Position Title: Senior Protection Officer (Centrality of Protection)

Job Code: VN 2024 622

Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade P4

Type of Appointment: Fixed term, one year with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 03 November 2024

Context:

Adhering to the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Statement on the Centrality of Protection and Policy on Protection in Humanitarian Action, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) places Protection at the core of its humanitarian actions, decision-making and analysis. IOM does so through its different implementation modalities such as delivering specialized protection services, integrating protection with other programming sectors, and mainstreaming protection across its sectors of intervention before, during and after a crisis strikes.

The systematization of Protection in the design and implementation of IOM programming needs to be reinforced through the roll-out of advisory and technical support on the uptake of guidance and tools, reinforcement of protocols, and capacity building of IOM leadership, staff and partners. The Senior Protection Officer will directly contribute to the uptake and integration of the IASC Policy on Protection and Centrality of Protection within IOM’s strategies and programming with the aim to reducing protection risks and contributing to collective protection outcomes.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Protection in Humanitarian Action Unit (HPX) and close coordination with the Senior Protection Officer of the Protection in Humanitarian Action Unit (HPX), and in collaboration with relevant departments at Headquarters, regional offices, and field missions, the Senior Protection Officer (Centrality of Protection) will be responsible to give a boost to the implementation and internalization of Protection within selected IOM field missions, requiring sustained travels to field.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

1. Coordinate with relevant departments, regional (RO) and country offices to identify selected IOM operations in need of scale-up of internalization of global and institutional protection policies. Liaise with selected Chief of Mission and senior management, including Emergency coordinators, and provide close strategic advice on Protection both through in-country and sustained remote support.
2. Through in-country deployments to selected ROs and country missions with an Humanitarian Coordination Structure (HCT), assess the internalization of Protection (both global and internal policy and minimum standards) and act as an advisor to IOM Chiefs of Mission and senior management, including emergency coordinators and colleagues, to facilitate the internalization of the IASC Protection Policy by providing strategic and technical guidance on positioning on protection risks, on scaling up protection integrated programs and protection mainstreaming, and on specialized protection programs, in line with Centrality of Protection benchmarks, internal policies and global commitments.
3. Advise Department of Humanitarian Response and Recovery (DHRR) and Protection Division(PXD) – Regional Thematic Specialist (RTS) in ROs, as well as chiefs of mission and relevant senior managers, including emergency coordinators, on internalizing and contributing to protection analysis, contextualized positioning on protection, and advocacy for protection. Support and review the elaboration of contextualized guidance and tools as relevant, including contextualized protection analysis flows -with the support of relevant HPX (humanitarian protection unit) team members, protection advocacy strategies or position papers.
4. Support the selected supported missions with drafting of protection analysis, advocacy notes,lines to take or position papers on contextual protection risks, as required.
5. Coordinate as relevant to fundraise on protection, such activities may comprise of organizing donors’ discussions on protection in close coordination with relevant internal departments, or the elaboration of concept notes and project proposals.
6. Lead and organize regular events such as roundtables, workshops, webinars, to raise awareness on the Centrality of Protection with relevant departments and IOM senior managers, and follow up any pending actions, in close coordination with HPX and PXD at headquarters and ROs.
7. Elaborate strategic frameworks, action plans, guidance or tools on Centrality of Protection, and other related fields such as advocacy for protection, as required. Contribute to talking points on Humanitarian Protection.
8. Create training modules targeting senior management and leadership on relevant topics linked to the implementation of the IASC Protection Policy and Centrality of Protection, to be delivered in-person and online to IOM staff and leadership in selected country missions, ROs, and at headquarters.
9. Produce a repository of good practice and case studies from IOM country missions on the internalization and implementation on the Centrality of Protection and introduce relevant tools, guidance, and resources.
10. Develop an overall action plan defining the approach and strategic, and institutional recommendations and workplans to further scale up the internalization and implementation of the IASC Protection Policy and Centrality of Protection.
11. Review and advance relevant IOM policies such as on protection mainstreaming or on child protection, under lead and close coordination with PXD.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in law, political or social science, human rights, international relations, humanitarian aid, social work, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with seven years of relevant professional experience; or,
• University degree in the above fields with nine years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Extensive experience and expertise in implementing varied protection programs in multiple duty stations (i.e., protection, gender-based violence, protection of civilians, housing land and property, child protection, community-based protection, protection advocacy, protection information management, and others);
• Specific experience working within the humanitarian protection sectors, including project development and implementation, programme coordination, representation, and managerial responsibilities;
• Demonstrated experience in developing operational guidance and tools, such as position papers, protection strategies, protection analyses and advocacy notes;
• Demonstrated experience in working in inter-agency and multisectoral coordination platforms to advance strategic, thematic, or operational objectives;
• Experience in designing and training modules to various stakeholders, including thematicexperts, senior management, and leadership teams, on protection and related cross-cutting areas;
• Experience with developing comprehensive action plans and advancing the internalization and implementation of policies related to protection;
• Experience in leading and organizing events such as consultations, roundtables, workshops,and webinars; and,
• Professional experience must include fieldwork in multiple duty stations, including in emergency, humanitarian and transitional settings.

Skills

• Proven ability to liaise, coordinate and communicate with multiple stakeholders, and provide strategic advice and guidance on protection in humanitarian action;
• In-depth knowledge of various protection specialized fields and activities in different crisis and conflict contexts, and their respective inter-agency global standards;
• Proven leadership and negotiation skills, particularly in a multi-stakeholder and multi-cultural environment, and in complex socio-political contexts;
• Excellent coordination and communication skills, and ability to work with minimum supervision;
• Excellent organizational, monitoring and evaluation skills applied in protection programming;
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of the humanitarian ecosystem, IASC and UN systems;
• Strong strategic, analytical and creative thinking, with the ability to work under pressure;
• Knowledge of donor programming and cycles, and of project development processes;
• Knowledge of the humanitarian, development and peace nexus; and,
• Flexibility and focus on processes and their improvements.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish. All staff members are required to be fluent in one of the three languages.

For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.