United States of America: Policy Coordinator – Protection

InterAction is the largest alliance of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the U.S., with over 190 members working in every developing country. Members are large and small, faith-based and secular, with a focus on the world’s most poor and vulnerable populations. The U.S. public, foundations and governments support the work of our members who collectively invest and manage over $18 billion a year. InterAction’s own funds come from dues and generous grants from others, such as foundations, corporations and governments. Using its collective voice, InterAction seeks to shape important policy decisions as wide range of foreign assistance, relief, development, environmental and other issues that advance human dignity.

POSITION SUMMARY

Position Title: Policy Coordinator – Protection

Position Type: Full-time

Travel: 10 – 20% (domestic/international)

Reporting to: Director of Protection

The Policy Coordinator - Protection is part of InterAction’s Humanitarian Policy and Practice (HPP) Team with a primary focus on organizing and carrying out InterAction activities promoting policy and practice measures to enhance the protection civilians in armed conflict, in particular in relation to U.S. government policy. This is carried out in close collaboration with the Director of Protection, other HPP team members, InterAction members, and key allies.

The Policy Coordinator additionally actively contributes to broader protection and HPP work streams, taking a lead role where needed, and actively participates in the broader work and activities of InterAction.

RESPONSIBILITIES

· Plan, organize, and facilitate activities of InterAction, InterAction members, and other allies to promote policy initiatives to minimize civilian harm during armed conflict in close collaboration with other team members and in consultation with other stakeholders. This includes ensuring ongoing information flow among key stakeholders; pro-actively identifying opportunities and issues which warrant attention; organizing and facilitating activities; tracking progress on issues of concern; making links to other working groups, organizations and initiatives; and developing and maintaining an ongoing collaborative agenda of work.

· Plan and organize meetings and roundtable events including, working with other team members, InterAction members and other stakeholders to develop a Terms of Reference (ToR), identify key themes and speakers and participants, ensuring field level participation, and leading the writing of the outcome report through a collaborative process.

· Undertake and coordinate research and writing projects to address key protection concerns, ensuring that the purpose and scope of work is well-defined, comprehensive and relevant to needs, of high quality, and delivered in a timely and professional manner. Research is expected to feed into inter alia press statements, the publication of policy briefs, the design of policy discussions/roundtables, field missions, and other support to the field.

· Coordinate field visits including creating a Terms of Reference, pre-visit research and liaison with counterparts in-country, logistics (transportation, accommodation), scheduling consultations; securing visa requirements including mission-support letters from InterAction and hosting agency, in-country roundtable preparation (venue, meals, materials, technology support, etc.); helping to prepare travel budgets and basic financial accounting while in-country; and, drafting findings and recommendations.

· Contribute actively to the work of the protection team, including to support activities of the working groups supported by the protection team, taking a lead role where appropriate, to develop and implement activities.

· Facilitate the ongoing tracking of analysis, reports, and significant events in current and developing crises which enables timely public and private action by InterAction and its members. Work with others, leading where needed, to develop policy briefs, articles, statements and other written materials in support of this effort.

· Actively contribute to HPP work streams and activities, including through strategic planning, the shaping of new initiatives, and new teams formed in pursuit of HPP work streams. This may involve taking a lead role to advance work streams on behalf of HPP.

· Contribute to donor research, grant proposals, project and budget monitoring, and donor reporting for protection programs.

· Act as the HPP focal point for Communications and maintain the HPP components of InterAction’s website in consultation with the HPP team.

· Represent InterAction’s HPP Team internally and externally, as requested.

· Actively participate in InterAction initiatives.

QUALIFICATIONS

· A Bachelor’s degree in a related field is required and a Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. international security policy, humanitarian policy, conflict resolution, international law) is preferred;

· At least four years of experience working for an NGO or international organization supporting or facilitating multi-stakeholder activities;

· Demonstrable and superior research and writing skills, with an ability to synthesize large amounts of information quickly and write clearly and succinctly about complex ideas;

· Strong conceptual and analytical thinking with an ability to identify issues which warrant attention, identify action to be taken, and distill and communicate complex ideas;

· Ability to pro-actively pursue objectives and activities through inter-personal and inter-agency collaboration;

· Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and manage time and competing demands effectively while working under pressure with tight deadlines;

· Able to balance the need to work independently while collaborating closely with other team members;

· Familiarity with critical topics in international humanitarian law, humanitarian action, and related policy, ideally with some operational level experience in humanitarian crises;

· Familiarity with assessment, analysis, planning, monitoring and evaluation methods in humanitarian crises;

· Some proposal development and project management experience.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

There are no extraordinary physical requirements for the performance of the essential functions of this position. InterAction will make reasonable accommodation to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

SALARY & BENEFITS

InterAction provides competitive salaries and excellent benefits.

TO APPLY

Please email your resume and cover letter to jobs@interaction.org with subject line containing: Policy Coordinator - Protection. Position will remain open until filled but applications received before 20 July 2018 are preferred. Due to the expected volume of applications, only finalists will be contacted.

All applicants must be able to provide documentation that they are legally eligible to work in the United States for an extended period of time. No phone calls please.