Senior Protection Coordinator (National Position)

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces as well as people impacted by conflict and disasters in Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala provinces.

Job Overview/Summary:

Under the strategic guidance of the Country Director (CD) and the direct supervision of the Deputy Director of Programs (DDP), the Senior Protection Coordinator is charged with the strategic leadership, management, and program quality of the IRC’s Protection, Legal Assistance, Women’s Empowerment and Protection, and Livelihoods programs (referred to for the purposes of this Job Description as Protection and Empowerment programs) across all IRC Thailand locations.  The Senior Protection Coordinator will provide effective mentoring and oversight to program coordinators and Senior Managers to 1) strengthen the evidence base of IRC interventions, 2) adapt programs to changes in context and learning towards greater impact; and 3) support partner organizations to do the same.  The Senior Protection Coordinator will ensure effective program, budget, and personnel management and maintain program alignment with strategic goals.   In collaboration with the DDP, CD and Senior Health Coordinator, the Senior Protection Coordinator will represent IRC with external stakeholders, contribute to defining the country program’s advocacy goals and steer these efforts over the next three years.

Major Responsibilities

Program Strategy

• Lead the development, implementation and adaptation of IRC’s Protection and Empowerment strategies to ensure program design, implementation and learning consistently reflects an analysis of context and quality and drives toward more meaningful outcomes tailored to the diverse needs of the populations we serve.
• Coach program leads to equip partners with the tools and support to achieve the above.
• Design and oversee assessments or research aimed at generating a strong evidence base for IRC protection programming, as well as informing IRC advocacy.
• Cultivate a team culture of creative thinking combined with rigorous monitoring and learning to maintain a series of experimental concepts and pilots projects.
• Serve as a co-driver and thought leader on Country Program Strategy, implementation and modification.

Staff Management & Development 

• Directly line manage the Protection and Empowerment Program Leads; mentor the direct-reports, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and providing documented annual and mid-year performance reviews.
• Support recruitment priorities and identify and cultivate talent among teams to achieve program goals and maximize leadership development.
• Coach, train, and mentor team members with the aim of helping them identify and cultivate their strengths and address areas for improvement. Ensure that capacity development plans are in place for all teams.

Technical Oversight and Support

• Engage with IRC’s Technical Advisors to provide meaningful technical support and guidance into program design, implementation and research as well as proposal development and strategy discussions;
• Engage with DDP and M&E Coordinator to develop monitoring and learning plans and approaches that inform better programmatic decision-making.
• Encourage a culture of technical discourse among teams introducing new research and cultivating peer learning.
  Ensure regular collaboration and communication with other programs to ensure smooth and beneficial integration of services.
• Proactively identify and develop mitigation strategies to control risks that may impact program delivery, quality or compliance

Program Development and Grant Management

• In coordination with Sr. Awards Management Coordinator, support Program leads to design sound programs, meaningful budgets and strong monitoring and learning components.
• Support country program efforts to decentralize budget management and decision-making to program coordinators and managers.
• Work with operations and finance teams towards a positive, generative approach to collaborative problem-solving.
• Review all reports prepared by program leads and provide appropriate comments to ensure high quality and accurate information and analysis. Work with Sr. Awards Management Coordinator internal and external reporting requirements are met.

Coordination, Representation and Advocacy

• Develop meaningful relationships and provide leadership to multi-actor coordination efforts to respond to relevant issues/events, foster learning, and drive advocacy towards IRC advocacy goals;
• Establish and develop strategic partnerships with civil society, private industry, and academia to strengthen IRC’s ability to influence decision makers and provide higher quality services.
• Strengthen IRC’s reputation and influence among protection-related government entities.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Deputy Director of Programs
Position directly supervises:  LAC Coordinator, Senior Women’s Protection & Empowerment Managers, Senior Livelihood Manager, Senior Protection Project Manager, and M&E Manager.
Indirect Reporting :  Country Director

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Country Director, IRC Protection, WPE, and ERD technical Advisors, Senior Awards Management Coordinator, Partnership team, Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator, Deputy Directors of Finance and Operations and Field Coordinators.
External: Local community-based partner organizations, Protection Working Group, Royal Thai Government stakeholders, NGOs, IOs and civil society and academic actors engaging with IRC programs.