Program Officer

Background/IRC Summary:  

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.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is responding to the ongoing flooding across Pakistan, which has already caused 1,300 people to lose their life and destroyed more than a million homes. IRC emergency response teams have been deployed to provide immediate assistance across Pakistan where more than 33 million people have been affected by the flooding.

Through its flood response, IRC has reached around 46,299 people affected by the floods in the country by establishing medical camps, Women & Child Safe Spaces, and distributing food, non-food items, Cash grants, and hygiene kits. These relief efforts are sponsored by eminent global donors such as European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Irish Aid, Malala Fund, Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) as well as IRC’s internal funds.

Job Overview/Summary:

International Rescue Committee (IRC) is implementing Flood Emergency Response Projects in partnership with other local organizations. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is seeking a dynamic and self-motivated individual for the position of Program Officer for flood response. In response to the flood 2022 in Pakistan, the IRC is implementing WASH, Health, Cash, NFIs and Livelihoods programs for flood-affected people and their families. The Program Officer will be responsible to support Head of Office/Response Manager/Response Coordinator for the day-to-day management of multiple grants and activities, ensuring that activities are relevant, successfully implemented within the emergency response timeline.

Major Responsibilities:

• Assist the Head of Office/Response Manager/Response Coordinator and in managing multisectoral emergency Project, ensuring that the project remains on track to achieve the intended outcomes, while also staying on budget and time.  Take corrective action wherever necessary to maintain this performance.
• Assist in collecting, compiling, and organizing the flow of information from the IRC programs coming from the field.
• Manage and supervise field staff according to standard IRC guidelines including performance management, job orientation, capacity building, support in recruitment process and grievance handling.
• Enhance program efficiency and effectiveness through evidence base approach and implementation follow-on, including monitoring inputs, local conditions, and resources.
• Attend external meetings on behalf of IRC and participate in internal meetings and ensure the flow of information, writing meeting minutes and share feedback with PM.
• Background information collection and organization on the broader programs/projects in the field including emergency response.
• Identify problems and propose and implement remedial action. Identify alternative courses of action, to accelerate/improve program delivery.
• In coordination with the field team, support the maintenance of programs data and MIS.
• Update program information and support in developing relevant project documentation, including monthly/quarterly reports, monitoring tools, fact sheets, newsletter etc.
• Support planning and coordination with teams, including organization and support of Humanitarian Program Meetings, information dissemination.
• Collect, compile, and disseminate program work plans.
• Support the development and maintenance of program resource information in Islamabad, field offices and electronically.
• Provide general administrative support to the Head of Office/Response Manager/Response Coordinator.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Head of Office/Response Manager/Response Coordinator.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Head of Office/Response Manager/Response Coordinator Position directly supervises:  None

Job Requirements:

a)      Education:

• Bachelors or master’s degree in Social Sciences, Management, Engineering, Mass Communication, Public Health or related degree

b)      Work Experience:

• At least 5 years work experience of managing similar tasks within development sector

c)      Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Computer skills
• Report writing and reviewing skills
• Presentation skills and communication skills

d) Language Skills:  English, Urdu and knowledge of local languages

The IRC Core Values and Commitments.

• The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.
• IRC is committed to ensuring that IRC staff is suitable to work with children and have the knowledge s/he needs to uphold and abide by the IRC’s Child Safeguarding Policy.
• Level of interaction with children: Less contact with children
• IRC ensures that its staff must actively practice the roles and responsibilities related to client responsiveness, and accountability to people in affected communities and must have competencies to solicits and listens to feedback and other’s perspectives, responds to feedback with maturity and sensitivity and takes appropriate decisions and makes changes to behavior or actions in response to feedback.
• IRC recognizes that gender equality is fundamental to the achievement of our organizational mission. As such, IRC is committed to the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of our operations and programs. Our organizational policies, procedures and actions demonstrate this commitment.

Women candidates and differently abled persons are highly encouraged to apply.