Background/IRC Summary:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) 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, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to people affected by war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
The IRC has been present in Nigeria since 2012 when the organization responded to flooding in Kogi state. In February 2014 the IRC moved into Adamawa State in NE Nigeria to provide humanitarian interventions through a multi-sectoral, integrated approach for conflict-affected populations. IRC Nigeria now operates a country office in Abuja and field offices in Mubi and Yola of Adamawa State, Maiduguri, Monguno, and Gwoza of Zamfara state, Damaturu of Yobe State, and a current extension to Zamfara and Katsina states, northwest Nigeria. Currently, IRC Nigeria implements programs for primary health care, nutrition, environmental health, women’s protection and empowerment, protection, child protection, education, economic recovery, and development.
The country program developed a strategic plan in the first half of 2021. IRC aim to provide the best possible impact for some of the most vulnerable children, women, and men. In all that we do, IRC strives to deliver through IRC’s core values of Integrity, Accountability, Service and Equality .
Project Overview:
The BHA (Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance) project, Integrated Emergency Response to the Displaced Population in Zamfara, Sokoto, And Katsina States, Northwest Nigeria” will be carried out by a consortium led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in collaboration with the Alliance for International Medical Action (Alima), Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI), Life Helpers Initiative (LHI) and Grassroot Initiative for strengthening Community Resilience (GISCOR), aims to leverage each partner's expertise to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to internally displaced people populations through area-based approach. The Consortium partners will provide an integrated multisectoral intervention in Health, Nutrition, WASH, Protection, and Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) activities in Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto states in collaboration with state governments, UN organizations and other key actors in Northwest Nigeria. The project will be implemented by a dedicated support, quality assurance, and coordination team, who will work closely with all partners through a management unit of well-structured consortium governance for the activity.
Job Overview/Summary:
The Child Protection Program Manager with the support of the senior safety outcome Manager plays a key role in developing the Child Protection strategy, partnerships and providing oversight on day-to-day project implementation and reporting. The Child Protection Program Manager will also be in regular contact with relevant Senior Safety outcome Manager and CYPD Coordinator.
Major Responsibilities:
Program Development

• Provide ongoing leadership, training, and guidance to staff and local partners to ensure programming meets best practice standards and prioritizes the security of beneficiaries and staff.
• Participate in program design and proposal writing.
• Conduct or participate in assessments to ensure appropriate interventions are implemented.
• Implement the psychosocial strategy to meet the needs of targeted clients.
• Ensure that CP programming is community driven and that community leaders fully understand and participate in the design of the project.
• Work with the teams at the different filed sites to ensure sustained programming.

Staff and Community Capacity Building

• Collaborate with the Senior Safety Outcome Manager to implement the staff training plan for Program team members.
• Oversee and when necessary, conduct trainings for other IRC staff, community and service providers.
• Collaborate with the Nutrition and Education Sectors to organize training for health staff, as needed.
• Collaborate with the other IRC Program Managers to maintain an on-going training program to ensure program integration.
• Liaise with the Senior Safety outcome Manager and Deputy team lead as needed for difficult or complex cases.

Inter-Agency Coordination

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders – including community leaders (Camp chairman, National Emergency Management Agency, State Emergency Management Agency) NGOs, UN agencies, Local Partners and other IRC sectors to enhance multi-agency and multi sectoral cooperation and coordination.
• Ensure that information from the coordination meetings is shared, as appropriate.
• Attend internal and external coordination meetings at the different sites.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Ensure monitoring and evaluation systems, especially for child protection monitoring are in place which can be used for informed programming.
• Ensure monthly data cleanup and review meetings with the CPIMS focal person at location before they are shared to the sub sector for consolidation.
• Provide weekly and monthly reports to the relevant reviewers.
• Carry out field visits to all program sites on a regular basis.

Administrative Duties

• Oversee administrative aspects of the program including, but not limited to, writing job descriptions, interviewing and selecting staff, developing staff performance objectives and conducting timely performance appraisals.
• Manage budgets to maintain program expenditure within budget.
• Ensure that staff follow IRC global financial procedures and meeting donor requirements.
• Update procurement plans and spending plans and share regularly with the operations and PMU.
• Ensure that all internal (IRC) reporting requirements are met and that reports are of a high quality are submitted on time.
• Provide ongoing leadership, training, and guidance to staff and local partners to ensure programming meets best practice standards and prioritizes the security of beneficiaries and staff.
• Participate in program design and proposal writing.
• Conduct or participate in assessments to ensure appropriate interventions are implemented.
• Implement the psychosocial strategy to meet the needs of targeted clients.
• Ensure that CP programming is community driven and that community leaders fully understand and participate in the design of the project.
• Work with the teams at the different filed sites to ensure sustained programming.
• Collaborate with the Senior Safety outcome Manager to implement the staff training plan for Program team member.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders – including community leaders (Camp chairman, National Emergency Management Agency, State Emergency Management Agency) NGOs, UN agencies, Local Partners, and other IRC sectors to enhance multi-agency and multi sectoral cooperation and coordination.
• Ensure monthly data cleanup and review meetings with the CPIMS focal persons at location before they are shared to the CPIMS officer for consolidation.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Senior Consortium Manager_ Safety Outcome.
  Position directly supervises: Child Protection Officers
• Indirect Reporting:
  Other Internal and/or external contacts: describe the nature of departments or groups the position influences or requires support from to accomplish objectives.
• Internal: IRC SECTORs, External: CPSS, PSWG

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum six years of relevant experience designing, implementing, and managing large, complex projects that work to protect vulnerable children and youth.
• Minimum four years of project management experience in emergency context.
• Bachelor’s degree in social work, education, international development, or related field is required; master’s degree preferred.
• Experience in overseeing a child protection project including supporting the delivery of psychosocial activities, emergency response, child protection case management including family tracing and reunification, and setting up child friendly and community-based mechanisms.
• Experience in developing and implementing organizational child safeguarding policies and procedures, including for NNGO partners.
• Experience developing monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning processes for child protection within the education context.
• Demonstrated ability to liaise and build networks with government officials, community leaders, civil society representatives, and, preferably, protection actors within the context of safety and protection promotion.
• Demonstrated success incorporating innovation and participatory, flexible, and gender-sensitive programming into implementation.
• Significant previous experience working in conflict or crisis situations in Northeast or Northwest Nigeria.
• Availability to travel throughout the Northwest Nigeria region.
• The candidate must be fluent in English; fluency in another Nigerian language like Hausa is required.

Ability to Travel: Frequent travel and relocation can be a requirement for this position.
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.
Working Environment
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.