Gender and Protection Manager At International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, provides relief, rehabilitation, and post-conflict support to victims of oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. IRC is committed to bold leadership, innovation, and creative partnerships. The security situation in South Sudan remains fragile and the operational context is challenging. IRC has been in South Sudan since 1989 and currently operates in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Lakes, Unity, and Central Equatoria States.

Working in coordination with the humanitarian community, the IRC currently addresses the needs of conflict-affected populations from several operational bases across South Sudan. The IRC’s Protection and Rule of Law (PRoL) programs work to provide people in crisis with the information and support they need to protect themselves, access services and secure their rights, and case management responses when those rights are violated. The IRC directly implements protection monitoring, community-based protection, women’s protection, and child protection activities in South Sudan. In addition, the IRC provides technical support and capacity building for other humanitarian actors on general protection, protection mainstreaming, case management and referral, and other relevant protection topics. IRC anticipating CCD NESS lifesaving assistance program to meet the needs of crisis-affected populations through Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and strengthened local mechanisms for improved response. The anticipated start date for the program is July 2022.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Governance and Rights Coordinator, the Gender and Protection Manager (GPM) will oversee Gender, Protection and Safeguarding components under CCD NESS lifesaving assistance program meant to meet the needs of crisis-affected populations through Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and strengthened local mechanisms for improved response. As the key member of the Technical Support Team in the project, the project manager is responsible for providing high quality technical guidance to gender, protection and safeguarding implementation team, coordinating the delivery of high quality, innovative, cost-effective gender-informed protection pillar of cash-based program. The role entails working closely with program consortium partners working in South Sudan to provide practical, close support including coordination and capacity building of Consortium partner focal staff with designing and implementing protection mainstreaming action plans and support in protection analysis to inform response including cash-based interventions. He/she will lead the engagement and coordination of Gender, Protection and Safeguarding across the consortium in South Sudan and will be responsible for overseeing key thematic assessments and analysis as well as consolidation and documentation of best practices throughout the project cycle. This is part of the long-term objective of ensuring each partner and sector owns and demonstrates awareness regarding basic humanitarian protection principles, protection analysis and protection outcomes. She or he will be familiar with all protection trends, risks and needs in South Sudan and will have excellent understanding and skills in data management and analysis, as well as report writing skills. The manager will supervise Protection team in Mayendit and coordinate closely with the ERD team, Women and Protection Empowerment, GEDI and Child Protection Coordinators and as well as the other partners within the Consortium.

Job Responsibilities

Program Management and Implementation

• Provide technical guidance, oversight and support to IRC and partner organizations on Gender, Protection and Safeguarding on CCD NESS program activities in South Sudan.

• In coordination with other county protection focal persons, coordinate and oversee assessments and analysis on protection, gender, and safeguarding themes to inform programs.

• Develop, lead, and implement training program for partners staff in intervention locations, including creation of work plans, agendas, and logistical organization of training courses, all based on assessment of each partner’s base knowledge and capacity on gender, protection, and safeguarding.

• Contribute to the development of robust protection data collection and information management systems to ensure that the multi-sector program is data-driven and that programmatic decisions are grounded in evidence.

• Oversee the implementation of the GPS interventions in the multi-sector cash-based program, through mentorship, coaching and robust capacity sharing in Mayendit county.

• Lead in the design and development of IEC materials for

• Conduct training sessions for IRC and partners related to protection principles, analysis, and protection mainstreaming in CVA according to IASC guidelines, with other protection-related trainings for program management teams as needed.

• Monitor progress towards the objectives and intended outputs of projects using routine data, spot checks, observation, and other methodologies.

• Enforce stewardship and accountability by ensuring that resources are efficiently and effectively utilized within the project for the intended purpose.

Technical Program Quality and Reporting

• Work closely with MEAL teams and program managers to ensure protection analysis and relevant needs are considered in project assessments and assess the data and information landscape to support an in-depth protection risk analysis.

• Coordinate with the MEAL team on the development of program and context monitoring tools and collection of quality data and provide guidance to improve data systems.

• Contribute to design, implementation, and analysis of assessments and evaluations to determine program impact and inform intervention/strategy design and adaptation.

