Economic Recovery & Development (ERD) Coordinator

The IRC started operations in Cameroon in 2016 to respond to the increasing concerns for people affected by violence linked to Boko Haram, in the far North of the country. Assistance to displaced populations extends across the far North, notably Mayo Sava, Mayo Tsanaga and Logone & Chari, delivering lifesaving programming to increase access to water and improving hygiene practices in vulnerable displaced and host communities, cash programming to enable poor families to meet basic needs and improve food security, and protection programming, including meeting specific needs of women and girls. Following the increasing crisis in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, the IRC expanded its operations into the South West region in August 2018, and North West in December 2019, delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance to internally displaced populations. The IRC’s field offices are located in Maroua and Kousseri in the Far North, Buea in the South West, Bamenda in the North West, and a representation office in Yaoundé.

IRC Cameroon is committed to continue to provide essential humanitarian services, with a focus on safety in communities and ensuring affected populations can meet their basic needs, whilst also building the resilience of beneficiaries, especially women and girls. IRC Cameroon is funded by European and American donors.

Scope of Work

IRC seeks a dynamic leader and programme strategist to fill the role of Economy Recovery and Development (ERD) Coordinator. The ERD Coordinator will lead and oversee all the ERD components of IRC Cameroon’s program portfolio, including directing strategic planning, project design, integration into other sectors, implementation and supervision of staff. The ERD Coordinator will identify specific growth opportunities for ERD programs including cash and voucher programming, agriculture and livestock, micro and small business development and access to informal and formal financial institutions. The ERD Coordinator will also support the development of a long-term strategic vision for ERD programming in Cameroon within the IRC Cameroon Strategic Action Plan. He/she will serve as the key liaison with local and international implementing partners, Food Security Cluster, Cash Working Group, and the Government of Cameroon, the Private Sector and other stakeholders. The position reports to the Deputy Director for Programs (DDP), with technical supervision of the ERD Managers in Buea, Kousseri and Maroua. This position is based in Yaoundé with frequent trips to field offices in Buea, Maroua, and Kousseri field sites (at least 50% travel to field offices).

Main Responsibilities

1. Program Strategy & Program Development

• Provide strategic direction, leadership and overall technical and management support to the Economic Recovery & Development (ERD) programming, ensuring it is needs-based, context-appropriate, in line with international best practice, responsive, coherent, collaborative, and operationally feasible;

• Ensure inputs into country-level Strategic Action Plan (SAP), ensuring a contextualized strategy for ERD activities, in close collaboration with Deputy Director for Programs (DDP);

• Contribute to growing the ERD portfolio in line with the Strategic Action Plan, through proactive engagement with key stakeholders and donors, in addition to leading in the technical development of concept notes, proposals, and budgets for existing and new donors;

• Ensure high quality program design processes, based on thorough analysis of gaps and needs (including needs and market assessments), application of identified lessons learned, community-feedback, and ensuring adherence to evidence-based approaches linked to theories of change – working with IRC’s ERD Technical Advisors to ensure global best practices are applied to programming;

• Ensure programmatic priorities are regularly reviewed for relevance and adaptations proposed through analysis of needs, gaps and coverage of humanitarian and development actors, and government agencies;

• Ensure integration opportunities are explored and leveraged across IRC Cameroon program areas, specifically Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE), Protection and Rule of Law (PRoL), Environmental Health (EH/WASH), Education and Child Protection to enhance the quality of programming and a holistic approach to addressing the economic needs of the target populations.

2. Program Management and Quality

• Ensure projects and activities are of high technical quality and oriented by IRC’s Good and Great standards (IRC internal best practices), meet humanitarian standards, mainstream protection, align with IRC’s Outcomes and Evidence Framework, and respond to community and monitoring feedback;

• Working closely with Field Coordinators and Program Managers, lead on design of technically sound programmatic work plans and spending plans, reviewing plans regularly and proposing adaptations as needed;

• Undertake regular field monitoring visits to assess progress and identify technical quality issues and/or other implementation issues, provide solutions and implement modifications as required;

• Ensure adaptive approach within program team, ensuring regular review of programmatic data and beneficiary and community feedback, in order to remain responsive to needs, preferences, and changing context;

• Ensure review of program delivery against strategic objectives of effectiveness, responsiveness, speed & timeliness, budget, reach & scale, best use of resources - proposing changes accordingly;

• Liaise with the M&E Manager to drive M&E activities for the ERD program together, map lessons learnt and identify opportunities for evaluations and quality improvement;

• Working closely with the Field Coordinators, lead the design and planning of assessments and context-appropriate research aimed at generating a strong evidence base for IRC economic programming, as well as informing IRC advocacy;

• Proactively identify, assess, monitor and implement measures to reduce or control risks that may impact program delivery, quality or compliance;

• Liaise with Technical Advisors to ensure relevant support, tools and resources are being provided and integrated into programming;

• Promote and assist the other IRC’s programming sectors with the integration of cash and voucher assistance.

