Violence against Women Coordinator

Summary:

Violence against Women Coordinator
Location: Iraq
Job Code: 4965
# of openings: 1

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the largest humanitarian agencies in the world, providing relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of oppression and violent conflict. IRC has worked for over seven decades and today is involved in over 25 conflict zones in the world. We address both the immediate, life saving needs of conflict affected people in an emergency and the reconstruction needs in post conflict societies.

General Description of IRC’s VAW Program in Iraq:

Violence Against Women (VAW) is a grave problem in Iraq. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Northern Iraq has one of the highest rates of recorded VAW in the country. Women in the KRG are victims of honor killings, burning, and other violence.

The local government and civil society organizations have started to highlight the severity of VAW in KRG. A Directorate for Following Up on Violence Against Women (DFAW) was recently established within the Ministry of State for the Interior (MOI). Despite this accomplishment, there still exists an extreme dearth of services for women and girls at immediate risk or who are survivors of VAW. Additionally, the VAW response systems currently in place –including the DFAW -are often not survivor-friendly as they tend to reinforce the traditional power differences at the root of VAW. Moreover, prevention efforts are minimal and those present, focus only on short-term solutions and strategies.

At the request of the KRG, IRC is providing technical support to assist the government and local NGOs in improving emergency response and protection for survivors. IRC intends to extend its existing partnership with the MOI in three governorates- Erbil, Suleimaniyah, and Dahuk. This cooperation will be one component of a broader capacity-building program for civil society and government institutions providing a variety of services related to VAW response and prevention.

Scope of Work:

Building on this existing partnership with the Ministry of Interior, the VAW Coordinator will support the government and civil society organizations to improve their response to and prevention of VAW in KRG. S/he will identify specific actions and activities needed to improve and develop appropriate services, within a common vision developed through a participatory manner.

The VAW Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring quality design of programs and strategies, and the implementation of relevant projects and initiatives. These would include training, assessments, monitoring and evaluation and other activities aimed at building the capacity of the first responders within the MOI Directorate. The VAW Coordinator will be responsible for enhancing the ability, knowledge and skills of first respondents to respond to survivors of VAW and to those at risk of VAW. S/he will also support the government in putting structures and systems in place which are survivor friendly and will guide the government in establishing services to meet the needs of women and girls at immediate risk or who are survivors of GBV.

This position will be supported by and will work closely with the Regional Coordinator based in Amman/Jordan and overseeing IRC’s VAW programs in the Middle East Region.

Essential Job Functions:

1. Design

The VAW Coordinator will work directly with government ministries, NGOs, and civil society institutions to improve existing services from the different dimensions namely: legal, psycho-social, socio-economic, and health. Specifically s/he will:

• Assist government VAW structures in developing a national VAW strategy with a common vision to guide future programs
• Develop an IRC Iraq VAW sector strategy to address immediate and long-term needs
• Develop an action plan to inform and guide the design of project proposals
• Design projects and initiatives liable to fill gaps and address needs of females at risk, as well as develop training and capacity building modules for service providers working on VAW programs

2. Implementation, Supervision and Capacity Building

Through identified strategic partners, including government ministries, NGOs, and civil society institutions, the VAW Coordinator will be expected to implement and supervise IRC’s VAW programs and projects in KRG. Specifically s/he will:

• Implement projects liable to improve existing services including: legal, psycho-social, socio-economic, and health
• Develop a strategy for building the capacity of local partners and setting quality programming and monitoring tools
• Ensure that all staff working at IRC, and staff from partners and counterparts, are gender sensitive and operate in line with IRC’s VAW policies and guidelines

3. Monitoring and Evaluation

Building on previous assessments, the VAW Coordinator will:

• Continue to assess and monitor progress of work to take appropriate action when and where necessary
• Conduct regular site visits to project partners and target areas
• Make mid-term reviews and final evaluations
• Write monthly reports citing progress towards benchmarks and challenges to the program

4. Research and Assessments

• The incumbent will continue to assess, explore and analyze the vulnerability risks and obstacles to receiving services which women and girls face. The results of these regular assessments will inform the revision of current programs and development of new ones
• S/he will be required to stay abreast with relevant developments in central and southern Iraq with an eye to future expansion

5. Coordination

The VAW coordinator will be expected to liaise between the different stakeholders –partners, donors, civil society and project beneficiaries to:

• Enhance partnership building among all players working on GBV prevention, by reinforcing existing ones and establishing new ones
• Strengthen networking with development partners for better sustainable holistic programming, and for more effective immediate protection and response services
• Promote multi-sectoral collaboration to ensure long-term prevention and positive behavioral change
• Work with partners to develop relevant referral networks and improve local VAW coordination
• Represent IRC in inter-agency coordination committees, seminars, meetings and workshops on VAW

6. Other Responsibilities:

• Advocate for and promote action against VAW in line with IRC’s Global Strategy on VAW
• Recruit VAW staff as needed
• Identify areas for funding, potential donors and write project proposals and donors’ reports
• Any other relevant tasks as they arise

Requirements:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Gender or Social Studies, Public Health, Social Work or related field
• Demonstrated experience directly implementing programs that prevent or respond to violence against women and girls in similar cultural and political settings
• Managing and monitoring service provision for VAW survivors
• Demonstrated experience working at the national level policy and advocacy
• Demonstrated experience with implementing participatory program approaches
• Competency in written and spoken English, and knowledge of Kurdish and/or Arabic
• Familiarity with the Kurdish and Iraqi situation is an asset
• Willingness to travel within Iraq
• Able to work in insecure and challenging environments

This position is long-term (at least one year) and is unaccompanied.

To Apply:

Please apply via the IRC website, www.ircjobs.org. A recruiter will contact you if you are selected to interview for this exciting opportunity to make a real difference.

IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability. IRC is an equal opportunity employer.