IRC - International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
The IRC began planning to reopen an oPt country program in mid-2022 and launched an emergency response in Gaza in October 2023. The organization is currently supporting a network of local partners in both Gaza and the West Bank to sustain critical health, protection, food security, cash, education, and early childhood development interventions. The IRC is also deploying emergency medical teams to provide surge clinical capacity in hospitals and other health facilities.
The IRC is working to scale its emergency response while building a longer-term oPt country program in parallel. This effort is being jointly managed by the Emergencies and Humanitarian Action Unit (EHAU) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a view to eventually transition the country program fully under the MENA region.
Scope of work
The IRC has a strong commitment to creating a culture of prevention on safeguarding in our workplace and in our programs – as well as a safe environment for reporting. We are determined to protect our clients and staff from safeguarding violations through prevention and, where misconduct is alleged, to address it without fear or favour.
The Senior Safeguarding Manager will support the OPT Program as it prevents and responds to safeguarding violations in the context of the current crisis.
The Senior Safeguarding Manager is responsible for advancing the IRC Safeguarding Minimum Standards and ensuring a zero-tolerance approach to the exploitation and abuse of clients, including sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). This role collaborates with programs and operations teams (including IRC Protection, WASH, and Health programs, etc.), as well as partners, to foster dynamic staff learning, support partner safeguarding strategies, and ensure functional, safe, and confidential reporting mechanisms. Additionally, the Senior Safeguarding Manager works closely with Human Resources to promote a safe workplace for all IRC staff and associates, ensuring accountability and comprehensive support for survivors when abuses occur.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy, learning and coordination
Support the OPT response program to deliver safeguarding commitments in line with its safeguarding and client responsiveness SOP, in addition to the Safeguarding Incident Response SoP. Report to the (TBC) on a quarterly basis on progress, challenges and solutions, and learning.
•Participate in the inter-agency safeguarding and PSEA coordination groups for oPt (including oPt PSEA network and the Gaza Safeguarding Task Force). Ensure that IRC reporting channels are integrated into inter-agency efforts; feeds into support and referral pathways; influences a survivor-centered approach to responding to safeguarding concerns; and is an active, contributing member to civil society and inter-agency efforts.
Staff learning and competencies
•ensure the orientation of all newly hired staff, enumerators, incentive workers, etc., to IRC polices, reporting pathways, and basic survivor referral and support options.
•Guarantee the hiring and recruitment practices are aligned with Safeguarding minimum standards
•Work with HR to ensure that basic information on IRC safeguarding policies and expected behaviors is part of all IRC job postings
•Train and mentor safeguarding focal points in each IRC office location, and within partner teams when they desire. Ensure that these individuals are empowered to be champions of safeguarding within their teams, and that they feel supported.
•In coordination with Client Responsiveness and/or MEAL, ensure availability and visibility of IRC safeguarding policies and communications materials, in appropriate languages, within all IRC offices and IRC structures or facilities.
Programming integration
•Work closely with IRC protection teams and partners to establish and disseminate information on basic referral and response pathways for survivors of violence, exploitation and abuse.
•Ensure that IRC reporting and response mechanisms with regard to safeguarding are part of inter-agency efforts.
•Support program coordinators and partners with safeguarding risk assessments, risk mitigation planning and measures.
Partnerships
•Support program and partnership coordinators to integrate safeguarding into partnership agreements, learning and relationship-building.
•Deliver direct support to partners where requested, to reinforce their own PSEA/safeguarding policies and practices.
Community-based reporting
•Share IRC reporting information with local authorities, ministries, partners and community leaders.
•Work with program coordinators and MEAL to ensure that client feedback mechanisms and registers include PSEA/safeguarding reporting channels and protocols which are included in community awareness efforts
•Where possible ensure clients are engaged to capture their preferred reporting methods and learn of unknown safeguarding risks emerging as the crisis evolves.
Job requirements
Mandatory:
•Bachelor degree in relevant related field or equivalent work experience
•Minimum of 5 years’ experience working on protection, PSEA and/or safeguarding with civil society / I/NGOs
•Ability to work well independently but also coordinate partnership workloads of staff not under your direct line management
•Team leadership and supervision experience and skills
•Experience in training internal staff and partner staff.
•Willingness to travel frequently to field offices and partner locations
•Professional fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic; able to communicate clearly.
•Very strong English writing and editing skills; strong computer skills.
Position reports to: Human Resources Coordination along a Management in partnership with Deputy Director of Programmes
Position directly manages: N/A
Other Internal and/or external contacts: The position regularly corresponds and attends meetings with external and internal audiences, thus a strong ability to communicate and maintain positive working relationships is highly desirable for this positon.
Internal: Human Resources, Technical Coordinators, and Partnership Coordinators
External: Partners
Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.
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