Niger: Women Protection and Empowerment Coordinator

May 17, 2020 | International Rescue Committee
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The International Rescue Committee is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. IRC has been present in Niger since 2013 and has a national office in Niamey.

IRC’s vision for Niger is that individuals, households and communities are resilient, self-reliant and able to thrive in a changing context. IRC Niger is present in the regions of Tillabery, Agadez and Diffa with projects in the following areas: Environmental Health (EH) and Non Food Items (NFI) including Emergency – Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), Women Protection and Empowerment, Child Protection, protection and Rule of Law, Education, Nutrition and Livelihoods.

Scope of Work

IRC is implementing a Women's Protection and Empowerment Program (WPE), which includes response to and prevention of violence against women and girls as well as capacity building of partners and community structures on gender-based violence concepts.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Country Director for Programs (DDP) of IRC Niger, this position is responsible to provide strategic leadership to dedicated WPE program and WPE components, to implement the OEF strategy, as well as support Gender Equality initiatives. The WPE coordinator will provide technical guidance and advice all WPE related projects, including:

  1. GBV response through case management and psychosocial support, also for adolescent girls;
  2. Prevention, including engaging men and boys;
  3. Training and capacity building of partners; and
  4. Economic and social empowerment (EA$E).
  5. Ensuring the presence and potential leadership role of IRC in the protection sector by attending relevant working group meetings, networking with state actors and NGOs in the GBV sector.

He/she will work closely with other sectors (Child Protection, Protection and Rule of Law, Economic Wellbeing and Health) to ensure that GBV principles (GBV mainstreaming) are integrated into other sectors and that linkages between WPE and other program sectors are working.

He/she will be supervised by the deputy director of programs and will benefit from the technical support of the violence prevention and response unit of IRC (Women Protection and Empowerment sector).

Main Responsibilities:

  • Design, Development and Management of the WPE Program
  • Develop country strategies in line with SAP
  • Direct Supervision and management of WPE team in close collaboration with DDP and field coordinators.
  • Maintain strong relations and collaboration with other sectors namely child protection, protection and rule of law, RRM, education, mixed migration, nutrition, WASH and economic recovery and development.

Program quality / implementation:

  • The WPE Coordinator is responsible for the overarching coordination of WPE projects in Niger in line with the IRC Country Strategic Action Plan within IRC international priorities, frameworks and policies
  • Provide technical and managerial leadership of WPE program in accordance with best practice and IRC policy
  • Ensure that ethical and robust data collection and information management systems are in place for appropriate GBV analysis, planning, evaluation and advocacy
  • Lead and oversee planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of WPE programs and activities
  • Provide technical guidance from the outset of business development to implementation phases of project life cycles
  • Provide clear technical support, supervisory guidance, training and mentoring to all WPE programs, activities and teams and in close coordination with other technical coordinators, the Deputy Director Programs as well as the Country Director (CD) to  ensure consistent, harmonized and quality program design and implementation across project sites and improved integration between WPE and other IRC programs
  • With WPE technical unit support at headquarters, develop key technical program tools. Review and adapt existing IRC technical training materials. Develop / adapt existing IRC technical training materials, as needed, to support the introduction of new programming approaches
  • Liaise regularly with the Field Coordinators, and the HQ WPE Technical Unit to provide updates on the program, discuss emerging challenges, and collaborate on the design of new programs or changes to existing programs
  • Ensure regular communication with WPE Technical Unit to integrate the appropriate priorities of the Technical Unit into program design
  • Act as a key technical facilitator and resource person for internal and external IRC trainings and workshops. Provide training to program staff and partner as needed

Budget and Grant Management:

  • Participate in internal BvA meetings and also with partners to ensure that grant(s) is on track, and all under/over spent are handled with proper planning
  • Work closely with finance and grants teams to develop budget
  • Collaborate with Grants department to ensure that programs are implemented according to donor guidelines and reporting requirements are met
  • Responsible for the overall implementation of the current WPE grants in accordance with donor agreements and IRC policies and procedures
  • Support implementation and ensure compliance with work plans, expenditure plans and grant monitoring and evaluation plans
  • Work in close collaboration and coordination with all program coordinators to ensure program synergy and integration
  • Ensure high quality reporting of activities, indicators and achievements by IRC and donors
  • Ensure that all internal and external reporting requirements are met and that reports are of high quality and submitted on time
  • Identify, in coordination with the grant Coordinator, potential partners for future GBV prevention and response opportunities

Sector Strategy and Program Development:

