East Program Coordinator

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, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The mission of the IRC is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.

IRC Chad strategy

The IRC started operations in Chad in 2004 to respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by the influx of refugees from Darfur to eastern Chad, with intervention in the Ouré Cassoni refugee camp. Assistance to Sudanese refugees has now expanded to the management of the ten camps in the East and one camp in the West with assistance to refugees and local communities in health, nutrition and water, hygiene and sanitation. In 2012, to respond to drought and food insecurity, IRC expanded its geographic coverage in the Guéra region. IRC is currently working in three health districts Mongo, Mangalmé and Melfi and is providing prevention and treatment of malnutrition to the local population. In May 2016, IRC opened an office in the Lac region to respond to the Boko Haram crisis. IRC implements assistance projects in health, nutrition as well as protection and response to gender-based violence.

IRC Chad is committed in its 2022-2024 Strategic Action Plan, to continue to provide essential humanitarian services in health, nutrition and protection / GBV, while improving the economic well-being and building the resilience of beneficiaries, especially women and girls. IRC Chad will continue to work with and closely support states actors/ Ministries for key areas of intervention so that IRC’s actions fit into national policies to ensure better ownership of actions taken towards.

Scope of work

IRC Chad is looking for an experienced and dynamic person for the role of Program Coordinator for IRC interventions in Eastern Chad, in order to support the country program to ensure quality implementation of all its projects in the area. He will provide support to project teams to ensure excellent performance in the implementation of activities, expenditures and achievement of indicators for all projects. This support will mainly be in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of interventions, including capacity building of dedicated staff in order to save lives and alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable individuals and communities affected by the various humanitarian crises in the country.

The Program Coordinator will be directly supervised by the Senior Area Coordinator and technical supervision by the Senior Program Coordinator based in N’Djamena. In collaboration with operations and finance teams, he is responsible for the quality and operationalization of all projects in Eastern Chad.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Programming

• Work closely with Grants and Finance departments in the development of budgets and proposals for emergency preparedness and response interventions, coordinating with other technical leads/specialist on project design and proposal development inputs.

• Ensure emergency activities are carried out in accordance with the Sphere Minimum Standards and Humanitarian Charter in disaster response and other pertinent standards;

• Strengthen linkages across all program sectors to ensure a strong, coherent intergrated outcomes approach in line with IRC Chad Strategic Action Plan, Chad EPP;

• Closely monitor and manage program spending and serve as budget manager for emergency response grants.

• Closely monitor and stay up to date on context-specific factors informing and/or impacting IRC planning and implementation, e.g. early warning data, security and access issues, other actor mapping, and make recommendations to SLMT and program teams accordingly.

• Work closely with MEAL Coordiantor and M&E unit to ensure data collection and monitoring tools are aligned with and responsive to emergency program M&E frameworks, core indicators, and inclusive of the particular needs of vulnerable groups.

• Ensure compliance with IRC policy, procedures and practices throughout preparedness and emergency response activities, including adherence to Do No Harm principles

• Coordinate the operationalization of IRC project interventions in Eastern Chad with clear measures of success

• Manage all projects/grants in the Eastern Chad in collaboration with project managers and technical coordinators based on DIPs, procurement plans, spending plans and MEAL plans, in collaboration with Field Cordinators,program, operations and finance teams;

• Initiate, and as necessary, lead needs assessments and data collection to inform new project design; support field teams as necessary to develop/refine tools for, and/or conduct, compile and analyze information from rapid assessments.

• Work closely with the supply chain to ensure all logistics needs are met.

• Ensure that program activities in Eastern Chad are carried out in accordance with IRC quality standards (IMPACT) and other relevant international humanitarian standards;

• Strengthen linkages across all sectors to ensure a strong, coherent and integrated outcomes approach, in accordance with the IRC Chad Strategic Action Plan.

• Actively participate in the preparation and management of all humanitarian emergencies that arise in the area by ensuring coordination of the programmatic aspect of these emergencies.

• Closely monitor and stay informed of context-specific factors that inform and/or IRC’s planning and implementation, e.g. early warning data, security and access issues, mapping of other actors, and make recommendations to the SLMT and program teams accordingly.

• Work closely with the MEAL coordinator and the monitoring and evaluation unit to ensure that data collection and monitoring tools are aligned with the monitoring and evaluation frameworks, core indicators and meet the specific needs of vulnerable groups.

• Ensure compliance with IRC policy, procedures and practices throughout the program cycle, including adherence to “Do no Harm” principles

Coordination and Representation

• In collaboration with field coordinators and security focal points, closely monitor and communicate with key personnel as needed on new developments that may influence project implementation which may be linked to population movements, change in context, the security situation, accessibility constraints and natural or environmental phenomena.

• Liaise with and support operational functions in their role in effectively designing and implementing preparedness and response, particularly in relation to pre-positioning and timely procurement.

• Ensure IRC representation in relevant programmatic forums in the area of operation (e.g. cluster meetings, working groups and other coordination meetings; launches and briefings) and provide feedback, analysis and recommendations to the management team.

• Ensure that IRC programs in Eastern Chad are well coordinated with other humanitarian actors, community leaders and appropriate government authorities.

Reporting & Documentation

• Contribute to the drafting of reports for all projects by providing support and technical supervision to project managers.

• As needed, compile or contribute to the writing of evaluation and project reports.

• Contribute to the design and development of program briefing materials, and provide timely, quality input to information requests from IRC Regional and Headquarters and donors.

• Lead the compilation and writing of periodic situation reports, as required.

Key working relationships:

Internal: Deputy Directors (Programs, Operations and Finance); Security Officer/Manager, Programme Coordinators; Grants team; MEAL Coordinator; Finance Controller and Finance Managers; Supply Chain Coordinator; Field Coordinators.

External: IRC clients in the Eastern Chad; other humanitarian organizations; relevant Cluster leads; donors; Government partners especially the Ministry of Public Health, as required.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in a relevant field from a recognized university with at least three years of relevant professional experience in large-scale emergency responses.

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in humanitarian aid overseeing the implementation of projects and programs including programmatic and technical coordination.

• Experience must include working in a similar role within an international humanitarian/emergency organization in a complex humanitarian context.

• Good understanding of the operational context of the humanitarian emergency, including Sphere, the humanitarian system, donors, security, civil-military liaison and project cycle management

• Exceptional coordination and interpersonal skills.

• Training in situation analysis, needs assessment and project management.

• Knowledge of rules and regulations of major donors (e.g. USAID/OFDA, DFID, ECHO, SIDA).

• Proficient in MS Office, MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint, Kobo

• Speak and write English and French fluently

Personal specifications:

• Ability to work under pressure, long work hours, and high workload

• Ability to independently organize work and prioritize tasks

• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

Standards for Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality 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.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability