to unnecessary risk.
• Maintain updated dashboards, trackers, and other reporting tools to monitor the performance and effectiveness of the mechanism.

Training and Capacity Building:

• Support the orientation of staff, volunteers, community mobilizers, and other relevant personnel on CFAM procedures and accountability standards.
• Provide practical guidance on receiving complaints respectfully, recording information accurately, maintaining confidentiality, and referring cases appropriately.
• Support training on safeguarding, PSEA, the Code of Conduct, prevention of retaliation, and responsible information management.
• Identify capacity gaps among staff and community focal persons and recommend targeted coaching or refresher sessions.
• Reinforce the responsibility of all personnel to report concerns through approved channels and to avoid making unauthorized commitments or conducting informal investigations.

Monitoring, Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement:

• Conduct periodic checks of CFAM records, referral processes, feedback channels, and case-tracking tools to assess compliance with approved procedures.
• Identify gaps in accessibility, responsiveness, documentation, confidentiality, and complaint resolution.
• Recommend practical improvements to strengthen the effectiveness and credibility of the mechanism.
• Support internal reviews, programme monitoring visits, audits, and donor compliance checks relating to accountability and complaint management.
• Document lessons learned and good practices to inform the ongoing improvement of accountability systems.

Field Support and Stakeholder Coordination:

• Conduct field visits to assess whether communities are aware of and can safely access feedback and complaint channels.
• Liaise professionally with community leaders, community-based organizations, service providers, and other relevant stakeholders to promote accountability.
• Support field teams to address routine feedback and service-related concerns within their authorized responsibilities.
• Maintain neutrality and professionalism when dealing with complaints involving staff, community representatives, partners, or programme decisions.
• Ensure that community engagement activities do not expose complainants, staff, or other stakeholders to retaliation or other foreseeable risks.

Ethical Conduct and Conflict of Interest:

• Treat all complainants and stakeholders with dignity, impartiality, and respect.
• Declare actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest and ensure that complaints involving personal relationships or the officer's own conduct are referred to an independent authorized person.
• Refrain from suppressing, altering, dismissing, or improperly influencing complaints or feedback.
• Maintain professional boundaries and avoid making promises about outcomes beyond the officer's authority.
• Report suspected fraud, corruption, abuse, misconduct, or other serious violations through the organization's approved channels.

Other Responsibilities:

• Perform other accountability-related duties assigned by the supervisor, provided they are consistent with the position's purpose, competence, and organizational policies.

key Deliverables:

• Functional, accessible, and regularly monitored CFAM channels across assigned programme locations.
• Accurate, secure, and up-to-date complaint and feedback registers, databases, and case-tracking tools.
• Timely acknowledgment, referral, follow-up, escalation, and appropriate closure of complaints in line with approved procedures.
• Regular CFAM reports highlighting complaint trends, response times, outstanding cases, and recommendations for improvement.
• Documented community sensitization and staff orientation activities on accountability, complaints handling, and safeguarding referral procedures.
• Evidence that community feedback is communicated to relevant teams and used to inform programme improvements.
• Secure handling and appropriate referral of sensitive complaints in accordance with safeguarding, confidentiality, and data protection requirements.
• Practical recommendations to improve community access, confidence, and participation in the organization's accountability mechanisms.

Required Qualifications and Experience
Minimum Qualifications:

• A Bachelor's Degree or equivalent qualification in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Sociology, Psychology, Public Administration, Monitoring and Evaluation, Humanitarian Studies, or a related field.
• At least three (3) years of relevant experience in complaints handling, community engagement, accountability to affected populations, protection, safeguarding support, MEAL, humanitarian programming, or a related area.
• Experience maintaining accurate records, databases, complaint registers, case trackers, or other information management tools.
• Demonstrated understanding of accountability to affected populations, confidentiality, ethical conduct, and respectful engagement with communities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with diverse community groups.
• Good computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, email, and basic data management and reporting tools.
• Ability to handle sensitive information responsibly and work with discretion, impartiality, and professionalism.
• Willingness and ability to undertake field visits to programme locations, subject to operational and security requirements.

Desirable Experience:

• Previous experience working with a local or international non-governmental organization, humanitarian organization, or community-based organization.
• Experience supporting complaints and feedback mechanisms in health, WASH, nutrition, protection, cash assistance, or other humanitarian and development programmes.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), child safeguarding, and safe referral procedures.
• Familiarity with humanitarian accountability standards and principles, including the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), where applicable.
• Experience working with vulnerable or crisis-affected populations in Borno State or other conflict-affected settings in Northeast Nigeria.
• Experience analyzing feedback data, identifying recurring concerns, preparing reports, and supporting programme learning.
• Fluency in English and the ability to communicate in Hausa, Kanuri, or other relevant local languages will be an advantage.

Core Competencies:

• Accountability and Integrity: Demonstrates honesty, impartiality, transparency, and commitment to responsible complaint handling.
• Confidentiality and Discretion: Protects sensitive information and exercises sound judgment when handling complaints and personal data.
• Communication and Listening: Listens attentively, communicates clearly, and engages respectfully with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Empathy and Respect: Responds to complaints without judgment, discrimination, intimidation, or victim-blaming.
• Analytical Thinking: Identifies patterns, recurring concerns, and potential systemic issues from feedback data.
• Organization and Attention to Detail: Maintains accurate records, follows up on cases, and meets reporting deadlines.
• Problem-Solving: Identifies practical improvements while respecting organizational procedures and the limits of the role.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Works effectively with programme, MEAL, safeguarding, HR, and management teams.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Understands community dynamics and adapts engagement approaches to local contexts.
• Professional Judgment: Recognizes the limits of personal authority and refers sensitive or high-risk complaints through appropriate channels.
• Commitment to Safeguarding: Upholds the rights, dignity, and safety of programme participants and colleagues.

Application Closing Date
23rd October, 2026.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their updated CV and cover letter to:  using the job title as the subject of the mail.

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