The International Rescue Committee 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, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.
In 2007, the IRC began providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable and crisis-affected people in Jordan in response to an influx of Iraqi refugees and the strain on host communities. Following the eruption of the Syrian war in 2011, hundreds of thousands of refugees crossed into Jordan. The ongoing insecurity in Syria and the growing needs of refugees have strained Jordan’s resources and infrastructure and exacerbated pre-existing issues like water scarcity and high unemployment.
As resources become more limited, refugees and host communities have fewer economic opportunities and become more vulnerable. The IRC’s new strategy for Jordan shows our commitment to improving the safety, health, education, and economic well-being of people affected by conflict, in camp-based (Za’atari, and Azraq camps) refugees and urban-based refugees, and in coordination with the humanitarian and development community and the Government of Jordan. Simultaneously, IRC in Jordan is pivoting to a more long-term resilience/development programming responding to the context in Jordan and the worsening vulnerabilities faced by refugees and vulnerable Jordanians.
Job Overview/Summary
The Deputy Director Programs provides a leadership, decision-making and coordinating role on programmatic issues, both in the development of quality proposals as well as the effective implementation of IRC’s emergency and long-term development projects across Jordan. With a focus on refugees and vulnerable host communities, IRC is currently implementing programs in Health, Education, Safety, Power and Economic Wellbeing.
As a senior member of the country management team, the Deputy Director Programs reports to the Country Director and leads on the development of strategies and implementation of programming in Jordan including Za’atri and Azraq refugee camp.
All functions of this position adhere to the Strategy 100 and Jordan country office’s Strategic Action Plan and strive for program excellence, gender equality, maximum beneficiary support, and client voice and choice. The position is part of the senior management team and as such, serves as a key leader in supporting and achieving the IRC’s mission in Jordan.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and Representation
• Provide leadership and supervisory management of programs in Jordan, including mobilization and stewardship of resources, program quality and accountability and performance management.
• Establish clear communications and direction for all program staff, including those working in the field locations.
• Lead and actively participate in country program management, coordination, and strategy meetings with other members of the senior management team.
• Actively engage with donors, partner agencies, and the humanitarian Clusters/working groups and development actors to ensure IRC is strongly represented in coordination and advocacy efforts.
• Work closely with Finance colleagues to ensure timely budget development, financial planning and cost management.
• Conduct regular field visits to visit field operations and support field program staff.
• · Provide the Country Director with accurate and up to date advice on developments and opportunities in program and project implementation together with any necessary recommendations for action.
• Actively liaise with IRC programs in the Middle East Region, the regional team and technical units to maximize synergies and application of best practice across the region.
Strategic Direction, Program Quality and Growth
• Provide cohesive leadership to IRC’s program teams in Jordan, ensuring that priorities and opportunities identified are in line with and contribute to achievement of IRC’s objectives for and ambitions to pivot towards more long term resilience/development approach with a strong partnership focus. In coordination with the CD and other colleagues, annually update country program, and sector strategies while remaining relevant to evolving contexts and operational effectiveness.
• Provide guidance to the program team regarding tools and strategies to ensure that programming is based on input from communities and local partners, a thorough understanding of the context in a middle-income refugee hosting country like Jordan, and technical best practices.
• Work closely with the Country Director and wider team in the country program, region and HQ to identify funding opportunities and develop competitive, responsive proposals that meet internal standards, apply IRC’s global strategy and are donor compliant; meet with donors to discuss current and potential funding opportunities.
• Through the provision of leadership support to the in-country programming teams, and in close collaboration with the Finance Team and Grants Unit, develop evidence-based and cost-effective program design captured in high quality and gender sensitive funding applications aligned with IRC’s Outcome and Evidence Framework.
• Work with the program team to develop operational budgets, which reflect a detailed understanding of situational parameters, beneficiary needs, available resources and technical possibilities including partnership capabilities.
• Work closely with field and operations teams, especially the Deputy Director of Operations/relevant Operations lead to ensure that field activities are closely aligned with programmatic goals.
• Ensure programs collaborate across sectors on outcome-based gender sensitive programs for greater impact.
• Lead Program staff to ensure that partnership plans maximize the opportunities for collaborative partnerships in Jordan are maintained and updated, consistent with the IRC’s Strategy Action Plan.
• Support M&E Coordinator to develop, adapt and implement appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems that enhance program quality, increase effectiveness and measure results.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to improve client feedback mechanisms to ensure responsive programming.
• Remain abreast of ongoing humanitarian and development response and funding trends in the region and the country and provide regular updates on these trends and analysis of how they may affect IRC programming.
• Coordinate donor visits, and support field staff in preparing and conducting these visits as necessary.
Staff Performance Management, Learning and Development
• Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
• Holds high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, at least bi-weekly.
• Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing guidance on career paths.
• Promote and monitor staff care, well-being and self-care; approve and manage all time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage.
