WPE Officer

Job Overview/Summary:

As part of its Syria response, the IRC has programs to support women and girls throughout Al-Hasakeh and Ar-Raqqa governorates in Syria. The IRC provides psychosocial and case management services to women and girls throughout northeast Syria through the Women and Girls safe spaces (WGSS) to meet the needs of displaced women and girls, including survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). The WPE Officer will supervise and ensure the day-to-day running and management of one WGSS, including psychosocial support (PSS) and community outreach and engagement. Additionally, the WPE Officer will closely support IRC partners through capacity building, technical assistance, and regular monitoring. They are responsible for all staff, and incentive workers at the Center, and will support the case workers, facilitators, adolescent girl assistance, community mobilisers to support any volunteers taken on. This position is based at the WGSS, with some travel to the nearest IRC office. This position will be directly supervised by the Senior WPE Program Officer.

Responsibilities:

Staff Management and Support

• Conduct a weekly scheduled team meeting for all staff at the Center to discuss programming progress, successes, challenges, quality, and areas for improvement, adaptation, or change; feedback to the Snr WPE Program Officer and put in place an action plan.
• Conduct regular 1 to 1 meeting with each of your direct-report staff to reflect on work, communicate clear expectations, set or review performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback.
• Create monthly site teamwork plans with the Center team; review these on a weekly basis to check processes and adjust if vital.
• Conduct weekly check-in meetings with the incentive workers and volunteers to ensure they are supported in their roles and have what they need to run their activities; support recruiting these positions for the center.
• Ensure each month you create time for a staff care and well-being activity or initiative at your Center; Monitor overall staff care and well-being and approve and lead all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage; raise any concerns to the Snr WPE Program Officer.

Center management

• Set and supervise weekly Center activity schedules with the Center team, ensure all activities are in-line with feedback and current input from women and girls, and schedules are clearly communicated and widely disseminated in the community/camp.
• Ensure the center is fully equipped and has the supplies and resources it needs to run and deliver activities in the women and child spaces.
• Request other Center needs every three months, including hygiene and cleaning items, and by completing your center planning tool, which includes a procurement plan.
• Send updated center planning tools to your supervisor every month.
• Ensure community outreach and engagement are conducted on a daily and weekly basis in your site; Organize and set the community outreach plan with the WPE team for community mobilizers; Work closely with the WPE Senior Program Officer to ensure the appropriate selection of topics.
• Coordinate safety audit assessments and facilitate Key Informant Interviews (KII) and other necessary data collection mechanisms. Support the provision of dignity kits and conduct post-distribution monitoring.
• Support case workers by providing supervision and technical assistance. Assist in updating service mapping, coordinating efforts, following up and arrange case conference for complex cases based on needed base.

Technical Quality

• Ensuring that WPE program activities are women, girl, and survivor-centered, and enforcing standard process and GBV guiding principles, flagging any concerns to the Snr WPE Program Officer in a timely manner.
• Consult with the Snr WPE Program Officer on all materials, information, resources and tools to be used in PSS, non-PSS activities, and community outreach, mobilization, and engagement activities to ensure they are appropriate, in line with WPE approaches and are women, girl, and survivor centered.
• Ensure all incentive workers and volunteers receive core WPE and GBV training and ongoing mentoring to succeed in their roles and be supported to develop.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Submit a weekly bullet point report (with no case data) to the Snr WPE Program Officer to ensure they can keep up to date with your activities and raise any challenges or concerns immediately.
• Ensure that information and case files are carefully and safely stored in the center in line with data protection protocols and raise concerns to the Snr WPE Program Officer as needed.

Other duties and responsibilities

• Follow up and verify the data of center staff for relevant activities and contribute to weekly and monthly activity reports, according to guidance and supply information on a weekly.
• Maintain positive coordination and relationships with partners and other sector staff.
• The officer should carry out any tasks assigned by the supervisor as needed

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Academic qualification in social work, humanities, or any university degree,
• Work Experience: 2-4 years` program experience, preferably working with conflict-affected women and Girls from which minimum 2 years in a supervisory role
• Basic computer skills and familiarity with Word/Excel
• Previous experience in an emergency or conflict-afflicted setting is required

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Demonstrated interest, enthusiasm, and commitment to working with women and girls, and their rights, safety, empowerment, and improving their access to resources and services.
• Work experience in GBV case management service
• Strong understanding of basic counseling and psychosocial support concepts; previous training and experience in these areas strongly preferred.
• Comfortable speaking about sensitive topics in an honest, professional, and thoughtful manner
• Excellent communication skills and confident interpersonal interaction
• Ability to always maintain confidentiality and respect for clients.
• Basic computer skills and familiarity with Word/Excel
• A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values, and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct.
• Credible written, presentation, and verbal communication skills; ability to convey information optimally and proven experience providing training and staff development.
• Validated a sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle sophisticated situations subtly and to effective resolution.
• Excellent management and communication skills and a solid ability to promote harmonious/cohesive collaboration, in a cross-cultural context.
• Validated ability to plan long-term, organize priorities and work under administrative and programmatic pressures with detail orientation and professional patience.
• Highly collaborative and resourceful; ability to establish positive working relationships with senior-level management and all other partners to improve collaboration and productivity.
• Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop, and a sense of humor are a must.
• Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to sophisticated matters while adhering to labor laws and internal policies.

Language/Travel:

English and Arabic are required, while Kurdish will be added advantages.

Travel: 95% in the WPE center in ـAlhol and 5% in the nearby office.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:Senior WPE Officer

Position directly supervises: 7 staffs (Case worker, adolescent girl assistance, WPE facilitator, community mobilizer, cleaner)

Indirect Reporting (If applicable): none
Key Internal Contacts:

Key External Contacts:

Applications will be received till Nov. 20th 2024

Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen 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 strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery.

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.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.

IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.