The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.Background/Context:  The IRC has operated in Syria since 2012, providing protection, health, economic recovery, and early childhood development programs in Idleb, Aleppo, Ar-Raqqa, Hassakeh, and Deir ez-Zor, with new programs expanding into Hama, rural Damascus, and Homs. With a team of over 350 members, the IRC has established trust and strong community relationships, ensuring access and effective service delivery.  Our longstanding experience in the country to date provides a strong foundation for the IRC to further adapt and expand its programming across Syria, in order to respond to the new realities, with a greater focus on resilience and recovery initiatives. Alongside this, the IRC also It plays a significant role in Syria’s NGO, donor, and coordination forums, holding key positions and actively engaging in advocacy efforts. Early Childhood Development (ECD)The IRC, in partnership with Sesame Workshop, is implementing the \"Ahlan Simsim\" program to provide early learning and nurturing care to children and caregivers affected by conflict and displacement across the Middle East. Our goal is to create inclusive environments where all children, regardless of their background, can reach their full potential, especially in communities that have experienced the brunt of the conflict. Job overview:ECD Senior Manager will oversee supervision and guidance to the ECD team in Syria ensure donor compliance and appropriate and timely spending of grants, support the development of new business concept notes and proposals and the submission of timely and accurate reporting requirementsThe Senior Manager will work collaboratively with local partners, including municipalities, governments, and NGOs; steer IRC’s direct programming to complement a partner-first approach; and develop strategic directions for the country program for early childhood programming.  The Senior Manager will serve as the key liaison with local and international implementing partners, education coordination groups, municipalities and governmental partners, the private sector, and other stakeholders.  Responsibilities: Program Management and Technical Quality,• With the support from Technical Unit, develop country-specific programmatic standards for child-facing and caregiver-facing programming;• Ensure that content and program models are aligned with local or national standards for early childhood development and early childhood education;• Ensure technical quality and roll out of ECD training for relevant staff;• Work with MEAL team on the development of M&E systems and ensure regular follow-up on data relevant to ECD project and other ECD initiatives inside Syria;• Support the implementation of the IRC Syria Strategy by ensuring that program activities align and contribute to achieving selected pathways of the prioritized signature and core sub outcomes;• Collaborate with IRC program teams (Protection, Women Protection and Empowerment, Child Protection, Education and Economic Recovery and Development) to develop strategies for integration of ECD activities across IRC programs and with partners• Support and ensure donor compliance, including appropriate and timely spending of grants to achieve program goals, grant reporting contributions, use and distribution of supplies and resources;• Lead on developing business concept notes and proposals for the continuation and expansion of the program;• Ensure the submission of timely, accurate and well written donor reports and other reporting requirements;• Work closely and coordinate with IRC other technical unit, logistics, finance and grant staff to ensure timely and compliant program activities and expenditures; including active participation in grant opening/closing and review meetings and participation in bids opening and review Internal and external representation• As ECD focal point at country level, participate actively in internal coordination and management meetings to promote effective and efficient information sharing, problem-solving and decision making;• In coordination with the IRC Syria leadership participate actively in external coordination forums and represent the IRC to UN, international and national NGOs, line ministries, and key ECD actors;• Coordinate and support external missions, visits, and other communication and visibility activities related to ECD projects in Syria Advocacy, partnerships and scaling• Lead on the development of scaling and partnerships work as identified in the scaling strategy.• Provide overall direction to align the scaling design with the Iraq national strategies and ECD and Education needs.• Ensure scaling and partnerships efforts are rooted in the partnerships principles and abides by the IRC partnership management system• Coordinate the team dynamics to foster a shift in mindset towards scaling and oversee the scaling process and ensure different team members are accountable to their roles  • Establish and maintain solid relationships with ECD and Education stakeholders, networks and government agencies that support Ahlan Simsim’s scaling and sustainability objectives;• Work closely and coordinate with line ministries to influence national ECD and Education strategies and initiatives, to ensure greater investments in ECD and greater access to ECD services, especially in conflict and crisis settings. Integration and mainstreaming of ECD across sectors• Support the identification of opportunities for integrated programming between ECD initiatives in support of service delivery and/or thought leadership in collaboration with country program senior management, business development staff and country program staff in other sectors.• Support country program teams in other sectors to integrate ECD into their other programs and activities, including in grants where ECD does not have a stand-alone budget allocation. Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development:· Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of team members in relevant technical and management competencies.· Develop and implement remote management capacity-building approaches to build the strengths of the teams in Syria. · Coach, train, supervise, and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.· Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.· Approve and manage time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage; ensure monthly, accurate timesheet submission and carry out probationary reviews.· Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, minimally on a monthly basis.· Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing guidance on career paths. · As required, identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies.· Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.· Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.• Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate.• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures, and communicate through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations. • Conduct regular reflection or program review meetings with field-based staff to assess the level of achievement and draw on learning and data trends (including client feedback) to further informprogram design and management decisions Job Requirements: Education:• Bachelor’s level qualification in Social Sciences, Education, Psychology, Human Development, Social Work, or related subject. Equivalent experience in a similar role may also be accepted in place of formal education. Work Experience:• 7 years of experience managing and implementing Education and Early Childhood programs in a fragile context• At least 3 years in a managerial position, including staff management• Passion for children’s issues especially in the area of child development, child health, and early childhood education with proven experience in managing and/or technically supporting early childhood development, education, health or child protection programs• Experience working in positive partnerships with local actors and in particular government officials and line ministries in Education Demonstrated Skills and Competencies• Good critical thinking; ability to synthesis a wide scope of information. • Solid organizational skills, with a proven ability to prioritize projects with attention to detail. • Understanding of monitoring and evaluation systems and use of data for learning • Strong leadership, staff management and project management skills; Strong budget management and reporting, skills; and an ability to oversee multiple awards from a variety of donors.• Self-directed, able to independently set priorities and solve problems with minimal guidance; comfortable working for a supervisor who is remotely located and to manage a team remotely if needed• Strong written and oral communication skills, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment and effective in representation: • Proven track record in building coalitions or networks for positive change • Experience working with Academic institutions to carry out rigorous research or learning studies and using those to inform program or policy changes • Experience working in policy and advocacy, with proven experience developing and implementing policy and advocacy strategies resulting in change Language/Travel: • Travel: 50% percent travels • Language: Fluent English and Arabic.  Key Working Relationships: Position Reports to:  Deputy Director of Programs Position directly supervises:  ECD Program Manager, ECD OfficersKey Internal Contacts: Education Technical Unit, Partnerships Team, Other program Coordinators Key External Contacts:  Ministry of Education, UNICEF and other agencies in Education 

Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.