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 IRC is present in West Africa (WA) since the 1990s and is currently operating in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The IRC in WA implements programs through the arc of crisis, emergency, humanitarian, and development contexts.

Job Overview

With funding from the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) leads the PRO-Sahel consortium. Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) are the IRC’s sub-recipient partners. PRO-Sahel provides integrated humanitarian protection services (child protection; GBV prevention and response; information, counseling, and analysis; access to justice; civil documentation) to vulnerable communities in the Central Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The consortium is currently funded through November 2024. The consortium coordinator resides in Dakar, Senegal and provides overall leadership of the consortium.

The Project Coordinator has overall responsibility for the management of this award, ensuring the coordinator provides strategic and operational leadership to develop and implement a successful program, and to pursue opportunities for expansion of the project. The position holder collaborates with technical colleagues in the consortium to ensure adherence to overall technical and programmatic quality in implementation, compliance with USAID/BHA rules and regulations, and the timely submission of all deliverables, including annual work plans, performance monitoring plans, reports as required. The Project Coordinator will also be responsible for ensuring quality, and consistency of programming across the three countries and to this effect, organize and lead on the regular project review meetings, and be the main focal point with the donor, BHA. The Project Coordinator takes a leading role in the strategy and resource mobilization for the potential expansion of PRO-Sahel.

Major Responsibilities:

• Hold overall responsibility for high-quality implementation of the project in collaboration with consortium partners and country-based teams.

• Communicate projects results, challenges, and modifications to the primary donor. Ensure that the consortium provides all deliverables to the primary donor on time and responds to any ad hoc requests.

• Oversee the consortium’s budget and guide country-based colleagues to respect their budgets and spending plans. Closely monitor all financial activities, and keep the IRC WA Regional leadership advised of all situations which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial performance.

• Implement the IRC’s partnership policy in relation to consortium partners DRC and NRC ensuring good collaboration across partners and countries.

• Ensure regular and on time monitoring, including in-country monitoring, and reporting on all program management aspects including the Work Plan. Troubleshoot implementation problems raised by country-based staff.

• Supervise-in-partnership a part-time consortium finance coordinator and a part-time consortium monitoring, evaluation and learning coordinator, including coaching, regular check-ins, strong communication and ensuring team well-being.

• Build a sense of community and common objectives amongst staff in the three implementing countries.

• Manage positive relationships with the country directors and their Senior Management Teams in countries of implementation in order to advance all of the above goals.

• Craft and implement a fundraising strategy that will grow the financial resources available to the consortium. Create marketing materials and pitch consortium approaches to potential new donors. Lead the proposal development process for any new funding opportunities with engagement from each country participating in the consortium.

• This list is non-exhaustive and the coordinator will have other responsibilities for day-to-day management and ad hoc initiatives as they arise.

Key Working Relationships

• Reports to: West Africa Deputy Regional Director

• Coordination: works in close collaboration with Consortium partners NRC and DRC regional and country colleagues, IRC Country Programs SMT, PRO-Sahel project staff, Technical Protection Advisors, IRC regional SMT, IRC Regional Program and Award Support team, and other relevant functions as needed

• External Contacts: USAID/BHA and other potential donors and partners

Job Requirements:

Work Experience: Minimum of 6 years of proven experience in humanitarian project leadership, including successful fundraising/resource mobilization.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; Masters preferred.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Proactive fundraising and resource mobilization for humanitarian projects. Comfort with public speaking on behalf of the consortium.

• Humanitarian project leadership, especially in a consortium with multiple large NGOs.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as an overall ability to be clear and concise. This position requires frequent synthesis and editing of written reports in French and producing outputs in English.

• The consortium coordinator must exercise influence without direct authority over collaborators in different countries.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and respectfully with stakeholders at all levels: from the donor, to country leadership, to field officers.

Language Skills: Professional written and spoken English and French.

Preferred experience & skills:

• Prior experience implementing humanitarian protection projects, including multi-country projects, ideally with USAID BHA funding

• Prior work experience in the Central Sahel countries

• Strong motivational skills: ability to guide collaborators to deliver on time and on budget

• Ability to collaboratively and proactively identify solutions to implementation challenges

• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office suite

Working Environment:

• Standard office working environment in Dakar (Almadies)

• Some international travel to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger as needed, likely 15% of the time.

• If the successful candidate is an expatriate, individual housing will be provided in Dakar based on IRC’s applicable policy.

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.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. 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, and Anti-Retaliation.