Protection Manager

Background/IRC Summary:  

Inside Syria, 7.6 million people are internally displaced and 12.2 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 4.8 million in hard-to-reach areas. There are 3.8 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.

IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis with an annual budget in excess of $140 million and a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1,250 staff in the region. IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, education, women’s protection and empowerment, NFI and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding and coordination.

IRC’s activities in northeastern Syria focus on providing basic health services, food and non-food items, livelihoods assistance, and services for women and girls, forming part of a regional humanitarian response. A new protection program is being introduced with a focus on protection mainstreaming, coordination with external stakeholders, identification and tracking of protection trends, and responding to protection needs at the household and community level.

Scope of Work:

The Protection Manager will be responsible for leading the start-up and implementation of protection programming in northeast Syria, including technical support, project and budget management, program quality monitoring, and building the capacity of national staff in protection technical concepts and management skills.  Key activities will include protection monitoring, establishment of protection referral pathways, protection case management, emergency response, and the development and delivery of trainings for both protection and non-protection staff. 

Responsibilities:

Staff Development and Supervision:

·         Recruit, train, supervise and build the ongoing capacity of a national protection team, including protection officers and case workers

·         Provide intensive training to staff in protection technical concepts and project management skills

·         Assess the training and capacity building needs of all protection staff, and design and implement professional development plans

·         Develop individual work plans, ensuring adherence to technical standards, with a focus on building the management capacity of staff and empowering them to work autonomously

·         Build capacity in the management of written and verbal information dissemination and strategies for communication with communities and other key stakeholders

·         Work with staff to regularly review and make improvements to data collection methodologies and reporting systems

     Program Quality and Implementation:

·         Lead the development and delivery of trainings on key IHL and protection principles to internal and external stakeholders, with a view to ensuring improved coordination of the delivery of humanitarian aid in areas of coverage

·         Lead the roll out of a protection case management system, including the development of referral pathways for persons with specific needs and ensuring effective capacity for tracking and identifying trends in the outcomes of IRC’s internal and external referrals

·         Provide an IHL “lens” on all protection monitoring, protection services, and IRC programming in other sectors to ensure activities are grounded in relevant international standards and norms

·         Lead production of protection reports, highlighting key protection issues and analyzing trends from protection monitoring and other recorded objective sources, to provide direct strategic advice to IRC programs and other internal/external stakeholders as required

Coordination and Representation:

·         Work in close coordination with other IRC units, including Women’s Protection and Empowerment, Economic Recovery and Development, and Health to ensure the strong integration of Protection with other sectors

·         Lead on the development and implementation of evidence-based advocacy and support the Coordinator in the development of advocacy positions

·         Develop and maintain effective working relationships with relevant external stakeholders to ensure appropriate coordination, collaboration, and public messaging

Other:

·         Leads sector specific strategy development and technical proposal design

·         Support the Protection Coordinator in the development of new concepts for future programming

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

Professional Standards:

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct: 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.

Requirements:

Education:

·         Advanced university degree in law with specialization in IHL/IHRL or public international law preferred. Advanced university degrees in social science or similar fields may also be considered

Work Experience:

·         Minimum three years of experience with an NGO and/or international organization managing protection programs; experience in emergencies strongly preferred

• Experience with protection of civilians in situations of armed conflict, including working with non-state actors
• Experience in project startup and management, training/capacity building in a cross-cultural context, and integrating protection standards into other sectors
• Demonstrated experience building and leading diverse teams, including preparing staff for eventual management responsibilities

Skills and Competencies:

     Ability to interpret, analyze and synthesize information in a fast-paced environment

     Excellent organizational skills and ability to determine priorities

     Familiarity with program design, including log frames, budgeting, grants/report writing, and M&E

     Experience writing protection reports for donors, governments, and the general public

     Excellent drafting and oral communication skills in English; ability to communicate in Arabic is an asset

     Excellent computer skills including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint

    Proactive, flexible, and team spirited; ability to live and productively work under stress while maintaining a sense of humor

Working Environment:   Based in Dohuk, Iraq with frequent travel to program sites in northeast Syria. Shared housing will be provided.