Liaison Manager

Background/Context:

The IRC has operated in Syria since 2012, providing protection, health, economic recovery, and early childhood development programs in Idleb, Aleppo, Ar-Raqqa, Hassakeh, and Deir ez-Zor, with new programs expanding into Hama, rural Damascus, and Homs. With a team of over 350 members, the IRC has established trust and strong community relationships, ensuring access and effective service delivery.
Our longstanding experience in the country to date provides a strong foundation for the IRC to further adapt and expand its programming across Syria, in order to respond to the new realities – with a greater focus on resilience and recovery initiatives. Alongside this, the IRC also plays a significant role in Syria’s NGO, donor, and coordination forums, holding key positions and actively engaging in advocacy efforts.

Job overview:

The Liaison Manager will serve as IRC’s key representative to local authorities in Syria, focusing on ensuring legal compliance, maintaining registration, securing timely approvals, and facilitating operational and programmatic access across IRC's areas of implementation. The Liaison Manager will work closely with IRC leadership, legal advisors, and field teams to ensure all activities are aligned with government regulations and requirements while upholding IRC’s humanitarian principles.

Responsibilities:

Government Liaison & Registration Management:

• Act as IRC’s primary focal point with key Syrian ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MoSAL), and relevant local authorities.
• Ensure timely renewal and maintenance of IRC’s registration and any required operational licenses in Syria.
• Lead the submission and tracking of program approval requests and facilitate follow-up meetings with relevant authorities to support their clearance.

Access Facilitation:

•  Proactively engage with local authorities to facilitate the IRC’s program access to new areas and the expansion of current programming, in close coordination with the IRC’s field and security teams.
  

• Advise IRC teams on access-related constraints and opportunities, helping design strategies to overcome bureaucratic barriers.
• Facilitate travel permits, staff movement clearances, and access letters for IRC personnel and partners, as needed.

Legal & Regulatory Compliance:

• Monitor and interpret changes in Syrian laws, decrees, and regulatory procedures that affect INGOs.
• Serve as a key point of contact for IRC’s legal advisors on government compliance matters,and work with relevant departments to align IRC’s internal procedures with regulatory requirements.
• Maintain a calendar and system for managing deadlines related to approvals, renewals, and compliance requirements.

Internal Coordination & Reporting:

• Collaborate with field, supply chain, security, and program teams to ensure that planned activities are legally cleared and aligned with government expectations.
• Provide regular updates to senior management and HQ on the status of registration, access, and legal compliance.
• Document all official correspondence and maintain a secure database of permits, approvals, and meeting notes.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Build and maintain trust-based relationships with key government officials at national and sub-national levels to ensure sustained collaboration.
• Participate in formal and informal coordination mechanisms with UN agencies and INGOs regarding access and legal matters, as appropriate.
• Represent IRC professionally and diplomatically in all interactions with government authorities.

Emergency Response Support:

• Closely supervises contextual developments in the field to identify any significant movement of IDPs, the spread of epidemics or natural disasters in areas of IRC operations, and other factors that may necessitate possible expansion based on need.
• Leads coordination with the field emergency response team and ensures that clear plans are set and communicated to the relevant government entities in addressing any implementation challenges.
• Collaborates with program focal points to issue Situational Reports.

Coordination and Representation:

• Internal: Country Director, Deputy Director Operations, Legal Counsel, Field Management, Program Coordinators, Humanitarian Access and Security Senior Coordinator, Supply Chain, and HR.
• External: local authorities at national and governorate levels, including MoFA, MoSAL; UN agencies; INGO coordination platforms; legal consultants.

Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development:

• Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of team members in relevant technical and management competencies.
• Develop and implement remote management capacity-building approaches to build the strengths of the teams in Syria.
• Coach, train, supervise, and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
• 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.
• Approve and manage time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage; ensure monthly, accurate timesheet submission and carry out probationary reviews.
• Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, minimally on a monthly basis.
• Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning to strengthen technical capacity, exchange knowledge within the team and provide guidance on career paths.
• As required, identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies.
• 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.
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.
• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate.
• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures and communicate through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations.

Job Requirements:

• Education: University degree and full professional qualification or equivalent experience in a relevant field.

Work Experience:

• 4-6 years of experience in liaison, legal, or government relations roles, preferably with an international NGO, UN agency, or diplomatic mission
• In-depth knowledge of Syrian legal and regulatory frameworks related to humanitarian operations.
• Demonstrated experience working with Syrian ministries and local authorities in securing approvals and navigating bureaucracy.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values, and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct.
• High level of discretion, integrity, and cultural sensitivity.
• Credible written, presentation, and verbal communication skills; ability to convey information effectively and solid experience providing training and staff development
• Validated sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle complex situations diplomatically and to achieve effective resolution.
• Excellent management and social skills and a proven ability to promote harmonious/cohesive teamwork in a cross-cultural context!
• Validated ability to plan long-term, organize priorities, and work under administrative and programmatic pressures with detail orientation and professional perseverance.
• Highly collaborative and resourceful; ability to establish positive working relationships with senior-level management and all other partners to improve collaboration and productivity.
• Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop.
• Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to sophisticated matters while adhering to labor laws and internal policies.

Language/Travel:

• Excellent Arabic and English communication skills, both written and spoken.
• Travel: 50% to field sites.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: HAS Senior Coordinator; Management in Partnership with the Field Director
• Position directly supervises:
• Indirect Reporting: FD
• Key Internal Contacts: all staff
• Key External Contacts: other non-governmental organizations, inter-agency groups, and foundations.