Organizational Context
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 192-member National Societies. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of the IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services. IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat. Background The IFRC Membership and Africa CDC/Mastercard Foundation entered into an ambitious partnership to support 55 Africa Union Member States in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. This partnership was built upon the Africa CDC/Mastercard Foundation – Save Lives and Livelihoods Program – a continental-wide initiative, which objective is to scale up COVID-19 vaccination in the Africa Union Member States by end of 2022. The SLL program consists of several pillars, including RCCE, that together will support delivering the goal of “reaching at least 60% of the African Population with COVID19 vaccines by end of 2022”. The IFRC and Africa National Societies were selected by AfCDC and Mastercard as an implementing partner to deliver the RCCE component of the SLL Program. Programme consortiums were established per Sub-Region, and ANS will work under the leadership of 4 National Societies (lead applicant) and the IFRC. Lead applicants are the contract holders and responsible for management and reporting of the program for that sub-region.
Job Purpose
The RCCE Technical Coordinator will be responsible for leading the technical design and coordinating the RCCE support provided by the IFRC to the 4 National Society lead applicants, and indirectly to 50 National Societies that will deliver the SLL program at country level. For that purpose, the Technical Coordinator will work closely with RCCE Senior Advisors in ARO and MENA, RCCE Officers across the region, and liaise with the Head of programme management unit and the country cluster delegations and other regional and global technical teams, to ensure the technical quality of the program.
Job Duties and Responsibilities
RCCE Technical Coordination and Oversight:
- Support the set-up of technical coordination structures between the IFRC and National Society Lead Applicants
- Train the IFRC and National Society RCCE teams on the program technical component, ensuring a sound understanding of the activities and deliverables, emphasizing on agreed technical standards
- With the support of the PMER/IM team, build the RCCE data and reporting system, and roll it out across the different delegations and National Societies
- setting up community feedback systems (with an emphasis on qualitative data), conducting perception surveys, strengthening inter-agency coordination and ensuring that tools, guidance and resources are produced to support NS to respond appropriately in promoting vaccine uptake
- technical oversight over the roll out of a coordinated COVID-19 vaccination community perception survey across the Africa region, and will lead a team to design the survey, sampling methodology development, including development of country level sampling frameworks, training for enumerators, as well as analysis, visualization and dissemination of the resulting data
- support the integration of community feedback mechanism data into survey data for an overall picture of community perceptions with identification of gaps.
Strategic Direction, Leadership, Programmatic Coherence, Quality and
Accountability:
- Ensures that the AfCDC RCCE programme is implemented in accordance with the Movement-wide commitments and minimum actions for Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA), and relevant policies and guidelines
- Supports the development/adaptation and rolling out of risk communications and CEA tools, methodologies, trainings and activities across the region to support vaccine uptake
- Works closely with technical colleagues across the region, as well as inter-agency partners, to lead in the rolling out and ensuring use of the most relevant social science research, impact surveys and perception data to support the design of comprehensive and evidence-based community engagement strategies for vaccine uptake across Africa.
- Designs and implement workplans for the COVID-19 vaccine community perception surveys, serving as the technical focal point for methodology and process.
- Coordinates with operational RCCE and social science experts/groups on socio-cultural research; and synthesise/triangulate analysis to integrate key findings into the programme
Coordination with Africa CDC and Mastercard Foundation
- Represent the IFRC in technical coordination meeting with Africa CDC and Mastercard foundation for the purpose of the SLL program, with the support of other IFRC technical and management staff
- Ensure that IFRC staff across the continent, particularly RCCE Officers are in close coordination with AfCDC Regional Centres and focal points
Advisory and technical support
- Facilitate the regional RCCE WG to undertake rapid needs assessments and agree on specific technical support to be provided, with focus on priority countries (to be defined on a needs/demand basis appropriate to the region).
- Support priority countries to update/adapt RCCE interagency plans, according to the evolution of the pandemic.
- Support country level RCCE coordination working groups, clusters, pillars and other relevant responders (on demand) with RCCE expertise and ensure support to country coordination approaches, promoting engagement of national/local organizations that represent the social, cultural, gender, age, and religious distribution of the communities (i.e faith-based organizations, youth organizations, CSO networks, private sectors and other influencers).
