Jobs at International Rescue Committee

Key Responsibilities:

Program management:

• Provide technical supervision and guidance of all IRC health programs including clinical services, reproductive health, community health programming, HIV/AIDS programming and Mental Health. Extend technical support and supervision to the IRC’s implementing partners as required.
• Participate in the development of annual program forecasts and budgets and ensure implementation of Health related activities in line with approved budgets and spending plans.
• In collaboration with program managers, revise plans and budgets to maintain program quality and progress; work with the Deputy Director of Grants and Accountability to ensure all program activities are implemented in compliance with donor requirements and meet the measurement requirements of IRC and donors.
• Provide leadership and direction on integration of health activities with other sectors including, but not limited to, Nutrition, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods and women protection; work with relevant collaborators to conduct operational research and document and disseminate lessons learnt.

Technical Monitoring and Program Quality:

• Promote the quality of the IRC’s health programs by setting up quality assurance mechanisms and providing technical supervision of health program staff, and technical support to IRC Kenya programming activities.
• Ensure that all activities are consistent with established standard processes and apply standardized protocols, policies and guidelines, as outlined by relevant health institutions and statutory bodies.
• Make certain that the stated goals and objectives of all health projects are met with strong monitoring and evaluation (M&E) follow up, including any required operational research, with technical support from the Health Information Management team in New York Health Unit and the Country Technical Advisors for health and nutrition as needed.
• Participate in the design of robust M&E plans, lead technical assessments, design/adapt health information systems including surveillance systems as a basis for primary health care program development.

Health Systems Strengthening

• Support emergency health programs to transition their approach to ensure that health system strengthening is a key component of their approach. Ensuring that health programs are working with MoH structures at county level to support health system reforms and strengthening
• Work at the policy level with key decision makers from various county governments and donors, participating in strategy development and technical discussions relating to strategic direction of the health program and influence health policy reforms/development.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Ensure that the IRC Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans are prepared in consultation with relevant government and aid partners, are kept up to date with protocol, standards and guidance from relevant bodies and conform to the needs of clients.
• Together with the Senior Management Team (SMT), collaborate on establishment and operationalization of the Emergency Response Team (ERT).
• Monitor data from the camps on disease trends (IDSR, HIS and DHIS) and take the necessary steps to prevent disease outbreaks in the refugee camps.

Staff and Partner Capacity Development:

• Participate in recruitment and design of staff development plans based on performance reviews in collaboration with the human resources department and contribute to the training of health staff (mentoring, as well as formal trainings). This includes staff training in program management areas such as reporting, budgeting, monitoring, evaluation, and supervision.
• Develop/coordinate training and other capacity strengthening opportunities to build the capacity of local partners where relevant/ required.

Business Development and Fundraising:

• Proactively look for funding opportunities for Health and Nutrition programming in Kenya, lead in development of quality proposals and review donor reports together with Program Managers, other Technical Coordinators and the Technical Advisors.
• Develop strategic partnerships with local and international organizations, where possible.

Coordination, Representation and Advocacy:

• Represent IRC Kenya in external Health and Nutrition related forums; actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key collaborators in Kenya including donors, government actors, UN agencies (especially UNHCR), international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors; identify advocacy issues in consultation with the country management.

