Protection Capacity Building Manager

Background/IRC Summary:  

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.

Contextual Background: 

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. 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.

Scope:

The IRC’s protection programming focuses on building the capacity of humanitarian actors to ensure that services are available and delivered in accordance with international humanitarian principles of safety and dignity. The IRC directly implements protection monitoring, community-based protection, women’s protection, and child protection activities in northern Syria. In addition, the IRC provides technical support and capacity building for other humanitarian actors on general protection, protection mainstreaming, case management and referral, and other relevant protection topics.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Protection Capacity Building Manager will be responsible for the design and implementation of comprehensive capacity building programming with partners, within the IRC’s Syria Response program framework and in line with IRC’s global standards and tools. The Manager will be responsible for overseeing the development of new partnerships with humanitarian actors for capacity building, as well as the design of training and mentorship plans to conduct protection mainstreaming and other relevant protection trainings. The Manager will work with the Protection Cluster to identify partners and be responsible to liaise directly with partner management to obtain buy-in and commitment to capacity building programs in protection mainstreaming and case management.

S/He will be a senior member of the protection team based in Turkey and coordinate closely with the Protection, WPE, and Child Protection teams. The position will be based in Antakya, with regular travel to the IRC field office in Gaziantep. S/He will report to the IRC/Turkey Senior Protection Manager.

Major Responsibilities:

Program Implementation

• Lead the design of capacity building program for partners related to protection mainstreaming and case management and referral, including creation of work plans, agendas, and adaptation of curricula content. ​ ​​ ​
• Ensure appropriate use of IRC global technical resources to promote program quality and holistic approaches, including the Protection Mainstreaming Monitoring and Evaluation System (ProMMS), and the introduction of SOPs for GBV case management and referral.
• Ensure continuation of IRC’s role as a lead agency in training and capacity building for protection through ongoing relationships with partner organizations in conjunction with the Protection Cluster and GBV and Child Protection Sub-Clusters.

Human Resources Management

• Hire, supervise and develop IRC Turkey/Northern Syria capacity building team for protection, including training officers and assistants.
• 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.
• Overall responsibility for staff timesheets, work plans, vacation schedules, and staff training/development activities.
• Take responsibility for discussing job expectations, performance, and objectives on an informal, quarterly basis with all staff and as a part of the annual Performance Review and Planning Process.
• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures.
• Adhere to and serve as a champion of the IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct, and promote these standards with all IRC partners.

Partner Management

• Work with Protection Cluster and GBV and Child Protection Sub-Clusters to identify core group of partners for two capacity building initiatives in protection mainstreaming and case management and referral trainings

• Serve as primary point of contact with all protection partner organizations, ensuring investment in capacity building initiatives from organizational management and program teams
• Continually monitor partner participation in trainings and ongoing mentorship, meeting regularly with management and program teams and identifying any challenges or problems to address with individual partners
• Ensure all partners have internal systems and structures in place to properly adhere to international humanitarian principles for protection, making recommendations for any needed actions

Monitoring and Reporting

• Implement and continually improve appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems for partner protection activities; analyzing results to ensure and enhance program effectiveness and quality.
• Ensure regular pre- and post-tests are conducted related to all partner trainings to evaluate learning, and create training reports for all partner and IRC trainings
• Contribute to design and implementation of assessments and evaluations to determine program impact
• Establish and maintain appropriate beneficiary feedback mechanisms particularly related to protection mainstreaming so that activities incorporate opinions and needs of the people served and any problems are addressed in a timely manner
• Write regular program progress reports and donor reports according to achieved outputs

Professional Standards

• All IRC staff are required to adhere to the IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.

Job Requirements:

Education: Advanced degree in international protection, human rights law, social work, or other related field;

Work Experience:

• Minimum 2 years professional experience in implementation of multi-sectoral emergency response programming, with extremely strong project planning and organizational skills;
• Successful experience working within a volatile security environment is a must, as is ability to work in a potentially unstable security environment;
• Strong experience in designing and facilitating training programs, with proven skills in facilitating sessions for large groups
• Previous experience coordinating with local partner organizations to provide guidance and support.
• Previous experience managing programs financed through US, EU, UN and private foundations, with strong program/technical and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills;
• 2 years of successful management experience
• Previous remote management experience strongly preferred

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Proven understanding of protection principles with experience in protection mainstreaming across emergency response
• Proven understanding of protection (including women’s and children’s protection) programming, including case management services and support;
• Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties;
• Interpersonal qualities: Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well;
• Must be capable of applying their 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;

Language Skills: 

• Fluency in spoken and written English required;
• Fluency in Arabic strongly preferred.

Working Environment:  The position will be based in Antakya, Turkey, and with frequent travels throughout the region.