Jordan: Employment Hub Coordinator

Background:

The International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities that support them, as well as with those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure.

As a global humanitarian organization, the IRC has unique capabilities - and is particularly known for rigorous research and evidence-based programs. A key initiative that supports this strategy is the IRC Research & Development (R&D) lab, aimed at investing in the design, development, and scaling of new humanitarian interventions and delivery models. The lab seeks to apply best practices from human-centered design, rapid iteration, multi-disciplinary problem-solving, and an innovation portfolio management function in the humanitarian context.

Through the Jordan Country Program, the R&D lab is launching an innovative employment hub that aims to generate at scale employment opportunities for Jordanians and Syrian refugees in Jordan The IRC has been operational in Jordan since 2007 and today, the IRC responds to refugees and Jordanians most urgent and sensitive needs, including health care, women's protection and empowerment, child protection, and economic resiliency. Building off existing IRC Jordan livelihoods and protection programming, the employment hub will house a series of new, data-driven, experimental interventions that seek to match-make Jordanians, refugees and firms and provide the necessary support to individuals in getting to work.

Job Overview:

The Employment Hub Service Coordinator is the technical and management leader for all strategic, programmatic and operational aspects related to the IRC's innovation-driven employment hub in Amman. The Employment Hub is a two-year project out of which two core activities are run: i) a mobile network of entrepreneurial IRC officers who will work with Jordanians, refugees, and firms to proactively facilitate matchmaking and help to address common access issues, and ii) a jobs collation platform that allows IRC officers, existing outreach staff and other stakeholders to algorithmically match jobs and job-seekers. An additional set of complementary and experimental activities, including behavioral nudges, flexible budgets, childcare support, transport support, and retention incentives, will be implemented as well. In line with the R&D approach, the objective is to structure fast-paced, small-scale experimentation to iteratively adapt a set of activities to optimize design and generate impact. During year 1, a series of experiments will be conducted to identify what works and in year 2, the program will scale a select set of interventions.

The Employment Hub Service Coordinator will report directly to the Country Program Deputy Director of Programs and the R&D's Associate Director. The Coordinator will liaise with all partners, including outside consultants, IRC Technical Advisors, and the Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) Coordinator, as well as relevant interagency coordination groups, to ensure coordination and complementarity of the programming, as well as technical rigor in program design and implementation. The Coordinator is responsible for overall management and implementation of the employment hub program and staff, providing all support necessary to ensure successful and quality programming. Crucially, the Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and managing a learning and data-driven environment that responsibly and safely includes rapid experimentation in the first year of the program before scaling during year 2.

Major Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning, Management and Oversight

• Oversees strategic planning and execution for the employment hub and provides technical and management leadership to IRC Employment Hub activities in accordance with best practice and IRC policy.
• Provides technical oversight on all of the employment services launched through the employment hub, including the officer network, jobs matching algorithm, behavioral nudges, flexible budgets, retention incentives, childcare and transport support.
• Integrates learning and data into management process to shape the intervention and implementation strategy supporting the use of data for program course correction.
• Accountable for the execution and implementation of research and learning strategy generated by the Employment Hub Research Specialist.
• Ensures alignment and integration of program design and approach with IRC's Strategy Action Plan in Jordan;
• Through strategic, technical and management oversight, ensures a high quality of programming at the Employment Hub, and that the work of the Employment Hub is well coordinated with line ministries, local stakeholders and partner organizations.
• Works closely with the ERD Coordinator, R&D Associate Director and ERD Technical Unit to ensure that the appropriate methodologies and technical approaches and developed and implemented for all program activities;
• Ensures the hub consistently innovates and experiments, while engaging internal and external stakeholders in planning and risk mitigation.

Grant Planning & Implementation

• Ensure overall program implementation strategy and day-to-day implementation of the project.
• Ensures regular field monitoring and modification to ongoing programming as required.
• Ensures timely submission of regular donor and internal reporting in line with donor requirements.
• Works closely and coordinates with operations departments (supply chain, HR, administration, finance and grant staff) to ensure timely implementation of program activities and expenditures.
• Together with the Innovation Research Lead, Associate Director of R&D and Deputy Director of Programs, implements a full monitoring and evaluation framework for the employment hub, as well as learning strategies, and adapts them to the different program methodologies.
• Provides direction and monitors staff in implementation of their work plans and ensures technical quality of activities.
• Regularly coordinates and plans for activities with ERD Coordinator.

Human Resources Management

• Directly supervises three key project staff and overall HR and staff management of a team of 20 in year 1 and 35 in year 2.
• Ensures the timely recruitment of qualified staff and promotes their professional development in line with IRC strategies.
• Sets specific goals and expectations and provides regular, positive and constructive feedback to staff.
• Builds capacity of the team under his/her supervision in basic assistance and livelihoods support methodologies, as well as management capacity
• Maintains open and professional relationships with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Ensures timely completion and submission of interim and annual performance reviews.
• If/as required, identifies staff performance issues and works with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies
• Responsible for adhering to IRC's Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures

Partner Management

• Oversees IRC's relationship with implementing partners specific to this project in close coordination with Country Program and ERD Coordinator.
• Supports the development of relationships with firms, business associations, and other relevant employment-generating firms.

Coordination & Representation

• In close coordination with the ERD Coordinator develops and maintains effective coordination and long-term relationships with external stakeholders, representing IRC positions, promoting long-term strategy and resolving problems/conflicts
• In close coordination with Deputy Director of Programs, Regional Staff, R&D Lab and IRC ERD TU actively advances IRC's connections to economic actors at a regional and national level, seeking avenues for partnership, collaboration and coordination of activities.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Deputy Director of Programs of Jordan and Associate Director of R&D. Position directly supervises: Employment Service Manager, Employment Hub Research Specialist, and Employment Hub Platform Specialist.

Indirect Reporting: N/A Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: IRC Jordan ERD Department, R&D Department, ERD Technical Unit, Grants Department, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, Research Evaluation and Learning Technical Unit

External: Livelihoods Working groups, local and national government entities such as the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and Ministry of Labor, International Labor Organization businesses and business development entities, peer and partner agencies, donors

Job Requirements:

Minimum Requirements

• BA/BS Degree in international development, economics, business administration, law, and/or related certification required; MA/MS/MBA a plus.
• Minimum of 5 years professional experience in humanitarian response, with specific experience in livelihoods and enterprise development approaches.
• Demonstrated private sector experience, experience supporting business and skill development, or knowledge of micro- and macro-economics.
• Experience in adaptive management and iterative experimentation.
• Confidence in rapid prototyping new services and products (low and high fidelity) and iterating them in response to successive rounds of feedback.
• A track record of successful products/services launched (preferably in development/humanitarian contexts).
• Prior experience working in emergency settings or insecure environments preferred.
• Strong program/technical 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 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.
• 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.
• Prior experience as a Chief of Party a plus.
• Fluency in English required, Arabic a distinct advantage.

Working Environment:

The position is based in Amman with frequent travel to field sites in Irbid and Mafraq.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in 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.

IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l'Intégrité, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l'exploitation et les abus, la protection de l'enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l'intégrité financière, et les représailles.

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