International Rescue Committee - Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee is a prominent international organization working in relief, rehabilitation, protection, post-conflict development, resettlement services and advocacy for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression.

POSITION : Protection Coordinator      

Job Descriptions

• 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 and 26 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
• IRC has been present in Nigeria since 2012 when the organization responded to flooding in Kogi state. In early 2014, IRC opened a field office in Mubi town of Adamawa state in NE Nigeria followed by offices in Yola (Adamawa state) in November 2014 and Maiduguri (Borno state) in October 2015. IRC has ECHO, OFDA, and Gates funds to respond to health, nutrition, GBV, and WASH activities.  In late 2014 and early 2015, IRC received additional funds from SV, SIDA, USAID, and UNICEF to carry out education, child protection, general protection, emergency food distributions, shelter support, and NFI distributions to newly displaced IDPs. In late 2015 into early 2016, IRC received Swiss and UNHCR funds for additional emergency response humanitarian-focused programming in NE Nigeria.
• The IRC in partnership with three other INGOs, Save the Children International, Norwegian Refugee Council and Danish Refugee Council have received three year (2016-2019) funding for an all-protection funded project from DFID with IRC as the lead agency for the consortium.

Scope of Work

• The IRC is implementing a protection program featuring protection monitoring, information sharing, referral services, capacity building and access to justice/rule of law. The Protection Coordinator will be responsible for the development and implementation of protection programming in all three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe where the IRC has humanitarian presence.
• He/she will lead the design of protection monitoring methodology, M&E systems, and training materials for protection and information project staff, set up and scale up of access to justice/rule of law interventions and Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) regarding the sharing of data with other actors.
• The Protection Coordinator will ensure the quality of protection data collection and analysis and ensure that succinct and accurate protection reports are utilized to inform programming and advocacy both internally and externally.
• The Protection Coordinator will also be responsible in contributing to increasing the IRC’s presence and potential leadership role in the Protection sector by attending relevant working group meetings, networking with state and NGO actors in the protection sector and identifying potential partners for future programming.
• The Protection Coordinator will directly supervise various Protection, Information, and Database staff who will also support the program.
• The Protection Coordinator will work extensively with other sectors, to ensure that protection principles are being incorporated into the Nigeria sector programs, and in particular with the Women’s Protection and Empowerment Coordinator, the Child Youth and Protection Development Coordinator to strengthen the integrated nature of IRC’s protection and assistance programs in Nigeria.
• S/he reports to the Deputy Director of Programs and will have access to technical guidance from the IRC Violence Prevention and Response Unit.

Responsibilities
Program management:

• Provide strategic direction and vision to the IRC’s Protection programming in Nigeria, with an emphasis on maintaining program quality during a period of expansion.
• Ensure that all interventions are in compliance with the IRC’s protection mainstreaming framework, international law and protection standards and national policies.
• Oversee implementation of the Protection Monitoring and Information Dissemination through managing project work plans and budgets (budget forecasting, development of spending plans and budget follow-up), ensuring timely recruitment, quality implementation and accurate reporting in accordance with IRC and donor regulations.
• Ensure that monitoring and evaluation systems are effectively designed and integrated into all stages of the project; that output and impact data are captured and that data is used to optimize program quality.
• Provide continuous support to and ensure targeted capacity building of staff.
• Participate in cross-departmental collaboration and coordination in order to ensure that linkages between programs are made and programs gain from protection best practice; in particular with regular contact and coordination with Coordinators and Managers in WPE, CP, Food Security (ERD), and Education.
• Ensure all designed protection projects use to the IRC theories of change and that outcomes are evidence-driven and evidence-generated.

New business development:

• Develop the Protection sector strategy for Nigeria in close collaboration with the Protection Managers, DDP/CD, other protection sector staff, and the VPRU Technical Unit
• Identify opportunities for, design and develop concept notes and proposals for further protection programming and other protection programming as requested
• Develop and/or input into protection assessments and protection reporting analysis for the purpose of program development
• Provide Protection input on proposals from other sectors to ensure protection is mainstreamed across IRC programming

Representation, coordination and advocacy:

• Coordinate with DDP/CD to forge connections with key government counterparts at the ministerial level, UN, I/NGOs, human rights actors, municipal and other sub-national government actors.
• Represent the IRC in high level and strategic meetings involving protection actors such as protection working group meetings, inter-agency coordination meetings, and bi-lateral meetings.
• Regularly coordinate with internal program and operational stakeholders, the Protection/Rule of Law Technical Advisors, Women’s Protection and Empowerment, Children’s Protection, Education and other IRC colleagues.
• In collaboration with the DDP/CD and regional advocacy team, ensure that the protection program delivers on advocacy goals as articulated in the country wide advocacy strategy.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Law, Human Rights or a related field.
• 3-5 years’ experience implementing protection programming including experience in emergency or post-conflict project management
• Demonstrated experience using international human rights standards in protection programming
• Demonstrated experience implementing M&E programs
• Strong strategic thinking and proposal writing skills
• Strong leadership, staff and budget management and capacity building skills.
• Excellent communication skills, cultural sensitivity, flexibility, ability to improvise, team player.
• Ability to live and productively work under stress and in insecure and harsh environments while maintaining a sense of humor.

Desired

• Experience implementing integrated programming which focuses on meeting the unique needs of children, women and girls is desired.
• Experience in implementing programming that utilizes ICT, including in the management and monitoring of SMS based systems.
• Regional experience and fluency in English

Specific Security Situation /Housing

• The Protection Coordinator will be based in Maiduguri, Nigeria with travel throughout the country.
• The security situation in Nigeria continues to be volatile in the NE with the security level at 3 (orange).
• The candidate should be prepared to implement programming in insecure environments. This is a non-accompanied position. The Coordinator will live in shared housing.