JOB SUMMARY:
The Women's Protection and Empowerment (WPE) Coordinator is responsible for strategy development, program design and development, technical support to ensure quality implementation, standardization, monitoring and evaluation of all activities in the field of WPE. Primary duties will include strengthening the WPE sector and providing technical oversight of this program across all sites of implementation. The program is currently implemented in Lakes, Unity, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Central Equatoria states. Focus is on program quality, with program progress being monitored and evaluated against quantifiable benchmarks, and business development, to ensure sufficient funding for multi-year robust programming.
The WPE Coordinator reports to the Deputy Director for Programs (DDP) and is based in Juba with regular travel to the field.
Major Responsibilities:
Under the direct supervision of the DDP, the WPE coordinator will be responsible for overseeing the technical aspects of the program implementation and coordination, providing support to program managers to develop work plans and guide implementation of approved grants. Specifically:
1.Program Development:
•Design and coordinate the development of new proposals and initiatives for the IRC South Sudan WPE program in accordance with the country program strategic action plan, IRC program framework and IRC WPE strategies.
•Lead the development of sector budgets in coordination with grants and finance departments.
•Work collaboratively to integrate WPE with other program sectors where appropriate, specifically focusing on synergies with Health, Livelihood and Child Protection Departments.
•Work with DDP and the WPE team to strengthen the WPE sector in IRC South Sudan, defining the strategic direction of the WPE programming and establishing a Country Sector Strategy.
•Participate and provide inputs for the South Sudan strategic
•Liaise regularly with the relevant HQ technical units.
2.Program Management:
•Through regular field visits, support the program managers and field teams in the implementation and monitoring of the work plans ensuring that activities reflect the commitments IRC made to the donor and the community.
•With the support of the M&E Coordinator, develop and/or improve monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the WPE program, ensuring that WPE teams in the field actively monitor set indicators and evolving concerns of the target communities.
•Review progress in achieving program objectives and targets in collaboration with the program managers.
•Draft and review internal and external reports for the WPE team, with support from WPE managers.
•In collaboration with program managers, review Budget vs. Actual reports for WPE programs on a monthly basis.
•Bring any over/under expenditure issues to the attention of the Field Coordinators/Managers and SMT in a timely manner and jointly develop corrective plans in collaboration with the DDP and the Grants team.
•Is an active part of the Country Emergency Team
3.Staff Management:
•Provide ongoing training and technical support and guidance to the WPE team in the field and in Juba, and ensure all WPE staff adhere to best-practice principles in all aspects of program implementation.
•Establish regular and direct communication lines with all the program managers.
•Conduct technical interviews of candidates for WPE program manager positions
•Work with Field Coordinators to ensure technical aspects of the Performance Management System documentation for the program managers is in place and followed up regularly.
•Support Field Coordinators to ensure that program managers put capacity development plans in place for the WPE teams based on documented capacity needs assessments exercise.
4.Representation and donors relations:
•In coordination with the DDP actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders in South Sudan including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors.
•Establish networks with UN, INGOs, and local partners to promote technical capacity and develop strategic partnerships.
•Participate in inter-agency WPE forums at national and international levels.
•Represent the WPE program with national authorities, non-state actors, UN agencies, NGOs, and donors.
•Upon request by the Senior Management Team, organize and facilitate field visits for stakeholders interested in IRC's WPE programming in South Sudan.
Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: Deputy Director for Programs
Position directly supervises: 6 WPE managers
Other Internal and/or external contacts:
Internal: IRC-SS Technical Coordinators, Grants, Finance, HR and Supply Chain team, Field Coordinators, SMT. Interacts with IRC technical units and advisors at HQ level and with regional teams. Actively participate in global and regional WPE conferences, and leading sessions as required.
External: UN agencies, Donors, other non-governmental organizations, government bodies, inter-agency groups and clusters
JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
Education:
Bachelor’s Degree required, Master degree in international law, human rights law, international relations, Social sciences, Psychology or other related field strongly preferred
Work Experience:
•Minimum 5 years of experience in managing programs in the field of Women's Protection and Empowerment/GBV; previous experience in hardship locations with an INGO is a strong asset.
•Strong understanding of women's protection principles and likely protection concerns in the South Sudan
•Demonstrated experience in business development (including proposal writing) and in developing and managing budgets;
•Experience working with a diverse portfolio of donors and knowledge of specific donor guidelines (PRM, OFDA, UN, SIDA etc.)
•Previous experience in capacity building and staff mentoring
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:
•High degree of flexibility and ability to work under pressure against tight deadlines; Effective planning and organizational skills.
•Ability to travel to field location and be comfortable with basic living conditions
•Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English
Language Skills:
Excellent written and spoken English required.
Working Environment: Security level orange: The situation in the country remains tense and unpredictable; concerns include criminality, presence of armed troops, and looting. While a peace agreement was signed in September 2018, the situation is still uncertain. There are still pockets of active conflict in some parts of the country and a possibility for further expansion of violence into other areas and other states.
This position is based in Juba. Lodging is in a studio (private bedroom with bathroom and kitchenette) in a shared IRC guest house - with electricity, internet and cable TV. Food is the individual's responsibility. Field offices housing is more basic, i.e. in traditional huts or tents with separate shared latrines and showers. Movements are restricted and a curfew is in place.
Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional 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, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.
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
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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