Jordan: Regional Economic Recovery Coordinator

Feb 11, 2019 | Danish Refugee Council
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The Danish Refugee Council assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid, fight for their rights, and strengthen their opportunity for a brighter future. The DRC works in conflict-affected areas, along the displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. 

About the job 

Overall purpose of the role: 

DRC Middle East is looking for a skilled and experienced technical coordinator who will provide targeted and high-quality guidance, support, capacity strengthening and trouble-shooting to DRC’s livelihoods support and cash and voucher assistance programming (emergency/basic needs, and sector-specific) across the Middle East (ME) region.  

Alongside the fundamental support to and strengthening of economic recovery outcomes for DRC operations in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, core priorities include: operationalising DRC’s regional livelihoods strategy; steering and supporting year 3 of DRC’s Middle East Livelihoods Learning Journey; further developing impactful strategic public and private partnerships at international, regional and local levels; and coordinating and spearheading cross-country learning and building the evidence base for quality and more integrated programming. 

This is a unique opportunity to take up a key technical role – in one of DRC’s most significant regions in terms of scale of economic recovery portfolio; strategic engagement; and evolving programmatic implementation and learning around how best to respond to critical emergency needs while supporting transition to self-reliant and sustainable livelihoods in situations of protracted conflict and displacement. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

Responsibilities:

Country-specific support 

  • Strategic support: Assist DRC country operations in implementing – and reviewing/updating as required – their strategies for livelihoods, and cash and voucher-based programming, based upon relevant assessments and key stakeholder analysis and consultations 
  • Proposal design: Support DRC country operations in developing new project proposals, ensuring that proposed design is in line with country-level and regional strategies, and draws on established sectoral and inter-agency good practice, methodology and guidance 
  • Technical support: provide technical guidance, advice and support to DRC country operations on economic recovery (livelihoods support, and cash and voucher assistance) programming:  
    • On assessment, design, set-up, implementation, monitoring, learning and reporting of higher quality, timelier and more accountable needs, preferences and market-based economic recovery programming on behalf of IDPs or refugees, and their host communities  
    • Via remote support, field support missions, facilitating exchanges, etc.  
    • Acting as reference/focal point answering specific technical questions, providing trouble-shooting, and addressing country-specific challenges 
    • Including providing or reviewing methodology, guidance and tools essential to ensuring predictable, accountable and high-quality programming 
    • Ensuring programme strategy and design is evolved in line with context and needs, and integrated with other DRC sectors/areas of intervention to the extent possible 
    • Set-up: Upon request, support the set-up of livelihood support and/or cash and voucher assistance activities at country level – including conducting/coordinating feasibility, needs, preferences and market assessment; modality due diligence/selection and response design; recruitment and training of DRC and partner staff; etc. 
    • Capacity building:  
      • Adapt and provide training materials relating to economic recovery programming in line with global interagency and internal DRC resources; provide training, mentoring and capacity building as required, including specifically for DRC country technical focal points;   
      • Assist countries of operations in designing, organising and facilitating strategic and technical workshops and trainings targeting DRC and partners’ staff; 
      • Support recruitment of technical staff involved in supporting DRC’s Economic Recovery programming in the Middle East 
      • Quality assurance: Visit country programmes, measure quality programming and evaluate impact, cost-effectiveness and relevance of specific programmes; provide mission reports including recommendations for improvements and action plans to be followed up by country Heads of Programme 

Regional support 

  • Capacity: Assess DRC country economic recovery capacities and identify technical and/or programmatic gaps relevant to DRC’s operational contexts and programming 
  • Strategy: Advise the region and countries on further developing the interface between DRC’s economic recovery programming and the DRC Middle East regional strategy, and the DRC Response Framework and three programmatic platforms (Responding to Emergency, Solutions to Displacement, and Addressing Root Causes) on which it is based; review and refine regional strategy from an economic recovery perspective as required  
  • Profile and position: Further define DRC’s economic recovery profile in the region, positioning DRC as a leading, respected and innovative agency on livelihoods support and cash and voucher assistance programming 
  • Harmonisation: Ensure cross-country DRC consistency (strategy; delivery) in its economic recovery programming  
  • Learning: Lead and facilitate a collaborative regional learning and capitalisation process on economic recovery programming:  
    • In particular, serve as lead and focal point for Year 3 of the Middle East Livelihoods Learning Journey  
    • Compile and share DRC ME best practices extracted from quality assurance exercises conducted at country level 
    • Representation: Actively participate in relevant regional coordination fora, and technical, policy and advocacy communities of practice – including meetings relating to regional and/or Whole-of-Syria grants  
    • Closely liaise and coordinate on a regular basis with DRC’s Global Economic Recovery team 

Required:

Experience and technical competencies:  

  • 5 years’ experience with international humanitarian and/or development organisations, including significant experience working on economic recovery programming in contexts of forced displacement 
  • Strong, practical and up-to-date knowledge of:  
    • Livelihoods concepts, methodologies and impactful modes of support – across DRC’s core activity categories – wage employment; business support; financial inclusion; agriculture-oriented programming – and typical modes of support in the region, including counselling, skills development, income generation activities, value chain development, business grants, business management; support to SMEs, etc. 
    • Recent trends in livelihoods policy and evidence: e.g. on graduation; building self-reliance; private sector partnerships; and other areas of innovation 
    • Cash and voucher assistance: concepts; terminology; assessment and design methodology; and (digital) operations/implementation  
    • Market assessment and analysis, including proven ability to support development of market-based programming 
    • Demonstrable experience in providing high quality in-person and remote livelihoods, cash and market-based programming technical advice and support to country programmes or operations, across the project/programme cycle, including strong ability to apply a theory of change approach 
    • Understanding of and experience in developing integrated programming including interfaces between/graduation from emergency cash-based responses with both sustainable livelihoods and protection-oriented programming 
    • Strong knowledge of monitoring and evaluation methodology and processes suitable to document the outcomes and impact of economic recovery programming 
    • Demonstrable capacity building skills – including specifically with design and facilitation of impactful and contextually-adapted trainings and workshops 
    • Experience working in complex institutional environments – and developing close working relationships with a diverse range of colleagues 
    • Excellent analytical skills; ability to think strategically, and take a flexible, creative and innovative approach when needed 
    • Excellent communication, representation, coordination, training and writing skills 
    • Highly motivated and hard-working, with strong attention to detail 
    • Understanding of and previous experience working in the Middle East strongly preferred 
    • High degree of flexibility; willingness to deploy at short notice, to insecure environments, and to operate in a physically demanding working environment 

Education:

  • Master's degree in development or humanitarian studies, political science, economics or other relevant field  

Languages:

  • Fluency in English is required
  • Arabic preferred 

Application process 

Interested? Then apply for this position by clicking on the apply button. 

All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages). Both must be in the same language as this vacancy note. CV only applications will not be considered. 

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please contact job@drc.dk   

Applications close 28 February 2019. Please note that we will be reviewing applications and interviewing on an ongoing basis, and the vacancy may therefore close before the deadline.