Protection Coordinator Danish Refugee Council Experience: 3 to 5 Years Kabul, Afghanistan Apply By: 04-01-2025

The Protection Coordinator is responsible for the delivery, development and technical oversight of DRC Afghanistan’s Protection Strategy. Within this, the Protection Coordinator will support with technical design (in proposal/grant/project development); quality assurance of protection programming; capacity building in relevant technical arenas of General Protection, GBV, Case Management and PSS to protection field teams, while representing DRC Afghanistan within relevant technical coordination structures. The Protection Coordinator will ensure interventions are harmonized across different areas of operations, that tools, SOPs and quality benchmarks are established and adhered to, and that protection interventions are integrated with other DRC Afghanistan sectors wherever possible to ensure a more holistic approach to assistance. To help discharge this duty, the Protection Coordinator will provide day-to-day supervision of 1-2 Protection; ideally sub-sector focused, Protection Specialists, who will support on these tasks at the Country Office and during travel to respective field locations, in order to support in the provision of holistic, effective, responsive and necessary protection programming in Afghanistan.

Responsibilities:

• Technical Oversight
• Develop programme strategy and priorities based on thorough understanding of needs and context
• Ensure that programme strategy, and design is well integrated with other DRC sectors
• Lead development, harmonization, and roll out of SOPs, tools and guidelines
• Lead on sector-specific research and assessments to inform DRC strategy, programme development and implementation
• Provide regular technical support and guidance to protection teams and other relevant staff in both a structured manner and on a case-by-case basis.
• Assure compliance with the Afghanistan Protection Cluster, DRC standards and procedures, and alignment with global strategy, through regular coordination with colleagues in support services at Area Office and Country Office level.
• Coordinate with sector colleagues at Regional (RO) and Headquarters (HQ) levels as appropriate about relevant
• Complete regular field visits to ensure technical oversight and support, identify needs, and ensure quality programming
• Remain abreast of research, trends and innovation within the sector and transfer this into programme design and implementation, when relevant to the context

Technical Line Management:

• Development of harmonized job descriptions and structures in all area offices
• Participate in the recruitment of technical staff in the same field
• Identify technical gaps and support capacity building for technical line reports
• Working closely with the Protection Specialist, assess capacity gaps amongst DRC protection and other programme staff and develop and deliver training (dedicated and on-the-job), through regular field visits to different area and field offices
• Contribute to setting performance objectives and performance appraisals of technical staff in the same field

Programme Development, Coordination, and Oversight:

• Lead design, finalisation and oversight and coordination of protection components of proposals and projects
• Map donor priorities within given sector and identify new opportunities
• Provide technical review of all proposals, lead the compilation of reports and other relevant sector-specific donor communications
• Participate in programme review meetings as relevant (Grant Opening, Grant Review, & Close Out Meetings)
• Maintain oversight of overall programme implementation, including budgets and indicators, in close coordination with Area Programme Managers (APMs) and Area Managers (AMs), monitoring for timely sector-level expenditure, and initiate corrective action, including internal and donor budget realignments

Quality Assurance:

• Oversight of overall programme implementation progress; identification, resolution and/or escalation of issues;
• Work with Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) teams to develop harmonized tools and databases to monitor and track efficiency and quality of programming and improve information management within the sector focal points
• Work closely with MEAL teams in design, implementation, and evaluation of sector-level programming
• Coordinate with MEAL teams to ensure accountability mechanisms are established for programming Coordination and Donor Engagement

To be successful in this role you must have:

Experience and technical competencies: 

• Proven experience of at least 5 years in international field protection and management of protection programmes;
• Significant knowledge of International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law;
• Proven communication, interpersonal, representation, negotiation, promotion and diplomacy skills;
• Proven strong analytical and communication skills;
• Strategic thinker with the ability to quickly develop good insight and understanding of the conflict, the human rights situation and the political environment of the programme country;
• Sound understanding of humanitarian architecture;
• Cultural sensitivity and adaptability;
• Experience in international humanitarian work, advocacy and policy development, and cluster coordination mechanisms;
• Prior experience in protection monitoring and protection assessment, reporting and project development;
• Experience with managing teams and providing technical guidance and training able to manage high work load
• Able to manage stress and be flexible

 Education/qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher education relevant to humanitarian work: preferably in law, social sciences or humanitarian aid;

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required
• Basic written and spoken Dari and/or Pashto desirable

Source: https://candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationInit.aspx?cid=1036&ProjectId=172901&DepartmentId=19150&MediaId=5