PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
In Turkey where over 2.6 million Syrians, Iraqi and citizens of other countries have sought refuge primarily outside of camps and where thousands have transited through the country to reach Europe, Mercy Corps has established a strong program to respond to emergency needs and protect vulnerable households in their new host country. Our programs are implemented in partnership with Turkish governmental, non-governmental and business actors, fostering solutions to large scale problems. Mercy Corps has programming across the refugee response, with Izmir lying at a crossroads as an undoubtedly major pivot point. With a heavy emphasis on protection, our programs based in Izmir support the emergency needs of refugees along the Aegean coast.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Protection Manager will be responsible for managing the implementation of the protection component of the Aegean program, and supporting the team and local partners to strengthen protection mechanisms at the local level. This will include coordination of trainings and capacity building, as well as day-to-day support and guidance for the program implementation team and team leaders of other programmatic sectors. The Protection Manager will establish a protection monitoring mechanism focused on contributing to and building a strong referral mechanism for specialized services and developing a robust information dissemination system on services and protection, the protection monitoring mechanism will also document and analyze protection risks and inconsistent applications of rights/services to strengthen Mercy Corps’ understanding of the environment and work with partners to address protection concerns and gaps.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Technical Leadership
* Lead the team in establishing and reinforcing a referral mechanism to relevant protection-related services.
* Ensure quality referral and follow-up of individual cases guaranteeing that minimum standards and protocols are in place, like confidentiality and Standard Operating Policies and Procedures (SOPs).
* Lead the production of succinct and analytical monthly protection reports per site, highlighting key protection issues and analyzing trends identified from protection monitoring and other sources from different sectors to provide direct strategic advice;
* Develop strategies for improving protection-related information and data collection; and effective information dissemination strategies to reach vulnerable individuals.
* Provide a protection “lens” on all reporting and information dissemination, analyzing trends ensuring that the program will align to the refugee law, national law and international standards.
* Acts as a focal point for protection network in the region by coordinating with local actors and governmental institutions and overseeing ongoing quality protection monitoring, information dissemination, case referrals, and overall analysis of trends.
* Ensure Mercy Corps has up-to-date information on the affected and targeted community and coordinates beneficiary lists and numbers with different stakeholders.
Program Operations and Management
* Ensure protection activities are implemented on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts, using innovative approaches and implementing to the highest technical standards.
* Supervise teams to develop work plans focused on key outputs and outcomes;
* Ensure field teams complete tasks as assigned in a timely, professional way;
* Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
* Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established criteria.
* Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
Team Management
* Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
* Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
* Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary; holding the team accountable to weekly and monthly workplans.
* Coach and train the staff with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity and exchanging knowledge within the team to capitalize their experiences in the field at agency level.
* Promote and monitor staff care and well-being establishing good PFA practices like self-care and debriefing activities.
* Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
Finance & Compliance Management
* Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to grant management.
* Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
* Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.
Representation & Coordination
* Represent Mercy Corps and the program to donors and other stakeholders as required.
* Develop and maintain effective working relationships with UNHCR, INGO, government authorities, and other key stakeholders to ensure active coordination, collaboration, and information dissemination.
* Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.
Security
* Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
* Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
Organizational Learning
As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability to Beneficiaries
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Senior Protection Officer
ACCOUNTABILITY
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Emergency Program Manager, Turkey
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Other sectoral leads, Support teams including Operations, Human Resources, Security and Finance, partners
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
* A BA/S or equivalent in relevant field; MA/S preferred or substantial field experience
* 4-5 years’ NGO experience successfully managing protection programs in the field.
* Experience working in international relief and development in staff supervision and development, training, and inter/intra - agency communications.
* Demonstrated understanding of intermediate and advanced statistic and the ability to summarize, generalize, and make predictions from large data sets.
* Ability to conceptualize, plan and implement protection activities creatively, as well as possess the ability to analyze data and utilize lessons learned for the continuous improvement of program implementation and to promote a culture of learning.
* Strong inter-personal, cultural and diplomatic skills
* Fluency in English is required. Turkish and Arabic languages will be a plus.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The successful candidate will be proactive, creative and problem solver; S/he will be conscientious with an excellent sense of judgment and excellent communication and team building techniques. S/he will have the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment. S/he will demonstrate strong understanding of cultural and social environment in the region and have the willingness and ability to work effectively with a wide verity of people
LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
The position will be based in Izmir, Turkey with frequent travel to field sites, and occasional travel to other program areas across Turkey. Personnel in this location are expected to follow all Mercy Corps security protocols, which may change from time to time, relevant to the prevailing risk environment. Good medical services are available. City electricity is available in Izmir (with infrequent interruptions in service) and running water is reliable also. Internet connectivity and communication is reliable in most locations.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