Grant Monitoring & Partner Management
• Support Program Coordinators to develop, adapt and implement appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems that enhance program effectiveness and quality and ensure project and program learning inform program design.
• Working with the Program Coordinators/managers, ensure appropriate and timely grant spending to achieve program goals, including procurement, use and distribution of supplies and resources.
• Support the submission of timely, accurate and well-written donor reports and other reporting requirements.
• Support and supervise implementation of strong Project Management Cycle processes and tools in accordance with HQ and country policies and procedures including budgeting and planning and grant meetings such as Budget vs Actuals Meetings, Grant Opening, Mid-Term, and Closing Meetings, ensuring follow up on action points.
• Work through the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS), a comprehensive set of compliance tools to set up, manage, and close out partnerships and subawards.
• Ensure program staff proactively maintain positive relationships with partners, including ongoing capacity building and mentoring, as well as a culture of mutual learning.
Other:
• Command a sound understanding of IRC’s programs to be able to professionally represent the IRC and the IRC’s interests with implementing partners, government, donors and other stakeholders.
• Assist the Country Director in establishing, developing and sustaining a strong relationship with donors / Govt counterparts to ensure sustainable programs in the portfolio sectors.
• Encourage and support improved program cohesion through coordination initiatives and information sharing with and between all key country program staff.
• Promote the IRC Jordan’s vision and mission amongst all staff.
Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: Country Director
Position directly Supervises: Program and Technical Coordinators
Key Internal Contacts:
• Country Program: Senior Management Team members across Partnerships, Field Management, Operations, HR, Compliance.
• l Deputy Regional Director and team members from Security, Partnerships, Public Affairs, HR, Finance, Supply Chain, Monitoring and Evaluation, ICT4P and others
• HQ: Program Quality and Technical Units, Advocacy, Strategy and others as needed
Key External Contacts:
• The Jordanian Government
• Public and Private Donor Agencies
• International and National NGOs
• UN agencies
• Partner Organizations
• Subject matter experts in-country and abroad.
Job Requirements
Education:
• Graduate degree in International Development/Studies, Emergency Management, Public Health, or other relevant field
Work Experience:
• 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience managing complex multi-sectoral humanitarian and development programming. Previous experience in working in middle-income country setting and promoting humanitarian-development coherence is required.
Demonstrated Technical Skills:
• Successful leadership experience managing a multi-disciplinary team and cross-cultural dynamics.
• Successful management of multi-site operations
• Conversant in best practices in humanitarian interventions evolving to developmental approaches across programmatic sectors. Strong familiarity with IRC’s core programming areas in Jordan, including Women’s Protection and Empowerment, Education with focus on early childhood development, Health, and Economic Recovery and Development ideally with strong conceptual groundings in some of these program areas
• Strong program design and project cycle management skills with a strong grounding in different quantitative and qualitative MEAL approaches and frameworks.
• Extensive representation and fundraising success, including prior experience with European, US and international donors
• Ability to respond to multiple priorities in a timely manner, producing high-quality outcomes
• Motivated, positive individual who excels at taking initiative and can motivate team members to produce results under pressure while maintaining a sense of humor.
• Demonstrated ability to apply a gender lens and undertake gender analysis of programs and projects.
• Demonstrated ability for rapid, accurate analysis of complex issues, strong decision-making, and translation of programmatic priorities into operational strategies.
• Repeated, successful experience delivering appropriate levels oversight for a portfolio consisting of a variety of complex, high-value donor-funded projects.
• Superior diplomatic and coordination skills are essential, both for internal coordination and for working with key stakeholders
• Ability to respond to multiple priorities in a timely manner, producing high-quality outcomes.
A keen understanding of political complexities in the Middle East region
Demonstrated Managerial/Leadership Competencies:
• Excellent leadership and management skills including coaching, mentoring and managing teams
• Abel to motivate and create strong teams
• Superior oral and written communication skills, with ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and persuasively with senior internal and external stakeholders in the form of proposals, reports, updates and other analytical pieces of work etc.
• Established capacity to deal with ambiguity in stressful situations.
• Strong commitment to IRC’s vision, mission and core values.
• Proven ability to design and lead training engagements with staff and partners to enhance skills and adapt to changing program demands.
Languages Required/Preferred:
Fluency in spoken and written English is essential & Arabic is desirable.
Computer/Other Tech Requirements:
• Full professional competency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Box etc.
• Familiarity with file sharing systems such as SharePoint desirable.
Ability to Travel: Upto 25% of your time through out the country to field offices and to regional and global meetings/workshops from time to time.
Working Environment : The overall security situation in Jordan is relatively calm, especially in Amman. The Jordanian government is stable, and civil unrest is largely peaceful. However, Jordan’s generosity in hosting refugees from Palestine, Iraq and now Syria have created huge strains on the country’s economy and infrastructure. The IRC office is in a modern professional building.
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.
Attention Returning National Candidates: IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national 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 Middle East Region 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 is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
How to apply
https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/46588?c=rescue