Senior Program Coordinator - North West Syria (Short - Term)

Job Description

This role can be remote with possible travels to Amman and/or Gaziantep

Inside Syria, 6.2 million people are internally displaced and 11.7 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 5 million in acute need. There are 5.3 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 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.

Within Nortwest Syria IRC provides services focusing on health services, cash/livelihoods assistance, early childhood development and protection services for vulnerable populations including women and girls, unaccompanied and separated children, the elderly and the disabled.

Job Overview/Summary

The Senior Program Coordinator is responsible for leading the programmatic quality and effective implementation of multi sector humanitarian activities within the IRC portfolio in Northwest Syria through direct implementation and Syrian partners. Under the supervision of the Deputy Director for Programs (DDP), the Senior Coordinator participates in the Extended Senior Management Team and will drive remotely program implementation in NW hub, which requires effective coordination with all departments across the country program.

Key responsibilities

• Manage 4 technical program coordinators to ensure timely program delivery and implementation according to IRC’s Outcomes and Evidence Framework (OEF), Quality Standards and organizational global best practices.

• Recruit and onboard program coordinators and support in other recruitments as needed in the program team during the transition from Amman to Gaziantep (ERD Co, ECD Co to start with), and continue to provide timely updates to program staff on the transition and share their questions and concerns with the management.

• In collaboration with DDP, the grants team, the technical unit, the partnership team, the MEAL team, the finance/ops teams and technical program coordinators, contribute to participatory and inclusive proposal design and development processes, nsuring budgeting is realistic and project implementation deliverables can be achieved to deadline.

• Liaise with the IRC Regional and HQ-based Technical Units to ensure regular and consistent engagement with the country program to provide technical oversight of programs including by attending bi-weekly TA-program check-ins and engaging TAs in proposal development and program design, strategy development, program evaluation and adaptation, program guidelines development, and program quality initiatives.

• Actively participate in regular grants meetings, including all Budget vs Actuals Meetings, PCM meetings.

• Ensure Technical Program Coordinators budget accurately and realistically, and consistently spend and implement in a timely fashion while meeting program targets and using properly programme management tools.

• Support DDP in rolling out program quality initiatives prioritized by the program teams as outlined in the Syria SAP100 and SAP IP and in the sector-specific strategies.

• Support DDP in program expansion plans including but not limited to: Education expansion in NWS; ECD expansion Turkey; prepositioning for the FCDO Health Consortium and WHO handover

• Support the DDP in donor meetings and relationship management based on need

• Support DDP and DDO in updating and implementing the Syria Emergency Preparedness Plan- based on need

• Coordinate with DDP, Technical Program Coordinators, Operations leads, and Grants Unit on all grant modifications, with a focus on identifying and troubleshooting potential issues well in advance.

• In coordination with Technical Program Coordinators and Grants Coordinator, ensure timely utilization of tracking of budget management tools such as spending and procurement plans per grant.

• Develop a close working relationship with the Partnership Coordinator to ensure that projects implemented by Syrian partners are provided with the necessary support and collaborative problem solving to meet program deliverables

• Support the Sr. Program Coordination Manager and the partnership team in piloting the partnership co-design program quality initiative.

• Work closely with M&E coordinator to ensure all the complaints and issues related to low quality programing is addressed and data-driven decisions are taken and implemented to assure consistent quality of programs.

• Champion robust partner relationship management characterized by the core partnership principles from IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS) and push forward IRC Syria strategy to include more partners in implementation

• Coach staff with the aim of strengthening their technical and management capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing professional development guidance.

• Overall responsibility for staff timesheets, work plans and vacation schedules

• Lead with commitment, integrity and accountability on the “IRC Way” – Global Standards for Professional Conduct

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to: Deputy Director for Programs

Indirect/Technical Reporting: N/A

Position directly Supervises: Integrated Protection Coordinator, Health Coordinator, Early Childhood Development Coordinator, Economic Recovery and Development Coordinator, and co-manage the Senior Program Coordination Manager (based in Turkey)

Key Internal Contacts:

 Country Program: Deputy Director for Operations, Partnership Coordinator, Grants Coordinator, MEAL Coordinator, Field Coordinator, Humanitarian Access and Security Coordinator, Sn Program Co NES, Whole of Syria Health and Protection Cluster Coordinators, NWS Protection and CP Cluster Coordinators

 Region/Global: Regional Partnership Advisor, Regional Gender, Equality, diversity and Inclusion Advisor, Technical Advisors, Program Development Advisors, Regional Communications Manager

Key External Contacts: IRC Syria partner organizations and peer humanitarian agencies, existing and potential donors

Requirements

• Experience in ensuring timely and quality implementation of large projects in unstable Environments.

• Successful experience writing and coordinating high-value proposals for major donors (USG, UN, DFID, EU,ECHO, SIDA etc.), including budgeting skills

• 5 – 7 years in Program development and management experience mandatory, including development of key project documents such as logical frameworks and monitoring tools.

• Experience directly managing and leading diverse teams and achieving positive results.

• Previous experience with remote management and/or implementation through partners a plus

• Experience in implementing systems and standards to enhance program quality and effective planning (ex: data-driven, client-based) highly desirable. Minimum of five years’ experience in an international NGO in similar role/with similar responsibilities.

• Excellent English writing and spoken skills are mandatory

• Arabic language skills a plus

Interpersonal specifications:

• Ability to work under pressure and maintain professional poise while managing a large workload.

• Ability to independently organize work and prioritize tasks.

• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

• Being a team player and builder is mandatory

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, Equality 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.

Work Environment: The position will be based in Derek - Al-Hasakeh governorate with travel to field offices within Northeast Syria. Accommodation will be in shared housing, which includes basic amenities including internet and electricity.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen 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 Middle East 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.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer 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.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.

IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.

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