CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND
The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Inside Syria, 6.1 million people are internally displaced and 13.1 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, with three million in hard-to-reach areas. There are 5.4 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries. 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. With an annual regional portfolio of $90 million, supported by more than 2000 staff and workers in the region, IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. Inside Syria, the IRC is specifically focused on health, cash assistance, education, child protection, women’s protection and empowerment, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding and coordination.
Job Overview/Summary
The IRC plays a leading role in protection sector coordination through the Whole of Syria framework. The WoS Protection Sector Co-Lead coordinates humanitarian protection action through the three active hub level working groups in Gaziantep, Damascus and Amman, the NGO Forum in NES and directly with Lebanon and Iraq XB actors. Close engagement with local actors through established coordination structures across the country helps bridge the gap between senior level UN/INGO decision making and the needs and priorities of actors implementing programs inside of Syria.
The Whole of Syria (WOS) Protection Sector Co-Lead will work together within the Whole of Syria (WOS) Protection Sector Coordination Team (i.e. the WOS Protection Sector Coordinator appointed by UNHCR) to ensure a harmonized, coherent and complementary approach for the response to the needs of Syrian people delivered through the three protection sector/cluster groups working from inside Syria, Jordan and South Turkey. He/She will act in accordance with principles laid out in by the Global Protection Cluster, the IASC guidance for Cluster Coordination and the Transformative Agenda protocols.
The Whole of Syria (WOS) Protection Sector Co-Lead will report to the IRC Deputy Regional Director, and will sit within the Middle East Team.
Major Responsibilities
The main role of the WoS Protection Sector coordinator falls within the six core Cluster Functions:
(1) Effective Service Delivery;
(2) Inform strategic decision making;
(3) Plan and develop strategy;
(4) Monitor and evaluate performance;
(5) Develop contingency plan/preparedness; and
(6) Advocacy.
He/She will be working with the WOS Protection Sector Coordinator and the WOS Protection Sector Information Officer (both appointed by UNHCR) to perform the following duties:
•Coordinate with other WoS Sector/Cluster coordinators at the regional level and other regional stakeholders. To encourage and support NGO participation in the coordination of protection responses, and ensure ongoing contact with hub level stakeholders and existing coordination mechanisms, including international NGOs and the civil society, is done through the relevant protection coordinator at the hub level. Outreach to partners working from Lebanon is done directly by the WoS team.
•Supervise (technically) and support the NES (North East Syria) Protection Working Group Coordinator and the Protection Cluster co-leads for NWS and SS (the NES Protection Working Group Coordinator has a dual reporting line to the IRC Deputy Director Cross Border from Iraq and the Protection Cluster co-leads report into the Integrated Protection Coordinator for Western Syria)
•Hold regular inter-hub coordination meetings with the leads/co-leads of the protection sector working group/clusters at the hub level every 6 weeks.
•Ensure protection sector/cluster hubs respond in a harmonized, coherent and complementary manner to the protection needs of all Syrians across the country and independently from their location of residence or socio-cultural background.
•Assist in proactively coordinating cross-line and cross-border programming to ensure complementarity of assistance.
•Assist in leading the harmonization of protection information management tools and products of the three hubs.
•In coordination with the hubs, identify humanitarian protection needs of the target populations by planning and coordinating joint, WoS multi-sectorial assessments, and analyzing the information as needed and determined by the Inter Sector Group (ISG).
•Assist in supporting the maintenance and cross-learning among sector/hubs of monitoring, response and reporting mechanisms on protection issues and trends analysis in order to inform programming and advocacy by the WoS protection cluster/sector
•Assist in supporting the SSG and WoS-ISG in the design of evidence-based advocacy strategies on protection concerns
•Collate from each hub and disseminate common plans of actions and other information related to the protection sector in regional sit-reps and/or regular Protection Bulletins and other information products.
•Represent the WoS Protection Sector at the ISG at the regional level, contribute to jointly identifying critical issues that require multi-sectoral responses, and plan the relevant synergistic interventions, including advocacy, with the other clusters concerned.
