Coordinator, Route Based Programme (Maternity Cover)

Vacancy No.S18189Category of ContractInternationalPosition TypeInternationalApplication Deadline04/08/2026Job Posted On27/07/2026Duty StationNairobi, KenyaCountryKENYAGradeD2Duty Station StatusFamily Duty StationAccompanied StatusNon-AccompaniedDuration6

Organizational Context

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 Lumpa); 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.

Addressing the humanitarian needs of migrants and displaced people—people on the move—is one of five global strategic priorities for IFRC, as reflected in Strategy 2030. IFRC has a long-standing commitment and experience in providing humanitarian assistance and protection to people in need. The strategy strengthens assistance and protection to people on the move, including along migration routes, and invests in research and transformative partnerships to better meet needs, prioritizing the most in need, the most vulnerable, regardless of who they are, what they believe in, or their status under legal and policy categories.

Consistent with IFRC Global Strategy on Migration 2018-2022, in August 2021, IFRC launched a global route-based programme to strengthen assistance and protection to people on the move along land and-sea based migration routes. The global programme currently engages 57 National Societies: 15 in Africa, 22 in the Americas, 13 in Europe, and 7 in MENA. In Africa, Europe and MENA, the programme aims to assist and protect over 2 million people on the move and over 500,000 people in host communities. In the Americas, the programme aims to assist and protect over 2.2 million people on the move and people in host communities. The programme has three operational pillars: (1) improving access to direct humanitarian assistance and protection to people on the move along migration routes, including through Humanitarian Service Points (HSPs); (2) Strengthening local and national capacities of National Societies; and (3) Undertaking evidence-based local and global diplomacy to foster enabling policy and operational environments.

Across the Africa Region 17 National Societies have expressed a willingness to engage in opportunities the Programme offers and to reflect ongoing and new activities under the 3 Operational Pillars. This includes engaging regional migration and displacement network and sharing information on NS engagement in the 3 Operational Pillars including people to be reached, and background situational context: migration and displacement dynamics, relevant routes, needs and challenges, and programmatic activities to date.

Job Purpose

The Route-Based Programme Coordinator will be the focal person responsible for overall coordination, programme management, and monitoring and reporting of the global route-based migration programme in the Africa.

The role will oversee and support the 17 National Societies part of the global route-based migration programme in Africa to plan and implement the programme in line with its strategic aims and the 3 operational pillars (as detailed above); consistent with:

  • the priorities of the National Societies;
  • the humanitarian needs of people on the move in the region;
  • the Movement’s fundamental principles and IFRC’s policies and strategies on migration and displacement; protection, gender and inclusion (PGI); Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA), among others.

The role is responsible for profiling the regional work under the Programme both within the Movement and externally with partners and other actors, including through different communications mediums. The incumbent will ensure a strong alignment with the regional Operations Coordination set up for DREF and Appeals addressing emergency needs in context where the Programme is already being implemented. The role holder will also ensure that the Programme is promoted, and its operational modality understood amongst the Movement strongly dissemination and understanding of the Programmes operational modality under Agenda for Renewal and New Ways of Working across IFRC network both within and outside the Secretariat.

The incumbent will support engagement with partners and donors, and resource mobilization efforts to operationalize and sustain the Programme in the region and is responsible for developing regional programme documents and action plans based on Implementing National Societies plans and aligned with the global set up.

Furthermore, the job holder will support evidence gathering; knowledge production; documentation of lessons and learning; foster exchange, collaboration, and coordination, including to facilitate a route-based approach, and strengthen the evolution and improvement of the programme globally to reflect the unique strengths and capacities of the IFRC network.

The Regional Route-based Programme Coordinator is a core part of the Global Coordination Cell of the Programme. The role holder will play an active role in the global coherence of the programme and will represent the Africa region in this set up.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

The role will work with key local, regional, and global stakeholders. This includes consultation and coordination with relevant managers and technical leads in IFRC Regional, Cluster and Country offices.

