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We are an international confederation of 19 organizations (affiliates) working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development, and campaigning, in more than 90 countries.

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The Country Office in Somalia/Somaliland is currently recruiting a: Senior Protecation Officer

Fulltime / 40 hours a week

Contract length: 6 Month with possibility of extension

Location: Garowe , Puntland with frequently travel to field

Job Purpose

The Senior Protection Officer will support strengthening the protection capacity of Puntland population affected by conflicts and climate crises. S/he will promote the impact of Oxfam community based protection work by strengthening community action, engagement, informed and confidential access to services. The Senior Protection Officer will lead the implementing of protection project activities at field level, in timely and effective manner, support protection teams implementing project activities.

Dimensions

•  Most tasks are well-defined technical activities within objectives set by line manager with some routine reactive work in response to requests.
•  Reactive work requires common sense to make judgments about basic adjustments to own routine but also contributes to improvement of programme’s services, procedures and systems.
•  support the development of strategy and ensures and supports operational implementation.
•  Impact mainly within local context. Planning usually short-term but occasionally need to influence partners or local community.
•  Some supervision of partners /other employees / small projects/processes.
•  Communicates widely within the department, with some wider Oxfam contacts and/or external contacts within a defined area.
•  In-depth knowledge of the principles underlying the key purpose and role is required to make decisions affecting the team and which may impact more widely in the division/programme.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

•  Provide support and coordinate the activities of field-based protection staff, including development, adaptation and monitoring of tasks and deliverables.
•  Contribute to protection program development e.g. proposal development and report writing process.
•  Support ongoing strategic protection analysis based on field level and national level internal and external analysis including aspects of conflict analysis, gender and risk management and lessons from programme experience to inform programme development, implementation and policy/advocacy (this will involve pulling together field level analyses and analysis alongside national policy to give a national-level understanding).
•  Contribute to development of protection sectoral strategies from protection standpoint, taking into account issues raised in the national protection analysis. This strategy should provide a basis for programme development and fundraising.
•  Provide guidance on protection field teams deliver quality protection work and identify capacity needs and areas of improvement and suggest possible options of improvement.
•  With instruction of line manager or matrix manager provide technical support to partner teams in protection perspective regarding Oxfam community based protection approach.
•  Maintain links with other areas of Oxfam programming in Puntland (WaSH, EFSVL, and advocacy teams) to ensure complementarity and integration where appropriate.
•  Ensure enhancing protection awareness at community level, developing context specific protection messages in close collaboration with community protection teams, Oxfam field protection team, caring out community based protection trainings, community based protection trend monitoring, support dissemination of protection awareness messages, service maps, protection IEC materials.
•  Provide protection and safe programming training for authorities, facilitate meetings between authorities and communities to enable communities raise protection issues affecting their communities to the respective authorities and strengthen relations so authorities feel sense of protection responsibility as primary protection actor.
•  Support MEAL processes and activities to integrate protection and to gather lessons relating to these areas.
•  Participate in research around protection related issues to support policy and campaigns. This requires identifying success stories, cases studies, etc.
•  Works closely with the influencing and advocacy team to support protection advocacy researches and surveys
•  Represent Oxfam externally: develop alliances with agencies working in the field of protection with a view to enhancing coordination, and adopting complementary approaches including active participation in relevant protection coordination and planning mechanisms.
•  Document and share good practices and innovations on protection work.
•  Comply with all relevant Oxfam policies and procedures with respect to gender, child protection, health and safety, code of conduct, anti-corruption, equal opportunities and other relevant policies.
•  Maintain awareness of the operating context and ensure that protection programs adopt adequate prevention measures, ensuring that Oxfam safe programming approach is adhered.
•  Remain familiar with and abide by the NGO/Red Cross Code of Conduct, the People in Aid Code, Oxfam International procedures and other regulatory codes/protocols (e.g. Sphere Minimum Standards and InterAction Field Co-operation Protocol).
•  Other tasks as required

Technical skills, knowledge & experience

•  University Degree in Law, Development Studies, Social Sciences, Social Work or relevant field.
•  3 to 5 years’ experience in an INGO environment, including experience implementing Oxfam community based protection works.
•  Specific experience in setting up and running community-based protection program and supporting community led initiatives.
•  A solid understanding of gender and protection issues and enough field experience in similar settings to design and implement innovative, appropriate solutions with a focus on program delivery and capacity building in complex emergency situations.
•  Demonstrated capacity of social and communication skills and ability to work with others and as part of the team.
•  Commitment to a rights-based approach, gender equality and protection
•  Ability to analyse information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically.
•  Ability to prepare reports against expected results and indicators with minimal supervision.
•  Demonstrable commitment to humanitarian principles and accountability frameworks, especially in working with very vulnerable populations.
•  Ability and commitment to work effectively with people of diverse backgrounds and under difficult and challenging environments.
•  Flexibility and a sense of humour – ability to work, live and thrive under challenging circumstances.
•  A team player who is able and willing to learn from others as well as live and work in a communal setting.
•  Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills.
•  Commitment to and understanding of Oxfam’s aims, values and principles including rights- based approaches.
•  Proven analytical skills and ability to think strategically, including the ability to think beyond the local programme context and to act within a regional framework.

Application Procedure:

Please send your application to Please apply the position by clicking Apply Deadline on 21.11.2022 and include your motivation letter and cv quoting “Application of Senior Protection Officer” as the subject heading. Application Deadline on 21th of November 2022,However, Applications will be shortlisted as we receive them, and interviews will be carried out if necessary, before the end date. Therefore, qualified candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible and before the deadline. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Female candidates are highly encouraged

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization. Therefore, people of all gender identities, sexes, sexual orientations, races, colors, religions, cultures, abilities, etc. are eligible for this position.

Oxfam aims to attract great talent that not only fits the job but also Oxfam’s high standard of values and principles, who shares and demonstrates Oxfam’s commitment to prevent and eradicate any type of misconduct including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, any other type of misuse of power or lack of integrity and financial misconduct. We are committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

Note: All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and may be subject to appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks, or integrity screenings/references relating to misconduct and disciplinary actions in prior employment.