Senior Officer, Protection, Gender and Inclusion

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 192-member National Societies. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. The IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services. The IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat. The Protection, Gender and Inclusion portfolio (PGI) addresses IFRC’s work on matters related to Violence, Exclusion or Discrimination, in our institutional capacities, our programs and operations, our advocacy and diplomacy efforts and in our partnerships. PGI is both an essential approach to ensure we live by our Fundamental principles in all our efforts, and a programmatic and specialized sector that encompasses stand-alone and integrated actions for preventing, mitigating and responding to violence, discrimination and exclusion before, during and after shocks and crisis. PGI has close linkages with Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA), Mental Health & Psycho-social Support (PSS), National Society Development (NSD), Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (PMER), Operational Management and leadership, trust & accountability, and Surge tools, systems, and coordination. The Regional PGI Senior Officer reports directly to the Regional NSD Coordinator and engages with the technical units in the Regional and Country Offices to support the 17 National Societies in the Region. The position is located at the MENA RO in Beirut and is responsible for the overall coordination and technical advancement and support of PGI; institutionally, operationally, and strategically. The role receives technical guidance and support from the Gender and Diversity Coordinator (global PGIE and Institutional Capacity lead) at IFRC Geneva headquarters and works closely with the global PGI team through sharing regional trends, risks, capacities and developments as well as by aligning with global strategic direction and commitments of PGI.

Job Purpose

The Regional PGI Senior Officer will be responsible for steering the development of PGI across the 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region in coordination with the Regional NSD coordinator and with the technical support of the Global Coordinator, ensuring PGI is mainstreamed in the National Societies (NS) and IFRC emergency operations and long-term programs at both country and sub-regional levels through the mainstreaming of PGI activities and approaches.

The PGI Senior Officer ensures there is institutional and operational capacity to identify protection risks including violence against children, trafficking in persons (TiP) and gender-based violence (GBV) and take action to prevent, mitigate and respond to violence, exploitation, and abuse, including appropriate reporting, referral- and response mechanisms. As a crucial part of our efforts to ensure accountable and trusted humanitarian action the role contributes to prevention and response to sexual exploitation and abuse (by humanitarian actors, SEA) by being the technical lead on our application and implementation of a survivor-centered approach to SGBV and child safeguarding. As such the PGI Coordinator supports leadership and management, CEA, HR and Security in ensuring appropriate measures are in place to prevent and respond to SEA.

The role of the PGI Senior Officer is to coordinate, advise, mobilize and ensure quality program (human, financial) resources for PGI work. This includes PGI mainstreaming, leadership and organizational development, advocacy, program design, staff support and training, and strengthening partnerships within and outside the Movement as well as community relationships. The position will provide strategic and technical advice and training to build the capacity of NS and the IFRC Secretariat to integrate a more systematic approach to PGI throughout the program and disaster risk management cycle. This will include supporting and promoting the use of innovative approaches to information sharing, community participation and feedback, behavioral and social change, communication and evidence-based advocacy, to enhance the impact, reach and efficiency of emergency response operations and development programs.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall direction of the Regional leadership and the global PGI team, the incumbent will provide guidance and leadership for the Secretariat’s work in MENA in the areas of Protection, Gender and Inclusion, the duties and responsibilities are outlined as follows:

PGI development and capacity strengthening

• Provide strategic advice and direction, and raise awareness and commitment on protection, gender and inclusion (PGI) issues among MENA National Societies and IFRC MENA regional office and CCST and country offices
• Drive the roll out of a systematic and integrated approach to PGI within the IFRC and across the 17 National Societies of MENA Region by coordinating organizational and institutional capacity strengthening and development processes for NSs and IFRC on PGI, such as through: policy development, organizational capacity assessments for PGI, support in establishing systems and mechanisms to ensure mainstreaming of PGI in plans, processes, and procedures.
• Work closely with National Societies and IFRC Secretariat technical units and their thematic areas (Health, WASH, Livelihoods, Disaster Risk Reduction and Migration) to help them identify gaps in their approach to PGI and support them to scale up and integrate the embedding of PGI into their work with affected people while ensuring their dignity, access, participation and safety within programs and operations.
• Ensure the inclusion of PGI in programs and operations at Regional and Country Office level, and ensure improved mainstreaming of PGI into all IFRC emergency response operations and other operations in MENA through rollout of tools, deployment, and capacity-building of PGI surge personnel (in collaboration with programs and operations team and different sectors)
• Coordinate, supervise, and support PGI surge capacity to NS when needed as technical manager for PGI surge personnel deployed to IFRC coordinated emergency response operation in the MENA region.
• Coordinate PGI integration in Appeals and DREFs through application of IFRC Minimum Standards and related guidance (incl. PGI marker)
• Ensure that mechanisms, tools and technical support is available and in place to tackle gender inequalities, exploitation and abuse, gender-based violence and other interpersonal violence in emergency operations and development programs.
• Provide technical advice on PGI within the Region and deliver support and training to NS and IFRC staff.
• Plan and deliver PGI trainings to IFRC and NS staff and volunteers.
• Work closely with the IFRC global Gender and Diversity Coordinator and the global PGI team to ensure there is consistency and coordination between PGI efforts at regional and global level. This includes ensuring the roll out of global PGI frameworks and standards at regional level and that global frameworks and standards benefit from learning and experience gathered locally.
• Develop evidence-based learning demonstrating the impact of PGI tools and approaches on the quality and effectiveness of programming, on protection risk management, as well as vulnerability prevention in MENA.

