Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) Coordinator

Early Childhood Development and Education Sector (ECDE)

 The IRC implements Ahlan Simsim, the single largest ECD intervention in the history of humanitarian response in the MENA region. Ahlan Simsim has reached over 4.8 million children and caregivers, with various programs taken to scale with ministries and local stakeholders. IRC has also led initiatives in education system’s resilience, spearheading initiatives on curriculum reforms for basic education, integrating social-emotional learning into primary school curricula, and in-service teachers training, among other activities. Since 2015, the IRC has supported young children in Syria to enhance their learning opportunities, well-being, and development through providing community-based services, building partnerships with local actors, leveraging digital solutions, integrating with other sectors, and scaling with local authorities in Syria.

Job overview:

The ECDE Coordinator will oversee supervision and guidance to the ECDE team in Syria, ensure donor compliance and appropriate and timely spending of grants, support the development of new business concept notes and proposals, and the submission of timely and accurate reporting requirements.

The ECDE Coordinator will work collaboratively with local partners, including municipalities, governments, and NGOs; steer IRC’s direct programming to complement a partner-first approach; and develop strategic directions for the country program for early childhood programming. 

The ECDE Coordinator will serve as the key liaison with local and international implementing partners, education coordination groups, municipalities, governmental partners, the private sector, and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

Program Management and Technical Quality

• Provide strategic direction, leadership, and technical oversight for the ECDE portfolio in Syria, ensuring alignment with the Syria Country Program Strategy Action Plan.
• Develop and implement a fundraising strategy, engage with donors, and coordinate with HQ and regional teams to support program growth and sustainability.
• Collaborate with the regional Ahlan Simsim team on fundraising, program design, and start-up of future phases.
• Lead program transitions and structural changes to ensure continuity and adaptability of ECDE initiatives.
• Develop country-specific programmatic standards for child- and caregiver-facing programming, ensuring alignment with national ECD/ECE standards.
• Oversee the technical quality and rollout of ECDE training for relevant staff.
• Work with the MEAL team to develop and implement M&E systems, ensuring regular data collection and use for program improvement.
• Ensure ECDE activities contribute to the IRC Syria Strategy and align with prioritized outcomes.
• Coordinate with other IRC technical units and partners to integrate ECDE across sectors and programs.
• Ensure donor compliance, timely and appropriate grant spending, and high-quality reporting.
• Lead the development of concept notes and proposals for program continuation and expansion.
• Collaborate with logistics, finance, and grants teams to ensure timely, compliant implementation and active participation in grant processes.

Internal and external representation

• As ECDE focal point at the country level, participate actively in internal coordination and management meetings to promote effective and efficient information sharing, problem-solving and decision making;
• In coordination with the IRC Syria leadership, participate actively in external coordination forums and represent the IRC to UN, international and national NGOs, line ministries, and key ECDE actors;
• Coordinate and support external missions, visits, and other communication and visibility activities related to ECDE projects in Syria

Advocacy, partnerships, and scaling

• Lead on the development of scaling and partnerships work as identified in the scaling strategy.
• Provide overall direction to align the scaling design with the Iraq national strategies and ECDE and Education needs.
• Ensure scaling and partnerships efforts are rooted in the partnerships principles and abide by the IRC partnership management system
• Coordinate the team dynamics to foster a shift in mindset towards scaling and oversee the scaling process, and ensure different team members are accountable to their roles
• Establish and maintain solid relationships with ECD and Education stakeholders, networks, and government agencies that support Ahlan Simsim’s scaling and sustainability objectives;
• Work closely and coordinate with line ministries to influence national ECD and Education strategies and initiatives, to ensure greater investments in ECDE and greater access to ECDE services, especially in conflict and crisis settings.

Integration and mainstreaming of ECDE across sectors

• Support the identification of opportunities for integrated programming between ECDE initiatives in support of service delivery and/or thought leadership in collaboration with country program senior management, business development staff, and country program staff in other sectors.
• Support country program teams in other sectors to integrate ECDE into their other programs and activities, including in grants where ECDE does not have a stand-alone budget allocation.

Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development:

•  Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of team members in both technical and managerial areas.
• Develop and implement remote management strategies to strengthen the capacity of Syria-based teams.
• Coach, mentor, and support staff through clear expectations, regular feedback, and documented performance reviews.
• Provide measurable development plans focused on technical growth, knowledge sharing, and career guidance.
• Maintain professional and supportive team relations, fostering a strong team spirit and collaborative environment.
• Manage time, attendance, leave, and probationary reviews to ensure adequate coverage and compliance.
• Address performance issues in coordination with HR, following IRC policies and procedures.
• Promote staff care and well-being, model healthy work-life balance, and support appropriate interventions.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and program reflection sessions to assess progress and inform program design.
• Uphold IRC Global HR Policies and support staff career development where appropriate.

Job Requirements:

Education:

•  Bachelor’s level qualification in Social Sciences, Education, Psychology, Human Development, Social Work, or related subject. Equivalent experience in a similar role may also be accepted in place of formal education.

Work Experience:

•  6-8 years of experience managing and implementing Education and Early Childhood programs in a fragile context
• At least 2 years in a managerial position, including staff management
• Passion for children’s issues, especially in the area of child development, child health, and early childhood education, with proven experience in managing and/or technically supporting early childhood development, education, health, or child protection programs
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in similar programming in an emergency or complex emergency context, and demonstrable understanding of the relevance of early childhood development and/or education in humanitarian response.
• Experience in supporting partnership-led approaches in an emergency setting or conflict-afflicted setting is required, and experience working in partnerships with local actors and, in particular, government officials and line ministries in Education

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies

• Good critical thinking; ability to synthesize a wide scope of information. 
• Solid organizational skills, with a proven ability to prioritize projects with attention to detail.
• Understanding of monitoring and evaluation systems and use of data for learning 
• Strong leadership, staff management, and project management skills
• Strong budget management and reporting skills, and an ability to oversee multiple awards from a variety of donors.
• Self-directed, able to independently set priorities and solve problems with minimal guidance; comfortable working for a supervisor who is remotely located and managing a team remotely if needed
• Strong written and oral communication skills, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, and effective in representation
• Proven track record in building coalitions or networks for positive change 
• Experience working with Academic institutions to carry out rigorous research or learning studies and using those to inform program or policy changes 
• Experience working in policy and advocacy, with proven experience developing and implementing policy and advocacy strategies resulting in change

Language/Travel:

Travel: Minimum 50%

Language: Fluent in English and Arabic.

Key Working Relationships:

•  Position Reports to:  Deputy Director of Programs
• Position directly supervises:  ECD Program Managers and ECD Officers
• Key Internal Contacts: Education Technical Unit, ECD Technical Advisors, Partnerships Team, M&E team, Regional ECD team, Technical Lead ECD (Ahlan Simsim), Regional Research Lead (Ahlan Simsim), Regional Scaling and Partnerships Lead, Regional ECD Technical Advisor, other IRC programs and support departments
• Key External Contacts: Ministry of Education, other governmental actors, local authorities, local partners, international organizations within the education sector, and relevant donors.