About the International Rescue Committee:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been working in Syria since 2012, delivering programs in protection, health, economic recovery, and early childhood development in Idlib, Aleppo, Raqqa, Hasakeh, and Deir ez-Zor, with programs recently expanding to Hama, Rural Damascus, and Homs. With a team of over 700 staff, the IRC has built strong trust and relationships with local communities, ensuring easy access and effective service delivery. The IRC plays a pivotal role in NGO and donor coordination committees in Syria, occupying influential positions and constantly adapting to the changing context.
In response to developments and the new government’s assumption of power, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has deployed a team to Damascus since December 2024 to establish operations and actively participate in coordination committees for newly accessible areas across Syria—including parts of northeast Syria, northwest Syria, and other previously inaccessible areas in the south and center of the country. The organization is currently adjusting its operations to increase service coverage and improve efficiency.
Protection
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been implementing protection programs in northwest Syria since 2013 and in northeast Syria since 2014. These programs include Protection and Rule of Law (PRoL), Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE), and Child Protection (CP). Efforts include specialized case management, psychosocial support, protection monitoring, service mapping, and advocacy. Through partnerships with relevant actors, the IRC seeks to improve access to protection services, raise community awareness, and strengthen referral mechanisms. Since 2017, mobile protection teams have provided rapid responses, capacity building, and community outreach in underserved areas.
Position Overview:
The Protection Needs Assessor (PNA) will be based in Syria (Idlib) and will be responsible for implementing protection monitoring activities to identify and respond to protection concerns through internal and external referrals, quantitative and qualitative data collection, and camp profiles. Core responsibilities include daily field data collection and weekly reporting. The assessor will regularly collaborate with IRC’s Women’s Protection and Child Protection teams, as well as coordinate with other sectors within the organization to share information and implement referrals. They will also coordinate with other service providers in the field to initiate and receive referrals. They will also coordinate with camp managers and local authorities to ensure that best protection principles and practices are applied when providing services to IDPs and other vulnerable groups in the field. This position will report to the Senior Protection Monitoring Officer and will receive additional technical support from the Protection Manager.
Responsibilities:
- Visit camps, villages, and neighborhoods with fellow protection needs assessors, to form a mobile team that meets with community representatives and displaced families to conduct community and household-level interviews to identify protection risks and concerns and verify camp conditions.
- Provide general information and support to IDPs, make referrals to other IRC sectors or service providers, and follow up with referrals made to ensure action is taken and results are communicated to the relevant beneficiary.
- Maintain records of vulnerable individuals, including women, and direct actions taken to assist them.
- Listening to women’s protection concerns and finding ways to assist them whenever possible, through referrals based on the type of need (taking into account the gender sensitivity of this task).
- Encourage and facilitate the formation of informal groups of IDPs/returnees (with a focus on women) to meet, discuss issues and build support networks.
- Build links with organizations that provide services to women and advertise these services to relevant people in target areas.
- Complete and submit safeguarding monitoring tools, progress reports, and referral tools to the Information Management Unit and immediate supervisor on a regular basis.
- In coordination with the Protection Capacity Building Officer, collect information to develop a service map in the targeted areas.
- Act as a primary point of contact on women and children’s issues.
- Perform other additional tasks as directed by the supervisor to support the protection program.
Job Requirements:
Education: Institute degree or Bachelor’s degree in Law/Sociology/Psychology or other relevant advanced technical qualifications.
Work Experience: At least one year of experience in NGOs, protection, or social work.
Skills and competencies:
- Commitment to the IRC’s mission, vision, values, and code of professional conduct.
- Strong writing, presentation, and oral communication skills; with a proven ability to communicate information effectively and strong experience in training and employee development.
- High level of professionalism, integrity, and the ability to handle complex situations tactfully and arrive at effective solutions.
- Excellent administrative and interpersonal skills, and a strong ability to foster harmonious teamwork in a multicultural context.
- Proven ability to plan long-term, prioritize, and work under administrative and programming pressure with precision and professional patience.
- High spirit of cooperation and ability to build positive working relationships with senior management and all other partners to enhance cooperation and productivity.
- Curiosity and desire to learn and continuously develop.
- Analytical ability to find effective solutions to complex issues while adhering to labor laws and internal policies.
Language/Travel:
- Arabic is required, while English is desirable.
- Travel:Â 80% to work sites in rural Idlib and western rural Aleppo, in addition to attending regional and international workshops and meetings.
Key relationships at work:
Reporting to: Senior Protection Monitoring Officer
Direct Supervision: None
Indirect Reports: Protection Manager / Integrated Protection Coordinator
Key Internal Contacts: Receive direct support from the Senior Protection Monitoring Officer, work under the guidance of the Protection Manager, coordinate with other program and program staff to facilitate referrals, and collaborate with operations staff to meet operational needs.
Key External Contacts: Other service providers and local authorities/representatives coordinate with the Senior Protection Monitoring Officer to facilitate referrals.
Professional Standards: IRC employees must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way—global standards of professional conduct. These are integrity, service, accountability, and equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and implements policies to protect beneficiaries from exploitation and abuse, protect children, combat workplace harassment, respect financial integrity in business, and combat retaliation.
Local Candidates : We strongly encourage national or returning candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the country in which this position is located and currently residing outside your home country, you may be eligible for an attractive relocation package. Eligibility is determined based on the operational needs of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the specific requirements of the position. The IRC seeks to attract, motivate, and retain qualified national staff in its programs.
Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must commit to contributing to the sustainability and development of client response (CR) mechanisms, maintaining a culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to inform program decisions and give them greater influence over program design and implementation.
How to apply
https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/58966?c=rescue