Protection and Rule of Law Coordinator at International Rescue Committee

   (Cameroon)

Posted : 8 January, 2020

Category : Administration, Project coordination   Location : Cameroon

Job type : Full Time

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Protection and Rule of Law Coordinator

The IRC started operations in Cameroon in 2016 to respond to the increasing concerns for people affected by violence linked to Boko Haram, in the Far North of the country. Assistance to displaced populations extends across the Far North, notably Mayo Sava, Mayo Tsanaga and Logone & Chari, delivering lifesaving programming to increase access to water and improving hygiene practices in vulnerable displaced and host communities, cash programming to enable poor families to meet basic needs and improve food security, and protection programming. The Protection programming includes 2 streams, the WPE and PRoL are implementing comprehensive programming including case management, Community-Based Protection, Access to Justice.. Following the increasing crisis in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, the IRC expanded its operations into the South West region in August 2018, delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance to internally displaced populations. The IRC’s field offices are located in Maroua and Kousseri in the Far North, Buea in the South West, and a representation office in Yaoundé.

IRC Cameroon is committed in its 2020 Strategic Action Plan to continue to provide essential humanitarian services, with a focus on safety in communities and ensuring affected populations can meet their basic needs, whilst also building the resilience of beneficiaries, especially women and girls. IRC Cameroon is funded by European and American donors.

Scope of Work

The Protection and Rule of Law 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’s response in Cameroon. Protection is a signature part of the IRC’s strategy in Cameroon. The Protection and Rule of Law Coordinator will define and manage a clear programmatic strategy and plan, drive forward implementation and ensure robust and effective management and oversight of protection programming to meet highest programmatic standards while responding to needs of local communities through accountable delivery of programs. The position reports to the Deputy Director for Programs (DDP) and supervises the PROL Managers. This position is based in Maroua with frequent trips to Yaoundé’s office[CT1], and Buea and Kousseri field sites.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Protection Coordinator will be responsible for providing technical guidance and oversight of the protection teams as well as overseeing the implementation of IRC Cameroon’s protection (ProL) portfolio. This will include leadership of internal capacity building activities, activity design and implementation as well monitoring and evaluation. The Protection coordinator will participate in coordination forums or support his team in doing so when in the field, as needed.

Main Responsibilities:

Program Strategy & Program Development

• Provide strategic direction, leadership and overall technical and management support to the Protection Rule of Law (PRoL) programming, ensuring it is needs-based, context-appropriate, responsive, coherent, collaborative, and operationally feasible;
• Ensure inputs into country-level Strategic Action Plan (SAP), ensuring a contextualized strategy for Protection activities, in close collaboration with Deputy Director for Programs (DDP);
• Contribute to growing the PRoL portfolio in line with the Strategic Action Plan, through proactive engagement with key stakeholders and donors[CT2] [DM3],
• Business development : leading in the technical development of concept notes and proposals for existing and new donors;
• Ensure high quality program design processes, based on thorough analysis of gaps and needs, application of identified lessons learned, and ensuring adherence to evidence-based approaches linked to theories of change;
• Based on thorough review of needs and gaps in service provision and coverage of humanitarian and development actors, and government agencies, ensure programmatic priorities are regularly reviewed for relevance and adaptations proposed;
• Ensure integration opportunities are explored and leveraged across the two protection streams of Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) and PRoL as well as the Economic Recovery & Development (ERD) and Environmental Health (EH/WASH) sectors to enhance the quality of programming and a holistic approach to addressing the protection needs of the target populations.

