Program Officer - Syria Crisis Response, New York

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world's leading humanitarian relief and development organizations. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC today responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps uprooted people survive, recover and rebuild their lives in the aftermath of armed conflict and natural disaster. We are committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and thorough accountability to those we serve.

The Program Officer plays a vital role within the regional team that supervises an expanding portfolio of humanitarian relief, post conflict and development programming currently in 5 countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Syria.

Candidates should be well organized and self-motivated with demonstrable writing, management, and creative problem solving skills. The successful candidate will liaise with country programs, NY support departments including the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit, IRC UK (London), IRC Brussels, IRC Geneva, and our government relations office in Washington DC to resolve country office and/or regional issues. S/he will also play an active and full role in the wider regional team, and will undertake travel to field sites and to IRC meetings in the region and elsewhere.

The Program Officer should be capable of managing multiple and complex tasks; thrive under pressure; have strong people skills; and be capable of interfacing successfully with internal actors, donors and partners to resolve program issues. S/he should also feel comfortable in a representational role, speaking on humanitarian and recovery issues to policy makers, donors and other audiences. Additionally, the Program Officer may take on internal representative tasks for the Regional Director within New York HQ.

Based at Headquarters in New York, the Program Officer for the Syria Response works under the supervision of the Regional Director, in coordination with the Nairobi-based Deputy Regional Directors for Operations (DRDO) and Programs (DRDP), and manages the Program Manager and Program Assistant (both based in New York).

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Coordination and Supervision

• Provide grant management support for all U.S., Stichting Vluchteling (Dutch Refugee Foundation), Dutch Government, United Nations and other new public-funded grants, including proposal submission, ensuring donor reporting requirements are met and dealing with donor related issues;
• Maintain a strong relationship with the RD, DRDO and DRDP – reporting on a regular basis and copying them on relevant communications – through an established communications protocol;
• Liaise with the Technical Units and other NY support departments on proposals, reports, and additional requests for information;
• Work closely with NY and UK departments and units to provide ongoing support to country offices as requested and needed;
• Provide coordination and information gathering support with key Syria Response US-based partners
• As tasked by the RD, act as their representative in both internal and external initiatives and meetings;
• Supervise the Program Manager and Assistant in carrying out necessary administrative functions as they relate to country program support and direct grants management tasks within the project management function of the regional team;
• Coordinate with the Program Officers for other regions for information sharing and to establish a coherent program support and backstopping function between headquarters and the field.

Program Design & Strategy Support

• Review and provide substantive feedback on proposals/reports;
• Review budgets and supporting documentation for proposals and sub grants as needed in coordination with the Grants and Compliance Unit and Regional Controllers, assist in creating budgets when necessary;
• Stay informed about programmatic issues and security & political developments in the regions;
• Facilitate follow-up on programmatic issues to ensure accurate and timely financial and narrative reports to donors.

Donor Liaison

• Coordinate with the Development Department on fundraising initiatives, proposals and opportunities in the region;
• Liaise with US-based donors on ongoing/future Syria Response programs & strategies (with a particular focus on USAID and the Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance, OFDA, and the State Department Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration, PRM);
• Liaise with the IRC UK Regional Program Manager and Regional Grants Officer (based London) to ensure that the region has a full picture of emerging new business opportunities from donors such as DFID, SIDA, ECHO, EuropeAid and others.

Advocacy

• Support advocacy efforts for the region as requested by the Washington DC office and Regional Director;
• Participate as needed in advocacy and/or representational visits, events and meetings, either as the IRC representative or alongside the Regional Director or Country Directors.

Other Key Areas of Responsibility

• Provide coverage for key program/support functions in the field as requested, to assist with short-term gaps and emergency support;
• Participate in special projects as needed and other tasks as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelors degree and, ideally, a Masters degree in a related field or at least two years comparable related experience;
• At least two to three years' work experience with a relief and development NGO;
• International field experience highly desirable;
• Program and/or grants management experience with key donors, such as State Department/PRM and USAID/OFDA;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Proven ability to effectively manage relationships (e.g. with internal actors, peers, donors and partners);
• Effective people management skills: ability to lead staff and promote productivity in a pleasant work environment;
• Solid organizational skills: ability to be flexible & work well under pressure in a fast-paced multi-task team environment;
• Familiarity with countries and relevant language skills of region ideal;
• Good Computer skills: facility with MS Word, Excel, and email/internet software