Qualifications

• Degree in Health e.g. MBChB, MD and an advanced degree in Public Health.
• Minimum 6 years experience in primary health programs in resource poor settings and at least 4 in progressive management position.
• Demonstrated skills in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.
• Proficient in Windows, MS office programs, email and database (HMIS, PEPFAR database, EPI-Info) experience.
• Good communication, people management, organizational and analytical skills.
• Ability to work in complex emergency environment, multitask, handle pressure and flexibility.
• Training and competency in LQAS, SPSS, SQUEAC and SMART methodology for conducting surveys is an added advantage.
• Proven practical experience in program design, implementation, and M&E and experience in developing and using community participatory approaches.
• Experience working with community groups, community engagement and negotiation.
• Highly diplomatic with excellent political awareness and advanced negotiation skills.
• Experience of working on issues related to human trafficking and smuggling desirable.
• Experience of working with forced migrants is required.
• Experience of working on government policies and laws.
• Proven experience in governance programming such as working with GOK, county governments, devolution processes for increased demand and improved service delivery is desirable.
• Proven practical experience in partnership/collaborator engagement and management.
• Good written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties.
• Strong cross-cultural communication skills and comfortable working as part of a diverse team. Sensitive to interpersonal differences and a range of viewpoints.
• Demonstrated advance planning and organizational skills. Able to effectively prioritize and follow multiple activities and deadlines simultaneously.
• Flexible and innovative. Able to adapt plans and pivot approaches in response to changes in context.
• Proactive, reliable, and able to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficient in English and Swahili, spoken and written- a requirement.

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The role of the Research Coordinator - Nutrition will be to lead all nutrition research project initiatives in Kenya by leading the design, adaptation, preparation, implementation, and capitalization of these projects.

Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Senior Nutrition Researcher of IRC and the Deputy Director of Programs of IRC Kenya and in close collaboration with the Nutrition and Health Coordinators of IRC Kenya, the Research Coordinator - Nutrition will be technically responsible for the relevance and quality of studies carried out by IRC in Kenya in the field of nutrition.

• They will coordinate the development of research protocols and the implementation of projects in the field; the development of data collection and program implementation tools as well as tools for project monitoring and evaluation; documentation of the process and monitoring of deliverables by the consultants; the technical supervision of the personnel in charge of the implementation of the research activities.
• He / She will coordinate data analysis with the Health and Nutrition Coordinators, assist in the interpretation of results and ensure the coordination of dissemination materials and execution of dissemination at national level.
• He / She will provide technical assistance to research teams in the field; continuous monitoring of the quality of implementation and data collection.

Specific Responsibilities:

Design and Set Up Studies:

• Lead internal (IRC Nutrition sector) and local (Kenya) strategic discussions to define key research questions and ideas for increasing coverage of treatment in Kenya and lead in writing new projects for funding purposes (narrative, budget, appendices).
• Ensure alignment of research projects with local priorities and lead the development of study protocols answering key research questions identified for the Kenyan context.
• Participate in internal discussions for priority areas of investment in research for growing coverage globally and engage with local and international partners and consultants on collaborations for research projects.
• Revise and adapt study protocols to fit the operational context in Kenya and lead all aspects of the development of standard operating procedures for all studies.
• Coordinate the engagement and contracting of external partners for research in Kenya and coordinate the writing of nutrition research protocols with local partners at country level.
• Develop tools for implementing research projects, monitoring, and collecting data and validate research protocols for consultancy work and by external partners.
• Write, submit, and handle ethics approval requests at national and international levels.

Oversee Quality Implementation of Studies:

• Plan, recruit, on-board and supervise research teams in charge of implementing the studies in the field and ensure sufficient training of all research staff before starting any research activities.
• Lead all aspects of the implementation of the various activities planned of the research portfolio including via preparing and leading IRCs internal project cycle meetings, monitor and if necessary, adapt the budgetary consumption of the research grants.
• Be responsible for the development and regular updates and adaptations of the purchase plan for each project and coordinate the preparation and follow-up on the purchase requests according to the purchase plans.
• Ensure regular supervision of field activities including via field visits to observe the quality of implementation and data collection according to research protocols and standard operating procedures.
• Ensure continuous technical supervision of and support to research teams and provide technical support to the teams of consultants in charge of conducting field studies.
• Be the lead in writing reports and other internal / external products for monitoring the implementation of research project results as well as any other type of report requested by the various donors (narrative, budget monitoring and appendices).
• Be the lead in the event of a request for modification of the project from donors, both from a narrative and financial point of view.
• Work with Data Science teams for data capture, monitoring and analysis.

