BACKGROUND

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people survive, recover and gain control of their future. The IRC is working to improve the safety, health, education, economic well-being and power of people in crisis affected places.

The Ukraine crisis could become the worst humanitarian crisis Europe has seen in decades. More than 5.3 million people have fled across borders to seek safety in the 1st month since the escalation of conflict in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and over 6.5 million people are reported to be displaced. Reports indicate that almost all arrivals in Poland are women and children, including those who are unaccompanied and separated, as well as older persons.

Between February 7-23, 2022, an IRC team undertook a scoping mission covering Poland and Ukraine to better understand the context, humanitarian and civil society landscape, and anticipated service gaps in the event of an escalation of conflict in Ukraine and consequent displacement into neighboring Poland. As of February 24th, the IRC has pivoted to emergency response and has identified partner agencies in Ukraine and Poland to facilitate immediate assistance that can be used where it is most needed. Simultaneously, the IRC has established operations across Ukraine and Poland offering a robust humanitarian response to complement partner response services either in breadth or scale.

In Poland, the IRC delivers Economic Support, Education and Protection programming to Ukrainian refugees and Polish host communities. IRC’s Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) programming ensures that clients meet both their short- and long-term economic needs through sustainable and ethical programs such as cash and voucher transfers, food security promotion, enterprise development and employment promotion.

The IRC is recruiting a Polish Language Trainer Officer to be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the language component of career development activities. The Polish Language Trainer Officer will be based in Warsaw, with up to 20% travel within the Mazovian Voivodeship and other locations as necessary. As this is a fluid and rapidly changing context, the location of this assignment may change based on the program’s needs.

JOB SUMMARY

The IRC Poland provides job counselling and matching services, employment-relevant soft skills, and language courses and supports refugees and host communities in job placement opportunities. These services are delivered from two Livelihoods Centers: in Warsaw by IRC and in Katowice via IRC’s partner. According to various assessments and reports, Polish language proficiency remains the number one barrier for refugees to find safe and decent employment opportunities. To facilitate social and economic integration, the Polish Language Trainer Officer will be responsible for the delivery of Polish language classes of various levels from A1 to B2 and the Speaking club. In addition, the Polish Language Trainer Officer will support the organisation of social, cultural and integration events for refugees and the host community.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the supervision of the Job Counsellor Senior Officer, the Polish Language Trainer Officer will be responsible for:

Program Quality and Implementation:

• Operate the Polish language trainings for the Ukrainian refugees: develop schedule and teaching plans, deliver classes on site and on-line (if needed), asses students’ performance.
• Adapt Polish language training curricula for adults, including Polish for life and Polish for work (books will be provided) for levels A1 to B2. Ensure material is up-to-date and meets learning objectives and clients’ needs.
• Translate the project documentation, presentations, hand-outs, and social media posts; support Job Counsellors in CV and Cover letter translation/proofreading; occasionally provide interpretation services for beneficiaries.
• Support ERD colleagues with the organization of integration and community-building events if needed.
• Research on potential language training programs in Mazovian Voivodship, assist clients with enrollment in those programs.
• Ensure that gender, protection and environmental stewardship are mainstreamed in the Career Development program.
• Provide translation and interpretation support to the program team (verbal and written) to/from Polish and English.
• Support the ERD Livelihoods Manager in drafting Standard Operating Procedures, Project Implementation Guidelines and Terms of Reference for Polish language training activities.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL):

• Ensure proper data collection and information management systems are used for projects in-line with MEAL support.
• Work with databases developed by the MEAL team for client data and other programmatic information.
• Support written program evaluations and reviews ensure documentation of lessons learned informing reporting and program development.
• Support the Job Counsellor Senior Officer and ERD Livelihoods Manager and Client Responsiveness Officers in addressing feedback from clients and partners.

Professional Standards:

• Complete other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs.
• Adhere to the IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: ERD Job Counsellor Senior Officer.

Position directly supervises: none.

Works closely with:

Internal: Other ERD team members, IRC Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) staff, Finance and Supply Chain.

External: IRC’s partner organizations, local municipalities and CSOs, and other community stakeholders; other practitioners in the field as needed.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education: Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Polish language or Philology, Pedagogy, Polish as a Foreign Language, or related areas. A formal teaching qualification is required. An advanced degree is a plus – or equivalent work experience.

Demonstrated Skills and COMPETENCIES:

• At least 2 years of experience teaching Polish to adults/high school children, ideally Polish as a foreign language; familiarity with new educational methods and technologies.
• Ability to design training curricula, define appropriate learning methodologies and approaches, educational content, and evaluation strategy.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
• High productivity, strong attention to detail and ability to multi-task while working in a fast-paced environment.
• Native level of Polish, English at the intermediate level, and Ukrainian/Russian are assets.
• Knowledge in implementing humanitarian or development projects and/or experience working with vulnerable populations/refugees/people with migrant experience are assets.
• Demonstrated understanding and ability to maintain confidentiality and respect for the beneficiaries and partners.
• Proven ability to work well in and promote teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure with professional grace.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, with advanced Power Point and Excel knowledge.
• Demonstrated dedication to an anti-racist and Do No Harm approach, gender equality and inclusion.
• Must have the right to work in Poland.

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, 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.

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 or disability.

IRC will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.