TRANSFORM Manager UA

Job Description

The IRC and Edge Effect:

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global leader in providing emergency relief, rehabilitation, post conflict development, human rights protection, resettlement services and advocacy for refugees and others uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. Over the past 17 years, the IRC has pioneered and implemented programs that prevent and respond to violence against women and children, as well as other vulnerable groups in refugee settings and in other conflict-affected contexts. IRC is one of the first humanitarian organisations to bring together specific expertise involved in violence prevention and response (VPR) in conflict affected settings to ensure collaborative and still specialized support to survivors and those at risk of violence. IRC presently implements VPR programs in over 26 countries, to support social and political environments that foster freedom from violence, discrimination, and exclusion for marginalized populations in contexts of crisis.

Edge Effect is a specialist diverse SOGIESC (aka LGBTIQ+) humanitarian and development organization, dedicated to ensuring that the rights, needs and strengths of people with diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities and Expression and Sex Characteristics are addressed through humanitarian and development policy and programs. Founded in 2016, Edge Effect provides a range of consulting services in areas including participatory research, training, policy, program design and implementation, and organizational audits. Edge Effect also work with LGBTIQ+ CSOs and other aid sector organizations to directly implement projects.

Background:

Building a growing body of evidence including IRC’s reports Cycles of Displacement and several Edge Effect reports including The Only Way Is Up – in 2022, the IRC and Edge Effect launched a flagship technical innovation project ‘TRANSFORM’ to develop mechanisms for humanitarian organizations to systematically embed diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) considerations in conflict and displacement response. Through this BHA-funded project, the IRC and Edge Effect seek to address the systemic reluctance/capacity issues holding back the humanitarian sector in a way that models a deep involvement of diverse SOGIESC CSOs and extends diverse SOGEISC inclusion across the humanitarian architecture. The TRANSFORM project will develop and socialize new approaches to gap analysis, solution generation, partnering and interfacing with community-based response, organizational development, coordination, and standardization in the humanitarian sector and architecture.

The IRC and Edge Effect will work in three different types of humanitarian contexts. One of these contexts is Ukraine, where IRC and Edge Effect will implement a series of activities that focus on pushing the boundaries of inclusion and forwarding the localization agenda as a new way of driving LGBTIQ+ inclusion in humanitarian response is piloted. Between September 2023 and August 2024, IRC Ukraine will partner with Ukrainian LGBTIQ+ organizations to implement all the activities to highlight the needs of the LGBTIQ+ population in Ukraine and establish mechanisms of partnering which reverse traditional humanitarian power dynamics and recognize the capacities of the LGBTIQ+ population.

Job Overview / Summary:

The TRANSFORM Manager will oversee the implementation of TRANSFORM initiative in Ukraine, being responsible for the implementation of all key objectives and deliverables at the country level.

The TRANSFORM Manager will be based within the Partnerships Team and work very closely with the Global Lead for TRANSFORM/(Diverse SOGIESC) Inclusion Specialist, who is based with IRC’s Violence Prevention and Response Unit (VPRU). In addition to coordinating the implementation of TRANSFORM, the TRANSFORM Manager will be responsible working with the Inclusion Specialist to promote more inclusive humanitarian programming in Ukraine, rooted in a strong analysis of context, power, gender, and how intersecting aspects of identity may result in discrimination, oppression, and exclusion.

Major Responsibilities:

In collaboration with the Global Lead, the TRANSFORM Manager will be responsible for the implementation of all aspects of the TRANSFORM initiative in Ukraine from September 2023 – August 2024, including programmatic, financial, and administrative responsibilities. Responsibilities include:

Project Management and Initiative Oversight and Coordination:

o Manage the TRANSFORM initiative in Ukraine, providing oversight of all programmatic, financial and administrative activities and deliverables;

o Actively work with relevant IRC Ukraine and VPRU staff and support Edge Effect in delivery of project activities, ensuring effective implementation;

o Track and update a work and spending plan for successful implementation of the Project, in coordination with the TRANSFORM Global Lead, VPRU Inclusion Techical Advisor, and the Country Program senior management;

o Lead the mapping of LGBTIQ+ organizations involved in the humanitarian response in Ukraine;

o Support the grant management focal point to produce programmatic donor reports, communications, and participate in meetings/calls as needed to keep the IRC HQ apprised of program progress;

o Manage partnership processes that guide collaboration between IRC, Edge Effect, and local partners, and coordinate with a wide range of project stakeholders, including the project team at IRC and Edge Effect but also with IRC Ukraine staff to ensure the timely implementation of project deliverables.

Learning and Impact:

o Support the TRANSFORM Global Lead with documenting evidence and learning from the TRANSFORM initiative in Ukraine;

o Support the TRANSFORM Global Lead with the development of Ukraine-related knowledge management aspects (including but not limited to case studies, resource package, and training materials) of the TRANSFORM initiative;

o Document and share learning with the TRANSFORM Global Lead internally to support better LGBTIQ+ inclusion in programming.

Dissemination and External Representation:

o Support the TRANSFORM Global Lead, as requested, to package and disseminate the growing evidence base, learning, and good practices around diverse SOGIESC inclusion;

o Support the Deputy Director of Programs and the partnerships team with IRC’s external representation for TRANSFORM in Ukraine, including ensuring continued coordination and collaboration with external stakeholders within the relevant national humanitarian architecture and also representative organizations at the local and national level.

Capacity Strengthening:

o Support the TRANSFORM Global Lead, as requested, to provide capacity-strengthening opportunities to IRC Country Programs.

Key Working Relationships

• Position reports to: VPRU’s Inclusion Specialist

• Position directly supervises: N/A

• Regular internal (IRC) contact with: TRANSFORM Global Lead, VPRU Inclusion Technical Advisor, EHAU colleagues, IRC Country Program staff in Ukraine and other selected pilot countries; PRoL, WPE, CP Technical Advisors for Ukraine and, Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) colleagues.

• Regular external contact with: Edge Effect Project Director, and representatives from the LGBTIQ+ partner organizations.

Personal Specification:

Skills and Experience:

• Strong existing links to and understanding of the experiences of the LGBTIQ+ community in Ukraine;

• Passion for making humanitarian responses more inclusive;

• Strong understanding of the existing external policy and practice landscape around inclusion, including humanitarian architecture structures for representation at an Inter-Agency level;

• Ability to do bigger picture and strategic thinking;

• Considerable experience implementing protection/inclusion programming in humanitarian contexts;

• Ability and creativity to cope with difficult situations or unusual problems (i.e. resourceful);

• Self-starter/proactive in anticipating what might need to be done;

• Strong communicator, with the ability to process and summarize complex information;

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect or diversity.

• Experience establishing and maintaining professional relationships (both personal and at the institutional level);

• Understanding of structures of power, oppression, and marginalization in Ukraine, particularly relating to gender and sexual diversity and intersectionality;

• Experience in facilitating workshops and trainings with a diverse range of participants;

• Ability and willingness to challenge organizational norms, processes, and procedures;

• Experience of knowledge management.

Job Qualifications:

• Education: A relevant combination of academic qualifications and extensive experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

• Language: For this position, fluent oral and written Ukrainian and working proficiency in English is essential.

• Ability to manage a complex and varied workload, work under pressure, and travel across Ukraine;

• Excellent IT skills (i.e. Word, Outlook, Excel).

Working Environment

• Some domestic travel as needed up to 15%;

• This position is required to have flexible work-day hours to accommodate varying time zones to complete required tasks and coordination functions.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, 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.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity:

IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Qualifications