Program Management and Quality

• Ensure projects and activities are of high technical quality, meet humanitarian standards, mainstream protection, align with IRC’s Outcomes and Evidence Framework, and respond to community and monitoring feedback;
• Working closely with Field Coordinators and Program Managers, ensure technically sound programmatic work plans and spending plans, reviewing plans regularly and proposing adaptations as needed;
• Undertake regular field monitoring visits to assess progress and identify technical quality issues and/or other implementation issues, provide solutions and implement modifications as required;
• Ensure adaptive approach within program team, ensuring regular review of programmatic data and beneficiary and community feedback, in order to remain responsive to needs, preferences, and changing context;
• Ensure review of program delivery against strategic objectives of effectiveness, responsiveness, speed & timeliness, reach & scale, best use of resources - proposing changes accordingly;
• Liaise with the M&E Manager to support M&E activities for the PRoL program, map lessons learnt and identify opportunities for evaluations and quality improvement;
• Working closely with the Field Coordinators, lead the design and planning of assessments and context-appropriate research aimed at generating a strong evidence base for IRC protection programming, as well as informing IRC advocacy;
• Proactively identify, assess, monitor and implement measures to reduce or control risks that may impact program delivery, quality or compliance;
• Liaise with Technical Advisors to ensure relevant support, tools and resources are being provided and integrated into programming;
• Promote and assist centrality of protection in the other IRC’s programming sectors (protection mainstreaming) by using, supporting implementation and adapting existing tools including safer cash toolkit, GPC (Global Protection Cluster) protection mainstreaming toolkit…

Grant Monitoring & Reporting

• Ensure regular monitoring of work plans and progress of activities on grants, actively participating in Grant Opening Meetings (GOMs), Grant Review Meetings (GRMs), and Grant Closing Meetings (GCMs); Plan and manage the program budgets and ensure administration/logistics policies are adhered to by the team.
• Ensure that adequate M&E systems and practices are in place to allow for data-driven programmatic decision making and reporting;
• Ensure that all internal and external reporting requirements are met, that reports are of a high quality and are submitted on time;
• Working closely with Field Coordinator, design program reporting templates and ensure regular reporting from staff in the field;
• Ensure completion of monthly internal report highlighting progress of activities, trends, and contextual changes for reporting to region and external stakeholders;

Representation, coordination and advocacy

• Engage and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders and protection coordination structures in Cameroon, including NGO, UN, and technical and government actors;
• Attend relevant coordination forums such as cluster meetings and working groups in Yaounde, and/or in the field (Far North, SW).
• Collaborate closely with other program departments in order to ensure that linkages between programs are made and programs gain from training best practice.
• Identify advocacy opportunities together with the Deputy Director for Programs and based on information coming from the field;
• Together with the DDP, work closely with IRC’s advocacy and media teams, and the Violence Response and Prevention Technical Unit for the launch and dissemination of research reports and findings;
• Together with the DDP, contribute to the advocacy efforts of IRC Cameroon and the West Africa Region through analysis of the policy environment and trends;
• Support the greater sharing and use of research and learning within IRC’s program sectors, including by contributing to program development and design, to ensure interventions are responsive to needs and informed by a sound understanding of the environment(s) in Cameroon.

Staff Management and Technical guidance

• Coach, train, and mentor staff with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing professional development guidance;
• Conduct technical trainings on relevant activities such as case management, Access to Justice and CBP.
• Supervise and mentor staff, including communicating clear expectations, and in partnership with the direct line supervisor, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and contribute to the annual and mid-year performance reviews;
• Provide constructive feedback and counsel on appropriate career paths and professional development;
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being; approve and manage all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage;
• Provide leadership support for successful adherence by staff to IRC’s Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures;
• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures, and communicate through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in international affairs, law, human rights, development or related subject; Master degree preferred.
• At least five years of experience developing and managing Protection programming in humanitarian contexts;
• Some experience with Protection and Rule of Law programming is important; Knowledge and experience in Access to Justice, Case management and CBP is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct needs assessments, and propose context-appropriate solutions based on analysis of needs and gaps;
• Substantial experience in design of PRoL programming and drafting of concept notes and proposals;
• Experience managing donor funded programs and grants, including staff management, budget oversight, monitoring and evaluation systems, and technical input to proposal-budget development and donor reports;
• Good communicator with strong organizational, time management and analytical skills
• Excellent inter-personal, cultural and diplomatic skills
• Flexibility to adapt to changing requirements
• Strong capacity to mentor and build capacity of staff
• Ability to juggle competing priorities, meet demanding deadlines and work under pressure in unstable security environment
• Strong skills in Microsoft Office Suite
• Fluency in English and/or French, with strong working knowledge in both
• IRC experience is an asset

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Security: Yaoundé is currently security level yellow and has no curfew in place. Maroua and Kousseri are security level orange and the IRC has a curfew in place, while Buea is level red with a curfew in place. The situation is calm though there remains a risk of terrorist attack and kidnap.

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

This is an unaccompanied position. 

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