background: The International Rescue Committee
(IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to
survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert
Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to
refugees forced to
flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40
countries and 26 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions
who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to
home.
IRC has been present
in Nigeria since 2012 when the organization responded to flooding in Kogi
state. In early 2014, IRC opened a field office in Mubi town of Adamawa state
in NE Nigeria followed by offices in Yola (Adamawa state) in November 2014 and
Maiduguri (Borno state) in October 2015. IRC has ECHO, OFDA, and Gates funds to
respond to health, nutrition, GBV, and WASH activities. In late 2014 and early
2015, IRC received additional funds from SV, SIDA, USAID, and UNICEF to carry
out education, child protection, general protection, emergency food distributions,
shelter support, and NFI distributions to newly displaced IDPs. In late 2015
into early 2016, IRC received Swiss and UNHCR funds for additional emergency
response humanitarian-focused programming in NE Nigeria. The IRC in partnership
with three other INGOs, Save the Children International, Norwegian Refu gee
Council and Danish Refugee Council have received three year (2016-2019) funding
for an all-protection funded project from DFID with IRC as the lead agency for
the consortium.
SCOPE OF
WORK:
The IRC is implementing a protection program featuring protection monitoring,
information sharing, referral services, capacity building and access to
justice/rule of law. The Protection Coordinator will be responsible for the
development and implementation of protection programming in all three states of
Adamawa, Borno and Yobe where the IRC has humanitarian presence. He/she will
lead the design of protection monitoring methodology, M&E systems, and
training materials for protection and information project staff, set up and
scale up of access to justice/rule of law interventions and Standard Operation
Procedures (SOPs) regarding the sharing of data with other actors. The
Protection Coordinator will ensure the quality of protection data collection
and analysis and ensure that succinct and accurate protection reports are
utilized to inform programming and advocacy both internally and externally. The
Protection Coordinator will also be responsible in contributing to increasing
the IRC’s presence and potential leadership role in the Protection sector by
attending relevant working group meetings, networking with state and NGO actors
in the protection sector and identifying potential partners for future
programming. The Protection Coordinator will directly supervise various
Protection, Information, and Database staff who will also support the program.
The Protection
Coordinator will work extensively with other sectors, to ensure that protection
principles are being incorporated into the Nigeria sector programs, and in
particular with the Women’s Protection and Empowerment Coordinator, the Child
Youth and Protection Development Coordinator to strengthen the integrated
nature of IRC’s protection and assistance programs in Nigeria.
S/he reports to the
Deputy Director of Programs and will have access to technical guidance from the
IRC Violence Prevention and Response Unit.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Program
management
- Provide
strategic direction and vision to the IRC’s Protection programming in
Nigeria, with an emphasis on maintaining program quality during a period
of expansion. - Ensure
that all interventions are in compliance with the IRC’s protection
mainstreaming framework, international law and protection standards and
national policies. - Oversee
implementation of the Protection Monitoring and Information Dissemination
through managing project work plans and budgets (budget forecasting,
development of spending plans and budget follow-up), ensuring timely
recruitment, quality implementation and accurate reporting in accordance with
IRC and donor regulations. - Ensure
that monitoring and evaluation systems are effectively designed and
integrated into all stages of the project; that output and impact data are
captured and that data is used to optimize program quality. - Provide
continuous support to and ensure targeted capacity building of staff. - Participate
in cross-departmental collaboration and coordination in order to ensure
that linkages between programs are made and programs gain from protection
best practice; in particular with regular contact and coordination with
Coordinators and Managers in WPE, CP, Food Security (ERD), and Education. - Ensure
all designed protection projects use to the IRC theories of change and
that outcomes are evidence-driven and evidence-generated.
New business
development
- Develop
the Protection sector strategy for Nigeria in close collaboration with the
Protection Managers, DDP/CD, other protection sector staff, and the VPRU
Technical Unit - Identify
opportunities for, design and develop concept notes and proposals for
further protection programming and other protection programming as
requested - Develop
and/or input into protection assessments and protection reporting analysis
for the purpose of program development - Provide
Protection input on proposals from other sectors to ensure protection is
mainstreamed across IRC programming
Representation,
coordination and advocacy
- Coordinate
with DDP/CD to forge connections with key government counterparts at the
ministerial level, UN, I/NGOs, human rights actors, municipal and other
sub-national government actors. - Represent
the IRC in high level and strategic meetings involving protection actors
such as protection working group meetings, inter-agency coordination
meetings, and bi-lateral meetings. - Regularly
coordinate with internal program and operational stakeholders, the
Protection/Rule of Law Technical Advisors, Women’s Protection and
Empowerment, Children’s Protection, Education and other IRC colleagues. - In
collaboration with the DDP/CD and regional advocacy team, ensure that the
protection program delivers on advocacy goals as articulated in the
country wide advocacy strategy.
REQUIREMENTS
- Advanced
university degree in Law, Human Rights or a related field. - 3-5
years’ experience implementing protection programming including experience
in emergency or post-conflict project management - Demonstrated
experience using international human rights standards in protection
programming - Demonstrated
experience implementing M&E programs - Strong
strategic thinking and proposal writing skills - Strong
leadership, staff and budget management and capacity building skills. - Excellent
communication skills, cultural sensitivity, flexibility, ability to
improvise, team player. - Ability
to live and productively work under stress and in insecure and harsh
environments while maintaining a sense of humor.
DESIRED
- Experience
implementing integrated programming which focuses on meeting the unique
needs of children, women and girls is desired. - Experience
in implementing programming that utilizes ICT, including in the management
and monitoring of SMS based systems. - Regional
experience and fluency in English
SPECIFIC
SECURITY SITUATION /HOUSING
The Protection Coordinator will be based in Maiduguri, Nigeria with travel
throughout the country. The security situation in Nigeria continues to be
volatile in the NE with the security level at 3 (orange). The candidate should
be prepared to implement programming in insecure environments. This is a
non-accompanied position. The Coordinator will live in shared housing.
