Protection Team Leader - Protection Monitoring at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Overall Purpose of the Role

Under the direct supervision of the PRoL Manager based in Mubi and the technical supervision of the PRoL Coordinator, the Protection Monitoring Team Leader will be primarily responsible for ensuring the overall implementation of protection monitoring activities at the field level in Mubi, Michika and Madagali LGA. Monitor and respond to the protection/human rights situation of people affected by crisis in these LGAs, while meeting quality standards. The Protection Team Leader will directly supervise the day to day work of the Protection Monitoring Assistants in these locations, providing guidance and support to the team in conducting mobile field visits to villages and communities, assessing the needs of the communities, households and individuals and referring urgent protection concerns to appropriate and specialized service providers (CP, GBV, Legal cases etc), strengthening existing community based protection committees and establishing new ones. Protection monitoring teams will also provide critical information on service provision and procedures to access services, counseling support and interventions with authorities and other stakeholders to mitigate risks. He/she will ensure proper coordination between all aspects of the protection program in the field allowing for an effective response and ensuring that principles of confidentiality and ethics are upheld throughout the program implementation.

She/he will develop and maintain good relations with the persons of concern (PoC), relevant stakeholders and other humanitarian actors, to support adequate implementation and coordination of DRC's protection activities. This role will have a base focus and will ensure compliance with DRC procedures and guidelines at the base level. The role will also contribute to the development of base strategies, which will be translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Programming, and Operations

• Lead and ensure the smooth implementation of protection monitoring in assigned locations in line with agreed guidelines and SOPs.
• Identify sites/locations for protection monitoring activities and engage with local authorities and other key stakeholders to introduce monitoring activities to enable access to them.
• With guidance from the PROL Manager, establishes a monthly work plan for all protection activities including,
• Weekly activities plan and updates.
• A monthly Team plan and update
• Establish and monitor a monthly advocacy/networking plan
• Targets for cases received and processed by protection case management assistants
• Number of community outreach activities carried out by community mobilizers
• Targets of Protection monitoring tools administered
• Provide technical support to protection monitoring assistants and officers: updating service mapping, identifying referral pathways, guidance on referrals based on needs, revision of submitted data, and review of IPA submissions.
• Lead the consultations with affected communities when it comes to the design of protection monitoring activities.
• With the support of the protection team, organize joint analysis events at the area level.
• Prepare weekly and monthly work plans. Movement plans for the mobile protection monitoring team in collaboration with DRC implementing partners.
• Manages all requests for information/ intervention from the PROL Manager and/or the PROL Coordinator
• Ensure daily and periodical (monthly/quarterly/annual) reporting on the protection monitoring activities in the assigned location in line with project reporting requirements.
• Contribute to drafting of narrative reports.
• Support monitoring and evaluation exercises as advised by the Programme Development and Quality Assurance team.
• Support area-specific training.
• Identify and share recommendations on required project adaptation and timely inform about challenges in implementation.

Staff Management

• Plan/coordinate and oversee staff travel plans, leave schedules, staff training/development activities in coordination with the PRoL Manager.
• Lead and manage the Protection Monitoring team consisting of protection monitoring assistants and officers i.e. prepare monthly and weekly monitoring visit schedules, divide responsibilities, manage team’s workload, and participate in recruitments.
• Directly supervises the protection monitoring officers and assistants.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit, supporting professional development, and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Ensure timely completion and submission of monthly timesheets, probations reviews and annual performance reviews.
• Support program quality by guiding the team on the PRoL program SOPs, tools and guidance, as well as the SOPs and guidance of the National Protection Cluster and sub-Clusters, and other relevant clusters and technical working groups.
• If/as required identify staff performance issues and work with the PRoL Manager to address them.
• Hold monthly meetings with the protection team and individually to share updates, discuss challenges, provide technical guidance and successes.

Coordination and Representation

• Collaborate with DRC partner organizations ensuring smooth delivery of project activities considering the specific needs of partners vs project deliverables.
• Contribute to the development of tools and SoPs in support to the design and rollout of DRC- led protection monitoring.
• Participate in donor meetings upon request.
• Regularly participate and represent DRC in protection and local coordination meetings and other relevant forums.
• With the support of the Area Protection Team, maintain relations and share information with relevant stakeholders upon location.
• Engage with local authorities and other relevant protection stakeholders.
• Ensure integration and collaboration with other DRC sectors (WASH, Shelter, HMA, Economic Recovery).

Accountability

• Guided by the DRC Programme Handbook, continuously monitor and suggest relevant accountability initiatives in the field as well as strengthen the effort to document the impact of DRC activities in the area.
• Ensure that protection monitoring staff adhere to general protection, child protection, and GBV best practices and professional standards and principles through capacity-building and on-the-job support.
• Support programmatic learning based on project implementation and lead the generation of lessons learned and best practices at the area level.

Logistics/Procurement/Finance

• Closely collaborate with support services staff to support timely procurement and delivery of necessary project equipment and supplies for project activities. Initiate procurements and ensure their execution.
• Work closely with HR for administrative work. Ensuring a healthy, respectful, and productive working environment.
• Support the monitoring of financial commitments and expenditures against the project budget and provide timely feedback on budget follow-up.
• Plan and coordinate proactively logistics and movements of staff from and to different operational areas.

The responsibilities listed in the JD are not exhaustive and may be readjusted according to operational needs but will remain in line with the overall purpose of the role.

Experience and technical competencies:

Essential: 

• At least 4 years’ experience in planning, implementing, and evaluating Protection, Protection Monitoring Projects, and Programming with an INGO and or NNGO in Nigeria.
• IT skills: Good knowledge of MS Office software: Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Data collection and analysis software.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent reporting skills
• Minimum 1 year of supervisory/management of team experience.
• Experience in project management including project monitoring, reporting, data management and budgeting.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to maintain good communication channels with relevant stakeholders. 
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines and willingness to work and live in a complex context.
• Strong time management skills, resourcefulness, and attention to details, especially data protection principles.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work and integrate into a multicultural and diverse team.

Desirable:

• Project-related skills: Good knowledge of the project cycle management, project implementation and project follow-up.
• Leadership, people management and coaching skills

Education:

• University degree in the field of Social Sciences, Social work, Humanitarian studies, Law, Development Studies, or any other related fiel