WPE Program Officer
Rakhine State
- Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
- Location: Rakhine State
- Grade:
-
Occupational Groups:
- Women's Empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming
- Gender-based violence
- Project and Programme Management
- Closing Date: Closed
Background/IRC Summary:
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a private, non-political, non-profit, and non-religious organization. For over 90 years, we have been providing humanitarian assistance to communities affected by conflict and natural disasters in more than 40 countries. Since 2008, the IRC has been active in Myanmar, delivering humanitarian assistance in areas such as health, protection, water, and sanitation, specifically targeting families impacted by conflict and natural disasters.
Program Summary
The IRC responds to gender-based violence (GBV) through case management and psychosocial support services and addresses the root causes of GBV through prevention-focused activities that draw together activists and communities to push for change. The IRC strives to promote and support women’s and girls’ social and economic empowerment, as well as integrate GBV prevention and response with other sectors, e.g. health, protection, WASH, for a multi-sector, holistic intervention that addresses the needs of communities. The IRC’s Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) program currently operates in three townships across Rakhine State and through a new project, is expanding to two new townships to respond to the needs of women and girls by the support of partner organization.
Job Overview/Summary: The Program Officer will be based in Rakhine State and travel to the townships to provide training, monitoring, and capacity strengthening of GBV technical teams along with the WPE Senior Officer, and she will be seconded at Partner’s office to closely work with partner to leverage their GBV prevention and response capacities in two townships in Rakhine state. The role is responsible for technical quality of program implementation, as well as ensuring programs are implemented on time and on budget. The WPE Program Officer will oversee GBV prevention and response activities implemented by partner. The position is responsible for capacity building of partner staff, particularly partner’s response assistant for quality GBV case management in person and over-remote hotlines, psychosocial support, safety audits, risks identification, referral mapping, community engagement, long-term behavior change curriculum and outreach activities. The position requires a personal commitment to advancing women’s issues and working on behalf of women and girls in the community.
Major Responsibilities
Technical Quality
Closely overseeing partner staff for both prevention and response activities
Support in developing strategies for strengthening WPE prevention and response services in partner implementation
Provide guidance and technical support to Partner staff/ Response assistant in order to enable the smooth operation of case management activities in two townships of Rakhine.
Support partner staff to ensure cases are properly documented according to the case file system and GBVIMS as well as ensure that case files are properly managed and stored in line with confidentiality requirements.
Work with the partner staff to ensure that case management guidelines are followed, including case management procedures and GBV guiding principles
Provide guidance and technical support to partner staff through regular field monitoring visits, follow up mentoring and coaching as identified for teams in coordination with WPE Snr Officer.
Facilitate regular case review meetings with response assistant monthly and be responsive to emergency support needs.
Provide psychosocial support to GBV survivors directly, especially for remote case management and where needed
Seek to improve referral pathways by enhancing service mapping in program areas, engaging with external agencies, and advocating as needed to improve access and quality of referrals available to GBV survivors.
In collaboration with WPE Snr Officer for technical support as needed.
LeadPsychosocialSupportactivitiesandPsychosocialsupportgroupsessionsinprogramsitesalongwithpartnerstaff.Provideongoingmentoringandsupporttopartnerstaffingroupfacilitationthroughouttheprocess,co-facilitatedasneeded.
Assist in capacity-building training for partners
Collect and submit timely reports for weekly & monthly to respective supervisor and manager.
Reinforce adherence to the GBV guiding principles and other international standards to ensure
quality of design and implementation of all WPE activities
Complete any assignments requested by the supervisor, WPE Manager, Senior WPE Manager
Key Working Relationships:
Position Reports to: WPE Snr Officer (Partnership and Capacity Strengthening)
Position directly supervises: Partner staff, Response assistant
Minimum Qualifications:
Job Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
Bachelor of Arts or Science in Social Science, Public Health, Humanities or others related field
2 to 3 years of professional experience working with an NGO strongly preferred
Knowledge and understanding of issues affecting vulnerable women and girls
Strong desire to work with women and girls and effectively address the issues they face in Rakhine State
Commitment to reducing GBV in the community, increasing the protection of women and girls, women’s empowerment, and providing support to GBV survivors
Experience facilitating training, workshops, supervision or mentoring others
Commitment to reducing GBV in the community, increasing the protection of women and girls, women’s empowerment, and providing support to GBV survivors
Understanding of local context, sensitivities, and needs as pertains to GBV issues
Able to communicate clearly and effectively with diverse groups and individuals, including beneficiaries, colleagues, and external partners
Positive and professional attitude, including ability to lead and work well in a diverse team setting as well as work with implementing partners
Experience providing psychosocial support, as well as community awareness/ education and campaigns on GBV
Able to effectively lead a team, by providing clear guidance, technical support, knowledge, active listening, and leading by example
Flexible and patient in adapting to evolving program needs
Organized with attention to detail
Positive attitude and team player
Good English skills is required
Fluent in Burmese, Rakhine, and local language
If a suitable applicant is found, an interview will be conducted before the position deadline.
Myanmar nationals with relevant skills sets and proven experience of working at international level are strongly encouraged.
The IRC Core Values and Commitments.
The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality 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 Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.
IRC is committed to ensuring that IRC staff are suitable to work with children and have the knowledge s/he needs to uphold and abide by the IRC’s Child Safeguarding Policy.
Level of interaction with children: Frequent direct contact with children.
IRC ensures that its staff must actively practice the roles and responsibilities related to client responsiveness, accountability to people in affected communities and must have competencies to solicits and listens to feedback and other’s perspectives, responds to feedback with maturity and sensitivity and takes appropriate decisions and makes changes to behavior or actions in response to feedback.
IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures and actions demonstrate this commitment.