Protection Project Manager

The overall purpose of the role:

• Under the supervision of the Area Manager, the Protection Project Manager is responsible for the planning, implementation, and follow-up of the protection projects in the assigned area.
• In close coordination with the Technical Coordinator the Protection PM contributes to the implementation of DRC’s sector strategy in Iraq, as well as the harmonization and rollout of tools and guidelines.
• The Protection PM contributes to the fulfillment of the aims and objectives of DRC’s presence in Iraq.

Responsibilities:

General Management

• Responsible for ensuring high-quality, on-time project implementation in accordance with donor and DRC regulations. This includes meeting donor targets (activity and budget), ensuring donor-compliant implementation, and supervising quality;
• Produce and regularly update Implementation Plans. Plans should set out the future activity and track progress to date on outputs and activities in the Project Management Tool for presentation at monthly Grant Review Meetings;
• Conduct regular field visits to key sites to ensure technical quality and adherence to key standards and processes;
• Maintain close communications with colleagues in (a) other sectors, (b) Area Office management, (c) Country Office technical supervision, and (d) support office (Finance, HR, Supply Chain) regarding challenges and opportunities;
• Prepare high-quality and timely narrative reporting for donors, check this reporting against area financial reports, liaise with technical coordinators for quality assurance and feed into checking of financial reports for accuracy;
• Develop procurement plans and liaise with relevant support departments to ensure that activities are carried out according to plan, including participation in supply chain processes and ensuring goods are in line with programmatic standards;
• Complete and regularly update budget forecasts for project activities and staffing and monitor budget vs actual on a regular basis. Manage expenditure and take timely corrective action to prevent over and under expenditure;
• Maintain ongoing communication with Safety regarding relevant contextual developments and incident reporting;
• Support integration of Protection interventions with other core sectors, ensuring close collaboration between field teams;
• Regularly update the project monitoring tools, including (a) ensuring appropriate indicators and quality tracking (both quantitative and qualitative) and (b) working closely with MEAL to put in place accountability measures;

Program Team Management

• Recruit and line manage (including conducting appraisals performance management and providing instructions to HR around contract amendments and termination) project staff;
• Provide regular constructive feedback to direct reports, following DRC’s Performance management procedures, and support direct reports in the performance management of their team members;
• Assess training and development needs within the Protection team, develop a capacity-building plan and implement the plan, in line with DRC Iraq nationalization policy and guidelines;
• Liaise with line and technical management as necessary regarding team performance.

Strategy implementation

• Ensure the rollout of the DRC Iraq protection sector strategy and its integration into the DRC Iraq program strategy and the response as a whole;
• Work closely with Technical Coordinators and line managers on the identification of needs of communities and gaps in Protection services within DRC’s areas of intervention; conduct protection monitoring and protection analysis on a regular basis and upon need;
• Provide, upon request, technical input into the development (and implementation) of relevant SOPs and technical standards; work with the Technical Coordinator to develop innovative approaches to increase access to Protection services for targeted communities;
• Contribute to the Base level program strategy and the establishment of sector-based log frames and targets;
• Participate in the proposal development process by providing field-specific context analysis, technical sector-specific analysis, beneficiary information, and feedback on the concept including proposing the activities and costing at field level in line with Area Log Frames; and
• In coordination with MEAL, provide inputs to tools and use the tools for data collection including indicator tracking tables.

Coordination and Representation

• Regular coordination and liaison with other protection partners in the field, with attention to the specific needs of vulnerable communities;
• Engage with sub-national clusters as necessary and relevant;
• Responsible for conducting donor visits in close coordination with the country office donor focal points;
• Pro-actively build a good rapport with local authorities and community representatives;
• Identify opportunities and material to contribute to communications work, and support facilitation of media visits.
• Work with DRC’s Country office regarding the rollout of new partnership policies and guidelines;

Other

• Ensure the respect of the DRC Code of Conduct and DRC’s zero-tolerance policy of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA), and humanitarian principles and contribute to the integration of Protection and Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) mainstreaming into DRC programming.
• Undertake any other duties that may be assigned by the Line Manager.

Experience and technical competencies:

• Minimum 5 years of experience with NGO project implementation, including at least 3 years of experience managing people and teams. Experience providing technical guidance, training, and capacity building of staff and CSO partners or government counterparts is essential.
• An excellent professional track record with a minimum of 3 years of work experience in Protection, preferably in an emergency or early recovery context;
• Significant knowledge of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Laws, particularly International standards relating to the protection of IDPs;
• Significant experience managing projects, ensuring tracking of targets and activities, and donor reporting;
• Proven communication, negotiation, advocacy, and diplomacy skills;
• Ability to quickly develop an understanding of the human rights situation and insight into the political environment of the program country;
• Prior experience implementing case management/PSS/legal assistance and community-based protection activities;
• Knowledge of Gender and Protection mainstreaming, AGD, PwSN, and AAP approaches;
• Experience working and living in a challenging security environment and under strict safety rules and willingness to travel to conflict-affected areas.

Education:

• University or Master’s degree relevant to humanitarian work: preferably in law, social sciences, or humanitarian aid;
• Knowledge of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Laws, particularly international standards relating to protecting IDPs.
• Ability to work under own initiative and with little supervision.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities.

Languages:

• English (fluent)
• Arabic desirable

Key stakeholders:

• Area Manager, protection Coordinator, protection team, other program managers, and support services team.
• Protection cluster, sub-cluster, and workgroups.
• Local authorities and community leaders.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment

Diversity & Inclusion: DRC Iraq is committed to promoting an inclusive work environment according to our Age, Gender, and Diversity approach (AGD). We aim to have a more diversified leadership structure creating opportunities for qualified women to take on managerial roles. We also continuously work to make our workplace more accessible for persons with specific needs. We offer benefits related to psychosocial support, health insurance, maternity and paternity leave, child sick leave, and lactation breaks. As part of our commitment to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion, we strongly encourage applications from female candidates, persons living with disabilities, as well as representatives of minorities.