Produce and Disseminate Evidence:

• Develop data analysis plans for research projects and engage with external experts to advice the analysis and interpretation of findings.
• Lead and support the write up of peer reviewed manuscripts in collaboration with internal and external partners and coordinate peer review article submissions and revision processes.
• Synthesize research data and findings for internal and external purposes and validate consultants' reports concerning the research.
• Work with the communication team on documentation to be provided as part of external communication activities and be the focal point for field communication activities.
• Represent IRC Kenya’s nutrition research with the various partners (academics, technicians, authorities).
• Coordinate closely with MoH and national partners on research uptake and dissemination.

Qualifications

• Professional degree in Health / Nutrition (Masters with minimum 6 years of experience or PhD with minimum 4 years of experience); Additional qualifications in biostatistics is desired.
• Minimum 4 years of research experience in the field of health / nutrition, preferably on research projects implemented in the field in a low income context.
• Professional experience in NGOs, in particular in the management of community-based acute malnutrition (CMAM).
• Experience in running surveys and qualitative research, data collection and analysis, including experience with at least two survey programming languages.
• Previous experience in supervising and supporting field research teams;
• Demonstrated competence in writing research articles (add references to CV).
• Ability to write clear and concise reports, while respecting fixed time limits.
• Good presentation skills to drive engagement with local partners.
• Ability to work independently while being an active member of the country team and the global research team.
• Digital literacy required: Windows environment, Microsoft Office package, statistical software (STATA and R); knowledge of Commcare is an asset.
• Ability to work in and travel to unstable security environments.
• Fluency in English is needed, French is an asset.

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Position Summary:

The Adolescent Girls (AG) Specialist will be responsible for supporting a 36-month French Development Agency (AFD)-funded grant titled “Feminist Solidarity Fund for Girls’ Education” (FSF). Through this project, the FSF Consortium (a partnership between Doria Feminist Fund, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), and Urgent Action Fund-Africa (UAF-Africa). will support a range of feminist civil society organisations (CSOs), Women’s rights and Women led organisations (WROs/WLOs) and youth organisations, working across 7  countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Jordan, Lebanon, and Nigeria)  and/or at a regional level to accelerate gender equality in and through education. 

Gender equality initiatives include: 

• CSOs providing direct support to girls and their families to remove individual-, family- and community-level barriers to education. 
• CSOs working directly with schools and other sub-national institutions to improve the quality of support for adolescent girls in school as well as access to education for out-of-school girls. 
• CSOs conducting research and/or advocacy to advance the rights of girls, including access to education. 
• CSOs working directly with the most marginalized subgroups of adolescent girls (e.g. those that have experienced violence, living through multiple crises, or marginalized because of their gender identity and sexual orientation) who are less likely to be engaged in education programs.

The Adolescent Girls specialist will guide the program design, provide direct technical support, and technical capacity strengthening to implement, measure and continuously improve the proposed project in close collaboration with the FSF Education Technical Advisor. 

This is a primarily a field-facing position with the central responsibility focused on program quality. The Technical Advisor’s specific responsibilities are as follows: 

• Provide technical guidance to ensure a shared regional approach, as well as context-appropriate adaptation, for program design, innovation, influence, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning for the FSF project;
• Support consortium partner staff to undertake FSF activities, ensuring that they are aligned with the project strategies which include contextualizing gender equality in education outcomes and including interventions chosen based on best available evidence;
• Support consortium partner staff to review CSO applications and provide guidance on the development of criteria for selection of CSOs, with a focus on barriers to access and retention of adolescent girls to education;
• Support and provide guidance to the research partner, as appropriate, in relation to Gender equality and understanding the specific barriers faces by adolescent girls to education;
• Provide support to ensure proposed activities are responsive to client needs and preferences based on sound context and gender analysis;
• Document and share cross-context learning internally (with country program staff) and externally (in relevant meetings, conferences, etc. in national, regional, and global fora);
• Contribute to relevant communication materials such as fact sheets, briefs, papers, and presentations that can be disseminated and used for influence at the national and global level;  
• Provide technical inputs for internal and external reports, as needed;

Key Working Relationships: 

• Position Reports to:  FSF Project Director in VPRU. Located in Uganda
• Work closely with the FSF Education Specialist and the rest of the FSF project team, partners to the FSF project as well as other VPRU staff as appropriate.

