Central African Republic: Women Protection & Empowerment Coordinator

Feb 12, 2020 | International Rescue Committee
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The IRC has been active in The Central African Republic (CAR) since 2006 and has been implementing emergency response programs since early 2013. The IRC has three field offices in the north – Bocaranga, Kaga Bandoro, and Zemio – in addition to a central office in Bangui. Since 2007, it has built close relationships with local communities, community leaders, local authorities, and other local and international actors. Today, the IRC is one of the leading humanitarian actors working in the prefectures Ouham Pende, Nana Gribizi, and Zemio, implementing programs in health, women and child protection, and Early Recovery and Development. The IRC has demonstrated its ability to successfully implement health and protection programming, improving beneficiaries’ access to healthcare and providing survivors of violence with safe, confidential services to help them recover and reintegrate into their communities. The gained technical expertise, logistical abilities, and local knowledge and understanding has laid the foundation to expand and deepen these services to reach more people and respond to the emergency need at a greater scale as additional funding is secured.

Scope of work:

The IRC implements a program of Women Protection and Empowerment  (WPE), including information sharing, psychosocial services through listening centers, referral services for medical care and livelihoods and capacity building. The Protection Coordinator will be responsible for the development and implementation of the program at the national level. He / she will lead the design of the protection monitoring methodology, protection related M&E systems, and training materials for WPE staff, the implementation and scaling up of community-based approach to prevention and response to GBV. The incumbent will regularly update the standard operating procedures (SOP) for sharing data with other actors. The PAF Coordinator will ensure the quality of data collection and analysis and will ensure that succinct and accurate reports are used to inform programming and advocacy, both internally and externally.

The PAF Coordinator will also be responsible for increasing the presence and potential leadership role of the IRC in the protection sector by attending meetings of relevant working groups, by networking with stakeholders. States and NGOs in the GBV sector, by co-chairing the subgroup on GBV, by co-chairing the committee on GBV and humanitarian actions in CAR. He / she will identify, in coordination with the grant and partnership manager, potential partners for future GBV prevention and response programs. He / She will ensure that GBVIMS is in place and working. The incumbent will coordinate with the monitoring & evaluation, accountability and learning unit to ensure that the PAF program data is accurate, that it is analyzed and that monitoring and evaluation reports are written on time and that program and M&E staff in the field and senior management receive feedback.

He / she plays a big role in building the capacities of his / her team and in particular he / she will accompany the countrywide sector managers of women protection and empowerment program.

The Protection Coordinator will work closely with other sectors (Child Protection, Economic Well-being and Health), to ensure that the principles of protection are integrated into the program areas of CAR and that the referrals between WPE and the other program areas are working.

He / she will report to the Deputy Director, Programs and will have access to technical advice from the IRC Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Unit.

Main responsibilities:

Program quality and technical supervision

  • Provide technical and management leadership for the WPE program in accordance with best practices and IRC policy.
  • Ensure that strong and ethical data collection and information management systems are in place for appropriate GBV analysis, planning, evaluation and advocacy.
  • Ensure regular communication with the PAF Technical Unit to integrate the appropriate priorities of the technical unit in the design of the program.
  • With the support from the technical advisers at headquarters, develop key technical tools for the programs and develop / adapt the existing IRC technical training material, as needed, to support the introduction of new programming approaches.
  • Identify technical assistance needs for WPE program staff and provide regular and appropriate ongoing support and training.
  • Act as technical facilitator and key resource person for IRC internal and external training and workshops.
  • Work in close collaboration with the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning unit which coordinates the feedback mechanism (client’s feedback) to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures relating to client responsiveness in all sectors WPE program intervention.
  • Provide technical support to the coordinator of the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning unit for the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems and country program feedback.
  • Collaborate with protection technical advisers to ensure that WPE programming in CAR meets humanitarian standards, aligns with the IRC results and evidence based framework, and responds to community feedback and follow-up.
  • Collaborate closely with the Child Protection sector to ensure the integration of activities and access to services for beneficiaries according to their needs.

Grants management

  • Responsible for the overall implementation of current WPE grants, in accordance with donor agreements and IRC policies and procedures.
  • Support the implementation and ensure compliance with work plans, expenditure plans and grant monitoring and evaluation plans.
  • Work in close collaboration and coordination with all coordinators of other programs to ensure synergy and integration of the programs.
  • Work closely with IRC's operations, finance and grants departments to ensure compliance with grant requirements.
  • Support the development and maintenance of effective and efficient systems and processes for monitoring, support, quality control and reporting.
  • Ensure that the reports of activities, indicators and achievements of the IRC and donors are of high quality.
  • Carry out regular follow-up field visits to assess progress and identify technical quality and / or other implementation problems, suggest solutions and make necessary changes.
  • Ensure that the appropriate WPE program Monitoring and Evaluation systems are in place.
  • Ensure that all internal and external reporting requirements are met, that reports are of high quality and are submitted on time.

Sectoral strategy and program development

  • Lead the development of the WPE / GBV program strategy.
  • Lead the development of strategic work plans with clear objectives and benchmarks, short and long term priorities, implementation plans, financial projections and evaluation tools.
  • Work with WPE program staff to implement the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for CAR, including aligning the program with relevant theories of change, as well as to develop new program components and implement update the existing components so that they align with the SAP priorities and the overall WPE strategy of the country program.
  • Contribute to the development of the orientation of the strategic action plan of the country program.
  • Contribute to the production of the report on the implementation of the strategic action plan implementation plan
  • Collaborate closely with all programs to ensure program integration and synergy.
  • Lead the development of new proposals and program design, work with the grants team to help identify new funding and business development opportunities for the WPE RCA program, and participate in writing proposals if necessary and inform program  budgeting.
  • Coordinate with other sectors of the IRC to provide relevant input and support to improve the protection and empowerment of women and girls.
  • Participate in cross-sectoral assessments and planning, as required, and provide advice to project strategy in other sectors to maximize the safety of women and girls.

Staff supervision and development

  • Accompany, train and supervise staff in order to strengthen their technical capacities, exchange knowledge within the team and provide professional development advice.
  • Supervise and coach staff, in particular by communicating clear expectations and in partnership with the direct supervisor, by establishing development objectives, by providing regular and timely feedback on development and by contributing to the annual and semi-annual performance review.
  • Provide constructive feedback and advice on appropriate career paths and professional development.
  • Promote and monitor the care and well-being of staff; manage all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage.
  • Provide leadership support to ensure compliance by staff with IRC's global HR policies and operational procedures.
  • Maintain open and constructive communication and relationships with office and field managers and coordinators as well as with key support staff in finance, administration and operations.
  • Assist in the recruitment of WPE program management staff at the national level, as required.
  • Accompany the WPE program manager at the national level and strengthen his managerial and technical capacities to be able to manage all aspects of the WPE program in the absence of the PAF coordinator
  • Respect and act in accordance with IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures, and communicate by word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.
  • Provide management support for the implementation of and compliance with IRC's overall human resources policies and operating procedures. Provide ongoing support and provide targeted capacity building for staff.
  • Detect exceptional performances in accordance with the IRC Way, support them and accompany them in their career development journey.
  • Lead with commitment, integrity and responsibility according to the "IRC Way" - Global Standards of Professional Conduct.

Coordination & Representation

  • Develop and actively maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, including donors, government actors, United Nations agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors at the national and regional levels in CAR.
  • Regularly co-chair meetings of the GBV sub-cluster at national level and coordinate with teams in the field to ensure the active participation of the IRC in the coordination of GBV working groups in the field and ensure that IRC influences the national and local agenda on GBV and that the WPE program is inspired by the guidelines adopted by the GBV sub-cluster at the national level and the working groups on GBV in regions and or prefectures.
  • Interact with the media and respond to media requests regarding GBV programs, when relevant, necessary and authorized by IRC RCA management.
  • Ensure that concerns and challenges on the ground are brought to the attention of relevant stakeholders in order to promote standards and procedures that systematize the implementation and coordination in the field of the fight against GBV.
  • Identify advocacy opportunities in collaboration with the DDP and on the basis of information from the field.
  • In collaboration with the DDP, work in close collaboration with the IRC's advocacy and media teams and the Violence Prevention and Response Technical Unit for the launch and dissemination of research reports and results.
  • With the DDP, contribute to the advocacy efforts of IRC RCA and the Great Lakes region through the analysis of the political environment and trends.
  • Support the increased sharing and use of research and learning within IRC program areas, including by contributing to program development and design, to ensure that interventions are informed by a good understanding of the CAR environment and respond to the needs and

Grants monitoring and reporting

  • Regularly carry out on-site monitoring visits to assess progress and identify technical, quality and / or other implementation problems, provide solutions and implement the necessary modifications.
  • Produce / contribute to internal IRC and donor reports according to an established timeline (monthly, quarterly and annual) on activities, indicators and achievements in terms of grants.

Miscellaneous:

  • Constantly and proactively monitor and evaluate the safety and security of teams in the field, promptly report concerns or incidents to the Access and Security Coordinator and IRC management and liaise with other external parties as needed to maintain or improve the safe environment.
  • Other tasks assigned by the supervisor in the interest of the country program and or overall IRC.

Professional relationships

Position reports to: Deputy Director, Programs (DDP)

The position supervises: WPE Senior Manager and WPE National Managers

Indirect technical reports: WPE team staff

Other internal and / or external contacts:

Internal: Other Program Sector Coordinators (Child Protection, Health & ERD), WPE Technical advisors, Area Coordinators and Field Managers, Supply Chain Coordinator, Financial Controller, Human Resources, the Grant and PartnershipCoordinator , the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Coordinator and the M&E Manager

External: The GBV sub-cluster, and other working groups, INGOs, United Nations agencies and partner organizations, the Ministry for Women Promotion, Family and Child Protection

Requirements

  • MA / S. or the equivalent in health (MPH), social sciences, humanities or another related field.
  • At least five years of experience abroad, including substantial experience in managing GBV programs and at least two years of experience in providing direct services to survivors of GBV on gender, preferably in African contexts.
  • Previous experience supervising and managing a multidisciplinary team in an intercultural context.
  • Previous experience in emergency preparedness and response
  • Proven experience in capacity building and mentoring national and international staff
  • Proven experience in grants management and proposal writing
  • Excellent computer skills in programs such as: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint
  • Able to apply skills and knowledge in a variety of areas, including direct implementation, advisory functions, training and the transfer of technical knowledge and management skills to others.
  • Personal qualities: Team spirit, flexibility, networking, ability to manage pressure well.
  • It is a French speaking position. Applicants must be able to speak, read and write in French at a sufficient level of competence. The ability to read, write and speak English at a sufficient level of proficiency is also an asset.
  • Strong leadership, management, organizational and team and people development skills
  • Strong program and budget management skills, including planning and reporting for multiple grants.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills, representation and liaison with external parties.
  • Works well in a team and promotes teamwork, at ease in a multicultural environment, flexible and able to manage pressure effectively and productively.

 The work environment:

The coordinator of the Women's Protection and Empowerment Program will be based in Bangui, in CAR, and will travel throughout the country. The security situation in CAR is still unstable, although the signing of the Khartoum peace and reconciliation agreement in February 2019 is still seen as a source of hope for the country to return to peace. The security level remains at 3 (orange phase). The candidate must be prepared to implement programs in insecure environments. This is an unaccompanied position. The coordinator will live in shared accommodation.