Emergency Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) Manager (Pariang)

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 refugees forced to flee from 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.

IRC is committed to bold leadership, innovation and creative partnerships. South Sudan, an independent nation since 9 July 2011, is emerging from decades of brutal civil war rooted in disputes over religion, ethnicity, resources, governance and self-determination. IRC has been operating in South Sudan since 1989 and currently operates in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Lakes, Unity, Jonglei, Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria States. Since December 2013, heavy military exchanges occurred between rival Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) factions in Juba (Central Equatoria State). The fighting and violence quickly escalated and spread to other states in South Sudan, where widespread violence, displacement, looting and destruction of services and infrastructure followed. The recent conflict has most severely affected Unity, Lakes, Upper Nile, and Jonglei States. Nearly 865,000 people have been displaced, including some 740,000 within South Sudan and 123,000 people who have fled to neighbouring countries. Approximately 70,000 are seeking shelter in UN peacekeeping bases across the country including Juba, Bentiu, Bor, Malakal and other locations. IRC South Sudan has launched an emergency response to address needs including Protection, Health, Water and Sanitation and Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE).

SCOPE OF WORK:

The Emergency WPE Program Manager will lead IRC’s emergency response to prevent and respond to Gender Based Violence (GBV) including support and direct supervision of program staff in the implementation of those WPE interventions. The Emergency WPE Program Manager will:

Oversee the provision of quality case management and psychosocial support services to GBV survivors including:

Establishing comprehensive  and confidential case management systems
Training and consistently supervising and mentoring case workers
Ensure staff makes safe referrals to health care services for survivors of GBV (including clinical management of rape), protection services and others as needed through regular auding of case files and providing feedback to response team.
Lead the development of a functional GBV referral system and lead regular coordination with other actors to ensure the referral pathway is functional.

Support the development and implementation of psychosocial activities for women and girls at the safe spaces
Lead the design of effective community outreach and engagement strategies to strengthen the protective environment for women and girls.
Lead GBV coordination and advocacy with GBV referral pathway actors and other partners to improve service delivery and address GBV risks.

The position is based in Pariang, Unity State and reports to the WPE Emergency Coordinator.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program management and technical quality Oversee the implementation of IRC’s WPE Emergency programming in Pariang to ensure the program is implemented according to schedule and budgets, and that program objectives are met.Provide technical guidance, oversight and support to the WPE response team in provision of quality case management and psychosocial support services to ensure the needs of women and girls who experience violence are met on a timely and consistent manner.Develop, conduct, and supervise trainings on GBV Referral pathways, GBV Guiding Principles for working with survivors, basic counseling, Clinical Care for Sexual Assault Survivors, and other trainings for partners, community members, and service providers to ensure IRC’s emergency programming meets GBV best practice.Support IRC response staff through ongoing mentorship to ensure programming meets GBV best practice and guiding principles that prioritize the safety and security of beneficiaries and staff.Ensure that ethical and sound data collection and information management systems are in place for analysis, planning, evaluation, and advocacy with other stakeholders and to inform WPE future programming in South Sudan.Oversee start up of the women’s safe spaces and activities to ensure women and girls access to information and group/psychosocial activities in a safe, secure and dignified manner.Lead in the design and implementation of psychosocial activities at the safe space and specific interventions to meet the needs of adolescent girls.Staff management, Supervision and Development Recruit staff in conjunction with Human Resources Department and Field Manager. Maintain updated job descriptions, conduct interviews, orient new staff to the IRC and the WPE program.Directly supervises WPE Response and Prevention officers.Ensure all staff understand and follow IRC and donor Policies & procedures.Support the provision of ongoing supervision, leadership, training and technical support and guidance to all program staff.Ensure response staff practice with clients adheres to best-practice principles when working with survivors of GBVMentor and support staff professional development and foster a positive team spirit to encourage innovative and quality programming.Ensure timely completion and submission of monthly timesheets, probations reviews and annual performance reviews.Plan/coordinate and oversee staff work plans, work and vacation schedules, and staff training/development activitiesIdentify training needs for WPE staff, and support organization and facilitation of training to meet those needs, in collaboration with the WPE Coordinator and WPE Officers.Grant Management, Monitoring and Reporting Manage and oversee all Pariang WPE emergency response grants; develop and maintain work plans, spending and procurement plans. Participate in all grant opening, and closing meetings.Manage project budget; oversee all budget expenditures and ensure they are allowable and allocable according to IRC and donor regulations; review monthly Budget vs. Actual and expenditure sheets, feed corrections back to Finance. Bring any over/under expenditure issues to the attention of the DDP and the Grants department in a timely manner and jointly develop corrective plans.Provide accurate and regular narrative and financial reports, as well as document results and maintain detailed records of program activities for timely submission, as required by IRC policies.Ensure that the project undertakes continuous monitoring and evaluation so that activities are appropriate and based on a clear understanding of the problems, causes, contributing factors, and issues specific to GBV emergency prevention and response.Representation and Coordination Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders, including community leaders, NGOs, UN agencies, community based organizations and other implementing partners to enhance multi-agency and multi-sectoral cooperation and coordination.Build relationships with partners, government, other NGOs and UN agencies to establish/strengthen appropriate GBV referral systems to ensure survivors access services in a timely and confidential manner.Coordinate and lead advocacy efforts with other actors and sectors, particularly WASH, Food and Nutrition, Shelter, Livelihoods, Health; and ensure specific measures are put in place to mitigate risks of GBV among women and girls by these sectors in line with the provision in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guideline for response and prevention of GBV in humanitarian settings.Support the identification of GBV focal points in health centers and liaise with health actors for the training of medical and non-medical staff.Regularly attend GBV meetings and feed in IRC priorities at GBV national level meetings.Other Undertake other relevant tasks as requested by the WPE Emergency Coordinator.

REQUIRED:

Master’s degree in Social Sciences, gender studies, Public health, social work, humanities or other related discipline.3+ years of relevant overseas program management experience, with at least 2 year of GBV program management experience preferably within a humanitarian or post-conflict environment. Experience managing GBV programming in emergency setting is highly preferred.3 – 5 years professional experience in counseling, psychosocial support activities, GBV risk identification and mitigation strategies.Demonstrate clear understanding of gender, human rights, and issues surrounding violence against women and girls.Previous experience leading teams on GBV response and risk mitigation strategiesExperience facilitating trainings and workshops on responding to and preventing GBV.Familiar with emergency contexts and issues.Positive and professional attitude, including ability to lead and work well in a team setting.Strong ability to organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail.Knowledge, skills and experience in participatory methods of community development and mobilization.Comfortable attending and facilitating meetings and representing GBV issues.Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, creativity and flexibility.Fluency in English and Arabic strongly preferred

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Security level: orange. The situation overall seems calm but remains tense and unpredictable; concerns include criminality, presence of armed troops, communal violence, and looting. There is still active conflict in many parts of the country and a possibility for further expansion of the conflict and violence into other areas and possibly other states.

HOUSING:

In field sites sleeping accommodations range from tent to traditional hut to permanent structures. Field compounds have latrines and showers. All IRC sites have electricity and internet at least several hours per day. Food is the individual’s responsibility. 

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