The Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development (ACBAR) is an independent forum founded in 1988 in response to the demand from NGOs working with Afghan refugees in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan to more efficiently coordinate assistance and delivery of services. With its main office in Kabul since 2002, ACBAR brings together 211 National and International NGOs working in all sectors of humanitarian assistance and development in Afghanistan. Its activities focus heavily on information to its members and the aid community in general, coordination of activities at the national and regional levels, and advocacy on issues affecting the work of its members in Afghanistan. ACBAR has a mission to provide an efficient platform for members to carry out effective humanitarian, development, and peace building activities in Afghanistan. The members are the drive behind ACBAR, and their active participation is essential to ACBAR’s continued dynamism. 
The Accountability to Affected People Working Group (AAP) reflects the commitment by the Humanitarian Country Team, the Inter-Cluster Coordination Team, and UN and NGO partners to be accountable across all sectors to the people of Afghanistan. The AAP supports the application of global and national commitments to accountability.

RESPONSIBILITY SUMMARY

The AAP WG, chaired by ACBAR, is hiring an Afghan national to serve as National AAP WG Coordinator, who will build membership, raise awareness among and teach AAP skills to UN agencies, and national and international NGOs, and establish and maintain systems for AAP activities. This position will ensure longer-term coordination leadership to better support mainstreaming AAP into shorter-term humanitarian programming and longer-term development programming. It will also support the operationalization of top AAP priorities by utilizing an established network of local NGOs to ensure activities reach into communities, and are more relevant and sustainable. The AAP WG Coordinator is expected to be the key support person to both humanitarian actors and authorities, as possible, to build partnerships needed to reach affected communities. The AAP Coordinator should have strong coordination experience, and comprehensive local knowledge of key partners in Afghanistan. The AAP Coordinator is also expected to have solid knowledge of humanitarian operations conducted by UN agencies and or NGOs and Authorities, and a basic understanding of accountability and humanitarian principles.

ESSENTIAL TASKS

Essential tasks include the following:

• Provide leadership and guidance for the Afghanistan AAP WG in consultation with the WG chair and co-chair.
• With the chair and co-chair of the AAP, coordinate monthly AAP meetings organize presentations and activities in the meeting that further goals and objectives as articulated in the national AAP plan being written by OCHA Afghanistan; facilitate consensus building.
• Work closely with the HCT, the ICCT, individual cluster and working group/task force coordinators and donors; advocate for AAP inclusion (including budgeting) with response decision makers across clusters and provide strong technical expertise to all clusters.
• Coordinate with other relevant response entities and WG members to strengthen AAP questions and indicators in joint and individual organizational assessments. Coordinate joint information needs and communication preferences assessments and assessments of AAP (including community engagement) interventions.
• Support establishment of a community, face-to-face feedback-complaint-response channel and coordinate it with Awaaz Afghanistan telephone hotline to strengthen the inter-agency, response-wide feedback-complaint-response mechanism and make it as inclusive as possible.
• Coordinate common service mechanisms, support AAP projects, and provide clusters with the technical advice and guidance needed to create cohesive two-way communication and information provision to all affected community members, including marginalised and hard-to-reach populations.
• Track and coordinate awareness-raising and other AAP-related activities with clusters, individual organizations and thematic/cross-cutting working groups and task forces.
• Set, promote and expand common standards for the inter-agency feedback mechanism.
• Support collection, coordination, analysis and dissemination of data relative to AAP feedback mechanisms for use in decision making by AAP WG partners, NGO’s and CSO’s, UN agencies and other stakeholders.
• Work with clusters to develop appropriate accountability mechanisms and ensure implementation and reporting.
• Work with the OCHA Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) to ensure AAP principles, budgeting, activities and monitoring mechanisms are in all AHF project proposals.
• Facilitate and coordinate the development and dissemination of appropriate thematic and cross-cutting messaging.
• Attend key cluster meetings, subgroups, task forces, and other relevant response and development entities to ensure AAP activities and mechanisms are used in campaigns and responses.
• Encourage and facilitate a wide range of actors and agencies involved in all AAP output.
• Facilitate relationships and partnerships among agencies.
• Facilitate participation of local and national NGOs, as well as civil society organisations, in all WG activities; recruit additional national/local NGOs, especially those led by women, people with disabilities and other more marginalized people, to be active members of the AAP.
• With the WG chair and co-chair, support AAP sub-working groups and ensure their adherence to WG guidelines.
• Represent the AAP at coordination meetings plus national and international AAP, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Task Force, and Risk Communication and Community Engagement forums as needed.
• Make reports as required to the Inter-Cluster Coordination Team and the Humanitarian Country Team.

• Other relevant WG duties as assigned by supervisor.
  
  WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job:

• In Kabul office inside and outside
• In Kabul while with driver in vehicles and outside
• Travel to provinces required
• Work in other NGO offices required

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and/or ATTRIBUTES

• Demonstrated ability to work within a coordinated entity and collaborative activities in the humanitarian response.
• Strong coordination, negotiation, motivation, mobilizing, and facilitation skills.
• Strong computer/work processing and standard office software skills.
• Ability to think strategically, prioritize, and meet deadlines in a complex and challenging environment; must be culturally sensitive. Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and travel to the provinces in difficult security conditions.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY

Excellent writing and verbal skills in English and Dari/Pashto for reports and other communication with communities’ content. Ability to work well within and lead teams

EDUCATION, TRAINING and/or EXPERIENCE

Master’s degree from an accredited academic institution, preferably in communications, media, humanitarian, or development studies. Minimum of eight years of experience progressively responsible experience working in the humanitarian response in Afghanistan; demonstrated familiarity with humanitarian coordination infrastructure and/or the UN cluster system is preferred. Two-to-three years’ experience leading NGO systems for accountability, community engagement, and learning is required, with work supporting MEAL systems within in NGO setting preferred. Experience with collective and common feedback mechanisms, accountability strategies, and complaint processes in crisis-affected communities is an advantage. Data management experience, with familiarity of development and managing dashboards and using Power-BI and similar programs, is strongly preferred. Demonstrated experience with two-way communications, including focus group discussions, participatory community engagement, and use of media as a two-way communicating with communities’ tool. M&E knowledge and experience, including conducting surveys/assessments and analysing data is an advantage. Documented operational experience at a senior level of creating and managing AAP-community engagement activities, advocacy and outreach is an advantage. A demonstrated commitment to ensuring community representation and authentic participation in humanitarian and development programming, including of women and girls in Afghanistan.

If you possess the necessary qualifications and experience, we invite you to complete the form using the link provided below by July 25, 2025.  Interested applicants should submit a CV and cover letter.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Notes:

Please be informed that the written test and interview will be conducted only in person.

Job Application Form Link: https://form.acbar.org/app/form?id=o4vCAA