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 refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 28 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.

Position Summary:

IRC is seeking a Project Coordinator in Ethiopia for a five-year project, “PlayMatters”, funded by the LEGO Foundation. This position will be a part of the larger PlayMatters initiative to increase play-based learning opportunities for nearly 1 million pre-primary and primary school aged refugee and host community children impacted by the humanitarian crises in East Africa and living in Ethiopia and Uganda. This project aims to build children’s social, emotional, cognitive, physical and creative skills through play in their homes, schools, and communities and will be implemented in partnership with War Child, Plan International, Ubongo, Behavioral Insights Team and Innovations for Poverty Action. The Project Coordinator for Ethiopia will be responsible for coordinating across these partners and IRC staff to ensure the project delivers high impact programming for children. In addition, the Project Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring design and implementation of project activities engages other key stakeholders required to achieve results such as government officials, the UN and other humanitarian coordination actors, as well as other implementing agencies outside of the consortium. The Project Coordinator will ensure that the project achieves the expected results in Ethiopia and is implemented in accordance with the donor agreement, donor regulations, and internationally recognized quality of assistance standards. The Project Coordinator will report both into the IRC Country Program senior management team as well as into a PlayMatters Senior Regional Management Team based in Uganda. The Project Coordinator will jointly work with the regional management and technical team to also ensure a coordinated and cohesive program approach across Ethiopia and Uganda, to jointly learn and ensure results across the two countries.

Job Responsibilities:

Oversee technical direction and project delivery to ensure activities are in line with the project wide performance framework and work plan, and meet all standard operational policies and procedures;Jointly work with the PlayMatters regional team to provide strategic and technical leadership and define country level activities to achieve the greatest impact toward project goals and objectives;Develop, review, and monitor, in coordination with key regional project staff and partners, annual work and performance plans to ensure long-term and short-term priorities are on track;Conduct regular visits to project sites, as possible, to provide technical assistance and ensure proper implementation and monitoring of project activities; Oversee management of partners/sub-grantees in Ethiopia and provide financial and operations support that optimizes resources through sound budgets, consistent financial tracking, and timely submission of reports to the donor;Support field staff to use project data to track progress and engage in meaningful course correction discussions at regular and frequent intervals; as well as ensure data is tailored to facilitate similar discussions at the country and regional senior management level. Contribute to monthly, quarterly and annual donor reports through both formal and informal debriefings and written inputs;Maintain active and cooperative relationships with all key stakeholders, including government officials, project partners, other implementing agencies, and related institutions;Represent the project in Ethiopia in public and ensure distribution of information about project achievements and lesson learned;Support project staff by creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes teamwork, trust, mutual respect, and empowers staff to take responsibility.Regularly communicate and coordinate with the Regional PlayMatters Project Director, Deputy Director and key home office staff on technical and project management issues

Requisition ID: req7680

Job Title: Project Coordinator

Sector: Education

Employment Category: Regular

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: Yes

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Job Description

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 refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 28 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.

Position Summary:

IRC is seeking a Project Coordinator in Ethiopia for a five-year project, “PlayMatters”, funded by the LEGO Foundation. This position will be a part of the larger PlayMatters initiative to increase play-based learning opportunities for nearly 1 million pre-primary and primary school aged refugee and host community children impacted by the humanitarian crises in East Africa and living in Ethiopia and Uganda. This project aims to build children’s social, emotional, cognitive, physical and creative skills through play in their homes, schools, and communities and will be implemented in partnership with War Child, Plan International, Ubongo, Behavioral Insights Team and Innovations for Poverty Action. The Project Coordinator for Ethiopia will be responsible for coordinating across these partners and IRC staff to ensure the project delivers high impact programming for children. In addition, the Project Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring design and implementation of project activities engages other key stakeholders required to achieve results such as government officials, the UN and other humanitarian coordination actors, as well as other implementing agencies outside of the consortium. The Project Coordinator will ensure that the project achieves the expected results in Ethiopia and is implemented in accordance with the donor agreement, donor regulations, and internationally recognized quality of assistance standards. The Project Coordinator will report both into the IRC Country Program senior management team as well as into a PlayMatters Senior Regional Management Team based in Uganda. The Project Coordinator will jointly work with the regional management and technical team to also ensure a coordinated and cohesive program approach across Ethiopia and Uganda, to jointly learn and ensure results across the two countries.

Job Responsibilities:

• Oversee technical direction and project delivery to ensure activities are in line with the project wide performance framework and work plan, and meet all standard operational policies and procedures;
• Jointly work with the PlayMatters regional team to provide strategic and technical leadership and define country level activities to achieve the greatest impact toward project goals and objectives;
• Develop, review, and monitor, in coordination with key regional project staff and partners, annual work and performance plans to ensure long-term and short-term priorities are on track;
• Conduct regular visits to project sites, as possible, to provide technical assistance and ensure proper implementation and monitoring of project activities;
• Oversee management of partners/sub-grantees in Ethiopia and provide financial and operations support that optimizes resources through sound budgets, consistent financial tracking, and timely submission of reports to the donor;
• Support field staff to use project data to track progress and engage in meaningful course correction discussions at regular and frequent intervals; as well as ensure data is tailored to facilitate similar discussions at the country and regional senior management level.
• Contribute to monthly, quarterly and annual donor reports through both formal and informal debriefings and written inputs;
• Maintain active and cooperative relationships with all key stakeholders, including government officials, project partners, other implementing agencies, and related institutions;
• Represent the project in Ethiopia in public and ensure distribution of information about project achievements and lesson learned;
• Support project staff by creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes teamwork, trust, mutual respect, and empowers staff to take responsibility.
• Regularly communicate and coordinate with the Regional PlayMatters Project Director, Deputy Director and key home office staff on technical and project management issues

Qualifications

• Advanced degree from an accredited university in education international development, or related field;
• Minimum of 5 years of experience managing education programs for refugees or crisis-affected populations;
• Experience managing large-scale, multi-million dollar, complex, multi-partner projects;
• Demonstrated success in staff capacity-building and in participatory, flexible, and gender-sensitive programming and implementation;
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written;
• Fluency in English required.

Reports to: IRC Ethiopia Deputy Director of Programs and PlayMatters Regional Deputy Director (based in Uganda)

Working Environment:The Project Coordinator will work in the IRC Ethiopia office and be provided regular administrative and logistics support to perform his/her responsibilities.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional 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, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles.