Early Childhood Development Senior Manager

Job Description

Years of war in Syria have pushed millions from their homes and into poverty, and millions more have become refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and further afield. Equally complex is the emergency in Iraq, where waves of fighting and displacement have overwhelmed infrastructure and services and pushed communities to the brink. The economic, social, and health effects of these dual crises have changed the entire region. In the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq) IRC responds to displaced people’s acute and longer-term needs with integrated programs that improve health and safety, prioritize children’s education, foster economic wellbeing, and empower communities to regain control over their lives.

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 & Innovation (R&I) 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.

In 2017, Sesame Workshop and IRC won the inaugural MacArthur Foundation 100&Change competition, a $100 million grant to make measurable progress toward solving a significant problem. In 2018 the LEGO Foundation made an additional investment to Early Childhood Development Programming in the Middle East and Bangladesh, further contributing to this effort. The Ahlan Simsim program is five-year intervention to bring vital early learning and nurturing care to more than nine million children and families affected by the ongoing civil war in Syria. Among other activities, the program will create multimedia programming for children affected by the conflict. Together with the Sesame Workshop, we will develop a pliant platform to reach young children and their caregivers wherever they are and measure how we impact their lives. For more information, please visit: http://refugee.sesameinternational.org/.

The IRC is currently looking for a Senior ECD Manager to work in collaboration with the Regional Technical Team on content and capacity building.

The ECD Senior manager is responsible for the following key areas:

• Content adaptation and contextualization

• Prototyping and Design solutions

• Capacity Building

Specific responsibilities include:

Content adaptation contextualization and enhancement: Content is a critical foundation of the Ahlan Simsim program in region. As a part of the Regional Technical Team and in collaboration with Country Teams identify gaps, adapt, enhance and contextualize the existing Ahlan Simsim content for caregivers and children. Specifically:

• Review data and feedback on content and flag areas for improvement or change;

• Stay up to date with Country team colleagues on how content is being implemented, where the pain points are and what opportunities have been identified;

• Review content language to ensure consistency within and across models;

Prototyping innovative solutions: Work closely with country teams and Human Centered Design consultants to coordinate and support the implementation of prototyping efforts including:

• Support in developing and implementing prototyping plans

• Support country teams in synthesizing data and redesigning solutions

Capacity building: In close coordination with the Country Teams identify and implement capacity building efforts including:

• Plan and implement remote and face to face training for AS Listed interventions for IRC staff and Partners

• Conduct community of practices sessions with implementing focal points

• Based on areas identified for support, provide mentorship and coaching to the IRC and partners

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: ECD Technical Lead

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

• Internal: Regional, country, and HQ staff for the Ahlan Simsim project;

• External: Sesame Workshop staff; Government officials; Implementing partner organizations; Community representatives, parents, children

Requirements

• Bachelor degree in ECD, or education, or social sciences.

• 4-6 years of professional experience in programs preferable ECD programs.

• Experience leading workshops with practitioners, guiding them through a design process

• Experience working on sensitive issues with vulnerable populations and knowledge of relevant ethical guidelines and procedures.

• Ability to work in a very self-directed way, and to collaborate with others at key moments of the design process. Ability to receive input and to take critique positively to improve program design.

• Experience working with government stakeholders

• Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills

• Demonstrated ability to successfully work in a fast-paced environment, within and across departments/functions and develop positive relationships with locally and remote based staff

• Experience working in conflict and crisis settings and knowledge of humanitarian programming

• Ability to prioritize trade-offs between on-time, on-scope or on-budget project delivery

• Demonstrated ability to manage different priorities among a diverse set of stakeholders, complex projects, monitoring and mitigation planning

• Knowledge of the Middle East regional context, with experience working in Jordan, Iraq, or Lebanon strongly preferred

• Fluent in written and oral English and Arabic

Working Environment:

• Standard office work environment

• Travel required within Jordan, and to Iraq and Lebanon

• Position is based in the IRC Regional Office in Amman, Jordan

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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Qualifications