Integrated Protection Coordinator

Job Overview/Summary

The Integrated Protection Coordinator leads the IRC’s efforts to meet conflict-affected people’s safety and protection needs, reducing risk and responding to cases of violence, coercion and deprivation, as well as mainstreaming protection throughout the IRC and partners’ response in Ukraine. This includes general protection, prevention and response to gender-based violence and child protection programming, with partner and direct implementation. The Integrated Protection Coordinator will set and manage a clear direction, drive forward implementation and ensure robust and effective management and oversight to best meet the needs and aspirations of people who are displaced from Ukraine and accountability to stakeholders.

Duties and responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction, leadership and overall technical and management support to protection and rule of law (PRoL), women’s protection and empowerment (WPE) child protection (CP) programming (partner-led and direct implementation) in Ukraine, ensuring it is needs-based, context-appropriate, responsive, coherent, collaborative, and operationally feasible and in line with the Emergency Strategy Plan

• Lead a comprehensive assessment of opportunities for greater cross-sector integration within IRC’s program units, and develop/review the workplan for reaching integration goals, both with respect to programs implemented directly by IRC as well as those delivered in partnership; as required, support development of cross-sector SOPs, tools, training modules, etc.

• Promote joint work across the three teams (CP, WPE and PRoL) to enhance the quality of programming and a holistic approach to addressing the needs of family members.

• In collaboration with program, finance, HR and Supply Chain departments, ensure smooth management, implementation, integration and compliance of project work plans and budgets (budget forecasting, spending plans, procurement plans and expenditure), with best use of resources across activities and delivering on time, to scope and within budget.

• Ensure projects and activities are of high technical quality, meet humanitarian standards, mainstream protection, align with IRC’s Strategy, and respond to community and monitoring feedback

• Plan, organize, recruit, supervise and develop the team and individuals needed to achieve program goals and maximize ownership and leadership.

• Ensure that capacity development plans are in place for all teams

• Ensure that all internal and external reporting requirements are met, that reports are of a high quality and are submitted on time

• Through direct liaison with the Supply Chain Coordinator, ensure timely procurement of supplies and materials in compliance with donor and IRC rules and regulations through timely planning, specifications development and collaborative relations with Supply Chain colleagues

• Proactively identify, assess, monitor and implement measures to reduce or control risks that may impact program delivery, quality or compliance

• Engage and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders and coordination structures relevant to humanitarian response in Ukraine including NGO, UN, and technical and government actors

• Liaise with Technical advisors to ensure relevant support, tools and resources are being provided and integrated into programming.

• Proactively continue to grow the Ukraine protection, women’s protection and child protection portfolio through development of concept notes and proposals to existing and new donors, maintaining a coherent strategy across IRC’s areas of intervention in Ukraine.

• Lead assessments and context-appropriate research aimed at generating a strong evidence base for IRC protection programming, as well as informing IRC advocacy.

• Contribute to the advocacy efforts of IRC in Ukraine through analysis of the policy environment and trends, staff briefings, and external representation in relevant discussions the region.

• Identify, monitor and report unmet needs. Explore the potential of the IRC to address those needs within the parameters of the Strategic Action Plan and sector priorities.

Staff Management and Development

• Coach, train, and mentor staff with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing professional development guidance

• Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and providing documented annual and mid-year performance reviews.

• Provide constructive feedback and counsel on appropriate career paths and professional development. Support the development of business development skills and responsibility among the integrated protection team.

• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being; approve and manage all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage.

• Offer leadership support for successful adherence by staff to IRC’s Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures.

Key working relationships:

• Position Reports to: Deputy Director of Programs, Ukraine

• Position directly supervises: Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) Manager; Protection Rule of Law Manager; Child Protection Manager; Protection Program Officer; Senior M&E Protection Officer

• Internal collaborations within IRC: Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) Coordinator; Partnerships Coordinator; Health Coordinator; Supply Chain Coordinator; Finance Coordinator; Senior Technical Advisor for Violence Prevention and Response in Emergencies (VPRiE)

• External collaborations to IRC: Protection actors, organizations and agencies; IRC partners

Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in humanitarian assistance, social work, human rights, international law, social science or related field. Advanced degree preferred;

• 7 years’ experience implementing similar programming in an emergency or complex emergency context and demonstrable understanding of the relevance of international humanitarian law and human rights law to humanitarian action;

• Professional experience in program implementation in the field of protection or human rights in conflict-affected areas

• Demonstrable knowledge of and commitment to child protection, and women’s protection, empowerment and gender-based violence; Previous work on Protection Rule of Law, CP and GBV programming important.

• Applied experience in case management;

• Ability to manage up and across and to influence others to mainstream protection across units;

• Strong team and people leadership, management, organizational and development skills;

• Strong program and budget management skills including planning and reporting across multiple grants;

• Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties;

• Works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure effectively and productively;

• Fluent in spoken and written English; Ukrainian and Russian desirable.

This position will be based in Vinnytsia, with travel to other locations as necessary. As this is a fluid and rapidly changing context, the location of this position and length of assignment may change based on the needs of the program.

Standards of 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, 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.