Project Coordinator, CREST

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees delivers lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Since 1992, the IRC has provided life-saving services to refugees and vulnerable local communities in Kenya. Currently, the IRC works in two refugee camps, Dadaab and Kakuma, in northern Kenya. The IRC also supports communities in Turkana County, as well as in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. Through a variety of upcoming programming, the IRC will soon begin addressing effects of climate change in Kenya as well.

Extreme weather events linked to climate change are increasing in frequency and severity. Disasters, shocks, and natural hazards linked to climate change—including droughts, extreme heat, floods and landslides—are estimated to disrupt the education of nearly 40 million children per year globally, many of whom already live in crisis-affected settings and face compounded challenges to completing basic education. In 2022, prolonged periods of drought in East Africa are estimated to have caused 2.7 million children to drop out of school in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, with another 4 million children at risk of joining the out-of-school ranks, according to UNICEF. When schools close due to climate-related shocks or stressors, it has detrimental effects on learning and earning, increasing the risk of dropout and repetition and affecting disadvantaged students – including girls — the most.

The IRC recently established a 30-month, £3 million partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to help reduce the impact of climate-related disruptions to schools, students and communities. The Climate Resilient Education Systems Trial (CREST) will use community-driven approaches, combined with innovative finance to ensure that support reaches schools and families when and where it is needed when a climate-related crisis hits. The trial will help to build an evidence base that can be scaled in countries that are at a greater risk of climate disasters, to improve the resilience of schools and education systems and support children to learn.

The IRC is seeking a Project Coordinator to provide holistic process support to the CREST project. The role will support all project management elements of this project by managing key initiatives and designing tools and templates to improve, optimize and streamline the effectiveness and efficiency of this work. Due to the project structure, the Coordinator role will be expected to support other roving projects throughout the life of CREST.

Hiring for this position is contingent on final project approval.

Key Responsibilities:

This position will work directly under the guidance of the Project Director for CREST and work in partnership to align on the responsibilities listed below. As the CREST project is based on the necessity of awaiting climate triggers, the Project Coordinator’s work may include roving support to projects outside of CREST. The Coordinator will be required to pivot rapidly back to CREST when climate triggers are met to launch the education response. The design of this roving mechanism will be developed between the CREST Coordinator, Director and the Education Technical Unit.

Project Management

• Responsible for the operational success of the project, which requires acute knowledge of project trigger mechanisms and project plans as well as a long-term vision of the project aims and vision.

• Collate inputs from all relevant stakeholders and support the Project Director and discerning what opportunities and gaps are present to finalize the project design.

• Lead in the development of the program’s rapid response mechanism and oversee its smooth deployment, which will require working across technical and operational sectors, such as supply chain and finance.

• Coordinate programming across multiple locations, ensuring consistency while also adapting to the unique needs of each locale.

• Work with partners to track long-range and short-term forecasts in order to prepare for a potential response.

• Support the project teams in developing, managing and implementing key project management tools, such as workplans, spending plans, procurement plans, etc.

• Ensure operational learnings are captured and implemented into updated program designs.

Project Operations

• Track project progress against high-level and detailed workplans and budget, working closely with implementing teams to meet programmatic, timeline and financial expectations.

• Prepare regular situational updates for project leadership on the status, challenges, and risks throughout the project.

• Coordinate with the grants and donor-facing teams to ensure reports and donor communications are comprehensive and compliant to donor and IRC expectations.

• Maintain strong relationships with project partners and vendors, managing vendor and consultant contracts and commitments.

• Develop a knowledge management system for the CREST project that documents and stores all elements of the project in a standardized, easy-to-use way.

Preferred Qualifications and Skills:

• At least 5 years of project management experience in high complexity, multi-sectoral programming.

• Experience in cross-sectoral cash deployment, disaster risk finance, or climate effects on education in Kenya highly preferred.

• Exceptional advance planning and organizational skills. Able to effectively prioritize and follow multiple activities and deadlines simultaneously in a fast-paced and sometimes ambiguous environment.

• Analytical, strategic, and proactive in developing creative, innovative solutions to complex challenges.

• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is essential, with demonstrated exceptionally strong writing and presentation, communication and representation skills.

• Ability to navigate interpersonal and inter-departmental organizational and personnel dynamics to keep focus on goals and products.

• Flexible to adapt to changing requirements while also holding a firm sense of project needs and values.

• Must be able to work independently while being a team player with strong cross-cultural communication skills and sensitivity to interpersonal differences and a range of viewpoints.

• Strong commitment to the IRC’s mission, purpose and values.

Working Environment:

The position is based in Nairobi, with expected travel to all project locations on a regular basis.

Key Working Relationships:

**• Supervisor:**Project Director, CREST

• Directly supervises: n/a

**• In coordination with:**Implementation and content creation teams

Applicants must have the right to work in Kenya.

**Standard of Professional Conduct:**The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.