The Coordinator’s specific duties are:

  • Map bilateral and multilateral migration and displacement programmes in the region that could potentially contribute to the route-based migration programme or folded under its umbrella.
  • Provide overall coordination and monitoring and reporting of the global route-based migration programme in Africa, and programme management where applicable, in line with the strategic aims of the programme and its operational pillars and ensuring alignment with IFRC’s strategies and policies (including migration and displacement, CEA, PGI), and consistent with priorities of National Societies, and the humanitarian needs of people on the move.
  • Oversee and support National Societies to plan and implement, the global route-based migration programme in Africa, in line with the strategic aims of the programme and its operational pillars, including by supporting the conception, development and implementation of projects and activities under the programme and by strengthening the capacity of National Societies to implement a route-based approach.
  • Develop, define, and implement a regional coordination structure, including relevant roles and responsibilities to support the implementation of the programme, involving focal persons from implementing and partner National Societies and partner National Societies, as well as sub-regional and regional migration focal persons.
  • Oversee and support National Societies to monitor and report on the global route-based migration programme in Africa, including by supporting National Societies to set up and maintain relevant monitoring and reporting systems in collaboration with relevant Regional Office colleagues.
  • Monitor and report on programme implementation in the region and support global reporting and Information Management (IM) under the programme, maintaining an overview of the region’s activities, funding streams and plans under the programme, and developing or adapting relevant reporting indicators as necessary and appropriate to address donor requirements.
  • Facilitate the sharing of regular updates, experiences, lessons, and exchange within and between the National Societies implementing the programme in the region and relevant partner National Societies, as well as with other regional and global coordination structures, including by documenting good practices, standards and learning and keeping relevant Country and Cluster Delegations and Regional Office colleagues aware of the programme and its progress.
  • Develop, and support the development of tools, guides, reporting and evaluation criteria, research, and other learning materials on the programme, including in collaboration with relevant colleagues in other regions and at the global level.
  • Coordinate with and support resource mobilization focal points in the region to map potential donors, facilitate coordinated outreach and generate resources for the programme, including to create sufficient resources to sustain the coordination structure for the programme and to recruit relevant positions.
  • Develop resource allocation criteria and allocation of budgets when necessary to allocate unearmarked or multilateral funding to participating National Societies in the region and support the Regional Office and National Societies on contracting processes.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

  • Monitor, develop and share evidence and knowledge on migration and displacement situations in the region, including humanitarian needs along enduring and evolving migration routes, working closely and collaboratively with National Society focal persons and other relevant colleagues.
  • Conduct outreach and facilitate the engagement of National Societies interested in joining or contributing to the route-based programme, coordinating with relevant colleagues in Country and Cluster Delegations, as well as at the regional and global levels.
  • Promote the profile of the route-based migration programme in the region and the work of the IFRC network more generally at relevant forums and networks, and through different communications mediums, including in coordination with relevant communications colleagues.
  • Coordinate regularly with the Migration Programme Coordinator (Geneva) on overall strategic coordination and implementation of the route-based programme in the region to facilitate and promote a Federation-wide approach and promote Federation-wide efforts and achievements under the programme, including by providing and preparing materials for updates, resource mobilization, information dissemination and advocacy purposes

Education

  •  University degree in political or social sciences, international law, international relations, human rights or equivalent.
  • Advanced (Master’s level) degree in political or social sciences, international law, international relations, human rights or equivalent preferred

Experience

  • At least 5-7 years of work experience in the area of migration and displacement, preferably with a humanitarian organization.
  • Good knowledge and relevant work experience in the regional context.
  • Experience coordinating projects or activities on migration and displacement.
  • Experience in project management cycle (proposal writing, log frames, financial management, monitoring, reporting, evaluation).
  • Experience of working for the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

  • Effective team and project management skills.
  • Excellent oral, written and presentation skills.
  • Creative, results and solutions orientated.
  • Good mentoring and capacity development skills.
  • Good research, information analysis and report writing skills.
  • Ability to work well in a multicultural team.
  • Ability to work with autonomy.
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication and networking skills.
  • Time management and organisation skills.
  • 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
  • Understanding of and commitment to IFRC’s mission and values
  • Fluent spoken and written English
  • Fluent spoken and written French.
  • Good command of another IFRC official language (Spanish or Arabic) preferred.
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