Project Coordinator INL – Access to Justice

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

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IRC has been present in CAR since 2007 when the organization launched an assessment in response to the growing concerns of people affected by violence. IRC opened the INL project in Bangui, Bimbo, Berberati, Mbaïki, Bossembele, Sibut, Bouar and Nola, providing life-saving programs to improve access to justice, in order to reduce GBV. IRC CAR’s protection and rule of law program has expanded since its launch in 2021 in Zemio and progressed in Ndele and Kagabandoro after supporting the national revision of the penal code in CAR with the BHA budget. IRC in CAR is developing the following programs: Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) & Protection and Rule of Law (PRoL), Youth Protection and Development (CYPD), Economic Recovery and Development ( ERD), Health -Wash and Nutrition, Education and Governance with a focus on cross-cutting sectors such as GEDI, Gender, MEAL and Partnership.

Position overview/summary

The Project Coordinator – Access to Justice (PRoL), will contribute to IRC’s efforts to address the security needs of survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), conflict-related gender-based violence (CRGBV) and the protection of conflict-affected people, by reducing risks and addressing the needs of survivors of violence. Protection is an essential element of IRC’s strategy in CAR. The Protection and Rule of Law Technical Coordinator will provide clear technical guidance at country level and where appropriate with TA -PROL, to drive forward the implementation of the program. The Access to Justice Project Coordinator will ensure strong and effective management and supervision to best meet the needs and aspirations of local communities in the promotion of rights and accountability to stakeholders. The Access to Justice Project Coordinator will ensure the development of access to justice projects, the implementation of the INL project in line with the justice policies in force in CAR, strengthen coordination at all levels with other players in the criminal justice chain, and support partners and all stakeholders in the implementation of the project. The Access to Justice Project Coordinator is expected to play an important role in the development of protection and rule of law proposals in place of the SAP -IRC -RCA strategy.

Principal responsibilities

Program strategy and business development

• Provide strategic direction, leadership, technical and management support to Rule of Law Protection (PRoL) programming, ensuring that it is needs-based, context-appropriate, responsive, coherent, collaborative and operationally achievable.

• Contribute to the achievement of the outcomes of IRC’s strategic action plan for security and power.

• -IRC staff are responsible for implementing the IRC Strategic Action Plan for Security and Power, developing concept notes and proposals for existing and new donors.

• Promote joint working between the three protection programs, namely Women’s Protection and Empowerment, PRoL and CYPD, as well as the Economic Recovery and Development sector and Environmental Health, Nutrition, Education and Governance in order to improve the quality of programming and a holistic approach to meeting the protection needs of target populations.

• Promote and assist IRC’s other programming sectors to integrate protection (protection mainstreaming).

• Identify, monitor and report on unmet needs. Explore IRC’s potential to address these needs within the framework of the strategic action plan, sectoral priorities and approach:

• Ensure alignment and coherence with IRC’s national, regional and global Access to Justice strategies.

• Train staff and partners on Rule of Law protection approaches (e.g. Protection Case Management, Protection Risk Analysis and others).

Program management and quality

• Ensure that Access to Justice projects and activities are of high technical quality, meet humanitarian standards, integrate protection, align with IRC outcomes and evidence framework, and respond to community feedback and monitoring.

• Recruit qualified team members as appropriate, and support and supervise teams to achieve program objectives and maximize national ownership and leadership.

• Team members are responsible for identifying, assessing, monitoring and implementing measures to reduce or control risks that may impact program implementation, quality or compliance.

• In collaboration with program, finance, human resources and supply chain departments, ensure oversight of implementation, integration and compliance with donors.

• Responsible for contextual assessment and research aimed at generating a solid evidence base for IRC’s protection and rule of law programs, as well as informing IRC’s advocacy.

• Liaise with technical advisors in the absence of the coordinator to ensure that the necessary support, tools and resources are provided and integrated into programming.

• Liaise with the M&E Manager to support PRoL program M&E activities, draw lessons and identify opportunities for evaluation and quality improvement.

• Contribute to the strengthening of the legal aid system in CAR.

• Analyze data produced by the project and share corrective measures,

• Evaluate program impact and share annual statistics with MEALs and TA to consolidate program achievements,

• Develop Protection Monitoring Analysis reports and share them regularly with the Protection cluster.

Staff management and development

• Coach, train and mentor IRC staff and partners to build technical capacity, share knowledge within the team and provide professional development guidance.

• Supervise and mentor staff and implementing partners including communicating clear expectations and, in partnership with the direct line manager, setting performance targets, providing regular and timely feedback on performance and contributing to annual and bi-annual performance appraisals.

• Provide constructive feedback and advice on career prospects and professional development.

• Promote and monitor staff care and welfare; approve and manage all leave requests to ensure adequate cover.

• -Be responsible for compliance with IRC’s global HR policies and operational procedures.

• Adhere to and act in accordance with IRC’s global HR policies and procedures, and communicate by word and example a high level of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.

• Identify partners’ strengths and areas for improvement, and put a development plan in place,

• Identify areas of support for partners and contribute to their organizational development throughout the implementation of activities.

Grant monitoring and reporting

• Carry out regular monitoring visits to the field to assess progress and identify technical quality and/or other implementation issues, provide solutions and implement necessary corrective actions.

• Ensure the correct and appropriate implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems.

• Ensure that all internal and external reporting is adhered to, that reports are of high quality and that they are submitted on time to the Donor and internally.

• Organize PIM project meetings with implementing partners.

• Prepare monthly and quarterly reports, ensuring sharing with stakeholders. Coordination avec les autres acteurs

• Represent IRC at various coordination mechanisms with the legal chain (representation at PTF) with the 6 existing thematic groups in CAR.

• Represent IRC at other coordination mechanisms with other players (external meetings, GBV clusters, Protection cluster and other clusters).

• Share advocacy points to strengthen coordination mechanisms.

• Set up the INL project steering committee with other stakeholders.

• Coordinate access to justice with the AoR VBG.

Accompany the government and its justice stakeholders in popularizing laws against human rights violations.

Partnership Management

• Provide increased support to local partners in the implementation of Access to Justice projects,

• Evaluate/identify local partners’ strengths and areas for improvement

• Develop a plan to build the organizational and technical capacity of local partners to make them more autonomous and able to respond effectively and efficiently to client needs,

• Contribute to improving the quality of work of local partners by organizing mid-term reviews of their activities,

Job Requirements

• Advanced degree in humanitarian assistance, humanitarian work, human rights, international law, social sciences or related field.

• Five years’ experience in implementing protection and rule of law programs in a CAR or complex emergency context, and a proven understanding of the relevance of international humanitarian and human rights law to humanitarian action.

• At least 5 years’ experience in protection risk analysis, protection monitoring, household surveys, protection data collection tools, civil documentation and community mobilization in the prevention and response to human rights violations,

• Demonstrate expertise in the prevention and response to GBV

• Professional practical experience in implementing programs in the field of protection monitoring, community protection and/or access to justice in conflict-affected areas (CAR ); applied experience in case management is an asset

• Ability to manage and lead others to integrate protection across other sectors

• Strong leadership, management, organizational and team/people development skills

• Strong program and budget management skills, including planning and reporting on multiple grants

• Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representing and collaborating with external parties such as PTFs and other clusters,

• Ease of integration and teamwork, comfortable in a multicultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure effectively and productively

• Able to support the legal system in CAR with knowledge of how the system works.

• Fluency in spoken and written French and English