Integrated Protection Coordinator

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

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..

Job Overview/Summary:

The Integrated Protection Coordinator will provide overall strategic direction and management for the integrated protection program in Northwest and South Syria. The Coordinator will work closely with the Senior Program Quality Coordinator and Deputy Director of Programs and sector leads to implement within the context of a comprehensive integrated protection approach, inclusive of Women’s Protection and Empowerment, Child Protection and Protection and Rule of Law programming, through a mixed modality of partnerships and direct implementation. This will be guided by the country strategy which ensures coherence across the portfolio and a needs-based protection approach to service delivery for displaced persons and other at-risk populations.

Importantly, the Integrated Coordinator will lead emergency response efforts for Protection in the event of increased displacement, effectively leveraging IRC resources and capacities and adapting programmatic approaches where possible for the benefit for persons in need. The Integrated Protection Coordinator will have lead responsibility for the strategic development of partner relationships; for ensuring effective collaboration with partners based on principles of equality, transparency, responsibility and complementarity; and for ensuring that technical capacity strengthening support to partners effectively addresses their priority needs.

Major Responsibilities:

Program Management, Technical Quality, and Strategy

• Provide leadership and overall technical and management oversight to the integrated protection portfolio in Northwest and SouthSyria in line with the country strategy outcomes for Safety.

• In collaboration with Senior Management Team, develop and implement integrated protection strategies for Northwest and South Syria that enhances our capacity to efficiently and coherently deliver needs-based integrated protection services, and incorporating an appropriate balance of partnerships and direct implementation.

• Lead in the management of the protection team, including senior managers responsible for delivery of their respective pillars.

• Working closely with other sector leads (Health, Economic Recovery and Development and Early Childhood Development), ensure IRC’s ongoing integrated protection program reflects standards for best practice, quality, and innovation, and are responsive and adapted based on monitoring data to ensure implementation modalities remain context- and need-appropriate

• Ensure effective, collaborative protection partnerships with Syrian organizations that result in more effective, responsive and durable assistance that reaches more people

• Ensure that technical capacity strengthening support to partners effectively addresses their priority needs.

• Liaise with program sector leads, supply chain and finance staff to ensure timely payments, distributions and compliance for activities.

• Ensure smooth management and integration of project work plans and budgets (budget forecasting, development of spending plans and budget follow-up), timely recruitment, partner support plans, and accurate reporting in accordance with IRC and donor regulations

• Liaise with Technical Unit advisors to ensure relevant support, tools and resources are being provided and integrated into programming.

• Actively and meaningfully participate in all grant management meeting processes.

• Work closely with IRC’s advocacy and media teams, and the Violence Response and Prevention Technical Unit for the dissemination of monitoring findings and key messaging.

Program Development

• Identify, monitor and report unmet needs. Explore the potential of the IRC to address those needs within the parameters of the country strategy and sector priorities.

• Where possible expand the Northwest and South Syria integrated protection portfolio through development of concept notes and proposals to existing and new donors, maintaining a coherent integrated protection strategy across IRC’s areas of intervention.

• Support the identification of opportunities for integrated programming initiatives in support of service delivery and/or thought leadership in collaboration with country program senior management, business development staff and Technical Unit advisors. Collaborate with Syrian partners on the identification of business development opportunities, and the design of new interventions.

• Anticipate, plan and manage programmatic and structural transitions. In collaboration with the MEAL team, support integrated protection staff to develop and utilize relevant monitoring tools and adapt them to context.

• Support the development of business development skills and responsibility among the integrated protection team, with a particular focus on national staff.

Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development:

• Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of Integrated Protection team members in relevant technical and management competencies.

• Lead collaborative partner relationships focused on mutual learning and capacity building as well as technical guidance in areas of IRC expertise, including through recruitment, training/mentoring support and performance management that fully reflects the skills and attitudes required to work effectively in partnership

• Develop and implement remote management capacity building approaches to build the strengths of the team in Syria.

• Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.

• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.

• Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, at least monthly.

• As required identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies.

• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.

• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate. As part of succession plan and nationalization goals, identify, train and develop capability and capacity of national staff to successfully transition role and responsibilities, by the end of assignment.

• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures, and communicates through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.

Coordination & Representation

• As needed and in coordination with other protection sector leads and country program management, represents IRC in inter-agency forums and discussions.

• Regularly coordinate with internal program and operational stakeholders, the Protection/Rule of Law Technical Advisors, Women’s Protection and Empowerment, Children’s Protection, Economic Recovery and Development, Education and other IRC colleagues.

• Participate in relevant working groups both within and outside of the UN cluster system.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Directly Reports to: Senior Program Quality Coordinator

Indirect Reporting: Technical Advisors, Deputy Director of Programs

Position Directly Supervises: Senior Program Managers for Women Protection and Empowerment, Child Protection and Protection and Rule of Law, Cluster Co-Lead, IM/MEAL Specialist

Key Internal and External Contacts:

• Internal: Grants, Partnership and MEAL Departments, Health, Economic Recovery and Development and Early Childhood Development Program Coordinators, Country Director, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, Research Evaluation and Learning Technical Unit

• External: Protection Working Group/Cluster bodies, peer and partner agencies, donors