  • Expand WPE program portfolio
  • In line with the Country Strategic Action Plan (SAP), actively seek and develop solicited/unsolicited proposals that are either sector standalone or multi sectorial
  • Ensure coherence in program strategy and implementation across sites and programs
  • Ensure the implementation of the WPE related SAP action plan
  • Work with program teams to develop new and update existing program components of the WPE sector strategy, to inform on-going opportunities for programming and to strengthen the linkages between WPE and other IRC program sectors
  • Participate in proposal writing and other business development opportunities as needed and inform program costing exercises
  • Provide technical guidance to other Gender Equality Initiatives (Gender audits, gender analysis training, etc.)
  • Work with WPE Niger program staff to implement Niger's Strategic Action Plan (SAP), including the alignment of the program with relevant theories of change, as well as to develop new and update existing program components that align with SAP priorities and the overall WPE strategy of the country program
  • Participate in cross-sectoral assessments and planning, as appropriate, and provide advice to the project strategy of other sectors to maximize the safety of women and girls

 Representation and Advocacy:

  • Maintain strong relationships with relevant government partners involved in WPE activities
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with donors and potential donors in Niger
  • Ensure WPE visibility and represent IRC WPE in GBV meetings, protection cluster meetings and other relevant meetings and task forces at provincial and national levels
  • Maintain effective relationship with active WPE/GBV actors in the country for effective and improved coordination and programming
  • Regularly attend GBV sub-cluster meetings at appropriate levels to feed into IRC priorities in the field
  • Identify advocacy opportunities in collaboration with DDP and based on information from the field

Staff Supervision & Development:

  • Directly supervise WPE team and technically supervise other staff
  • Provide on-the-job training and coaching to the WPE team to promote holistic program approaches and strategies
  • Oversee the development of staff technical capacity building plans and ensure staffs receive training accordingly
  • Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
  • Assist the staff in identifying professional development needs and opportunities
  • Work with the staff to ensure performance objectives are regularly reviewed and met
  • Provide continuous performance feedback to staff; identify performance issues and work with staff and Human Resources to document and address issues in a timely manner
  • Adhere to and act in accordance with IRC global HR policies and procedures - Promote IRC Way

Monitoring, Evaluation, Quality assurance and Reporting:

  • Maintain an effective monitoring, evaluation and planning system
  • Analyze WPE date and share information with the DDP
  • Responsible for all internal and external programmatic reporting, including donors reports
  • Coordinate program evaluations and reviews, ensure documentation of lessons learned informing reporting and program development
  • Contribute to the development of guidelines, including technical design of software and hardware interventions for all domains under its responsibility
  • Ensure IRC and international quality standards for humanitarian action are fulfilled throughout the project management cycle
  • Provide technical support in WPE to the team under direct responsibility and the overall mission
  • Carry out regular field monitoring visits to assess progress and identify technical quality and/or other implementation problems, provide solutions and implement necessary modifications
  • Ensure that GBVIMS is up and running and ensure the quality of data collection and analysis and that succinct and accurate reports are produced and used to inform programming and contribute to its improvement
  • Ensure that gender, protection and environmental impact are mainstreamed in all programming under direct responsibility

Professional Standards

  • Consistently and proactively monitor/assess the safety and security of the team; promptly reporting concerns or incidents to the SMT, and when liaising with community leaders and other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment for IRC programs
  • Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs
  • All IRC staff are required to adhere to the IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies

Qualifications

Education: 

  • Advanced degree in International Development, Social Work, Women’s Studies, or other related field

Work Experience:          

  • Minimum 5 years professional experience developing, managing, and evaluating GBV
  • Prevention and response programs in post conflict and development contexts

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

  • Degree in Social Science or similar 
  • At least five years of experience implementing GBV response and prevention programs in emergency and development context (at least one year in emergency context)
  • Experience in Africa is a strong advantage
  • Strong and demonstrated commitment to women’s empowerment and Gender equality
  • Thorough understanding of best practices and evidence-based strategies in GBV response (case management, psychosocial support,) socio-economic empowerment, adolescent girls, gender transformative approach, and GBV primary prevention and risk reduction
  • Knowledge of a range of relevant tools including GBV/IMS, EASE, VSLA
  • Strong project planning and organizational skills
  • Previous experience managing programs financed through one or more of the following, OFDA, ECHO, DFID and private foundations, with strong program/technical and budget management skills
  • Strong planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills
  • Proven experience in capacity building and mentoring of national and international staff
  • Excellent competencies: MS Word, Excel; GBV/IMS
  • Successful experience in developing new programs in line with strategic goals
  • Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and advocacy with external parties
  • Experience managing, supervising, coaching and mentoring staff
  • Proven ability to work well in and promote teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure with professional grace
  • Excellent French and English

Work Space

Security: WPE coordinator will be based in Niamey (yellow phase) with frequent field trips. The security situation in Niger, on the ground is unstable, the IRC security level is 3 (Orange phase).

Accommodation: WPE coordinator will be accommodated in shared housing in Niamey. This position is unaccompanied.