Ethiopia: Protection Coordinator

Background

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. Using a protection of human rights framework, DRC has mainly focused on Somalis who are displaced by conflict but this has now broadened to include South Sudanese displaced in Ethiopia, Ethiopians, Somalis and Yemenis in Djibouti. Programmes include protection, livelihoods, NFI distribution, shelter, WASH, migration and advocacy amongst others. DRC Ethiopia supports field offices in several locations: three in Djibouti (Djibouti Ville, Ali Sabieh and Obock) and five in Ethiopia (Dolo Ado, Jijiga, Shire, Gambella town and Dimma).

DRC’s operation in Gambella regional state currently makes up the largest portion of the Ethiopia/Djibouti program’s activities in both programmatic and monetary terms. DRC’s work in Gambella is focused on responding to the mass refugee influx from South Sudan. Ethiopia is the largest recipient of South Sudanese refugees, which now numbers over 260,000 persons in Gambella, a significant majority of which are women and children. With sporadic outbursts of violence and a very fragile peace process in South Sudan, there is a large need to look beyond immediate emergency response in Ethiopia, and supplement relief with longer-term programming around livelihoods and protection. In Gambella, DRC has been one of the lead implementers in comprehensive WASH and shelter assistance to refugees, and it has also been a key responder in various interventions in combating sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and ensuring child protection in the region. DRC implements projects in five refugee camps in the Gambella region.

Job overview

The Protection Coordinator will lead DRC’s protection programming in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. They will provide technical oversight and support a consistent integration of a rights-based approach into all DRC’s program activities across the country. The Protection Coordinator will be line managed by the Area Managers when in field sites and guided by the Head of Programmes.

Key responsibilities

Technical Oversight and Management of Protection Programming

• Design and manage DRC’s SGBV, child protection, and other protection interventions as per international best practice standards;
• Conduct rapid needs and assessments to inform program design and strategic direction as well as identify risks and vulnerabilities, including those related to gender, age and disability;
• Develop concrete initiatives to reduce protection risks and design specific strategies to build upon assets within the population;
• Assess protection needs and identify problems/gaps and propose/prioritize timely practical actions to respond to particular protection problems; and
• Oversee the management of child-friendly spaces, women-friendly spaces, and youth centres as per appropriate standards.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Development

• Develop protection-focused program monitoring tools;
• Undertake quality control and site monitoring to ensure that services provided are according to international best practice standards;
• Conduct program monitoring as per expected outputs and outcomes;
• Monitor financial spending and budgets for all protection projects;
• Write donor and management reports on protection projects;
• Ensure that the design and implementation of protection activities address protection needs of refugees and other vulnerable populations within DRC’s mandate, and contribute to the relevant durable solutions;
• Ensure that quality assurance systems are developed and applied, with particular reference to the HAP Standard and Age Gender and Disability throughout the program;
• Explore new business and partnerships and work closely with Head of Programmes, Area Manager and the Grants unit to develop quality proposals, concept notes, and budgets; and
• Contribute to protection mainstreaming in all DRC field offices.

Team management:

• Directly supervise protection team leaders;
• Conduct recruitment of protection staff as needed;
• Set clear objectives for protection team and do timely performance evaluations; and
• Develop staff capacities on the rights-based approaches, participatory protection assessments and monitoring, migration monitoring, and inclusion of vulnerable groups though training, mentoring and coaching.

Coordination and Representation:

• Share relevant project information with stakeholders (UNHCR, Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA), etc.)
• Participate in general protection coordination meetings as well as SGBV and child protection working groups;
• Coordinate with ARRA, UNHCR, UNICEF, protection NGOs, and other key stakeholders on the provision of protection services for refugees and relevant contingency planning;
• Participate in Refugee Task Force meetings as needed;
• Ensure internal coordination and harmonization of DRC protection-related activities with DRC’s Ethiopia/Djibouti and regional protection programs;
• Work closely with other agencies to implement common protection standards and develop common strategies and responses, notably through supporting and participating to protection working groups; and
• Promote improved understanding of protection issues among all relevant stakeholders and ensure the observance of international protection and humanitarian law standards.

Reporting

The Protection Coordinator reports to the Area Managers when in field sites and guided by the Head of Programmes.

Qualifications

• University or graduate degree in law, gender, or other relevant field;
• Minimum of three years' work experience within the field of law or protection, particularly within the field of migrant/IDP/refugee protection;
• Experience with International NGO’s, UN agencies, relevant ministries and/or local authorities in migrants/refugee settings in complex emergencies;
• Excellent analytical and English writing skills;
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently unsupervised;
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and adapt in a complex and challenging environment;
• Experience with capacity building, and in convening and facilitating trainings and workshops;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective and working relations with staff members and other stakeholders;
• Experience living and working in cross-cultural, multi-sector, insecure, and/or remote environments;
• Proficiency in common computer packages and financial software i.e. Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc;
• The selected candidate must adhere to all security precautions and contribute to the security of the team. He/she must be able to exercise a large degree of common sense and personal discipline; Parts of Ethiopia/Djibouti can be hazardous;

Conditions

Contract: 6 months’ contract (3 months probationary period), with possibility of extension.
Other employment conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Global Expatriates recruited by the Horn of Africa and Yemen Regional Office. This position is rated as A14 on the DRC salary scale available at www.drc.dk.

Availability: Immediate

Duty Station: Dima/ Gambella Region, Ethiopia with extensive support and travel to other field locations in Ethiopia

GeneralCommitments: DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework.

For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.dk.

Application and CV

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updated CV and cover letter explaining their motivation and why they are suited for the post.

We only accept applications sent via our online-application form on www.drc.dk under Vacancies.

Please forward the application and CV, in English through the online application on www.drc.dk under vacancies no later than 30 September 2016.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please contact job@drc.dk