Job Qualifications: 

• Education: Bachelor’s/undergraduate degree in gender studies, international development or relevant field or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.  Participate in ongoing training courses and share knowledge and skill sets within the unit.  
• Work Experience: A minimum of 3-5 years of implementing and/or managing large education, protection, or gender equality and girls’ empowerment programs, is required, within a humanitarian or international development setting, as are at least 1—2 years acting in an advisory capacity on women’s protection/ child protection/ gender equality programming.
• Experience in technical tools and materials development, monitoring and evaluation, innovation, and research in relation to women’s protection/ gender equality is highly desired.  
• Experience working in adolescent girls programming. Experience in strategy development and working across sectors or disciplines is highly desired.
• Demonstrated Skills and Competencies: 
• Demonstrated expertise in program design, monitoring and evaluation, with the ability to turn concepts and strategy into measurable action.  Strong verbal and written communication skills.  
• Experience working directly with partners through a consortium is highly desirable.

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IRC is the lead organization in the Ensuring Quality Access and Learning (EQUAL) for Mothers and Newborns in Conflict-Affected Contexts Consortium funded through an FCDO Commercial Contract. The objective of this project is to produce rigorous, operationally relevant research and evidence to improve Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH) in low-income, conflict-affected contexts. This project will produce evidence that is accessible to decision-makers influencing strategic investment, policy and programming to improve MNH, at the national and global level.
 
We are seeking a highly experienced manager of FCDO commercial contract implementation, compliance, and operational oversight to join the EQUAL team as Deputy Project Director. As a critical operational leader and in-house expert on commercial contracts, you will drive effective implementation and risk management, support and mentor staff, and create a work environment that promotes teamwork, trust, mutual respect, and empowers staff to take ownership.

Major Responsibilities:

Provide operational, financial and contractual oversight to the EQUAL Project, including:

• Serving as the primary liaison for FCDO contractual compliance and contract management.
• Ensuring sound financial management, including forecasting, monitoring budget vs actuals, cash flows, and financial risk.
• Conducting financial analysis to ensure value for money and adequate funding to achieve results.
• Supporting the EQUAL team and Consortia partners to deliver on project targets in compliance with FCDO and IRC requirements, policies, and best practices.
• Lead oversight and management of sub-contracting with consortium partners, including development of partner budgets, scopes of work, and special conditions.
• Collaborate with the Project Director to develop, review and monitor annual workplans and performance plans to ensure that priorities are on track.
• In coordination with the Project Director, liaise directly with the donor to provide project updates, discuss obstacles, performance plans, and progress against targets.
• Support the preparation and submission of donor reports through both formal and informal debriefings, as well as consolidating and editing annual and quarterly reports.
• Build and evolve systems and processes to ensure strong risk management and mitigation.
• Ensure institutional capacity strengthening for project sub-contractors on key issues such as governance, key policies, human resources, transparency, safeguarding, and finance.
• Lead processes for consultancies and commissioned work.

Manage the contracts finance function and staff for the project, and provide training and support to team members and partners to build commercial contracts knowledge and capacity across the consortia.

Requirements

• Minimum 6-8 years progressive experience, including significant experience in leading FCDO commercial contracts.
• Demonstrated experience delivering large, complex projects, including financial leadership and management, and supporting contract compliance.
• Strong expertise in budget development, forecasting, spending plan development and tracking, and supervising the financial health of projects.
• Experience leading risk assessment and mitigation, due diligence assessments and/or audits for high-compliance projects.
• Extensive experience supporting local partners and subcontractors, including contracting, due diligence, capacity building and relationship management.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: able to successfully and effectively partner with a variety of people in a multi-cultural environment and work on a virtual team.
• Excellent written and oral fluency in English is required. French language proficiency preferred.