Job Description

What we are looking for

NRC Syria looking for a Shelter Specialist to join the mission. The role holder will oversee all programmatic and technical aspects of NRC Shelter and NFI programming in Syria. In close collaboration with the Head of Programme and Country Director and the NRC programme team, they will contribute to advancing NRC’s integrated shelter, settlements, and infrastructure approaches, with a particular focus on market systems, urban recovery, and scalable, community-anchored solutions. Additionally, they will lead on the development of shelter programming, ensuring high-quality, context-responsive interventions that move beyond direct service delivery towards market-aware, systems-oriented, and settlement-based approaches.

What you will do

The role will have some of the following main specific responsibilities:

• Roll out NRC Shelter & Settlements (and Site Management) programme strategy in Syria, in line with NRC programme policy and the Global Integrated Approach for Housing and Infrastructure Recovery.

• Design and guide programmes that link cash and voucher assistance (CVA) to shelter market activation, including construction markets and local service providers.

• Apply market systems thinking to shelter and settlement programming, identifying constraints and opportunities to enable more sustainable and scalable responses.

• Support the development of settlement-based and area-based approaches, integrating housing, infrastructure, and service delivery at neighbourhood level, including the development of profiling and mapping tools to establish strategic partnerships and collaboration with other actors.

• Provide technical guidance on infrastructure recovery interventions (e.g. basic services, public spaces, neighbourhood-level systems) incorporating spatial analysis and systems approaches and their linkage to housing outcomes.

• Develop and oversee assessment tools, including settlement-level, HLP and market assessments, to inform programme design and scale-up, while strengthening linkages between community engagement, and participatory planning approaches, particularly in urban displacement contexts.

• Work closely with MEAL teams to develop systems that capture system-level and market-level changes, beyond output monitoring.

• Provide technical support on the recruitment and capacity building of senior shelter staff, as needed.

• Carry out any other tasks relevant to the role and the programme as assigned by the Head of Programme or the country management group.

Please download the complete Job Description here to learn more about the position.

What you will bring

• At least 4-years’ experience working in a senior level project implementation or technical advisory position for an international humanitarian organization in a humanitarian/recovery context.

• Extensive technical knowledge of shelter standards and principles with demonstrated capacity to develop effective responses/modalities to identified shelter needs and in accordance with the relevant frameworks.

• Previous experience working in urban programming displacement in complex and volatile settings with a solid background in protection and Housing Land and Property rights.

• Solid experience with project cycle management (PCM) and in project development; including ability to lead on assessments, design; with good skills in proposal writing/reporting

• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile and strong capacity to lead and influence

• Experience working in complex emergencies and recovery/transition settings, preferably in Syria or similar contexts.

• Background in urban planning, urban recovery, or spatial analysis, with application of systems thinking.

• Strong experience in Market-Based Programming and proven ability to link cash-based interventions to market activation at community or settlement level.

• Experience in infrastructure recovery, particularly at neighbourhood or settlement level.

• Familiarity with donor priorities and compliance requirements related to infrastructure and market-based programming.

• Fluency in English, both written and verbal.

• Arabic language skills will be an advantage.

What we offer:

• Duty station: Damascus, Syria.

• Contract: 12 months

• Travel: 40% within areas of operation.

• Salary/benefits: Grade 9 on NRC’s national or international salary scale.

• NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.

• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process.

• Internal candidates: To apply as an internal candidate, log in with your official email or click on Opportunity Marketplace.

• For internal candidates please use your official email address when applying.

• Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.

• Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.

• We receive many applications for each vacant position and so only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.

• If you have any questions about this role, please email mero.recruitment@nrc.nowith the job title as the subject line.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

NRC currently has over 3,000 staff across the Middle East dedicated to assisting people affected by conflict in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya and Palestine. Its humanitarian interventions are based upon its programming expertise in the Core Competencies of Shelter, Education, WASH, Livelihoods and Food Security, and Information Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) to vulnerable displaced people that were forced to flee.

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:

• do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts.

• join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.

• be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity.

Learn more about NRC's operations in Syria here.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a global humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee.

Join us in assisting millions of people in areas where others cannot, tackling some of the world's most dangerous and difficult crises. Bring your skills and dedication to an organisation recognised for providing high quality aid and for defending the rights of refugees and internally displaced people.

At NRC, we give responsibility to employees at all levels and foster professional growth and innovative teams. You can expect a supportive culture and an open dialogue with management. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Together, we save lives and rebuild futures.

Safeguarding is central to NRC’s work. We expect all employees to:
• treat everyone with respect and dignity
• contribute to building a safe environment for all
• never engage in any form of exploitation, harassment and specifically sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH)
• always report. NRC has a zero-tolerance approach to inaction against exploitation, abuse and SEAH