• Contribute to regular program progress reports and any other reporting envisioned in addition to program-specific ones (e.g. reports of contextual protection risks / situation reports, according to achieved outputs and outcomes.

• Provide technical supervision, guidance and capacity building to program and partner focal persons on protection management and implementation as required.

Team Management and Capacity Sharing

• Provide supportive supervision to Protection Staff.

• Lead the development of performance plans for Protection Staff based on job descriptions, project objectives/work plans and past performance reviews.

• Review performance evaluation of direct reports on a bi-annual basis and oversee the performance review cycle for all direct reports.

• Actively build the capacity of protection program staff, ensuring each staff member has a specific capacity development plan, receives opportunities for training, mentoring and on-the-job learning opportunities.

Coordination

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders including consortium members, government actors, national and state level protection cluster, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors.

• Engage with data management and analysis colleagues in other IRC sub-streams teams and external protection organizations and partners to exchange experience, share tools and support mutual capacities and coordinate around the interpretation and validation of analysis.

• Coordinate and lead advocacy efforts with other actors and sectors, particularly in Protection, Food Security and Livelihood, Cash Working Group, Nutrition, Health etc; and ensure specific measures are put in place to mitigate protection risks amongst at risk persons in line with Global Protection Guidance and IASC in humanitarian setting.

• Lead regular Gender, Protection and Safeguarding working group coordination with the consortium.

Grant Management and Operation

• Ensure high quality IRC and donor reports on activities, indicators, achievements, and deadlines.

• Develop and maintain effective and efficient oversight, support, quality control and reporting systems and processes with all staff.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Governance and Rights Coordinator

Position directly supervises: Protection team

Indirect Reporting: WPE and CP TCs

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: ERD TC and Managers, Protection TC and Managers (ProL, WPE, CP), Safeguarding Leads, GEDI Coordinator, Health, and Nutrition teams

External: Protection Cluster members; Cash WG Cluster members; other service providers and partners; UN agency leads for Protection and Humanitarian Assistance

Job Requirements

• Degree in development, social studies, human rights, psychology, or related field.

• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in Gender and Protection, and Safeguarding is an added advantage.

• At least one year of experience in a managerial position and demonstrated capacity in team leadership and capacity building

• Proven understanding of protection and humanitarian principles in emergencies with experience in protection mainstreaming, protection analysis across emergency response

• Proven understanding of multi-sectoral response programming, including water/sanitation, non-food item distribution, food security/livelihoods, etc. and their linkages with protection activities.

• Proven understanding of minimum standards for protection and protection mainstreaming integration and protection analysis. Knowledge in cash-based protection interventions is an advantage.

• Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in liaising with other organizations.

• Demonstrated knowledge of protection analysis and protection mainstreaming.

• Familiarity with available data analysis and/or management platforms.

• Experience with conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis; Basic understanding of statistical analysis, data manipulation, and pattern recognition

• Ability and flexibility to understand the cultural and political environment and cooperate with local authorities and other humanitarian actors; takes responsibility for working accountably and sensitively with all stakeholders

• Experience working in a multidisciplinary team to achieve results

• Excellent communication skills, and experience visualizing and presenting data and analysis to different audiences, including writing of concise reports in English

• Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills, strong initiative and able to handle complex assignments.

• Fluency in English is required

• Ability to work under pressure in challenging working and living conditions

• Willingness to travel to remote locations.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the IRC has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Security: Security level orange. Juba remains volatile. Although the possibilities of a crisis cannot be completely ruled out, but indicators of continuing ceasefire are visible. The situation remains tense and unpredictable; concerns include high criminality rate, presence of armed troops, and looting. There is active conflict in many parts of the country and a possibility for further expansion of the conflict and violence into other areas and other states. Due to the deteriorating economic situation in South Sudan (i.e., devaluation of SSP, shortage of fuel, shortage of USD, increasing prices of food and necessities) the local community has developed growing animosity towards the expatriate community in the country.

Living Conditions: The position is based in Mayendit County in Unity State with movement to other field location sites required (40%).

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of 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, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons, and several others.

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.