Job description
The Senior Child Protection Officer will be responsible for the day to day implementation of the IRC’s Child Protection programming in Sulaymaniyah, with a focus on supervising and coordinating IRC’s case management and community/school outreach staff and activities. The Senior Child Protection Officer will also facilitate trainings, and represent IRC with relevant authorities, stakeholders, and working groups. The Senior Child Protection Officer will have regular travel in Sulaymaniyah governorate, with occasional travel to other KRG governorates.
Project Startup
- Work with HR to conduct and finalize recruitment of Child Protection positions.
- Ensure all new staff have 90-day action plans and orientations.
- In collaboration with CYPD Manager, Senior Officers, develop project work plans, spending plans, and procurement plans for all CP portion of grants.
- Ensure all team members are oriented to the project outcomes and activities, and clearly know their roles and responsibilities.
- Liaise with technical focal point to ensure all staff are trained on their core responsibilities.
- Work with the CYPD Manager and to ensure that all governorate-level approvals are obtained prior to start of project implementation.
- Coordinate closely with CYPD Program Manager and Senior Education Officer to ensure a cohesive CYPD program.
Program Management and Implementation
Administrative Oversight
- Oversee implementation of CP programs, management of budgets (budget forecasting, BVA review, and budget follow-up) and reporting in accordance with IRC and donor regulations.
- Manage project implementation in accordance with project management plans and tools.
- Ensure team members have individual monthly and weekly work plans prepared in advance of that month, and updated these as necessary.
- Work closely with operations and finance to ensure that supplies are available for child protection activities in a timely manner and resources are available to support case management services, events, trainings, workshops.Ensure donor compliance in program implementation and procurement.
Technical Oversight
- Promptly identify and recommend solutions to technical issues.
- Ensure that all interventions are in compliance with the IRC’s program strategy, national policies, CP Minimum Standards, and SPHERE Protection standards.
- Work with team to ensure projects are implemented in conformity with the IRC program frame work promoting and protecting rights, participation, capacity building, partnership, and holistic planning.
- Ensure compliance with IRC policies and protocols of confidentiality, respect and safety.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of child protection laws, policies and practice in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
Direct Technical Activities
- Coordinate and manage the team caseload by managing referrals, assigning cases and monitoring social workers’ caseloads.
- Represent IRC cases at UNHCR Best Interest Determination (BID) panel meetings.
- Facilitate trainings for School Social Workers and School counselors including the eight-day case management training and advanced case management training.
- Facilitate trainings for the Community Child Protection Committees (CPCs), including introduction to roles, child protection core concepts, child safeguarding, child protection advocacy, identification and referral, etc.
- Work with the Child Protection Social Worker to ensure the child protection committee is able to fulfill the committee’s terms of reference including regular liaison with committees at monthly and ad hoc meetings.
- Support the child protection social workers and committee members to implement and document recreational activities for children.
- Visit activities in the field to support the Child protection team and oversee quality of activities continuously.
Staff Management and Development
Administration
- Ensure timely completion and submission of monthly timesheets, probations reviews and annual performance reviews.
- Ensure staff submit purchase requests and other procurement documents in a timely manner, in accordance with procurement policy.
- Ensure direct reports plan in advance to take annual leave throughout the year.
Performance Management :
Ensure all direct reports understand job expectations and have clear performance objectives.Provide appropriate and timely performance feedback to direct reports, helping them to build on strengths and improve skills in gap areas.
- Hold weekly supervision meetings with Social Workers who are providing case management services.
- Facilitate weekly Child Protection team meetings.
- Encourage reflective practice with all team members, and support team members to improve their ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
- Lead with commitment, integrity and accountability to the “IRC Way” – Global Standards for Professional Conduct
Staff Development
- Clearly define the training needs of direct reports and ensure they are able to access learning and professional development resources appropriate to their skill gaps/needs, including mentoring, on-the-job learning, trainings, etc. Ensure this is part of their annual development goals in the PME.
- Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions including staff development plans.
- Ensure staff understand key SAP outcomes and how their work contributes to the outcomes.
Representation and Coordination
- Build strong relationships with DoLSA, other government actors as appropriate, and other stakeholders, establishing IRC as a key actor in Child Protection.
- Serve on coordinating bodies and represent IRC CYPD in relevant stakeholder meetings such as the Child Protection Working Group.
Grant Reporting and Monitoring
- Undertake regular field monitoring visits to assess progress and identify technical quality issues and/or other implementation issues, provide solutions and implement modifications as required.
- Ensure that team properly inputs monitoring and evaluation data into project databases, as directed by M&E team. Ensure all monitoring activities are fully documented, including systematic and timely data collection and reporting as required under the grant and for IRC M&E purposes.
- Update and send weekly reports to CYPD Manager.
Professional Standards
- All IRC staff are required to adhere to THE IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.
Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: CYPD Manager, Sulaymaniyah
Technical Focal Point: Senior Child Protection Manager
Qualifications & Preferred Skills
- Qualification: Degree in social science, education or related field is preferred.
- Strong child protection background
- Minimum 3 years experience in the child protection field.
- Experience working with an NGO.
- Experience in staff and project management is required.
- Knowledge of the context and the targeted areas of IRC projects in KRI, issues around child protection and case management.
- Strong organizational and communication skills.
- Experience working in the field with vulnerable communities at grass roots level.
- Strong English language skills, knowledge and good command of the Kurdish and Arabic languages is required, knowledge of other local languages spoken in the region is an asset.
- Computer literate with good knowledge of Microsoft Word programs
