Remote Management Capacity Building Coordinator

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Inside Syria, 7.5 people are internally displaced and 12.2 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. There are 3.9 million refugees in neighboring countries – a number which increases by the day. 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 1250 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, distribution of and core relief items, cash assistance, water and environmental health, and economic recovery. IRC’s 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.

As the situation in Syria continues to deteriorate, organizations such as IRC increasingly rely on remote management in order to continue operating in insecure environments. Successfully delivering responsive and accountable remotely-managed programs inside Syria requires significant capacity building of both partner organizations and IRC staff, ongoing guidance and support for them, and adaptation of organization-wide remote management guidelines and supporting policies and procedures to the Syrian context.

IRC, its partner organizations, and other NGOs/INGOs face similar challenges to support staff, manage operations, maintain quality and monitor results inside Syria. IRC’s Syria Regional Response (SRR) will soon launch a 12-month project to enhance IRC’s capacity for remote management and partner support inside Syria. This project aims to catalyze the application of IRC’s remote management guidelines by providing tools and training necessary to adapt the guidelines to the Syrian context and ensure IRC staff and partners have capacity, knowledge and systems to deliver against the guidelines. IRC will design content and launch an online platform of resources that are immediately relevant to remotely-managed operations inside Syria, whether undertaken by IRC, its partners, or other agencies. Key modules and resources on the platform will address:

• Partner remote operational and technical capacity building
• M&E assessor remote capacity building
• Remote management training that contextualizes IRC’s organization-wide remote management guidelines

POSITION OVERVIEW:
Based in Amman and reporting to the Syria Response Director, the Remote Management Capacity Building Coordinator will provide overall leadership and management of this project. Other key relationships include the Director for Partnership and Capacity Strengthening, the Remote Management Advisor, and members of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit (EPRU), technical units, finance, and supply chain.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Project Management
  • Design and implement an overall work plan for the project, including ToRs and plans for specific work streams.
  • Identify work stream leads, track work stream progress, and identify and capitalize on work stream synergies.
  • Plan and facilitate workshops and meetings between staff and consultants, field and HQ staff, partners and other agencies as needed.
  • Maintain project Box account for centralized location of all materials.  
  • Manage project budget with support of the Regional Finance Director.
  • Manage project consultancies including development of ToRs and contracts, coordination and management of consultant work.
  • Develop or facilitate the development of baseline analyses and program evaluations.
  • Plan project pilots and launch to IRC staff, partners, and other NGOs/INGOs.
• Development of Guidelines, Policies, Procedures
  • Facilitate the review of existing internal policies and procedures to identify those that raise barriers to more effective remote management.
  • Coordinate adaptation of policies and procedures to the remote management context with key operations staff.
  • Facilitate the review of existing remote management guidelines against the Syrian context.
  • Coordinate the adaptation of remote management guidelines to the Syrian context.
  • Work with country program Strategy Action Plan (SAP) focal points to ensure inclusion of remote management plans/language within strategies as needed.
• Research, Writing, Communication
  • Conduct or facilitate desk research on internal and external remote management policies and procedures, operations (finance, supply chain) procedures, and partnership procedures, to inform the project.
  • Conduct or facilitate research on Internet and/or mobile phone connectivity in key target areas and provide any necessary recommendations.
  • Report on project progress and status of outputs to Syria Response Director, Regional Director, donors and others as needed.
  • Coordinate and collaborate with other agencies that may be pursuing similar initiatives to ensure products are complementary.
• Staff Supervision & Development
  • Supervise and provide on-the-job training and coaching to the Remote Management Capacity Building Specialist.
  • Ensure timely completion and submission of monthly timesheets, and probation and annual performance reviews.
  • Work with direct report to ensure performance objectives are regularly reviewed and met.
  • If/as required identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the Employment Policies.
  • Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures
  • 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.

Key working relationships

• Internal: Remote Management Capacity Building Officer; Director for Partnership and Capacity Strengthening; Regional Safety and Security Advisor; Syria Response Director; SRR Country Programs staff; SRR Regional Team colleagues; HQ Finance, Supply Chain, and other staff
• External: Consultants; INGOs

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

• Graduate degree in relevant field
• Minimum 5 years in project management or similar role
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects to completion on time, in compliance with donor requirements, within budget, and with the anticipated results
• Professional experience in a remote management setting preferred
• Strong facilitation and communication skills
• Ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams in cross-cultural settings and across time zones
• A keen understanding of political complexities in the Middle East region
• Strong skills in research, critical analysis, and writing
• Willingness and ability to travel throughout the region
• English fluency (spoken and written) required; Arabic skills a plus
• Supervisory responsibilities: Remote Management Capacity Building Officer

Other Information: Amman is currently not assessed as a high-risk environment and it remains a generally safe city as long as IRC security protocols are observed. The post is fully accompanied and housing will be provided by IRC according to the IRC Jordan housing policy. Travel at approximately 25% of time is anticipated.

Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=a2F0cmluYW1pbGxlci40NDI1MC40ODEwQGlyYy5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20