Child Protection Manager

Program Brief:

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s leading agencies working in post-conflict and development contexts, supporting communities in over 40 fragile, failed and developing states. In this capacity, we work to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted, struggling to endure and wishing to advance on a path of development.

The IRC has been present in Bangladesh since 2017 and obtained registration with the NGOAB in March 2018. Since the IRC obtained registration in March 2018, it has moved quickly to expand its integrated emergency health and protection response through both direct and partner-based programming focused on primary healthcare, women’s protection and empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and child protection. Recently IRC has also introduced two new programs: Protection Rule of Law (PROL) and Education. IRC will continue working in both the camps and host community, while meeting the significant needs in both refugee and host populations, as already existing vulnerabilities are compounded with cyclical monsoon and cyclone seasons that impose additional threats to the lives and protection of those refugees as well as vulnerable host populations. IRC will grow over time its geographic coverage within Cox’s Bazar and to other parts of the country, thus expand its networks and partnerships around emergency preparedness and response work, reach beyond the Rohingya refugees, also targeting the vulnerable host groups in Cox’s Bazar and other parts of Bangladesh.

Purpose of this role:

The Child Protection Manager will oversee IRC’s child protection prevention and response program, including overseeing the quality, safety, and consistency of Safe Healing and Learning Space (SHLS) activities and ensuring technical support and supervision for prevention and response program staff.The Child Protection Manager will work closely with the partners to implement child protection programs (prevention and response), system strengthening, identify their capacity needs, and provide training, shadowing, mentoring, and regular coaching.The Child Protection Manager will ensure different project activity monitoring, accomplish activity on time, and work closely with the Sr. Child Protection Manager.They will maintain close coordination with Protection and Women Protection and Empowerment (WPE), Protection Rules of Law (ProL), and other relevant sectors to ensure coordinated and integrated services through SHLS/integrated center. They will ensure that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and psychosocial support activities, Supporting Adolescents and Their Families in Emergency (SAFE), and Learn to Lead (L2L) programs, strengthening community-based protection mechanism for children and adolescents are delivered closely with other streams of the IRC’s Child Protection program both in camp and host community in Bangladesh.

Major Responsibilities:

Technical Quality

• Provide managerial and technical support to the CP program staff including partner, mentoring, capacity building, and quality supervision to support the implementation of the prevention and response program in the camp and host community in accordance with standard methodologies and IRC policy.
• Conduct needs assessment, develop and implement a capacity building plan, and provide day-to-day mentoring support, and formal and on-the-job training support to partner staff.
• Provide necessary training to child protection staff including partners in addressing the protection needs of vulnerable children and families, in coordination with Sr. child protection Manager.
• Support actor mapping to define referral pathways and regularly assess pathways for responsiveness and quality of care to address suspect child protection cases.
• Ensure appropriate monitoring mechanisms are in place to provide analysis and appropriate response for cases. In particular, guide IRC on the rollout and implementation of information management systems (e.g. CPIMS+) in coordination with other actors while adhering to data protection principles.
• Ensure regular monitoring of program implementation and work closely with the IMS Officer to ensure quality data collection and reporting of child protection program activities.

Staff Supervision & Development

• Directly supervise up to 2 Sr. child protection officers and 1 CP IMS Officer and technical guidance to partner staffs.
• Ensure training, support, and ongoing capacity-building opportunities for staff on technical and project management skills.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and mentorship to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Ensure timely completion and submission of monthly timesheets, provisions reviews, and annual performance reviews.
• Assist in the recruitment process of project staff in coordination with the Sr. child protection manager, and HR personnel.

Grant Planning & Implementation

• Responsible for the overall achievement of the child protection program
• Supports implementation and ensures adherence to grant work plans, spending plans, and monitoring and evaluation plans.
• Work closely and coordinate with IRC supply chain, logistics, MEAL, finance, partnership, and grant staff to ensure timely implementation of program activities and expenditures, including active participation in grant opening/closing and review meetings.
• Develop and maintain effective and efficient oversight, support, quality control, and internal and external reporting systems and processes, including regular field monitoring and contributing to modifications of programming as required.
• Ensure high-quality IRC and donor reports on activities, indicators, and achievements.

Coordination & Representation

• Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key partners, case management technical working groups, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors
• Regularly attend CP sub-cluster meetings at appropriate levels to contribute to the coordination of case management responses.
• Monitoring Responsibilities
• Develop and maintain effective and efficient oversight, support, quality control, and reporting systems and processes.
• Manage staff that report into monitoring and evaluation systems in order to ensure data quality and timeliness in reporting.
• Monitor and consolidate information collected from weekly and staff activity reports.
• Ensure high-quality programming according to international minimum standards and standard methodologies.
• Support data analysis and information dissemination to the appropriate coordinating mechanisms, field teams, beneficiaries, and IRC implementing team accordingly.

Other

• Consistently and dedicatedly monitor/assess the safety and security of field teams, promptly reporting concerns or incidents to IRC management and liaising with community leaders and other external parties as required to maintain/enhance the security environment for IRC programs.
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.

Minimum Qualifications:

Experience (Including sector/industry):

• At least 5 years of experience in implementing child protection programs, preferably social work or education, in humanitarian or development settings.
• Previous experience in case management team, support case management technical working group and mentoring staff.
• Previous experience in partnership, technical capacity building and program implementation support.
• Previous experience supervising and managing a team in a cross-cultural setting.
• Demonstrated understanding of working with children particularly vulnerable children.
• Previous experience in emergency preparedness and response.
• Demonstrated experience in grant management and proposal writing.

Knowledge, Skills & Competences:

• Good computer skills such as MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Capable of applying skills and knowledge in a range of capacities, including direct implementation, advisory functions, coordination functions, training, and the transfer of technical knowledge.
• Personal qualities: Great Teammate, flexible, network-builder, able to handle pressure well.
• Fluency in English and Bangla required. Fluency in Chittagong is desirable. 

Educational Qualification:

• Minimum bachelor’s degree preferable in psychology, gender or women’s studies, social work or other relevant/related studies, and /or professional experience in counseling and implementing activities for women and girls or proven engagement in women’s rights/groups – highly desirable.