Senior Officer, Protection and Social Work

Job Description

Requisition ID: req37597

Job Title: Senior Officer, Protection and Social Work

Sector: Social Work

Employment Category: Regular

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Seattle, WA USA

Job Description

Job Overview: The Senior Officer, Protection and Social Work will support IRC’s Resettlement, Asylum and Integration (RAI) offices by ensuring that client-facing staff across sectors are capable of delivering high-quality trauma-informed and client-centered services and able to successfully manage complex cases with elevated protection risks. This position will develop and deliver pre-service and in-service training, provide consultation and individual coaching, act as an escalation focal point in cases of concern, and help support the growth of program leadership in these key areas. The Senior Officer will also manage complex cases with elevated protection risks.

In collaboration with IRC’s Safety and Wellness Technical Unit, they will advance established protocols, identify gaps, and contribute to the development of new standards and processes. Through data collection on the prevalence of client protection-related risks and incidents, they will better target staff training, referral needs, and programmatic services. As the safeguarding focal point, they will develop a landscape analysis and robust protection-related referral mapping and maintain a list of durable referrals. The Senior Officer will provide case support and facilitation for any safeguarding violations (both staff and client) and in close collaboration with HQ Safeguarding staff, they will train/monitor the alignment of policy and practice in their sites.

Major Responsibilities:
Advancing Best Practice Standards
Identify gaps in standards of care, policies, and practices and liaise with the Safety and Wellness Technical Unit to build unified standards across the RAI network
Collect and report on key data related to client protection risks and cases of concerns to better understand client needs
Partner with local Executive Directors and SEW unit to monitor fidelity of practices at site level with standards set in staff training and advise on actions to reinforce standard methodologies
Liaise with program offices to form and deepen collaborative working relationships with partner organizations and develop protocols for a warm handover of referral cases
Training and Consultation
Deliver pre-service and in-service staff training and provide professional development opportunities that further trauma-informed and client-centered services by adapting existing content. In collaboration with peer Senior Officers and the Safety and Wellness unit, establish a RAI standard of social work and protection training
Act as a point of escalation for cases of concern and coach staff to manage future cases independently
Develop and deliver new content as part of emerging RAI-wide standards and in response to the needs of local staff
Provide training and technical support for local leadership so that they may better support their staff and model client-centered, trauma-informed approaches
Establish regular case staffing reviews, including emotional reflection and development of professional resilience among staff engaged in social services work to support sustainable practices
Safeguarding
Serve as safeguarding focal point
· Complete and update safeguarding service referral mapping and other required site level safeguarding assessments in partnership with IRC’s Safeguarding Unit

· Mentor responder and/or direct case support involved in any safeguarding violations (staff or client)

· Liaise with HQ safeguarding team and HR for relevant trainings

· Monitor compliance to safeguarding policies and accountability tools. Report at quarterly cadence to Executive Directors and HQ safeguarding leaders on status, and take actions as needed.

· Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:

5+ years experience as a Social Worker and demonstrated experience working in crisis intervention and resettlement, preferred
MSW or equivalent
3+ years of demonstrated ability in training, supervision, and coaching staff to provide excellence in client services.
Highly developed interpersonal skills including active listening, emotional de-escalation, patience, and compassion
Experience working with survivors of domestic and gender-based violence and victims of crime
Knowledge of adult learning principles and experience developing instructor-led training
Comfort working with instructional designers to develop online training
Service-oriented leadership skills
Broad knowledge and experience in workplace health and wellbeing, organizational change, and process improvement
Excellent project management and knowledge management skills
Experience working in human services or humanitarian contexts preferred
Fluency in English, written and spoken; additional language skills a plus
Strong analytic problem-solving skills
Ability to work both independently and in a dynamic, cross-functional distributed team structure
Highly proficient in Microsoft Office suite
Ability to manage and work through change in a proactive and positive manner.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation!

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits! In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.