•Assist in leading joint WoS Protection Sector contingency planning for all hazards, in line with protection cluster standards for contingency planning.
•Assist in providing support and strategic direction to WOS protection cluster/sector in the development of the protection sector components of HNO (Humanitarian Needs Overview), PMR (Periodic Monitoring Report), FTS (Financial Tracking Service), HRP (Humanitarian Response Plan), and other interagency planning and funding documents that are part of the IASC Humanitarian Program Cycle.
•Provide surge coordination support to hub level cluster/sectors as required.
•Promote adherence to relevant technical standards, best practices international human rights law and humanitarian law by all protection cluster/sector working group partners in the hubs taking into account the need for local adaption. Promote use of the Global Protection Cluster Guide to ensure the application of common approaches, tools and standards.
•Facilitate the mainstreaming of protection/gender/age/disability mainstreaming into humanitarian action undertaken by other Sectors and provide support to or request support from other Sectors as necessary
•Identify urgent training needs in relation to technical standards and protocols for the delivery of key protection services to ensure their adoption and uniform application by all Protection Sector/Cluster partners in the hubs and coordinate the dissemination of key technical materials and the organization of workshops or in-service training.
•Ensure appropriate links among humanitarian actions and longer-term protection sector plans, incorporating specific risk reduction measures and durable solutions into longer term plans.
Key Working Relationships
Position Reports to: Deputy Regional Director
Indirect/Technical Reporting: N/A
Position Technically Supervises: NES Protection Working Group Coordinator, Protection Cluster Co-Leads, for Protection Clusters of Jordan & Turkey Hubs
Key Internal Contacts: Director of Public Affairs, Regional Protection TAs
Key External Contacts: Whole of Syria Protection Sector Coordinator (UNHCR); Whole of Syria Information Management Officer (UNHCR/IMMAP); hub level Protection Cluster Coordinators, Co-Leads (UNHCR and co-lead agencies); Coordinators of protection sub-groups (child protection, GBV, and mine action); OCHA Regional and Hub Offices; other WoS Coordinators and Co-leads from different sectors; Protection Partners in Lebanon; Donors representatives
Job Requirements
•Post graduate degree in protection related field
•Minimum of 5 years proven experience working on protection issues in humanitarian environments, including provision of technical advice to field teams;
•Excellent understanding of protection issues in emergency situations and detailed knowledge of humanitarian principles, guidelines and laws and the cluster system
•Experience leading, co-leading or participating in protection cluster/sector meetings, with Protection Cluster Coordinator training preferred;
•Strong facilitation skills and experience of developing facilitation skills in others;
•English spoken and written fluency, including report writing skills.
•Demonstrable experience in advocacy and high-level negotiation skills.
•Strong experience with information management as related to the protection sector, including maintaining standards of impartiality and confidentiality with data of a sensitive nature
•Excellent leadership, coordination, capacity building, planning and analytical skills;
•Excellent representation skills including the development of strong interpersonal relationships to facilitate communication within the cluster;
•Able to work successfully under pressure and ability to make timely decisions;
•Excellent written and spoken English, Arabic is an asset;
•Experience in Syria and/or in the region is preferred.
•Extensive travel to Iraq (Erbil), Lebanon, Syria (Damascus, NES) and Turkey, up to 50%.
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.
Attention Returning National Candidates: IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national 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.
Working Environment: The overall security situation in Jordan is relatively calm, especially in Amman. The Jordanian government is stable, and civil unrest is largely peaceful. However, Jordan’s generosity in hosting refugees from Palestine, Iraq and now Syria have created huge strains on the country’s economy and infrastructure. The IRC office is in a modern professional building.
IRC is offering this post as fully accompanied for the successful candidate and accompanying dependents including: rest and relaxation leave, vacation leave, home leave, education allowance, housing, water, electricity, internet connectivity, and other generous benefits. Modern amenities (protection care, international schools, etc.) are readily available.
Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.
IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
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