ERM Protection Research Coordinator

Kabul

Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
Location: Kabul
Grade: Mid level - Mid level
Occupational Groups:
- Scientist and Researcher
- Managerial positions
- Protection and rule of law
Closing Date: Closed

Requisition ID: req7202

Job Title: ERM Protection Research Coordinator

Sector: Protection and rule of law

Employment Category: Fixed Term

Employment Type: Part-Time

Open to Expatriates: Yes

Location: Kabul, Afghanistan

Job Description

IRC has been providing support to the Afghan population since 1988, providing both humanitarian and development assistance to vulnerable communities households.

Job Overview/Summary: The ERM protection Research coordinator is responsible to review the current tools and approaches for cash programming in Afghanistan focus primarily on mainstreaming protection into cash delivery, enhancing compliance with donor/organizational standards and avoiding unintended harmful consequences. Given the fact that the current protection systems are primarily designed for static populations who have access to formal protection services. Communities themselves, however, are often providers of first-line protection assistance and are able to devise responsive, mobile, community-based protection systems – often needing limited additional injection of resources. As part of reserch deliverables under the current ERM9 contract, the position holder will engage in operational research to examine how current approaches to cash programming can be leveraged to support communities to strengthen, build and scale shock-responsive community based protection systems.

The position holder will build on the Safer Cash tool, existing research on leveraging Cash for Protection, and ERM 9 practices to research, co-design, and pilot a shock-responsive community based protection model with ERM beneficiaries.

To this end, the position holder will carry out research to support the following outputs:

1.Summary report including key findings, limited case studies, initial protection-focused cash program design framework

2.Modified package of protection and cash tools for piloting in Afghanistan

3.Approach implemented with targeted number of beneficiaries. Summarized research briefs in line with schedule for community-check ins

4.Final report created by position holder, package of revised tools, revised cash for protection program approach, evidence base and case studies, recommendations for way forward.

Major Responsibilities

Research Methodology to be adopted by position holder:

The methodology for the operational research will integrate a mixture of desk based research, KIIs and FGDs with community members, participatory revision of existing inter-agency

Protection tools, piloting of modified tools, and a final evaluation of intervention impact on protection outcomes of targeted communities.

Tools for primary data collection will developed by IRC Afghanistan Protection team, with the input from the Afghanistan Protection Cluster and Cash & Voucher Working group. Data collection will be conducted with a range of local stakeholders, primarily focusing on local community leaders and vulnerable populations. Data will be disaggregated by gender and age and will be collected primarily through KIIs, FGDs and collaborative design workshops.

The Protection team and position holder will collaborate to lead on data analysis and drafting a final report including a summary of key findings, protection-focused cash program design framework, a final set of Cash and Protection tools, series of summarized research briefs, and recommendations for programmatic design and future implementation cash/protection programming in Afghanistan.

Other responsibilities /deliverables

Activity	Approach
Review of existing Cash Transfer research	Desk Review of Secondary Sources: Desk based-review to examine current literaturerelated to community preference for cash modalities, community perceptions of risks related to cash programming , community perceptions of impact of cash on meeting immediate and longer term humanitarian and protection needs Information Gathering with communities: Conduct community level KII and FGDs[1], disaggregated by gender and age, to fill knowledge gaps, gather additional community input on how to modify existing cash program to support shock-responsive community based protection approaches[2]. Support at the field level to be provided by the Protection Rule of Law and Child Protection Managers, with technical oversight from the Integrated Protection Coordinator. Summary Report:Consultant to develop summary report including key findings from desk based research, limited case studies, initial protection-focused cash program design framework
Revision of existing Protection tools[3] to reflect community input to create inter-agency package of tools available to all protection actors.	Collaborative workshop with communities: Based on report findings (see above), review existing tools and highlight where modifications can be made in line with community preference and implementation feasibility. Prioritized consideration to be given to meeting emergency triage for protection needs, community engagement, and building community ownership and sustainability Revised Protection/Cash tools: Utilize workshop findings to finalize a modified package of protection and cash tools for piloting
Pilot implementation of agreed tools and stress test assumptions of community co-designed model[4]	Implement Protection/Cash tools: Pilot enhanced cash/protection approach in two provinces determined at focus group discussion stage, gaining community permission to longitudinally monitor protection outcomes—at individual and community level. Pilot and data collection to target beneficiaries receiving basic-cash package and basic-cash package plus additional protection support[5] Develop series of implementation briefs: Check-in with communities according to research schedule to review impact of cash/protection intervention and develop research briefs on preliminary findings.
Joint community-IRC evaluation on pilot outcomes	Validation workshop: Conduct validation workshop to review and validate findings of operational research with community members via lessons learned workshop. Event organized with community
Develop final report	Final report and summary package of tools: Final report based on summary of findings from validation workshops to be written by consultant. Report should include package of revised tools, revised cash for protection program approach, short case studies, recommendations for way forward

[1] FGDs and KIIs will be held with those who receive cash assistance (either through ERM or other humanitarian programs)

[2] Approaches should be scalable to include 1. How current cash programming can support better protection outcomes 2. How additional protection-specific cash envelops can enhance community-based protection systems (formal and informal)

[3] Including APC, ERM Protection, Safer Cash tools. Intention is not wholesale revision, but streamlining of tools in line with community feedback and preference

[4] This may be Individual Protection Assistance (IPA), community based protection committee quick action funds, in-kind assistance or a combination based on feedback from the community in discussions and co-design stage.

[5] To be discussed: This can be tied to existing IPA budget and/or drawn from research budget

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to: DDP- Afghanistan

Position technically supervises: N/A

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Protection Team, Operations Team

External: ERM Partners, Coordination forums in Kabul

Qualifications

•Proven experience in a similar complex emergency content

•Willing to work in a restricted and insecure environment

•Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, Master’s degree preferred

•Three years’ experience implementing similar programming in an emergency or complex emergency context

•Some experience with Protection and Rule of Law programming is important; Demonstrable knowledge of and commitment to women’s protection and empowerment, and child protection.

•Applied experience in case management, protection monitoring, and developing and implementing protection referral structures

•Strong team and people leadership, management, organizational and development skills

•Strong program and budget management skills including planning and reporting across multiple grants

•Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties

•Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure effectively and productively

Working Environment

Position is based in Kabul and must comply with IRC Afghanistan’s security protocols.

Professional Standards

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the 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.

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