Safe and Inclusive Programming (SIP) Specialist

Background:

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) supports people affected by displacement living in Lebanon and advocate for their rights inside the country, regionally and internationally. We also work to serve vulnerable Lebanese affected by the deteriorating economic situation in the country and are providing assistance to vulnerable households in the neighbourhoods most affected by the Beirut port explosion.

NRC’s programmes in Lebanon overall reach refugees and Lebanese with Legal assistance and counselling, Shelter, WASH, Education Youth, Emergency Assistance, and Livelihoods & Food Security. NRC also engages in advocacy with governments and donors to expand and safeguard refugee rights and protection. 

NRC has worked in Lebanon since 2006 and has offices located in Beirut, South, North, Bekaa & Beirut and Mount Lebanon. NRC Lebanon works across the country in Informal Tented Settlements (ITSs), urban areas and Palestinian refugee camps, including through partnerships with other NGOs. NRC implements activities together with national and international NGOs to extend its access to people in need. In Lebanon, NRC has nearly 450 staff and has its Country Office in Beirut and operations in Beirut/ Mount Lebanon, North, Bekaa, and South.

Who we are looking for

The NRC Lebanon Office requires an experienced Safe and Inclusive Programming (SIP) Specialist with an excellent understanding of protection mainstreaming (including gender, age and diversity mainstreaming) and an understanding of wider protection issues. The role will be based in Beirut, Lebanon and will ensure that minimum protection, gender, age and diversity standards and core humanitarian principles are mainstreamed, institutionalized and integrated within all programme, support and partner-implemented activities, using the NRC’s SIP approach. 

The successful candidate will be a university graduate with at least 5 years’ experience working in the field of protection mainstreaming, safe programming and humanitarian programmes, ideally in a humanitarian or recovery context.

Job Purpose

The Safe and Inclusive Programming Specialist is a key part of the Country Office Programme Unit and works closely with the management, programme teams, area offices, and field teams. The Specialist will primarily be responsible for the roll out and institutionalisation of the NRC’s SIP toolkit and standards within all Lebanon programmes and support departments and will provide advice on humanitarian principles and protection mainstreaming issues in relation to NRC Lebanon’s current and planned areas of activities. 

They will support project teams to identify, monitor and reduce protection risks faced by people we work for, staff, and project stakeholders in relation to NRC’s humanitarian programming in Lebanon through the SIP toolkit. Similarly, they will work closely with Support departments to ensure that activities are designed considering communities’ priorities and with cultural appropriateness. 

The SIP Specialist will lead on implementation of the Lebanon SIP Action Plan for 2023-2024, support inclusion efforts (age, gender, diversity, disability), look for opportunities to further increase participatory programming approaches/community engagement, and strengthen accountability. 

What you will do

- Content localization and development: in coordination with the Core Competencies Specialists and the Regional SIP Advisor, contextualise or further develop the sector-specific Minimum Standards, sector-specific guidance (guidance materials, checklists), training materials, and user-friendly online repositories of NRC technical documents, to support the implementation of Safe and Inclusive Programming.

- Rolling out SIP standards: In coordination and collaboration with the Regional SIP Advisor, facilitate the roll-out of the SIP Minimum Standards, including tailored tools, training materials, CO self-assessments and action plans, and integration into routines and structures (new ways of working).

- Institutionalization: responsible to support the CC specialists, support Staff and AO management, to integrate the Minimum Standards for SIP into NRC’s ways of working: systems, documents, and routines.

- Internal and external communication: responsible for ensuring that NRC is able to articulate to internal and external audiences what it is trying to achieve on SIP and how the Minimum Standards relate to this.

- Project cycle management (PCM): support the integration of SIP in the different steps of the PCM (strategy process, project development, implementation, monitoring, reporting).

- Conceptualising and testing: responsible for ensuring that the Minimum Standards are adequate; that they protect and are useful for the people we work for and at the same achievable for all our teams to implement consistently, identify new trends, best practices and lessons learned.

- Documenting what works and sharing learning: in collaboration with the M&E team develop a sound M&E system that measures the success and progress of the roll-out of the Minimum Standards.

- Technical support: responsible for providing technical support and capacity building to NRC teams (AO and CO), and as needed.

- SIP analysis and integration: Provide continued analysis and advice regarding key humanitarian protection (mainstreaming) trends and risks and monitor how they interact with NRC’s current and planned activities in Lebanon for potential integration of protection mainstreaming activities in CCs.

- Strategic leadership: Supporting the institutionalisation of SIP by contributing to the Strategy process through close working with NRC management and integration of SIP in the NRC Strategic planning process.

- Representation: Represent NRC in relevant forums, such as the PSEA Network and the Protection Mainstreaming Community of Practice, and relevant forums with other NGOs and UN agencies, which could include potential new accountability working groups.

Specifically you will:

- Lead on the monitoring of progress against the validated SIP Action Plan for 2023, and support with the finalisation of a 2024 Action Plan and new ways of working process.

- Provide technical advice, capacity-building, and assistance for the analysis of protection, gender, diversity, and mainstreaming in the Core Competency programmes as well as strengthen their inclusion work (age, gender and disability), beyond analysis.

- Oversee and strengthen the programme internal and external referral mechanism and pathways and the efficient use of RIMS.

- Train staff and partners, including via Training of Trainers, to identify, report and respond to SIP risks, referrals, as well as PSEA, and accountability standards.

- Support the Accountability Coordinator in strengthening the centralised helpline platform and complaints, feedback and response mechanism, including roll-out of the child-friendly CFM and training.

- Support accountability unit's efforts to strengthen its engagement on the pillars of information provision and participation. 

- Contribute to awareness-raising, reporting and response processes in relation to PSEA and child safeguarding; lead on the safe first line of response following a survivor-centre approach for allegations of sexual exploitation or abuse and child safeguarding.

- Regularly assess the quality of the tools in use and proactively suggest revisions needed to the material in use, including SOPs. 

- Support due diligence processes for partners and consortia, through the establishment of a protection mainstreaming baseline per partner and contribute to capacity strengthening plans. 

Professional Competencies, skills and qualifications required:

- Minimum 5 years’ experience in related programming, preferably in a humanitarian context

- Bachelors degree in related field (required)

- Master's degree in related field (desirable)

- Strong knowledge and experience of leading protection mainstreaming activities and community engagement approaches

- Knowledge of global protection (mainstreaming), gender, age, disability, diversity standards and approaches

- Strong communication skills and ability to build trust and confidently navigate both internally and externally at different levels

- Ability to think strategically and constructively and to apply these skills in developing frameworks and guidelines to support institutionalization of protection mainstreaming

- Experience in developing and delivering high quality safe and inclusive programming/protection-related training and tools to support practical implementation of SIP standards

- Experience in working with field teams and partners and supporting development of their organisational and programmatic SIP/protection capacities.

Context/ Specific skills, knowledge and experience:

- Knowledge of Lebanon, the Syria conflict and the Middle East regional context

- Fluency in English and Arabic, both written and spoken

- Experience with community engagement in the Middle East regional context

Behavioural Competencies

- Planning and delivering results 

- Working with people

- Communicating with impact and respect

NRC line managers must have the following Leadership profile

- Build meaningful relations

- Empower people

- Act with integrity 

- Deliver results

What We Offer

NRC is an equal opportunities employer and aims to have staffing diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, nationality and physical ability.

We offer an opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause and a chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply and join our work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility: At NRC we think outside the box. We encourage ideas and give responsibility to all employees at all levels, to help solve the complex issues that we face. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take initiative.