Social Protection Officer

BACKGROUND
Months of escalating Russian hostility towards Ukraine have culminated in a concerted invasion of the country and the launch of military attacks across multiple cities in Ukraine, with a view to destabilize the country and provoke a change in government. Fleeing insecurity, Ukrainians are traveling west, with Poland establishing 8 reception centers along its border with Ukraine, for an estimated 1 million arrivals.
 
Between February 7-23, 2022, an IRC team undertook a scoping mission covering Poland and Ukraine to better understand the context, humanitarian and civil society landscape, and anticipated service gaps in the event of an escalation of conflict in Ukraine and consequent displacement into neighboring Poland. As of February 24th, the IRC has pivoted to emergency response and has identified partner agencies in Poland and Ukraine to facilitate immediate assistance that can be used where it is most needed. Simultaneously, IRC/partners will launch a rapid needs assessment to better understand the humanitarian needs in both Poland and Ukraine and how IRC can complement partner response services either in breadth or scale. As the context is evolving, Social Protection has been integrated in the Economic Recovery and Development (ERD) programming and priority areas, to assist conflict-affected persons with referrals and registration onto the government-led systems and throughout the process. 
 
This position will be based in Kyiv or one of the field office locations, with short trips to interested oblasts and areas of operations within ongoing activities, upon security clearance with a possibility to stay overnight in a hotel or guest house. 

JOB SUMMARY
IRC seeks a dynamic program implementor to fill the role of Social Protection (SP) Officer. The SP Officer will support day to day implementation of the Social Protection pilot (80%) and the Collaborative Cash Delivery (CCD) Network’s activities in Ukraine (20%). 

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES: 
Under the supervision of the ERD Coordinator, the SP Officer will be responsible for: 
• Support the effective implementation of the IRC Social Protection pilots and Programming for IDPs and the local affected population.
• Conduct field visits to facilitate identification and registration of affected persons into SP programming as well as into other IRC programs as needed, document lessons learnt from ongoing programming, and facilitate market monitoring exercises.
• Liaise with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and other appropriate groups 
• Ensure that gender, protection, and environmental stewardship are mainstreamed in all programming under direct responsibility.
• Support partner organizations and staff with the implementation of SP pilot, cooperate for capacity building initiatives (i.e., the Officers may be seconded to local partners for few months as a mean of encouraging coordination, equitable partnership, and effective communication).
• Support the implementing partners in proper documentation, including the use of appropriate technology platforms, for client data and distribution information, per SOPs and Data Protection regulations.
• Provide translation and interpretation for supporting documents essential to the implementation of the activities (e.g., brochures, training materials, etc.)
• Support the ERD Coordinator in engagement with various interagency coordination forums including the CCD Network and identification of strategic partnerships aligned with the IRC approach 
• Adjust and adhere to detailed implementation plans to ensure program implementation is on time, within target, and budget, using effective M&E systems and adaptive management principles to reach desired impacts. 
• Ensure proper data collection and information management systems are used for projects in-line with MEAL support.
• Support the CBN Manager and client responsiveness officers in addressing complaints and feedback from clients and partners
• Provide other administrative support as needed.

For what it concerns support to the CCD directly, the SP Officer will: 
• Act as focal point for CCD SP linkage work, which may entail keeping tabs on CCD agencies work in this area, holding periodic meetings to discuss this and gather up-to-date information, attending TT1 meetings as note taker. 
• Consolidate learning from CCD agency work in this area - compiling lessons learned etc.
• Keeping the social protection mapping tool up to date with any changes in legislation and updating the social protection calculator accordingly. 

All IRC staff are required to adhere to the IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies. 

JOB REQUIREMENTS
Education: minimum university degree in International Development, Business Administration, Economics, or Humanitarian Response preferred.

DEMONSTRATED SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES: 
• At least 2 years of relevant work experience either in cash and voucher assistance, livelihoods, social protection, and/or other humanitarian and development programs, or within institutions, governmental, or legal assistance. 
•Demonstrated experience in both direct implementation and working with partners. 
•Fluency in English and Ukrainian is required. 
•Proven ability to work well in and promote teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible, and able to handle pressure with professional grace.
•Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, and Outlook 

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
•This role requires full-time work in the office
•Operate within a matrix structure
•The organization cares about staff and provides flexible working options (start early-finish early, start later-finish later, remote work)

IRC employees are eligible for the following benefits:
•Competitive salary
•Purposeful job and development opportunities
•English classes and unlimited online training courses
•Life Insurance
•Medical insurance for staff
•Free psychological support to employees and their family members 
•30 calendar days of annual vacation with flexibility beyond the legally set minimum requirements
•Up to 10 days of paid medical leave

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS 
  
IRC builds diverse and inclusive teams of professionals who promote team engagement, inclusion and cohesion, critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.  
  
The International Rescue Committee is determined to protect the people it serves, its staff and any person associated from all kinds of harm, abuse, and violence, including sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. It is committed to taking all necessary preventive measures and creating an environment where people feel safe and can report misconduct. IRC workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. The IRC also operates and enforces a set of complementary institutional policies to protect clients and staff from harm and abuse through the Adult and Child Safeguarding policies, the Respect at Work and Harassment-free Workplace policies, the Anti-retaliation and Reporter Protection policy, which are complemented by the IRC Global Reporting guidelines. These commitments are accessible in English and in Ukrainian language via this link: https://rescue.box.com/v/irc-safeguarding-policies.  
 
Where misconduct is alleged, IRC follows a Zero-tolerance approach and takes all necessary actions and corrective measures. The IRC investigation unit comprises of experts and trained investigators that ensures professional survivor-centered investigations are conducted if allegations of safeguarding violations are reported through the safe and accessible reporting channels that IRC makes available to its staff, partners, and clients. IRC is also an active member of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) set-up in Ukraine.  

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people who are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures. 

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. 

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.