Economy Recovery and Development (ERD) Coordinator at International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Economy Recovery and Development (ERD) Coordinator

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employment Type: Full-time

Job Overview / Summary

• We are seeking an experienced leader with demonstrated programmatic, strategic and coordination skills to fill the role of Economy Recovery and Development (ERD) Coordinator.
• The ERD Coordinator will coordinate all the ERD components of IRC Nigeria program portfolio, including strategy development, business development, coordination with external actors, and program implementation, including, ERD staff supervision and capacity development of staff.
• The ERD Coordinator will identify specific growth opportunities for ERD programs including Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) programming. The ERD Coordinator will also support the development of a long-term strategic vision for ERD programming in Nigeria within the IRC Nigeria strategy.
• The ERD Coordinator will serve as the key liaison with local and international implementing partners, UN and IDP Agencies, Food Security Cluster, Cash Working Group, Cash Consortium for Nigeria (CCS) consortia members, Financial Service Providers (FSPs) and other private Sector and other partners.
• The position reports to the Senior Program Development and Quality Coordinator and manages the ERD team across the country. This position is based in Maidaguri-Nigeria with frequent travels to field sites (at least 50% travel to field offices). 

Major Responsibilities
Program Strategy & Program Development:

• Provide strategic direction, leadership and overall technical and management support to the Economic Recovery & Development (ERD) programming, ensuring it is needs-based, context-appropriate, in line with international standard methodology, responsive, coherent, collaborative, and operationally feasible.
• Ensure inputs into country-level strategy, ensuring a contextualized strategy for ERD activities, in close collaboration with the Senior Program Development and Quality Coordinator.
• Grow the ERD portfolio according to the strategy, through proactive engagement with key partners and donors, additionally leading in the technical development of concept notes, proposals, and budgets for existing and new donors.
• Ensure high quality program design processes, based on thorough analysis of gaps and needs (including needs and market assessments).
• Application of identified lessons learned, community-feedback, and ensuring adherence to evidence-based approaches linked to theories of change and application of global standard methodologies in programming.
• Ensure programmatic priorities are regularly reviewed for relevance and adaptations proposed through analysis of needs, gaps and coverage of humanitarian and development actors, and government agencies. Ensure integration opportunities are explored and demonstrated across IRC Nigeria program areas, specifically Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE), Child Protection, Environmental Health (EH/WASH) Health and Nutrition to enhance the quality of programming and a broad-based approach to addressing the economic needs of the target populations.

Program Management and Quality:

• Ensure projects and activities are of high technical quality and oriented by IRC’s Good and Great standards (IRC internal standards), meet humanitarian standards, mainstream protection, align with IRC’s Outcomes and Evidence Framework, and respond to community and monitoring feedback;
• Working closely with Field Coordinators and Program Managers, lead on design of technically sound programmatic work plans and spending plans, reviewing plans regularly and proposing adaptations as needed.
• Undertake regular field visits to assess progress and identify technical quality issues and/or other implementation issues, provide solutions and implement modifications as required.
• Ensure adaptive approach within program team, ensuring regular review of programmatic data and beneficiary and community feedback, in order to remain responsive to needs, preferences, and changing context.
• Ensure review of program delivery against strategic objectives of effectiveness, responsiveness, speed & timeliness, budget, reach & scale, best use of resources – proposing changes accordingly.
• Work with the Senior MEAL Coordinator to drive M&E activities for the ERD program together, map lessons learnt and find opportunities for evaluations and quality improvement.
• Working closely with the Field Coordinators, lead the design and planning of assessments and context-appropriate research aimed at generating a strong evidence base for IRC economic programming, as well as informing IRC advocacy.
• Proactively identify, assess, monitor and implement measures to reduce or control risks that may impact program delivery, quality or compliance.
• Liaise with Technical Advisors and Coordinators to ensure relevant support, tools and resources are being provided and integrated into programming.
• Promote and assist the other IRC’s programming sectors with the integration of cash and voucher assistance.

