National Associate (Yemen), Resource and Support Hub (RSH)

Full time role (approx.220 days a year),

Estimated Annual Salary of £33,000 - £37,000 (depending on experience);

Amman Based; Sept 2021- Feb 2024

Summary of the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join an impactful and exciting programme that is expanding its geography to include the Middle East region. The National Associate (NA - Yemen) position will be based in Amman, in shared office space (to be negotiated). Travel to Yemen is not necessary but could be considered if security situation allowed.

The Resource and Support Hub

In December 2019, DFID (UK Department for International Development – now Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office - FCDO) launched a new centrally-managed safeguarding programme, the Resource and Support Hub (RSH). This programme aims to provide a global service to the aid sector as a whole by marshalling quality evidence, tools and guidance on safeguarding; it also provides more tailored assistance to smaller, local civil society organisations (CSOs) in developing countries to strengthen their safeguarding policy and practice against sexual exploitation and abuse, and sexual harassment (SEAH).

The RSH contract is delivered by a consortium, contractually led by Options, with Social Development Direct as technical and delivery lead and also including Global Child Protection Services (GCPS), Terre des Hommes and Sightsavers. The first phase runs from December 2019 – Nov 2021, and we are currently negotiating an extension for a further three years with FCDO.

The RSH is intended to ensure that organisations delivering aid have access to the tools, guidance, support and training they need to ensure that they do no harm. It has an online global platform which is free, user friendly and accessible to all, offered now in English and Arabic, and subsequently in French and Swahili. Our work is focused around three main outcomes

1. Capacity development. Less-resourced CSOs are equipped with relevant skills to address SEAH and motivated to transform their organisational cultures, leadership and practices to create safer and more inclusive institutional environments - and feel better supported by partner organisations to do so.

2. Dialogue. Networks of organisations across the aid sector engage in inclusive and enquiring discussion on SEAH, strengthening shared learning on what works to prevent and respond in different contexts and creating greater coherence and consistency across the sector. 

3. Evidence. SEAH-related research questions are embedded in new research in the aid sector, creating a stronger, more coherent and high-quality evidence base on the root causes of SEAH and effective context-specific approaches to address it.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in one of FCDO’s leading safeguarding programmes. In your role as National Associate – Yemen, you will be responsible for the Yemen country assessment, which maps organisational safeguarding capacity and demand, safeguarding service delivery and the evidence base on safeguarding. You will also lead on developing a national communications plan, safeguarding community of practice and workplan. You will manage all activities targeting Yemeni stakeholders (primarily civil society organisations) inside and outside Yemen, via the RSH digital platform and face to face (covid permitting). You will report to the Regional Associate (based in Amman) and work closely with colleagues from across the RSH team and Technical Advisor pool. You will have support from regional M&E and communications advisors, as well as a Senior Advisor to the Yemen Hub.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the postholder are as follows:

i. Plan and deliver the country assessment

• Provide an overview of the safeguarding landscape – policies, laws, referral pathways, institutions and norms that pertain to SEAH in Yemen. This includes key stakeholders and thought leaders working on safeguarding.
• Design (in collaboration with other colleagues within the wider RSH team), plan and deliver (in collaboration with technical advisors from the short-term technical assistance pool) mapping of safeguarding capacity and gaps in Yemen.
• Collect and synthesise Yemeni safeguarding evidence (including an annotated bibliography) (as above)
• Based on the above, draft and complete the country assessment, including proposing priority strategic areas and workstreams that will contribute to the strengthening of safeguarding practices within civil society and to a wider national safeguarding community of practice.

ii. Design, promotion and uptake of the Hub activities and Community of Practice

• Draft and implement national hub communication strategy, community of practice approach, strategic and operational workplans. All of the above to be contextualized in a range of ways.
• Promote the use / engagement and visibility of the Resource Hub – including inputting into the design of the national hub web page (with partners Terre des Hommes) and user feedback.
• Organise and coordinate launching of all promotional and communication events in country.
• Promote and facilitate the participation of professionals in webinars and other online learning opportunities.
• Recruit and manage a National Expert Board (NEB) in Yemen. The NEB will bring together diverse thought leaders and practitioners working on SEAH (and broader safeguarding agenda), providing contextualised advice, information, networks and contacts.
• Develop the Yemeni safeguarding community of practice.
• Establish and maintain national level relationships with stakeholders and networks, including donors, CSOs, others in the aid sector working on safeguarding.

iii. Design and oversee delivery of trainings, webinars and other country-based initiatives

• Input into the design of the online hub and the Yemen-specific pages. Moderate online discussions in at least one local language.
• Design and deliver (moderate, facilitate, present etc as needed) face to face events, webinars, workshops.
• Facilitate access to the digital platform by Yemeni organisations.
• Respond to queries raised by Yemeni stakeholders on the Hub (eg emailed queries, or those raised at events) and connect enquirers with experts in the STTA as necessary and in accordance with agreed eligibility criteria (the Ask an Expert service).

iv. Programme and Hub learning

• Actively contribute to cross regional learning between National Associates; this will take place through monthly regional working group meetings and ad hoc engagement.
• Organise the quality control of resources and translations
• Manage the collection of resources and publish them (in original language) to feed the virtual platform library, resources and tools
• Organise and implement processed information and resources in written, audio and video format 
• Commissions local translation of materials from Translators without Borders.

v. Management and other

• Identify consultants to assist in delivery of Hub activities as part of the Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA) pool – collect CVs and interview as necessary
• Developing terms of reference/ scopes of work for STTA short assignments, and overseeing the delivery and submission of invoices. 
• Work planning and budgeting for activities
• Contribute to reports to FCDO and to the M&E framework on progress of the Yemen Hub
• Adhere to FCDO compliance requirements and relevant policies (e.g. safeguarding, code of conduct, conflict of interest).
• Act as the national safeguarding point of contact for any concerns emerging from national level activities within the RSH.
• Responsible for ensuring reporting mechanisms are clearly visible at national level.
• Conduct regular monitoring to assess the awareness, functionality and safety of reporting mechanisms and referral pathways.
• Be familiar with and adhere to RSH safety and security procedures and safeguarding protocols/ Code of
• Conduct as necessary throughout the life of the programme

Management Lines

The postholder will be managed by the Regional Associate, based in Amman. Management will be in line with SDDirect’s policies and procedures.

Office set up

SDDirect will negotiate with FCDO implementing partners in Amman, or consortium members, to have desk space plus limited office support – either for a fee or in return for in-kind services (safeguarding training etc). In carrying out the duties above, the postholder will be expected to undertake their own admin, unless provided by the limited office support we can obtain through partners.

Requirements

The successful candidate will:

• Have at least ten years of experience working within the aid sector
• Have professional experience working on safeguarding/ protection from sexual exploitation and abuse and capacity building of organisations, particularly CSOs, within Yemen 
• Have proven management experience with the ability to work autonomously to a high level of delivery
• Be able to work under pressure and pick-up new tasks and processes quickly
• Be happy to work remotely
• Have good networking and facilitation skills
• Have good networks among the development community in Yemen
• Ability to write to an excellent standard in English and Arabic
• Have the right to work in Jordan and no record of criminal convictions
• Ability to write to an excellent standard in English and Arabic