Iraq: Protection Coordinator – Iraq

1.Terms of reference

Job Title: Protection Coordinator

Code: SR-29-697

Duty station: Erbil, with frequent visits to projects sites in KRI and Iraq

Starting date: 14/01/2019

Contract duration: 12 months

Reporting to: Head of Mission

Supervision of: Direct supervision of 2-3 Protection Officers and technical supervision of 6 Protection Project Managers

Dependents: No

2.General context of the project

INTERSOS worked in Iraq from 2003 till 2010 with programs aimed at responding to urgent material safety needs and enhancing access to basic social services for vulnerable individuals and communities in Central and Southern Iraq, Baghdad and Kurdistan. Over the years, INTERSOS operations developed encompassing activities in health care, legal protection and assistance, warehousing and distribution of essential goods, mine/UXO clearance, shelter, water and sanitation, psychosocial support and education targeting internally displaced people and voluntary returnees, as well as host communities, with special focus on the most vulnerable groups (children, women, elderly and persons with special needs).

Following the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, which is negatively affecting also the neighbouring countries, INTERSOS has resumed the operations in in November 2013, to contribute towards ensuring emergency relief and social protection assistance for Syrian refugees fleeing their home in search of safety. Furthermore, since the surge in violence between armed groups and government forces with fighting spreading into Central and Northern Iraq, in July 2014 INTERSOS has extended its operations in the Kurdistan Region and is currently providing services and activities aimed at assisting both Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs in camp and non-camp settings, with interventions mainly concentrated on Protection, Education and Health. INTERSOS is now planning to further contribute towards assisting vulnerable conflict-affected civil population in the whole of Iraq by expanding the on-going activities in terms of geographical target areas and sectors of expertise to properly respond to unmet needs and detected gaps.

3.General purpose of the position

The Protection Coordinator supports the design, coordination and implementation of INTERSOS’ protection programme in Iraq and will provide technical guidance and advice to protection staff ensuring high quality delivery of the different components of the programme.

4.Main responsibilities and tasks

Technical Programme Coordination and Support:

· Lead the development of the country protection strategy and provide technical support and assistance to its implementation;

· Ensure harmonization of protection activities and services across the different implementation sites in line with international norms and standards through the revision or development of internal SoPs and tools;

· Deliver training and workshops to protection staff to build their skills on specific protection topics identified with them;

· Create opportunities for experience sharing and learning within the protection team in order to strengthen cooperation and collaboration;

· Ensure that case management services adhere to international protection standards and principles and that safe and ethical referrals are made in a timely manner;

· Review internal case management platform and develop user guide for Case Workers and Managers;

· Advise Protection Officers on complex protection cases and review minutes and agreed action points of internals case meetings;

· Monitor implementation of structured PSS activities for different beneficiary groups (children, adolescents, women and men);

· Strengthen protection monitoring and information management, including data collection, analysis and development of periodic trend reports;

· Undertake regular field monitoring visits and provide support tools to monitor quality of programme implementation;

· Support the development of complaints mechanisms for beneficiaries and make sure complaints are addressed properly;

· Contribute to the compilation of high-quality project reports for donors;

· Identify opportunities for new protection interventions and support in assessments and developments of new project proposals.

Supervision and Staff Management:

· Directly supervise, coach and mentor Protection Officers in their role and conduct regular performance reviews;

· Review work plans of Protection Officers and define priorities together with Protection Project Managers;

· Organize quarterly protection meetings with Protection Officers and Project Managers in order to discuss challenges and priorities in the field and develop plans for the next period.

Networking and Partnerships:

· Establish and maintain collaborative relations with relevant donors, partners, project stakeholders and other organizations;

· Maintain productive working relationships with Protection, GBV and CP clusters and related working groups at the national level;

· Ensure that key protection concerns are brought to relevant stakeholders to advocate for the respect of human rights and minimum protection standards;

· Coordinate with internal Health and Education departments to maximize use of synergies and complementarities;

· Network with Protection Coordinators from other INTERSOS missions, contributing towards a community of dialogue, sharing of best practices and resources.

Other duties as requested by the supervisor.

5.Required profile and experience

Education

Advanced university degree in Political Science, International Relations, International Development Cooperation, Psychology, International Law or similar. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Professional Experience

• At least 3 years of professional work experience in management/coordination of protection activities;

• Previous experience in working in IDP camp and non-camp displacement settings is an asset.

• Previous experience in working in Middle East and specifically in Iraq (desirable)

Professional Requirements

• Demonstrated technical expertise in Protection, in particular Case Management, MHPSS, Legal Assistance and Protection Monitoring;

• Demonstrated technical expertise in assessment, design, implementation and monitoring of Protection programmes;

• In-depth knowledge and understanding of key humanitarian principles and protection minimum standards;

• Good training facilitation skills and experience in building capacity of international and local project staff;

• Experience in using participatory and right-based approaches.

Languages

• Proficient knowledge of English is required.

• Knowledge of Arabic will be an asset.

Personal Requirements

• Positive and solution-oriented person focused on team-building and cooperation;

• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with staff and other stakeholders;

• Ability to take initiative and work autonomously;

• Ability to ensure timely and quality delivery in stressful environments (stress-resilient);

• Ability to integrate and work well within multicultural teams; Holder of a driving license (desirable).

HOW TO APPLY:

For further information and to apply, follow the link below:

https://intersos.knack.com/imp#intersosorg-vacancies/vacancy-details/5ba64875e4612d2d9976f1ef/

In case you encounter difficulties applying through INTERSOS' platform, you can also apply by sending your CV, motivation letter and 2 references via email to recruitment@intersos.org , with subject line: "SR-29-697 – Protection Coordinator - Iraq".

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the first interview.