Grant Monitoring & Reporting: 

• Ensure regular monitoring of work plans and progress of activities on grants, actively participating in Project Cycle Meetings, including Project Design Meetings, Project Opening Meetings, Project Implementation Meetings, Project Learning Meetings, and Grant Closing Meetings. 
• Ensure that adequate M&E systems and practices are in place to allow for data-driven programmatic decision making and reporting.
• Prepare relevant and quality IRC and donor reports as per agreed-upon schedules (monthly, quarterly and/or annually) on grant activities, indicators and achievements.
• Work closely and coordinate with IRC logistics, Supply Chain, Finance and Grant staff to ensure timely and compliant program activities and expenditures. Has budget authority to pre-approved limits and responsibility for budget development and compliance under the direction of the Senior Program Development and Quality Coordinator.
• Ensure that all internal and external reporting requirements are met, that reports are of a high quality and are submitted on time.
• Working closely with Field Coordinators, design program reporting templates and ensure regular reporting from staff in the field.
• Ensure completion of monthly internal report highlighting progress of activities, trends, and contextual changes for reporting to region and external partners.

Representation, coordination and advocacy:

• Develop and maintain effective coordination and long-term relationships with external partners. These will include fellow agencies/NGOS UN agencies, government departments and ministries, community-based organizations and partners, donors, and others in accurately and professionally representing IRC positions, promoting long-term strategies and resolving problems/conflicts.
• Actively participate in Food Security Cluster, Shelter/NFI to stay informed and share information on needs and gaps as well as technical development/ innovations within the sector in Nigeria.
• Professionally represent IRC in the Cash WG ensuring high-quality support in the role of Cash WG co-chair
• Proactively engage and act as focal point for coordination and technical working groups under consortia the IRC is currently member of.  
• Actively advance IRC’s connections to economic actors/private sector at a local, regional and national level, seeking avenues for partnership, collaboration and coordination of activities to ensure sustainability of interventions.
• Oversee the IRC’s relationship with consortia implementing partners engaged in ERD Program activities and support the identification of new partners as it relates to new programming.
• Identify advocacy opportunities together with the Deputy Director for Programs and based on information coming from the field.
• Together with the Senior Program Development and Quality Coordinator, contribute to the advocacy efforts of IRC Nigeria and the West Africa Region through analysis of the policy environment and trends.
• Support the sharing of information and learning across economic programming in Nigeria.

Staff Management and Development:

• Coach, train, and mentor staff (ERD team) with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing professional development guidance.
• Ensure all ERD staff are following work plans and ERD projects deliverables are completed as planned.
• Supported by the ERD Technical Advisor, oversee the development and implementation of staff technical capacity building plans (e.g. focused on basic assistance and livelihoods programming as well as management capacities) that promotes a culture of learning and ensure staff receive training accordingly. 
• Supervise and mentor staff, including communicating clear expectations, and in partnership with the direct line supervisor, setting performance objectives, providing regular, constructive and timely performance feedback, and contribute to the annual and mid-year performance reviews.
• Conduct one to one meetings with each direct report on weekly basis;

Lead recruitment of ERD project staff:

• 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.
• Work with the HR team to ensures that new ERD Staff complete the onboarding process and that all resources necessary for their work is provided in a timely manner. 
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being; approve and manage all leave requests to ensure adequate coverage.
• Provide leadership support for successful adherence to IRC’s IRC Way and other IRC Operating Policies and Procedures
• 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.

Others:

• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor to enable and develop IRC programs

Key Working Relationships: 

• This position will directly report to Senior Program Development and Quality Coordinator and indirectly to the ERD Technical Adviser.
• He/she will directly line manage ERD Managers and work closely with other sector Coordinators.

Qualifications

• BA/BS Degree in international development, economics, business administration, agronomy, and/or related certification required; MA/MS/MBA a plus;
• Minimum of 7 years professional experience in a nexus of emergency and humanitarian response, with specific experience in cash/ voucher, agricultural livelihoods and enterprise development approach.
• Solid experience working in highly insecure and volatile environments and highly resilient to basic living and working conditions. 
• Experience working as part of multiagency consortia and/or solid proven understanding of country level cash coordination mechanisms and Cash Working Group a strong added value.
• Ability to conduct needs and markets assessments and propose context-appropriate solutions based on analysis of needs and gaps.
• Strong program/technical, project design, proposal development and budget management skills, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation skills.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external parties
• INGO experience required, experience with coordination systems or advocacy preferable.
• Capable of applying skills and knowledge in a range of capacities, including direct implementation, advisory functions, training and the transfer of technical knowledge and leadership skills to others.
• Proven knowledge of gender and proficiency in leading projects that mainstream gender.
• Personal qualities: strong resilience under extremely stressful circumstances and volatile setting, works well in and promotes collaboration, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well, has a strong sense of humor.
• Strong capacity to lead, mentor and build capacity of staff.
• Ability to prioritize and meet multiple demands in unstable and insecure environment.
• Fluency in English is required; Arabic is a strong asset.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested candidates should: