Protection Coordinator - Women Protection and Empowerment

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Program Brief
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Since 2017, IRC has supported Rohingya Refugees and Bangladeshi nationalities communities in Cox's Bazar, Khulna, Barisal, and Chittagong with integrated services. The organization also addresses climate change impacts by building resilience and promoting economic recovery, education, and protection.

Purpose of the Role
The Protection Coordinator - Women Protection and Empowerment will contribute to and provide technical leadership, operational, and oversight across all WPE programming in IRC Bangladesh; lead the process to develop country WPE strategy, program guidelines, proposals,  concept notes and budgets, produce analytical reports for WPE projects, and regular technical visits to WPE teams working in all program areas to ensure that interventions are technically sound, in-line with international standard, methodologies, and are appropriately meeting the needs and priorities of women and girls, and female survivors in target communities. The coordinator with other protection (CP and PROL) and Health, ERD colleagues will contribute to developing and implementing country integrated programming framework to provide holistic response to population at risk. S/he is responsible for strengthening and building new partnerships as well as strengthening the capacity of key staff to enable them to take greater responsibility for overall management of the WPE portfolio in IRC Bangladesh.

Work Station: Ukhiya Office

Line Manager: Senior Integrated Protection Coordinator

Contract Length: Till 31st December 2026 (with a high possibility of extension)

Highlights of Key Responsibilities 
Program quality and implementation:

• Coordinate with Sr Integrated Coordinator to plan for Project Cycle Meetings, including inception meetings, implementation meetings, lesson learn meetings etc.
• Direct supervision and management of WPE team in close collaboration with Senior Integrated Protection Coordinator. 
• Ensure staff Care, management and development to promote program quality and implementation.
• Ensure that WPE team is fully oriented on project design, activities, LFA, MEAL, budget and other pertinent details. 
• Jointly with Sr. integrated protection coordinator and field coordinator, develop capacity building plan on various aspects of WPE.
• Provide cohesive leadership for the WPE portfolio, ensuring programmatic priorities and emerging opportunities reinforce IRC Bangladesh’s SAP.
• Coach, train, and mentor staff with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team, and providing professional development guidance.
• In coordination with the Partnership coordinator ensure that implementing partners’ capacity is assessed, partners’ capacity development plan develops, builds the capacity of partners, and provides coaching as appropriate
• Lead the process of producing analytical donor reports, give technical input and necessary feedback on the donor reports.  
• Seek guidance from IRC’s regional technical advisor, and lead, provide technical oversight, advice, and guidance on, all aspects of the WPE programming, ensuring high quality in-line with standard methodologies, and international standards.
• In coordination with the MEAL Coordinator, ensure that ethical and robust data collection and information management systems are in place to support high-quality GBV analysis, planning, evaluation, and advocacy. Lead efforts to document key learning, good practices, and emerging trends, and facilitate the effective dissemination of findings to inform adaptive programming and strengthen overall program quality and impact.
• Lead the process to develop program implementation guidelines, SOPs, training materials, etc. to ensure program quality.

Budget Management

• Lead WPE business development process by contributing actively to proposals, concept notes, and or EOIs
• Develop Budgets and participate in internal BvA meetings and with partners to ensure that grant(s) is on track, and all under/overspent are handled with proper planning.
• Collaborate with Grants department to ensure that programs are implemented according to donor guidelines and reporting requirements are met.

Program Development:

• Contribute to the IRC Bangladesh SAP, ensuring that GBV-related priorities for the Bangladesh Country Office are evidence-based and aligned with relevant humanitarian and development outcomes.
• Lead the development of WPE strategy in line with global safety strategic priorities and WPE core services offer, ensuring processes that incorporate input from WPE field teams, other sectors, and key external partners.
• Ensure effective delivery of WPE projects in line with results framework, budget, and targets
• Coordinate effectively with partners to ensure timely implementation of projects in line with the technical standards and guiding principles in WPE programming.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the overall country strategic action plan. 
• In coordination with Grants Coordinator, lead proposal development activities (narrative and budget) through planning and program design with relevant field-based staff, to ensure technical standards are taken into consideration before submission.
• Identify strategic partners (implementing partners; technical partners etc.) for potential collaboration and take part in partnership assessment process (due diligence) to select optimum partners   

Coordination, Representation and Advocacy:

• Dedicatedly participate in, and contribute to, coordination meetings and working groups, specifically the coordination forums.
• Dedicatedly build strong working alliances with other international and national actors/organizations working on VAWG-related advocacy.
• Develop strategic partnerships with local women-led organizations, wherever possible.
• Dedicatedly develop and maintain effective working relationships with other key partners, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors, maintaining IRC as a key contributor to addressing VAWG and WPE issues in the crisis.
• Dedicatedly seek to establish and develop partnerships and collaborate with the Bangladeshi women’s movement, women and feminist-centered organizations and initiatives to strengthen the response for women and girls and enhance their voices.
• Lead the process to generate evidence and document best practice practices and case studies. 
• Conduct GBV assessment, technical study, and participate in humanitarian needs assessment by GBV sector.

Integration:

• Dedicatedly contribute to protection integration strategies and outcomes especially ProL, child protection and with other sectors ERD, EPR, health, education) to provide relevant input and support enhancing the protection and empowerment of women and girls. 
• Actively contribute to protection analysis process ensuring the GBV risks and threats and vulnerabilities faced by women, girls and other at risks groups are taken into consideration

Other:

• Consistently and dedicatedly monitor/assess the safety and security of field teams, promptly reporting concerns or incidents to IRC management and liaising with other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment.
• Other duties assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.
• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC [team/office]
• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience in GBV with a specific focus on women and girls.
• Experience in integrated protection programming – GBV-Child protection, and protection.
• Progressive experience supporting survivors of violence.
• Experience managing implementing partners in humanitarian context.

Competencies: Knowledge, Skills & Abilities 

• Thorough understanding of the impact and dynamics of men’s violence against women and girls, and proven grounding in radical feminist, women and girl-centered, anti-oppressive practice with a strong commitment to trauma-informed, and survivor-centered approaches.
• Demonstrated experience in GBV prevention programming, including engaging men and boys as allies, facilitating transformative social and behavior change initiatives, and promoting community norms that advance gender equality, reduce and prevent violence.
• Experience in ensuring safe, meaningful, and inclusive participation of diverse clients across age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, and other intersecting identities, in line with safeguarding, protection, and inclusion standards.
• Proven capacity to apply Gender, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (GDEI) principles in program design, team leadership, community engagement, and decision-making processes.
• Previous experience in emergency preparedness and response, including leading rapid GBV risk assessments, designing and adapting crisis-response interventions, and ensuring effective multisectoral coordination and response in rapid changing humanitarian contexts.
• Demonstrated experience in coordination, networking and relationship building skills with key partners including government, donors, INGOs, national and local organizations, UN agencies.
• Strong experience in strengthening local systems and partnerships, including supporting localization efforts, enhancing local partner capacity, and promoting sustainable, community-led GBV responses.
• Demonstrated experience in successfully leading, building, and strengthening a program team of 40+ staff in fast evolving context.
• Proven experience in supervising, mentoring, and building capacity of GBV staff and fostering a culture of learning, accountability, wellbeing, and high performance.
• Strong experience, knowledge and skills in partnership management, participatory methods and community development.
• Proven experience working in emergency contexts.
• Thorough understanding of best practices and evidence-based strategies in GBV response (case management, psychosocial support,) socio-economic empowerment, adolescent girls, gender transformative approach, and GBV primary prevention and risk reduction.
• Knowledge of a range of relevant approaches and tools including GBV/IMS+, EA$E, , EMAP/EMAP+, SASA! Together, Girl shine, Women Rise, WGSSs and SAFE@HOME
• Ability to provide strategic direction and produce very competitive proposals.
• Strong leadership, program, staff and budget management and capacity building skills.
• Experience working in partnership with UN agencies and other actors.
• Excellent communication skills, cultural sensitivity, flexibility, ability to improvise, and a great team player.
• Ability to productively work under pressure while maintaining a sense of humor.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills; proven ability to prioritize and deliver on time.
• Ability to work both independently and in a dynamic, cross-functional global team structure.
• Proven ability to work well in and promote teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure with professional grace.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties

Language Preference

• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

Specific Educational Qualification

• Advanced/master’s degree in Women’ Studies, Social Work, Social Science, Human Rights or other relevant field or the equivalent in professional work.

Standard of Professional Conduct

The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality. In accordance with these values the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding (including PSEAH, Adult Safeguarding and Child Safeguarding), Anti workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti Retaliation.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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