Child Protection and Education Manager

About The IRC

We are, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international Non-Governmental organizations, providing relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 30 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in six regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response

Job purpose

Child Protection and Education (CPE) Manager provides technical oversight and ensures quality of IRC’s education and child protection programs in humanitarian/emergency and recovery settings. In close collaboration with the CPE Coordinator and CPE Manager, she/he is also involved in program design, concept note and proposal development, and continuous technical support to CPE projects, staff development and supervision, ensuring the budget management and compliance of the projects. In addition, she/he will represent the IRC at relevant cluster coordination meetings. The incumbent will be based in Addis Ababa with frequent (50% or more) travel to the field to offer on-the-spot technical support for improved program start up and delivery.

Key Job functions/responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Actively contribute to the quality of design, management, and monitoring and evaluation of emergency CPE programming in Ethiopia.
• Represent IRC’s Child Protection and Education programs in Interagency Cluster Coordination meetings.
• Collect relevant and up to date information/data pertaining to emergency situations in the country.
• Document lessons learned in education and child protection projects and ensure that lessons are translated into program improvements.
• Provide technical guidance to the child protection and education team in close collaboration with CPE Coordinator and other colleagues.
• Support the field team to achieve the project objectives on time and on budget.
• Proposal and Business Development
• Gather updated information regarding the humanitarian needs of crisis affected communities.
• Develop concept notes and proposals in response to any possible opportunities in child protection and education sectors based on the needs on the ground.
• Liaise, coordinate, and work closely with IRC operational staff (i.e. HR, Supply Chain and Finance) to ensure timely and effective program planning and implementation, and to jointly address issues affecting program delivery as they arise
• Explore potential opportunities for the scale up of child protection and education programming in the new geographic areas where IRC is operational.
• At the request of the CPE Coordinator, take responsibility for miscellaneous tasks or projects not falling under responsibilities underlined in this job description.

Project Planning and Implementation

• Support the field team to develop work plans, procurement plans and spending plans on timely manner and liaise with Addis based SC for procuring of goods and services with accurate specifications and realistic cost.
• Provide remote and onsite technical support for the quality implementation of projects in collaboration with the field team and Addis based technical team.
• Set up periodic (bi-weekly) check-in calls/meetings with the field team (emergency) to update progress, spot bottle necks and suggest and implement solutions.
• Actively participate in the project cycle meetings to reflect on the needs, success and challenges of the project and document and apply lessons learned.
• Ensure that INEE Minimum Standards, CP Minimum Standards, and SPHERE Protection Standards are applied during the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of the projects.
• Monitor budgets versus actual expenditure (BvA) on monthly basis and guide the field team to take appropriate action based on the status of spending of a specific project.
• Document the number of clients in each project with age and gender disaggregated and file for future use and reporting.

Grant Monitoring and Reporting

• Conduct regular field monitoring visits and provide support for the team in the field for taking corrective measures.
• Document key findings of the internal and external assessments for planning purpose.
• Review reports from the field and provide feedback.
• Draft/review reports and share with Grants Unit within the given timeframe.
• Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator to ensure that monitoring and evaluation systems are in place inputs are provided in timely manner.

Staff Management and Development

• Engage in technical supervision and training of field staff to fulfil the minimum skills set across both the child protection and education sectors.
• Share insights on performance management of field staff with CPE Coordinator and Field Coordinators.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions and support them to in following personal staff development plans.

Representation, Coordination and Advocacy

• Engage and maintain effective/professional working relationships with key partners, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors in emergency and recovery programs.
• Represent IRC in coordination and working group meetings at appropriate levels to share experiences and challenges with other actors.