Protection Officer at Christian Aid

Contract duration: 4 months
Reports to: Senior Programme Coordinator

Role purpose

• The Protection Officer will support in implementing gender-sensitive community-level protection activities, protection monitoring, and information dissemination and referrals guided by Christian Aid’s policies and guidelines for managing information and relevant professional standards in protection work

Role Context

• The Protection Officer will carry out all Protection activities under the supervision of Senior Programme Coordinator.
• She/he will also coordinate local communities, in close coordination with Senior Programme Coordinator and field teams.

Key outcomes

• Ensure the delivery of protection activities in the Humanitarian response
• Undertake regular field visits with the WASH and FSL teams to identify and address, along with the sectorial teams, potential protection concerns arising from Christian Aid’s humanitarian response.
• Prepare for and organize community consultations and community-based orientation sessions, in coordination with Christian Aid team(s) and other partners
• Participates in developing and updating the mapping of services for threats and abuses (including GBV) that IDPs and Host Community members face in Christian Aid areas of operation.

Role Profile

• Lead and supervise assessment teams during thematic surveys, needs assessment and data collection for protection-related research
• With support of the Senior Programme Coordinator, follow-up with humanitarian actors about requests and invitations for community sessions
• Monitors protection issues affecting IDPs and host population in areas of operation
• Support the teams to strategize, plan for and ensure appropriate integration and mainstreaming of protection through all programme activities
• With support of the Senior Programme Coordinator, develop and update relevant Information, Education and Communication tools (leaflets, brochures, posters etc.)
• Coordinate and organize regular internal mapping of services available in the area of intervention
• Support the Senior Programme Coordinator in developing safe programming and conflict-sensitive approaches to the humanitarian response
• In collaboration with the Senior Programme Coordinator, ensure program staff are fully trained on existing referral systems and relevant SOPs.

Other task:

• Assist in any other related matters necessary for the execution of the project

Role Requirements
Relationships:

• External:The post holder will be required to work closely with project beneficiaries and their communities.
• Internal: Works closely with the Project Manager, wider project team, Nigeria country team, humanitarian colleagues and field-based volunteers.

Decision making:

• The post holder will be part of decision making for protection in Christian Aid’s work in the North East.

Analytical skills:

• The post holder will undertake analysis at different levels to inform decisions.

Developing self and others:

• Typically involved in developing others’ skills by directing project work or in coaching and mentoring others.
• May have the direct responsibility for developing, coaching and motivating one or more staff, undertakes performance reviews and development of action plans to improve the performance of others, whether staff or volunteers.

Person specification
Applied skills/knowledge and expertise:

• University degree in a relevant discipline (law, political science, social science, psychology or any other relevant education profile),
• Demonstrable experience (minimum 2 years) in working with communities in humanitarian or development contexts.
• Capacity and willingness to regularly travel to the field locations where Christian Aid operates
• Very good interpersonal skills, particularly in networking, working with communities, local civil society and local authorities.
• Previous experience in using and adapting community-led approaches.
• Good understanding and knowledge in application of do no harm, conflict sensitivity principles and IASC standards and ethics for protection work.
• Good understanding of protection concerns, including GBV issues in displacement, human rights, and international humanitarian law
• Proven analytical skills
• Understanding of monitoring processes, learning, adaptation and evaluation
• Good levels of spoken and written English.
• Commitment to humanitarian principles and action and to Christian Aid’s equal opportunity and gender policies
• Excellent computer knowledge and skills of using Microsoft word, power point and excel.

Desirable:

• A Master’s degree
• Previous experience in protection within a humanitarian response
• Experience in working in North East Nigeria
• Demonstrable experience in using participatory research and participatory assessment methodologies
• Familiarity with the culture of conflict and/or disaster- affected populations, ability to develop respect from a wide range of people and strong ability to communicate effectively on sanitation and hygiene matters.
• Fluency in the language of the working area (Hausa) is appreciated and the international language used in the humanitarian operation
• IT competency required Intermediate

Competency Profile
LEVEL 2: You are expected to be able to:

Build partnerships:

• Take on different work when necessary to achieve a team or organizational goal.
• Actively consult with others to ensure you understand their needs or goals.
• Listen to and take on board fresh perspectives and views even if you initially disagree with them.
• Maintain on-going relationships with individuals and contacts through networks, based on mutual rapport and respect.

Communicate effectively:

• Make complex things simple for the benefit of others.
• Actively listen and question to check your understanding and draw out others when they are not expressing themselves clearly or seem to be holding back.
• Be sensitive to what others may be feeling, based on what they say, how they say it and their non-verbal behavior, adapting your style and approach to fit.
• Address difficult issues when they arise, being honest and open.

Steward resources:

• Implement ways to reduce the inefficient use of resources or pass the ideas on to someone who can make them happen.
• Estimate the resources needed to achieve your own work plans or objectives and to deliver them in the most efficient and cost effective way.
• Set and communicate realistic timelines for achieving tasks, working out how best to adapt as priorities change or unforeseen circumstances arise.

Deliver Results

• Prioritize, plan and monitor own work to meet own and team deliverables to agreed performance or quality standards.
• Acknowledge others’ priorities whilst being prepared to say “no” if there are genuine reasons why their needs cannot be met.
• Use logical processes and relevant tools and techniques to report on information or analyses options.
• Make timely and considered recommendations or decisions based on analysis of available data, information and evidence.

Realize Potential:

• Evaluate your own work and actively address gaps in knowledge and skills, without prompting.
• Recognize how you react to feedback and manage reactions positively, acting on specific feedback from others.
• Share your knowledge where it will help others to be more effective.
• Provide instruction, constructive feedback and guidance to others to help them learn.

Strive for improvement:

• Constructively challenge existing practice.
• Seek better ways of doing things, taking into account the possible implications.
• Make positive suggestions on a way forward when faced with challenges even if these fall outside own scope of work.
• Look inside and outside Christian Aid for new ideas and evaluate them for own work.

Salary
Salary (full time): N8,501,197.