Field Coordinator

The Field Coordinator Karamoja leads the IRC’s program in Karamoja region and is responsible for supporting and coordinating timely and high-quality program implementation, with a specific focus in ensuring effective functionality of all the support functions of the program. The Field Coordinator supports the operational teams in the field site, ensuring that the Deputy Director of Operations is kept abreast of issues regarding adherence to agreed work plans and reporting schedules as well as full compliance to IRC’s policies in the areas of Finance, HR, Supply Chain, Security and ICT. The Field Coordinator provides administrative oversight over all program staff, ensuring that Technical Coordinators and the Deputy Director of Programs is kept abreast of issues pertaining to day to day program implementation and client responsiveness. The Field Coordinator will ensure that IRC is effectively represented in all urban coordination events, as well as oversee day to day management of staff safety and security during all phases of urban operations. The Field Coordinator reports directly to the Deputy Director of Operations and will be responsible for the following.

Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Planning

• Develop Karamoja focused operational plan to support the program activities and growth.

Field Management

• In close collaboration with programs and finance, review the operations master budget, to include key operational activities and assets within donor requirements.
• Monitor all staff in the field site to know and understand IRC’s global and in-country HR policies and the IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct.
• Initiate, document and address breaches of policy and disciplinary issues in coordination with the HR Coordinator in a professional manner and in line with the letter and spirit of the relevant policy.
• Supervise all staff in performing their duties efficiently and in a timely manner.
• Monitor the achievement against staff performance management.

Program Administration & Support

• Oversee day-to-day implementation of all projects, providing constructive supervision to the program managers to implement, monitor, and evaluate work plans as agreed with the deputy director of programs and technical coordinators.
• Oversee spending and targets set in project tools, including work plans, spending plans, and procurement plans, ensuring collaboration and coordination with finance, supply chain, human resources and IT departments.
• Chair the monthly Budget versus Actuals (BvA) meetings with the field finance lead, and in collaboration with sector technical coordinators to address any over/under expenditure issues through jointly developed corrective plans.
• Support integration across programs, facilitating regular coordination meetings and promoting active collaboration across sectors.
• Work closely with program managers to implement IRC’s client responsiveness initiative. Act as the focal person at field site for managing IRC’s client feedback register.
• Actively participate in grant meetings, sharing support needs with the operations and program teams in the IRC head office in Kampala.
• In close collaboration with technical coordinators, support the Karamoja team in proposal development efforts, including assessments, program design, and budgeting. Ensure key support needs for the urban office are budgeted in new proposals and contribute to and review budgets to ensure that they are reasonable and sufficient to cover operational needs of the urban office.
• Review appropriate M&E activities carried out regularly by programs and operations staff in all sectors (data collection & analysis, monitoring of progress against established work plans).
• In close collaboration with the MEAL coordinator, initiate the process of identifying gaps in M&E systems and make recommendations for improvements.
• Monitor that all project activities are consistent with established best practices and IRC’s program framework principles.

Safety & Security Management

• Monitor all staff and ensure proper understanding of IRC‘s security regulations.
• Document and address breaches of policy and disciplinary issues in coordination with the DDO.
• Monitor the security situation, attend security meetings and inform the DDO and SMT where appropriate, of developments through submission of accurate weekly and where needed ad-hoc security and incident reports.
• Participate in the review and update of the country Security Management Plan.
• Assist the DDO in developing field specific Contingency Plans, Medevac, Evacuation Plans and SOPs.

Representation & Coordination

• Represent the IRC with District Local Government (administrative, sectoral and security officials), non-state actors, beneficiaries, communities, UN agencies, NGOs, and donors at the Karamoja level. Engage and or delegate to program staff for sector representation as appropriate.
• Upon request by the SMT, organize and facilitate field visits for stakeholders interested in IRC’s response.
• Coordinate urban activities with relevant officials and other humanitarian agencies.
• Develop regular reports to keep partners and stakeholders informed of IRC’s activities.

Other

• Serve as one of the Strategy Assembly members by actively participating in any HQ-led meetings and discussions and disseminating to the country program.
• Continue to lead the W@W groups by providing overall leadership and liaising with SMT, as necessary.
• Continue to act as one of the lead Gender Equality (GE) Champions, working closely with the regional gender advisor and other IRC Uganda GE champions.

Key Working Relationships

Position reports to: Deputy Director of Operations