With a national office in Kinshasa and field offices in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut Katanga and Tanganyika, the IRC is one of the largest humanitarian actors in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The IRC aims to save lives, to strengthen Congolese institutions and to reinforce social cohesion through carefully designed and professionally-implemented programs. The IRC has been working in the DRC since 1996 and currently operates in five core programming areas – primary health care, community-driven reconstruction and local governance, women’s empowerment and the prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence, education, and emergency preparedness and response. These programs reflect IRC’s guiding principles of capacity-building; participation; partnership; protection and promotion of human rights; and holistic programming

Scope of work

The Field Coordinator is the lead representative of IRC in the province, ensuring that IRC’s work and activities are well delivered and well represented internally and externally. The FC is directly responsible for all operational issues in the Province, including oversight of Human Resources, Administration, Supply Chain, Finance, IT and Security with technical leads at national level.

He/she will also play a key role in supporting, coordinating, and supervising the implementation of the IRC programs for IRC province office. Working closely with Senior Program Coordinator (SPC), technical coordinators, the FC will supervise, promote cross-sector integration and support the implementation of IRC’s overarching Strategy Action Plan. The FC will engage closely with the Deputy Director of Program to provide field level input in strategy and cross-sectoral program issues. The FC will supervise activities in sub offices. The FC will supervise day to day management of Staff Safety and security during all phases of field operations.

The FC reports to the Deputy Country Director

The Field Coordinator (FC) plays a key role in the overall leadership and management of the IRC DRC country office. Under the supervision of Deputy Director of Operations (DDO), the Field Coordinator will be responsible for the overall field coordination, program support, and field office management working in close collaboration with other members of the senior management team including the, Deputy Director of Program (DDP), Finance Controller, and Senior Sector Coordinators (Heath, WPE, …).

Responsibilities

Field Operational Management

• Coordinate all operational functions in the Province office to ensure integrated management of Province-based operational support team.

• Ensure operational support for program teams and coordinate with sector coordinators and managers for effective implementation of all project activities.

• Ensure health, safety and security protocols are followed at all times, and take corrective, timely actions as the need arises and in consultation with the DCD and other SMT members

• Review IRC Province security plans on a regular basis and ensure they are up to date at all times.

• Support budget holders in review of budget vs. actual reports with operations staff and ensure appropriate action is taken in a timely fashion.

• Support and coordinate with Province-based operations team as well as KHQ all aspects of supply chain support, including procurement, stock management, asset management, vehicle and equipment renewal, maintenance and repair (including communications and computer equipment).

• Oversee under the auspices of the Deputy Director Finance (DDF) and DCD the financial management of field office, and finance staff, including cash management and transactions, operational budget.

• Ensure complete and correct use of all finance forms and timely communication of financial issues.

• Ensure compliance with IRC and donor policies.

• Guarantee adequate communication and coordination between field locations, technical coordination staff and country office on daily activities as well as program and operational issues.

• Support emergency needs assessments and emergency program implementation in response to the developing humanitarian situation.

• Together with program and grant staff, develop programs and proposals for rapid and timely support of populations affected by conflict.

Program Coordination

Work closely with the Senior Program Coordinator (SPC), Deputy Director of Programs (DDP) and technical coordinators to support and coordinate the following areas:

Project management

• Ensure quality and timely implementation of grants based on Project Management Cycle.

• Lead the development of detailed project work plans for all project in the province.

• Ensure that each project has a spending plan which is regularly reviewed, updated and executed on time.

• Supervise all budget expenditures in the Field site and ensure they are allowable and allocable according to IRC and donor regulations.

• Ensure accurate budget spending and tracking by project managers and support functions.

• Lead the field team in the Review of Monthly Budget vs. Actual reports with program staff, make recommendations based on these and ensure that appropriate action is taken in a timely fashion.

• He/she is responsible and accountable to the SMT for the implementation of projects, the execution of work plans and spending plan.

New Program Development

• Find opportunities that can be available at provincial level and share with Grant et program team.

• Provide field input into the development of new proposals by program and Grant staff as the need arises.

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Ensure appropriate M&E activities are carried out regularly by program staff in all sectors (data collection & analysis, monitoring of project progress against established work plans, monitoring of established indicators and utilization of results to advise program (re-design).

• Support in Identifying gaps in M&E systems and make recommendations for improvements

Strategic Planning

• Participate in the review of the strategic action plan (SAP) for IRC DRC Country Office (CO)

• Develop a Province -focused operations plan to support the program activities and the scale up programming according to the approved SAP.

HR and Staff Development

• Ensure the ongoing capacity building of the team through support to direct supervisors in ensuring staff performance evaluations and individual development plans

• Ensure appropriate support to the team through regular site visits and replacement of staff if needed

• Support field staff in the implementation of Human Resources policies including coaching, performance evaluation, staff development, and disciplinary measures.

• Ensure that all staff and visitors to the province are oriented, respect the code of conduct, safeguarding policies and there is a work environment in the province that is respectful of everyone, men and women.

Coordination and Representation

• Represent IRC to UN, international and national NGOs, and attend coordination meetings as needed at the provincial level.

• Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key partners at the provincial level including donors, government actors, local traditional leadership, beneficiary populations and their representatives, etc

• Establish and maintain networks with UN, INGOs, and local partners to promote strategic partnerships.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required (management-related or general operations preferred);

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience managing operations and/or projects in developing countries, preferably in Africa;

• Proven track record to manage field staff and remote field offices;

• Experience in logistics, HR/Admin, and security management

• Experience having managed operations (including security) in conflict-impacted setting

• Excellent cross-cultural communication skills

• Excellent staff capacity building and training skills

• Strong problem-solving, analytical and decision-making skills;

• Strong digital literacy;

• Flexibility, ability to work independently and meet deadlines

Standard of Professional Conduct

IRC and IRC employees are required to abide by the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way Code of Conduct which are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and implements policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality

IRC acknowledges and honors the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status or disability. IRC is also committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other encouraging benefits.