Coordination, representation, relationships, and reporting

• Support the Regional NSD Coordinator to strengthen PGI actions with internal and external partners.
• Work with Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) and MHPSS colleagues and the Inter Agency protection cluster to harmonize approaches to complaints hotlines and other mechanisms.
• Advocate and share lessons learnt for PGI issues with key stakeholders internal and external to the RCRC movement to ensure appropriate awareness of PGI risks, needs, capacities and trends.
• Forge/implement strategic partnerships with National Societies and external partners, private sector, voluntary sector, academia, NGOs and CSOs;
• In co-ordination with the global PGI team, represent IFRC in external technical working groups, networks, and intergovernmental forums ensuring new and strengthened partnerships with external agencies and stakeholders in the region.
• Actively participate in and represent the MENA region in the IFRC global PGI Community and coordination support groups, and establish a regional PGI network
• Produce and disseminate internal and external reports, evaluations, brochures, case studies, press releases and web stories that demonstrate the impact of PGI, promote it to new audiences, and raise the profile of NS and IFRC Secretariat in MENA.

Duties applicable to all staff
1.    Actively work towards the achievement of the IFRC Strategy 2030 and the Plan and Budget.
2.    Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles.
3.    Perform any other work related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.

Education

• An advanced university degree (Master's degree) in Communication or Social/Behavioral Sciences (i.e. Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology or Health Education) or relevant experience - Preferred
• Relevant graduate degree - Required
• IMPACT course or equivalent knowledge - Preferred
• Fluent spoken and written Arabic and English - Required
• Good command of another IFRC official language - Preferred

Experience

Required:

• 5 years of experience in a PGI related role (protection, gender, sexual and gender-based violence, disability rights), including proven track record in providing strategic direction and developing and delivering tools and technical advisory outcomes
• Three to five years of experience with community engagement approaches, direct support to survivors of violence, exploitation or abuse, or addressing the specific needs of marginalized groups at community level.
• Demonstrated professional experience in the IFRC or an organization within the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, or in an international organization or NGO in the context of developing countries
• Demonstrated experience in applying humanitarian protection, gender, accessibility standards and guidelines and in setting up and managing accountability systems, participatory planning processes
• Experience of coaching, training and developing local staff and volunteers in order to build long-term capacity and create ownership
• Possesses a broad understanding of global humanitarian issues, and international humanitarian standards for Protection, gender and inclusion in disaster response.
• Holds a holistic and intersectional approach to addressing issues of discrimination, violence and exclusion and understands the institutional requirements necessary to achieve sustainable humanitarian impact to prevent and respond appropriately
• Demonstrates ability to represent and advocate for Protection, Gender equality and Inclusion with diplomatic and contextual adaptation and appropriateness to sensitive issues including language
• 3+ years of working experience in the MENA region

Knowledge, skills and languages

Required:

• Good coordination skills, with the capacity to build partnerships with internal and external organizations and bring people together to collaborate on PGI approaches and activities
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and networking skills, able to build relationships with people at all levels of the organization across multiple countries and cultures, both in person and remotely, to build commitment and support for PGI
• Excellent project management skills, able to work under pressure and manage multiple projects simultaneously, to a high standard and to deadline
• Advanced analytical skills, able to capture learning and use it to make improvements in programming and operations
• Highly motivated, self-starter able to take initiative and lead a team or process
• Good knowledge of protection, gender and inclusion issues in humanitarian programming

Competencies and values

• Respect for diversity;
• Integrity and Accountability;
• Communication;
• Collaboration and Teamwork;
• Judgement and Decision Making;
• Creativity and Innovation.