WPE Facilitator/Prevention Officer (Woman)

Job Description

#LI-GR2 IRC Hellas started operations in Greece in June 2015 and currently implements programs in Mental Health, Child Protection, Information Services, Women’s Protection & Empowerment (WPE), Economic Recovery & Development, Advocacy, and Gender Equality, Inclusion, & Diversity.

In February 2023, IRC Hellas’ WPE commenced GBV prevention programming under EU-funded CARE: Community-Based Primary Prevention of GBV in Greece and Italy. CARE project aims at contributing towards the prevention of GBV against women and girls, with a focus on intimate partner violence, by addressing its root causes. The IRC will implement community-based interventions that engage women to build peer support networks, empowerment, and capacity to lead change in their communities and support other women. It will namely do so by implementing an IRC’s approach named Women Rise, aiming at strengthening and expanding sources of support, building more robust coping mechanisms to address chronic stress, and expanding on women’s own inherent resilience and empowerment through stronger connections with other women. Men will be engaged in a transformative process, guided by the voices of women, to foster accountability, encourage the change of GBV-related gender norms, shift in attitudes, and increase the likelihood of bystander intervention, through the implementation of IRC’s framework Engaging Men in Accountable Practices (EMAP). Both approaches will be adapted and piloted for the first time in Greece to target Greek, migrant, and refugee people.

We are looking for two WPE facilitators/Prevention Officers (one woman and one man) to lead single-gender discussions to achieve our goals.

This job announcement is for the position of woman Facilitator/Prevention Officer.

If you are passionate and enthusiastic about working towards ending violence against women and girls, we encourage you to apply!

Scope of Work

We are looking for a WPE Facilitator/ Prevention Officer, who will be part of the IRC’s Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) team in Greece and will work closely with the WPE Manager and other members of the WPE team to adapt existing materials and facilitate empowerment and prevention group discussions with women on various topics related to gender, equality, and GBV, will support the efforts of the WPE team to engage men in the community to improve the protection of women and girls, and will facilitate a Training of Trainers (ToT) for women to become GBV Community Focal Points for Prevention.

This is a woman-only position.

Key Responsibilities

Contextualization and implementation of Women Rise and EMAP group sessions:

- Review existing IRC material for women’s and men’s interventions (Women Rise and EMAP); - Participate in the adaptation and contextualization of Women Rise and EMAP approaches to the Greek context, ensuring women’s participation as needed by organizing FGDs with community members, working closely with women’s organizations and the WPE team, reviewing material and incorporating the feedback; - Engage in EMAP training and participate in the training and supervision of the interpreters; - Facilitate the women’s discussion groups: weekly meetings of at least 3 groups over a period of at least 4 months; - Engage in self-introspection and learning about accountable practices by participating in weekly facilitator-supervisor accountability meetings;

Community mobilization, participation, and engagement:

- Reach out to the community to inform them about the upcoming prevention interventions; identify, mobilize, and recruit people to participate in the community-based discussion groups; - Collaborate with the team to devise strategies to engage men and boys in community mobilization efforts aimed at crafting a protective environment for women and girls; - Propose and facilitate one-off information and sensitization sessions with people in the community to disseminate information about protection topics and available services.

Capacity building and follow-up of women focal points:

- Support the preparation of a ToT toolkit for Community Focal Points and facilitate their training; - Maintain regular contact with community focal points to ensure a constant flow of information and feedback and strengthen capacity through training, coaching, and mentoring.

Reporting, Monitoring & Evaluation:

- Ensure consistent monitoring and evaluation based on relevant M&E tools with the support of the WPE Manager and M&E officer; - Participate in the writing of reports by evaluating feedback and program data; - Ensure weekly reporting on activities, highlighting any implementation challenges and propose solutions and adaptative measures to the WPE Manager when necessary.

Other tasks:

- Participate in a knowledge-exchange field trip to Italy together with Community GBV focal points; - Coordinate and liaise with MHPSS team members and other actors on the evolution of the interventions and referrals, as necessary; - Carry out any other ad hoc task deemed useful by her direct supervisor or by the IRC; - Ensure that all activities are implemented in accordance with the IRC's operational policies; - Collaborate closely and effectively with the other components of IRC programs.

Candidate Profile

Education: Bachelor’s degree in social work, humanities, social sciences, psychology, or related field preferred.

Work experience:

- At least one year of proven/relevant experience, including implementing GBV prevention and/or PSS activities at the community level; - Experience in facilitating pieces of training and focus group discussions at the community level; - Experience implementing PSS activities with displaced communities and working on the development and/or contextualization of training materials and toolkits would be an asset.

Skills and Abilities:

- Dedication, sensitivity, and strong understanding of protection and GBV issues, including gender inequality, root causes of GBV, minimum standards, MHPSS, and guiding principles; - Knowledge of protection / GBV referral mechanisms within Athens / Greece; - Skills engaging men on gender equality and gender-based violence prevention are desirable; - Strong listening, facilitation, and communication skills, with a good understanding of cross-cultural and sensitive issues and the ability to gain trust and build relationships with new communities; - Curiosity about individual attitudinal and behavior change, including for oneself; - Digital literacy, including Microsoft Word and Excel; - Writing concise and clear reports skills; - Strong organizational and time management skills. Ability to prioritize and deliver on time; - Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills; - Ability to work as a member of a team and independently; - Demonstrate strong maturity; - Demonstrate a high level of flexibility, responsiveness, and reliability; - Language skills: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Greek. Knowledge of French, Farsi, Arabic, Ukrainian, or Russian would be vital.

Key Relationships

Position Reports to The WPE Facilitator/Prevention Officer will report directly to the WPE Manager.

Working Environment: This position will be hired under a binational, EU-funded GBV prevention project.

The selected candidate will work closely with the WPE team in IRC Greece, consisting of the man WPE Facilitator/Prevention Officer, the WPE interpreters, and the WPE Manager. The job holder will also work closely with the WPE team in IRC Italy, the WPE Technical Advisor, and colleagues from partner organizations in Greece and Italy, and local organizations in Athens. The position will be based at Community Spaces in Athens and Athens IRC Office, with a field trip/exchange visit to project partners in Palermo, Italy.

Application

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their: (a) Curriculum vitae or resume in English, (b) a brief statement of interest/cover letter in English. Both are required; applications must have a cover letter to be reviewed. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.

Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an extensive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with a position.

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.

Diversity and Inclusion: At IRC 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.

Qualifications