Jordan: Sector Co-Lead ( Coordinator)

Job Title: Sector Co-Lead ( Coordinator)

Sector: Program Administration

Employment Category: Regular

Location: Jordan

Job Description

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 4 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.

The IRC Jordan program was established in 2007 and is currently operating programs in Jordan and southern Syria with an annual budget of $36 million. The IRC is providing humanitarian assistance in southern Syria in the sectors of protection, health and economic recovery and development through partnerships with Syrian NGOs and provision of lifesaving relief items. Currently, the IRC is transitioning to a single, unified country office for Syria. This process is well underway, with key milestones for integration upcoming before year's end.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Protection Working Group Co-Lead will work in partnership with UNHCR, as the cluster lead agency (CLA), to provide leadership and facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective response in Southern Syria. The Co-Lead will have specific responsibility for ensuring that the position is informed by the NGO perspective. The Co-Lead will also be responsible for ensuring that the NGO membership is contributing to and sharing working group responsibilities, and will play a lead role in developing the active engagement and technical capacity of members of the working group. The Co-Lead will be expected to represent the Jordan hub at all Whole of Syria and inter-sector/inter-agency fora as required.

Note that, while the below is framed in terms of support to Jordan cross-border activities, it is possible, even likely, that the IRC Co-Lead will assist the IRC in fulfilling its co-lead responsibilities within the context of the other hubs (namely the Turkey-based hub serving Northwest Syria). Further the co-lead will support ongoing programmatic activities related, namely, to protection mainstreaming.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Co-chair regular coordination meetings of the Protection Working Group (PWG). Actively identify, make contact with, and offer technical and operational support new and existing protection partners, inclusive of those that may be registered in other hubs, but responding in Southern Syria
• Take primary responsibly for technical working groups that fall under the PWG, ensuring the effective and timely development of key, time-bound deliverables to the PWG for the group's consideration and endorsement; likewise, serve as a key focal point on behalf of the PWG in within the context of other subsidiary bodies, including, for example, the joint Health-Protection MHPSS Sub-Working group and GBV Reference Group.
• Provide leadership and strategic direction, reflecting the NGO perspective in particular, within the context of core Hub and Whole of Syria processes, including those related to the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP);
• Take primary responsibility, with direct support and guidance from UNHCR, in developing periodic protection analyses to inform strategy development, as well as operational responses and advocacy; likewise, in collaboration with UNHCR, develop periodic response analyses to further assist in identifying response gaps in relation to identified needs; relatedly, otherwise assist the IRC in developing analyses, including on issues of policy, advocacy and humanitarian standards within the context of the broader Syria response.
• Support ongoing programmatic activities related, namely, to protection mainstreaming; otherwise work with IRC Protection colleagues to generate and share evidence and to leverage the IRC's pragmatic strengths so as to improve the overall quality of the response.

OTHER CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Otherwise compile and analyze key protection indicators and data from Jordan hub to ensure production of knowledge to steer the strategic and operational planning for the WOS response, including but not limited to contributions to the HNO and HRP process
• Support the working group's data collection efforts, helping partners to submit accurate and consistent data provide analysis back to the working group and other inter-agency fora
• Work with UNHCR Co-Lead and Protection Working Group members to ensure that key protection (including CP and GBV) concerns are reflected in OCHA or NGO led multi-sectoral assessments, as well as other protection specific sectoral assessments
• Raise protection concerns in Jordan hub interagency fora such as the Inter Sectoral Working Group (ISWG).
• Collaborate with other bodies, including, in particular, the Health and Nutrition Working Group, the NFI and Shelter Working Group, the Food Security and Livelihoods Working Group, the Education Working Group to ensure integration of protection concerns and responsive programming
• With the UNHCR Co-Lead, represent the Jordan hub at all Whole of Syria protection and inter-sector initiatives as required advocate with donors to ensure appropriate support for interagency protection (including CP and WPE) activities feed into WOS Sector Strategic Advisory Group meetings when required
• Assist in developing/updating information management tools and products of the three hubs
• Arrange/conduct direct training in protection (including CP and GBV) for key national and local stakeholders as feasible, in line with agreed upon sectoral priorities in the work plan
• Work with partners to promote understanding of and adherence to humanitarian and protection principles and standards according to international legal frameworks.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Essential

• Post graduate degree in international law, social sciences or related field
• Minimum of 5 years proven experience working on protection issues in humanitarian environments, including provision of technical advice to field teams excellent understanding of protection issues in emergency situations and detailed knowledge of humanitarian principles, guidelines and laws
• Demonstrable leadership, coordination, capacity building, planning and analytical skills
• Demonstrable experience in policy and advocacy and negotiation
• Strong prior experience with information management as related to the protection sector, including maintaining standards of impartiality and confidentiality with data of a sensitive nature.
• Excellent written and spoken English

Highly prioritized

• Prior experience working on Syria, ideally Southern Syria; experience working in the MENA Region;
• Previous experience of working within the sector/cluster system.
• Demonstrable ability to work successfully under pressure and ability to make timely decisions
• Written and spoken Arabic is highly desirable.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

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.

Returning National Candidates:

We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Syria Response Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance.

Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Working Environment:

This position will be based in Amman, Jordan, potentially with travel within the Region.

Please follow this link to apply: http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=YXN0cmlkLm1hdGhldy41MTU2Ni4zODMwQGlyY2NkLmFwbGl0cmFrLmNvbQ