- Provide RCCE technical advice and support to the other regional TWGs (Case Management, IPC, MHPSS and Continuity of Services & Surveillance, Lab and Point of Entry) including supporting them to address key recommendations arising from community feedback data and social science research.
- Work with RCCE partners, to develop demand-driven guidance/tools based on assessment of gaps and support needs from other regional TWGs and country level coordination groups.
- Capture and document examples of RCCE best practices, including community-driven approaches to COVID-19 prevention and management, for example physical distancing, hand washing, isolation etc
- Develop and manage a repository of existing RCCE materials and resources including strategies, guidance notes, regional key messages and tools for regional reference in a diversity of accessible and applicable formats and common languages across the region by ensuring physical or online libraries are established.
- Coordinate joint remote capacity building exercises to address specific gaps identified.
- Working with the Information Management Officer and RCCE Working Group members, ensure the compilation of, and regularly updated 4Ws (Who does What, Where and When) mapping at regional level.
Representation
- Advocate for action on RCCE priorities across the response, including community feedback and social science research, with the response leadership (Partners meeting) and to the wider humanitarian leadership structure in East Africa (Humanitarian Partnerships Team) in order to improve overall effectiveness and accountability of the response in East Africa.
- Ensure strong representation of the RCCE WG, and community engagement needs and priorities in relevant multi-sector coordination forums and ensuring RCCE recommendations are integrated and reflected in the main pillars of the response.
- Advocate, educate, and forge consensus among all those involved in the emergency response, on the tools and approaches for establishing effective community engagement.
- Engage donors to provide updates on current issues and community concerns, including plans to improve overall response-wide RCCE.
Education
- An advanced university degree in a relevant area such as social sciences/behavioural/communication sciences or equivalent experience is required
- IMPACT or equivalent knowledge is preferred
- Experience in and knowledge of project management is required
Experience
- Demonstrable technical experience (7 year+) in risk communications, social and behaviour change communication and community engagement in epidemics, working at a regional level is required
- Experience in setting up and managing projects with a qualitative data collection focus, with sources such as community feedback mechanisms, interviews, focus group discussions, social media posts, etc. is required
- Proven field working experience in complex emergencies of managing international humanitarian operations is required
- Experience of coordinating interagency working groups to achieve common goals in health or other emergencies is required
- Experience of leading social science research and/or community feedback systems, including presenting and advocating for action based on findings is required
- Experience working with WHO, UNICEF, IFRC and/or other partner organizations is required
- Experience of working with UN Humanitarian Coordination Teams, clusters and health emergencies coordination systems is required
- Experience in building consensus and brokering partnerships is required
- Experience of leading and supporting multi-disciplinary and geographically remote teams is required
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team in a challenging and highly fluid environment, handle constant change and stay flexible is required
- A good understanding of information management (including data flows, protection and analysis), as well as qualitative and quantitative data collection methods is preferred
- Red Cross Red Crescent experience is an asset
Knowledge, skills and languages
- Previous working experience in the Africa Continent is required
- Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, able to identify key challenges and humanitarian needs and bring partners together to address these and design a coordinated and effective response is required
- Good coordination and negotiation skills, with the capacity to build partnerships across organisations and bring people together to collaborate on RCCE approaches and activities is required
- Sound knowledge of institutional coordination structures, mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining to humanitarian affairs and public health emergency response, and knowledge of the institutions of the UN system and key partners is required
- Excellent project management skills, able to work under pressure and manage multiple projects simultaneously, to a high standard and to deadline is required
- Highly motivated, self-starter and team player able to lead a process, engage others and create ownership, across multiple countries and cultures, both in person and remotely is required
- Clear and engaging written and verbal communication skills is required
- Proven good judgment and ability to work with complete integrity and confidentiality is required
- High degree of discretion, tact, and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels is required
- Programme and project management skills is required
- Ability to work within and lead multi-cultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary teams is required
- Fluently spoken and written English is required
- Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic) is preferred
Competencies and values
- National Society relations
- Professionalism
- Communications
- Collaboration and Teamwork
- Results focused and accountability
- Creativity and Innovation
Comments
How to apply
https://www.ifrc.org/jobs/details.html?jobId=98186&jobTitle=Coordinator%2C%20RCCE%20Technical