We are looking for a qualified, self-motivated Protection Coordinator who is able to work with diverse teams, external stakeholders such as local government authorities, UN agencies, I/NGOs and other partners. Reporting to the Head of Programmes, the Protection Coordinator will provide strategic vision, guidance, and sectorial technical support to DRC’s Protection Teams and Area Managers, with a view to ensure that DRC provides high-quality protection responses across its intervention areas. The Protection Coordinator will lead in designing and writing country protection proposals. One of the key roles of the Protection Coordinator is to constantly improve programme quality and relevance. While the Protection Coordinator does not directly manage the Protection teams and are not directly in charge of project implementation, they are responsible for the mentoring, capacity building and training of Protection Managers, Team Leaders and Officers based on technical needs identified amongst the staff. DRC is seen as one of the key protection actors in South Sudan, and the Protection Coordinator ensures close collaboration and strong relations, as required, with clusters, donors, and other Protection partners.

Responsibilities:

Programme and strategy development:

• Maintain up to date knowledge of protection issues in South Sudan and share this information with teams and senior management as appropriate; Provide high level technical advice to DRC Head of Programmes and Country Director to support DRC’s strategic directions in terms of protection;
• Lead the process of conducting Protection Analysis, with the support of the field teams, based on the Protection Analytical Framework (PAF);
• Develop and operationalize DRC protection country strategy, following the protection analyses, in coordination with the Head of Programmes and in consultation with South Sudan Protection Cluster and support DRC field teams with local strategy development;
• Produce guidelines on DRC strategy and its operationalization in the field for the sector managers;
• Follow up and implement the recommendations of the Internal Protection Sector Review;
• Develop and write protection, HLP and other related proposals, concept notes and briefing papers;
• Liaise and exchange information with DRC’s Regional Protection Coordinator as well as the HQ Global Protection Advisors regarding global and regional trends and developments; Ensure that the mission’s protection strategic direction is in line with DRC’s regional and global priorities.

Grants and Proposal Development

• Contribute to protection proposal development, providing strategic direction, innovative approaches in consultation with other technical coordinators, HoP, Area Managers, and Sector Managers;
• Support the Grants team in the definition and description of protection activities, in the preparation of log frames with SMART indicators, and in the definition of the budget;
• Ensure that the development of new protection activities and proposals is in line with the mission’s protection strategy.

External relations, advocacy, and representation:

• Represent DRC in external meetings related to protection, attend and engage in strategic discussions during the Protection National Cluster meetings; Advocate and guide advocacy on protection issues; Represent DRC in the Protection Cluster Strategic Advisory Group (SAG), the GBV sub-cluster and related working groups, protection monitoring working group, Housing land and property working group, and GBVIMS coordination meetings.
• Present DRC Protection strategy, innovative approaches, assessment outcomes, or/and key achievement in donor meeting or/and in National Cluster meetings;
• Establish and maintain links with all Protections actors and stakeholders, and continuously seek advocacy alliances;
• Stay up to date with donor strategies and practices within South Sudan and provide technical backstopping to the Head of Programmes in donor relations and humanitarian coordination meetings, when relevant;
• Maintain close collaboration and good relations as required with donors and other partners;
• Participate in any relevant communication activities, as requested.

Staff capacity building and HR:

• Identify areas of improvement and potential gaps in the technical protection capacity of DRC staff;
• Ensure all staff are familiar with Protection Information Management (PIM) principles and processes;
• Ensure training and capacity building of all DRC staff on protection-related issues (e.g. protection monitoring, GBV case management, SASA!Together, etc.);
• Identify professional growth opportunities and staff exchanges for the protection team;
• Support recruitment of key protection staff by providing technical questions and participating in interview panels for;
• Provide input in revised job descriptions if needed.

Technical advice & quality:

• Provide technical support and advice to protection staff on the implementation of protection activities, including advice on dealing with arising protection concerns at the field locations;
• Provide guidance on development of new protection activities;
• Ensure standard operating procedures are in place for all activities and approaches; Ensure harmonization and standardization of tools across different field locations, and monitor implementation and use of the tools;
• Promote a principled and participatory approach and solutions-oriented approach to protection in the DRC programmes;
• Provide guidance and support to teams on principled and conflict-sensitive programming, as well as develop advocacy messaging on such.
• Ensure data protection and security standards are upheld for all protection data and information gathered and processed by DRC protection team;
• Lead on engaging external consultants for technical protection assessments, such as legal assessments and Housing land and property assessments.
• Provide technical support and analysis on GBV case management and protection monitoring;
• Review all protection assessments, protection monitoring reports, and other protection technical reports, before external sharing. Ensure quality of advocacy notes and policy notes, other protection reports;
• Ensure collection of lesson learned from ongoing projects and promote learning from relevant best practices internally and externally.
• Ensure DRC feedback, complaints and accountability mechanisms in country are sensitive to protection concerns and sensitivities.

Coordination and Information sharing:

• Strengthen protection programmatic synergies between different implementation areas and between DRC’s various projects and donors.
• Facilitate communication and coordination between protection staff based in different locations via information sharing, workshops, meetings and trainings. Ensure a strong information flow to and from field sites, including updates to and from the Protection Cluster.
• Identify gaps and needs in Protection programme in DRC IDPs and Refugees sites;
• Support the strategic planning and implementation of project activities related to Protection components of all projects.
• Ensure link and integration of Protection activities with other DRC sectors.
• Work closely with MEAL team on protection programme quality monitoring and evaluation; and ensuring protection related baseline and endline assessments are of high quality.
• Support protection managers on donor reports through review of performance/progress assessments against pre-defined project objectives, outputs, activities and indicators.

Mainstreaming Protection and other Cross-Cutting Issues (including gender and PSEA)

• Act as a protection mainstreaming resource, supporting other mission sectors to effectively take into consideration protection principles in their programming.
• Ensure protection is mainstreamed in all DRC proposals.
• Act as PSEA Focal point for the organization and attend relevant meetings on PSEA.
• Mainstream Age Gender and Diversity into protection programmes; Participate in DRC’s Gender and Age working group.
• Act as an advocate for gender equality, and mainstream gender-sensitive approaches into programmes and practices.
• Draft and disseminate guidance on issues related to mainstreaming protection and other cross-cutting issues.

Experience and technical competencies:

• At least 4-5 years’ proven and successful track record of experience in protection in a humanitarian setting.
• Excellent writing and editing skills for external audiences (including governments and donors);
• Excellent reporting and protection analysis skills.
• Experience in producing high-quality technical material (training material, program tools, proposals, strategic documents etc.).
• Direct experience and/or broad knowledge of themes relevant to conflict-affected or post-conflict countries.
• Knowledge of protection and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), and housing land and property.
• Knowledge of Protection information management.
• Experience in conducting protection advocacy in high level coordination meetings;
• Demonstrated experience in providing training on protection, GBV, PIM, protection mainstreaming, PSEA, etc.
• Ability to work effectively as an integral part of multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural team and to work with a wide range of counterparts, and other partners.
• Proven coordination and communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience in working to tight deadlines, and managing pressure.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.
• Self-motivated and able to work with a minimum of guidance.
• Very strong computer skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook)

Desirable

• Calm and diplomatic in nature.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and to meet deadlines.
• Effective team-player – problem solver.
• Experience with UN cluster system.
• Experience in accountability to beneficiaries and communication with communities.

Experience in Child Protection desired.

• Degree in law, social science, international relations, or social work or other relevant field; or relevant working experience
• Training in humanitarian protection work.

Languages:

• English (fluent)