NEW Senior Livelihoods Officer Mid level – Mid level IRC – International Rescue Committee Deir ez-Zur

Background/IRC Summary:

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Today, 13.4 million people in Syria – more than half of the country’s population – are in need of humanitarian assistance with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. Of these, 6.8 million are refugees and asylum-seekers who have fled the country. This is no short-term humanitarian episode. The devastating human consequences to huge numbers of people will endure for decades. The destruction of relationships, communities, livelihoods, homes and infrastructure will take years to repair.

IRC is offering a robust humanitarian response to the Syria crisis a rapidly expanding portfolio, supported by more than 1000+ staff in Syria Country Program. IRC is undertaking programs in Syria and the neighboring countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan in the fields of health, child protection, early childhood development, education, women’s protection and empowerment, non-food items and food distribution, cash assistance, water and sanitation, protection and rule of law, and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding, and coordination.

Job Overview/Summary:

The IRC Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) team is implementing emergency relief and early recovery programs in Northeast Syria. These activities support short-term, basic need provision and longer-term development of marketable skills and productive assets. Within its livelihood portfolio, the IRC provides employment support services, including vocational training, financial literacy and transferable life skills classes, and apprenticeships with existing businesses to promote the development of marketable skills and on-the-job training. The IRC also supports the delivery of micro-grants to new and existing enterprises to continue and grow their economic activities, improve their business processes, and better manage the demands of the crisis. The senior Livelihoods officer will be responsible for helping to implement the ERD_ Livelihoods program portfolio specifically focusing on Livelihoods activities planning, implementing, following up, and evaluation.

Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and monitor livelihood programs that address the needs of target populations, ensuring alignment with the IRC policies and SOPs.
• Conduct assessments to identify the livelihoods needs and challenges of communities, including vulnerability analysis and market assessments.
• Collaborate with local authorities, NGOs, community organizations, and other stakeholders to coordinate efforts.
• Provide training and support to community members and local partners in areas such as skills development, entrepreneurship, and sustainable agricultural practices.
• Establish indicators and systems for tracking program progress and impact, and conduct regular evaluations to inform adjustments and improvements.
• Oversee program budgets, ensuring effective use of resources and adherence to financial reporting requirements.
• Prepare and submit timely reports to the Livelihoods manager and management, highlighting program achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.
• Stay informed about best practices and innovations in livelihoods programming, and share knowledge with colleagues and partners.
• Ensure that the Livelihoods activities are meeting target indicators in relation to approved milestones and of the desired quality to achieve the desired goal/impact.
• Support the Livelihoods Manager in developing detailed activity plans in line with program objectives, ensuring that those plans are implemented and any expected delays and/or modifications are communicated and raised in a timely manner with the ERD Coordinator.
• Prepare and follow up on all the documents needed for the Livelihoods activities, such as PRs, cash plans, payment sheets, payment reports, and contracts, also contributing to the process of evaluating and following up,
• Oversee the day-to-day management of IRC’s integrated center.
• Support and facilitate all the integrated activities in coordination and cooperation with the Health and protection teams.
• Ensure appropriate day-to-day supervision of activities including working with training assistants, partners and participants on attendance sheets, logistics and other issues.
• Ensure that the activities are implemented in accordance with the approved Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) and other IRC policies.
• support the Livelihoods manager in the fields of activities planning , implementation, following up, evaluation, budget management, reporting, attending relevant meetings, and staff management tasks.

Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development

• Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of team members in relevant technical and management competencies.
• Develop and implement remote management capacity-building approaches to build the strengths of the teams in Syria.
• Coach, train, supervise, and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Approve and manage time, attendance, and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage; ensure monthly, accurate timesheet submission and carry out probationary reviews.
• Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, minimally on a monthly basis.
• 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.
• As required, identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.
• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate. As part of the succession plan and nationalization goals, identify, train, and develop the capability and capacity of national staff to successfully transition roles and responsibilities, by the end of the assignment.

Minimum Qualifications:

• University degree, preferably in business administration, economics, or an academic degree in other fields alongside relevant experience in this field.
• Approximately 3-6 years of progressively responsible professional experience in training, skills development, employment, basics of Community cohesion training, managing a business or enterprise, and familiarity with the market and market actors.
• Relevant experience with INGOs will be a plus.
• Previous experience in an emergency or conflict-afflicted setting is required.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• 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 effectively and solid experience providing training and staff development.
• Validated a sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle complex situations diplomatically and to effective resolution.
• Excellent management and interpersonal skills and a solid ability to promote harmonious/cohesive teamwork, 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 maximize cooperation and productivity.
• Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop and a sense of humor is a must.
• Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to complex matters while adhering to labor laws and internal policies.

Language/Travel:

• English and Arabic are required,
• Travel: 25% to field sites in ERD business locations in NES as well as attending regional and global workshops and meetings.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Livelihoods Manager

The position directly supervises: SME Officer, training assistant, admin assistant, and childminder.

Indirect Reporting (If applicable): Livelihoods manager.

Key Internal Contacts: HR, Finance, supply chain, Access, and IT sectors.

Key External Contacts: HAO, market actors, and ERD’s partners.

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, a return flight to post, a 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.

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