WPE Case Worker

Requisition ID: req51142

Job Title: WPE Case Worker

Sector: Women Protection & Empowerment

Employment Category: Regular

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Hol Camp, Syria

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:  

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Today, 13.4 million people in Syria - more than half of the country's population - are in need of humanitarian assistance with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. Of these, 6.8 million are refugees and asylum-seekers who have fled the country. This is no short-term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes, and infrastructure will take years to repair.

IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1000+ staff in Syria Country Program. IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, early childhood development, education, women’s protection and empowerment, non-food items and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, protection and rule of law, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing modern humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding, and coordination.

Job Overview/Summary:

IRC has an established program supporting the needs of women and girls throughout Al-Hassakah and Ar-Raqqa Governorate in northeast Syria. The IRC provides direct counseling, psychosocial, and case management services to women and girls, with a particular focus on responding to the needs of survivors of gender-based violence (gender-based violence). The WPE Senior Officer is a roving position and will require regular weekly travel to field locations, directly supporting at least two sites of WPE activities. This position will oversee and support the day-to-day WPE activities in their designated sites in static centers and/or mobile locations. They will provide technical support and mentorship to the WPE team and, working closely with the WPE Manager/Senior WPE Manager, ensure quality services and implementation of PSS and group activities aimed at building social support networks, case management for women and girl GBV survivors, risk mitigation and risk reduction activities, community-based interventions and mobilization aimed at strengthening community acceptance and support for the program and prevention. This position is based in Al-Hasaka and will cover WPE activities in Aresha camp, Washokani camp and Serekanyeh camp directly supported and supervised by a WPE Manager, with technical support from the Senior WPE Manager.

Responsibilities:

Technical Quality

• Supervise and support the running of the WPE activities in your sites of operation through - 
• Ensuring that WPE program activities are women, girl, and survivor-centered, and adhere to standard methodology and GBV guiding principles, flagging any concerns to the WPE Manager in a timely manner.
• Conducting regular weekly in-person field visits and providing remote support to supervise the successful implementation of WPE activities in the designated area of operation, which may include camps, clinics, urban women’s centers, and mobile locations.
• Ensuring monthly site collaboration plans and weekly activity schedules are in place and updated, supervising progress with the WPE Officers, and ensuring weekly follow-up of activities against produced work plans.
• Supporting the WPE team to continuously supervise and assess risk across all their services, activities, and sites of operations, raising any concerns immediately in line with procedures.
• Meet regularly with the site teams to discuss, design, and plan community outreach, mobilization, and engagement activities; and support the team to identify, train, and mentor teams of community volunteers.
• Meet regularly with the other WPE Senior Officers and Managers to discuss programming progress, successes, challenges, and responsiveness of our program; putting in place an action plan and follow up.
• Support the team to develop Dignity Kit distribution plans and post-distribution monitoring; and provide as-needed support in distributions on site.

Case management support

• With technical guidance from WPE Manager or Snr WPE Manager, provide technical support to the case management team on high-risk and/or complex, difficult cases.
• Conduct weekly team case management meetings and individual supervision sessions with GBV Caseworkers at each site of operation.
• Review all case files with the Case Workers and ensure they are carefully and safely stored in line with the Case Management Protocol, data protection protocols, ethical standards, WPE and interagency guidelines, GBV guiding principles, and standard methodology; raise concerns to the WPE Manager as needed.
• Support the GBV Caseworkers to ensure they are tracking and following up on referrals conducted within the case management process.
• Ensure the WPE team is using functional, survivor-centered referral pathways and conducting safe, confidential, and appropriate referrals in line with standard methodology.
• Engage and advocate with health actors on the provision of safe and confidential access to crucial life-saving health services for survivors.

Monitoring and Reporting:

• Ensure GBV information generated from our services is handled in line with ethical standards, the GBVIMS guidelines, information sharing, and data protection protocols.
• In collaboration with the WPE Manager, continuously supervise activities, assessing their relevance to the needs, priorities, and interests of women and adolescent girls; raise any issues and make adaptations accordingly.
• Weekly activity summary reporting captured from the sites; then submit a consolidated weekly bullet point report (including no case data) to the WPE Manager; and raise any challenges or concerns immediately.
• On a weekly basis capture redacted case management data from the sites and update the master Program Data and Indicator tracker; submit in time with the deadline to the Snr WPE Manager, with the WPE Managers, to review.

Coordination:

• Collaborate with the Humanitarian Access team, security focal points, and WPE Manager to ensure smooth access for program implementation collaboration with local partners and the ability to implement programming in multiple locations and in line with humanitarian principles.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships where relevant with NGOs, UN agencies, and authorities.

Other:

• Other relevant duties as assigned by the WPE Manager to support the implementation and quality of the program.
• All IRC staff are required to adhere to The IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.

Qualifications

• A higher national diploma or university degree or other advanced technical qualifications in psychology, sociology, social work, education, or other related fields
• Minimum, 2 years of progressively responsible professional experience of GBV cases management, counseling, or PSS, preferably with women / girls.
• Previous experience in an emergency or conflict-afflicted setting is required.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values, and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct.
• Credible written, presentation, and verbal communication skills; ability to convey information optimally and proven experience providing training and staff development
• Validated a sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle sophisticated situations subtly and to effective resolution.
• Excellent management and communication skills and a solid ability to promote harmonious/cohesive collaboration, in a cross-cultural context.
• Validated ability to plan long-term, organize priorities and work under administrative and programmatic pressures with detail orientation and professional patience.
• Highly collaborative and resourceful; ability to establish positive working relationships with senior-level management and all other partners to improve collaboration and productivity.
• Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop, and a sense of humor are a must.
• Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to sophisticated matters while adhering to labor laws and internal policies.

Language/Travel:

• Arabic is required, while Kurdish and English are desired.
• Travel: 100% to field sites in 100% as well as attending regional and global workshops and meetings.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  WPE Senior Officer (technically),
Position directly supervises: None

Indirect Reporting (If applicable):
Key Internal Contacts:

Key External Contacts: 

Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.

IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.