3. Grant Monitoring & Reporting

• Ensure regular monitoring of work plans and progress of activities on grants, actively participating in Project Cycle Meetings, including Project Design Meetings, Project Opening Meetings, Project Implementation Meetings, Project Learning Meetings, and Grant Closing Meetings.

• Ensure that adequate M&E systems and practices are in place to allow for data-driven programmatic decision making and reporting;

• Prepare relevant and quality IRC and donor reports as per agreed-upon schedules (monthly, quarterly and/or annually) on grant activities, indicators and achievements

• Work closely and coordinate with IRC logistics, finance and grant staff to ensure timely and compliant program activities and expenditures. Has budget authority to pre-approved limits and responsibility for budget development and compliance under the direction of the DDP

• Ensure that all internal and external reporting requirements are met, that reports are of a high quality and are submitted on time;

• Working closely with Field Coordinator, design program reporting templates and ensure regular reporting from staff in the field;

• Ensure completion of monthly internal report highlighting progress of activities, trends, and contextual changes for reporting to region and external stakeholders;

4. Representation, coordination and advocacy

• Develop and maintain effective coordination and long-term relationships with external stakeholders including fellow agencies/NGOS, government departments and ministries, community-based organizations and partners, donors, and others in accurately and professionally representing IRC positions, promoting long-term strategies and resolving problems/conflicts

• Actively participate in Food Security Cluster, Shelter/NFI, as well as Cash Working Group (CWG) to stay informed and share information on needs and gaps as well as technical development/ innovations within the sector in Cameroon

• Actively advance IRC’s connections to economic actors/private sector at a local, regional and national level, seeking avenues for partnership, collaboration and coordination of activities to ensure sustainability of interventions

• Oversee the IRC’s relationship with consortia implementing partners engaged in ERD Program activities and support the identification of new partners as it relates to new programming

• Identify advocacy opportunities together with the Deputy Director for Programs and based on information coming from the field;

• Together with the DDP, contribute to the advocacy efforts of IRC Cameroon and the West Africa Region through analysis of the policy environment and trends;

• Support the sharing of information and learning across economic programming in Cameroon

5. Staff Management and Development

• Coach, train, and mentor staff (ERD team) with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing professional development guidance;

• Ensure all ERD staff are following work plans and ERD projects deliverables are completed as planned

• Supported by the ERD Technical Advisor, oversee the development and implementation of staff technical capacity building plans (e.g. focused on basic assistance and livelihoods programming as well as management capacities) that promotes a culture of learning and ensure staff receive training accordingly.

• Supervise and mentor staff, including communicating clear expectations, and in partnership with the direct line supervisor, setting performance objectives, providing regular, constructive and timely performance feedback, and contribute to the annual and mid-year performance reviews;

• Conduct one to one meetings with each direct report on weekly basis;

• Lead recruitment of ERD project staff

• 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

• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being; approve and manage all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage;

• Provide leadership support for successful adherence to IRC’s IRC Way and other IRC Operating Policies and Procedures

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

Other

• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

Qualifications

• BA/BS Degree in international development, economics, business administration, agronomy, and/or related certification required; MA/MS/MBA a plus;

• Minimum of 5 years professional experience in humanitarian response, with specific experience in cash/ voucher, livelihoods and enterprise development approaches

• Demonstrated experience with adhering to the humanitarian fundamental principals

• Demonstrated ability to conduct needs and markets assessments, and propose context-appropriate solutions based on analysis of needs and gaps;

• Strong program/technical, project design, proposal development and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills

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

• INGO experience required; experience with coordination systems or advocacy preferable

• Must be capable of applying skills and knowledge in a range of capacities, including direct implementation, advisory functions, training and the transfer of technical knowledge and management skills to others

• Demonstrated knowledge of gender and proficiency in managing projects that mainstream gender

• Personal qualities: works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well, has a strong sense of humor

• Flexibility to adapt to changing requirements

• Strong capacity to lead, mentor and build capacity of staff

• Ability to prioritize competing urgencies, meet demanding deadlines and work under pressure in unstable security environment

• Strong skills in Microsoft Office Suite

• Fluency in English and/or French required, with strong working knowledge in both

• IRC experience is an asset

Working environment

Security: Yaoundé is currently security level yellow and has no curfew in place. Maroua and Kousseri are security level orange and the IRC has a curfew in place, while Buea is level red with a curfew in place. The situation is calm though there remains a risk of terrorist attack and kidnap.

Housing: This is an unaccompanied position with accommodation in a shared guesthouse in Yaoundé.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. 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

IRC is equal opportunity employer, considered all the candidates on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran or disability.

https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/13774?c=rescue