Child Protection Coordinator

Work Arrangement:

Job Description

Organization description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their lives. 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 which support them, as well as those who remain within their homes and communities. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we improve outcomes in the areas of health, safety, economic wellbeing, education, and power. Given the disparity faced by women and girls, IRC seeks to narrow gender inequalities and ensure social inclusion of all vulnerable groups in broader policies, processes and actions affecting their lives.

Job Overview IRC Ukraine is currently looking for a strategic and versatile leader to oversee and manage a complex multi-donor, multi-year Child Protection (CP) portfolio, comprised of case management, psychosocial support, and risk reduction activities delivered by IRC and partners. They have practical experience in acute emergency contexts; strong diplomacy, coordination and networking skills; and are pragmatic and solutions-oriented. They have strong leadership abilities to create an environment that cultivates innovative thinking and new approaches firmly anchored in the realities of the local context and aligned to national systems.

The Child Protection Coordinator will be expected to spend a significant amount of time in field locations, working with, training, and mentoring field teams. This position is responsible for programmatic resource development, advocacy related to IRC’s child protection emergency response, and overall strategic direction of the child protection program, including providing technical support and mentoring to implementing partners.

The CP Coordinator reports to the Senior Integrated Protection Coordinator and is based in any of our field locations (Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa), with regular travel to other locations.

Major Responsibilities:

- To ensure overall strategic vision for the child protection program during the emergency response - To ensure the technical quality of all IRC child protection programming, and that children and adolescents at risk or experiencing abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence can access safe, quality, gender-sensitive and age-appropriate protection services in line with their needs and best interests - Provide technical and management leadership to the child protection program in accordance with best practice and IRC policy. - Guide the development of a strategic vision and direction for the child protection program, ensuring a process that incorporates input from CP field teams, other IRC sectors, senior IRC management, and key external stakeholders. - Foster a collaborative and positive work environment – one that encourages learning and professional growth for CP teams. - Ensure that ethical and sound data collection and information management systems are in place for appropriate child protection analysis, planning, evaluation, and advocacy. - Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors.

Primary Responsibilities:

Staff Supervision & Development

- 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. - Provide technical guidance, on-the-job mentoring and coaching for direct reports, including managers, and officers - Ensure ongoing training and targeted capacity building of child protection staff. This includes staff training in program management areas such as reporting, budgeting, monitoring, evaluation, and supervision - Directly supervise the Sn CP Manager and ensure regular performance reviews and feedback. - Assist with the recruitment of CP staff, in coordination with HR, senior management. - Ensure training and ongoing capacity building opportunities for staff on technical and project management skills.

Grant Planning & Implementation

- Responsible for the overall achievement of grants - Support implementation and ensure adherence to grant work plans, spending plans and monitoring and evaluation plans. - Work closely and coordinate with IRC Operations, Finance and Grant departments to ensure compliance with grant requirements.

Grant Monitoring & Reporting - Support development and maintenance of effective and efficient oversight, support, quality control and reporting systems and processes. - Ensure high-quality IRC and donor reports on activities, indicators, and achievements.

Partner Management - Oversee IRC’s relationship with implementing partners. - Ensure regular monitoring of partner activities to achieve the set CP program objectives.

Coordination & Representation - Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors. - Regularly attend CP coordination and task force meetings, at appropriate levels to feed in IRC priorities from the field. - Respond to approved media requests involving CP programming, when relevant and necessary. - Ensure field concerns and challenges are brought to relevant stakeholders to push for standards and procedures that systematize how CP programming is implemented and coordinated at the field level.

Program Development - Lead the development of the strategy for the CP program. - Contribute to the development of the overall country program strategic direction. - Lead proposal development activities (narrative and budget) through planning and program design with relevant field-based staff, to ensure technical standards are taken into consideration before submission. - Coordinate with other IRC sectors (i.e., protection, health, and livelihood programs) to provide relevant input and support enhancing the safety, development, and wellbeing of children, adolescents and their families. - Identify opportunities for partnership and strategic collaboration.

Monitoring responsibilities - Oversee all internal reporting - Follow-up on quality collection of data towards donor and internal indicators

- Produce / contribute to all donor reporting, as required (monthly / quarterly / annually)

- Supervise quality case management data collection and storage

Other duties:

- Consistently and proactively monitor/assess the safety and security of field teams, promptly reporting concerns or incidents to IRC management and liaising with other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment. - Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Position reports to: Senior Integrated Protection Coordinator Direct reporting: Senior Child Protection Manager Other internal contacts: Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) Coordinator, Protection Rule of Law (PROL) Coordinator, other Technical Coordinators (including Health, Economic Recovery and Development, MEAL, Grants), Deputy Director for Programs, Child Protection Technical Advisor , Field Coordinators

Requirements

The Child Protection Coordinator will need to meet the requirements below: - Graduate degree desired in social work, social sciences, psychology, or other related field, or equivalent work experience. - At least 3- years’ experience leading or managing child protection programming - Proven record of technical expertise in programming in one or more of the following areas: child protection case management, mental health and psychosocial support, Social Emotional Learning, responsive parenting, alternative care and support to unaccompanied and separated Children - Previous experience supervising and managing a large team - Previous experience in emergency response, insecurity and conflict settings - Demonstrated experience in capacity building and mentoring ofstaff - Demonstrated knowledge and experience in new business development, grants management and donor liaison - Familiarity with key donor regulations, i.e. BHA,, BPRM,SIDA, UNICEF and ECHO - Experience in participating in external working groups and forums - Experience in working with and coordinating with the UN, donors, INGOs and other stakeholders - Excellent computer skills in programs such as: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint

- Capable of applying 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: Team player, flexible, network-builder, able to handle pressure well

- Good spoken and written English; Ukrainian and/or Russian desirable

This position will be based in any of our field locations: Dnipro, Odessa, Kharkiv and Kyiv, with regular travel to other locations as necessary.

Standards of Professional Conduct The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of 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, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Professional Standards The International Rescue Committee is determined to protect the people it serves and staff from all kinds of harm, including sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. It is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe. IRC builds diverse and inclusive teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

IRC workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces its safeguarding policies to protect adult and child clients from any form of exploitation and abuse, including sexual exploitation and abuse, and its staff from sexual harassment and violence.

Where misconduct is alleged, IRC follows a Zero tolerance approach and takes all necessary actions and corrective measures. IRC investigation unit comprises of experts and trained investigators that ensures professional survivor-centered investigations are conducted if allegations of safeguarding violations are reported through the safe and accessible reporting channels that IRC makes available to its staff, partners, and clients.

These commitments are set out in IRC’s Safeguarding Policies, accessible in English and in Ukrainian language via this link: https://rescue.box.com/v/irc-safeguarding-policies.

IRC is an active member of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) set-up in Ukraine.

Qualifications