Job Title: Senior Protection Officer

Department: Emergency Program

Location: Lasanod

Supervisor/Title: Humanitarian program manager

Contract Type: Fixed Term (1 Year with possibility of extension)

Job Grade: 4A – Step 1

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About CARE

CARE International is a humanitarian aid organization fighting global poverty, with a particular focus on working with women and girls to bring lasting change to their communities. As a non-religious and non-political organization, CARE works with communities to help overcome poverty by supporting development projects and providing emergency relief. We believe supporting women and girls is one of the most effective ways to create sustainable outcomes in poor communities.

Therefore, we invite applications from experienced and talented individuals for the position of Senior Protection Officer based in Lasanod, Sool Region

JOB SUMMARY

This position reports to the Protection Manager technically and administratively to Somaliland Humanitarian Program Manager; the Senior Protection Officer is responsible for the technical leadership related to the implementation of the GBV/Protection program, ensure timely and quality implementation of the work plan in coordination with protection teams, Ensure essential, life-saving GBV services, including comprehensive case management and psychosocial support, is available in line with international standards and closely monitored with a view of gathering information to inform programming priorities, attend cluster meetings and other coordination forums, and liaise with government and non-governmental agencies.

1. RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

R1: Planning and implementation of protection

• Participate in planning, implementation and monitoring of protection sector activities in accordance with the sector work plan and overall program plans.
• Conduct basic counselling services for IDP communities. Provide psychosocial support to individual IDPs experiencing acute distress
• Respond promptly to any protection risk or violation of the rights of women and children in assigned geographic areas
• Establish positive and constructive relations with local communities, IDPs and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the protection of vulnerable groups
• Case management of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) survivors
• Assist GBV survivors with a complete set of services mainly psychosocial first aid services and other mandatory supports in a very confidential, dignified and safe manners
• Establish efficient referral systems with locally available service providers and facilitate inter/intra-organizational referral of cases
• Contribute to the organization and implementation of awareness campaigns on GBV and establish collaboration with all program, relevant stakeholders and community representatives
• Assist in training of communities, partners and other stakeholders to further capacitate and strengthen their understanding of international protection principles and practice.
• Provide day to day mentoring and coaching exercise to the psychosocial counsellors, case managers, Psychological First Aid Volunteers and GBV Focal Points to ensure the success and quality of protection activities and improve to the community based psychosocial support activities
• Represent CARE in relevant protection forums (CPWG, GBVWG, Protection Cluster, etc…) as needed from time to time.
• Promote the understanding and adherence to internationally accepted or legally binding standards throughout CARE interventions
• Conduct quarterly Protection, gender and accountability joint monitoring mission with MEAL team to the areas of the humanitarian program is running on, i.e, Cash Programming, Health/Nutrition Sites, Education in Emergency and WASH projects.

R2. MONITORING AND REPORTING

• Support the emergency team to conduct initial needs/gaps and capacity assessments on protection in close coordination with other sector teams through the joint multi-sectoral assessment.
• Collaborate closely with government NGOs and General Hospitals to promote clinical care for sexual assault survivors in line with WHO protocols.
• Ensure safe and ethical data collection, storage, analysis, and maintain confidential/accurate monitoring records of GBV survivors such as using standard forms and GBVIMS database and monitoring adherence to inter-agency information sharing protocols.
• Lead the documentation of protection sector methodologies, lessons learned, and gather case studies

R3. OTHERS

• Notify to Protection Manager any discrepancy, serious incident or any urgent information which may need immediate consideration regarding day to day project activities.
• Fulfill any additional assignments as deemed necessary by the organization.

3. Key Relationship /contacts

The Senior Protection Officer will work in close collaboration with CARE sub-office staff, Emergency Program team members, Protection Officers, Protection Manager, CMR Nurse and doctors, Emergency Coordinators, Area Managers, protection cluster members and working group members, local authorities and community members and leaders.

4. Required qualifications and competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Rights, Medical degree, Psychosocial Counseling, Women’s studies or another related field.
• Minimum of 5 years’ professional work experience in protection, preferably targeting IDPs/refugees in Somalia
• Experience in provision of psychosocial counselling services to displaced and vulnerable communities.
• Knowledge of GBV case management in line with donor priorities and IASC minimum standards
• Skills of behaviour change communication to the protection peer leaders is very essential
• Experience in psychological first aid with different target beneficiaries at the different onset of situations
• Knowledge of child protection, child safeguarding, management and control of child-safe spaces, and protection/ gender mainstreaming into other sectors is very essential
• Demonstrated capacity in conducting needs and situation analysis
• Proven record of providing training and workshops on protection topics
• Good analytical and communication skills
• Ability to establish effective working relations with local staff and other stakeholders
• Ability to work under pressure and with minimal supervision
• Experience working in insecure environments and on “sensitive” issues
• Ability to produce timely and quality reports
• Ability to meet time-sensitive deadlines
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Somali languages
• Knowledge of GBVIMS/CPIMS will be an added value

5. Working Conditions

This position is based in Lasanod with frequent travel to project sites throughout Somaliland, Puntland and South Central regions when needed