Protection Officer at Mercy Corps

Location: Adamawa
Reports Directly to: Senior Finance Officer with indirect reporting on technical aspects to the Finance Manager in Abuja.
Works Directly with: Finance, Program and Operation Teams.
Supervisory Responsibility: None

Program/Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on women’s empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the north east of Nigeria and causing displacement of over a million individual, Mercy Corps is addressing the rising humanitarian needs among displaced households and vulnerable host communities through program interventions in the Northeast. With current funding from OFDA, FFP, CERF and ECHO and ongoing opportunities from other donors, all Mercy Corps interventions in the Northeast are implemented with plans for scale-up.
• The current funding opportunity’s goal in Gombe is to support economic opportunities, food security and protection among conflict-affected populations, and to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian agencies and the quality of information gathering in Nigeria. The current funding opportunity’s goal in Adamawa is to provide a package of relief interventions designed to help conflict affected communities in central Adamawa meet their basic needs in livelihoods restoration, water and sanitation and protection. Expansion into other affected states is also planned for the humanitarian response team.

General Position Summary

• The Protection Officer will be responsible for the implementation of protection and gender project activities and protection mainstreaming in Mercy Corps northeast Nigeria program portfolio.
• S/he will assist in strengthening the organizational capacity to address protection risks in the context of northeast Nigeria.
• S/he will have responsibility for the implementation of strategies and activities developed to address and mitigate protection risks.
• S/he will work extensively with other sectors to ensure that protection principles are being incorporated into all program activities to strengthen the integrated nature of Mercy Corps’ work.

Essential Job Functions

• Follow and implement the guidelines of the protection strategy developed within the program.
• Provide technical inputs and guidance to protection interventions.
• Take ownership of integration and mainstreaming of protection, with an emphasis on enhancing program quality.
• Conduct workshops and trainings for Mercy Corps staff, community leaders and volunteers and women’s groups to promote and institutionalize protection principles.
• Participate in cross-departmental collaboration and coordination in order to ensure that protection is mainstreamed into all program activities.
• Support the roll out of protection best practices based on the operational context of northeast Nigeria.
• Contribute to the implementation of assessments, monitoring and analysis to better understand and respond to protection risks.
• Ensure the effective implementation and integration of gender sensitive monitoring and evaluation systems and protection monitoring methodologies into all stages of the program.
• Participate in the design, planning and implementation of protection activities to ensure that protection activity objectives are met.
• Supervise psychosocial support to survivors of GBV, including case management and referrals.
• Prepare internal and external reports on protection activities within agreed deadlines as required.
• Represent Mercy Corps as required in working relationships with all stakeholders - including NGOs, clusters, UN agencies and community based organizations to enhance cooperation and coordination.
• Attend protection coordination meetings and/or represent Mercy Corps in other relevant forums as requested, and ensure that relevant information is shared internally as appropriate.
• Adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals;
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in country of operation;
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in relevant field or equivalent experience
• 3-5 years of professional experience in protection programming (both stand alone and mainstreaming) or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Strong understanding of protection principles, likely protection concerns and conflict sensitivity in the context of northeast Nigeria.
• Commitment to renewing and maintaining knowledge of best practices
• Demonstrated training and facilitation experience
• Ability to work under pressure
• Demonstrated strengths in analytical skills, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing
• Strong interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills
• Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills
• Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa is required.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will combine strong technical skills, experience in protection programs, and a can-do attitude.
• Ideally s/he will have previous experience in working in large-scale emergency programs in insecure and conflict-affected contexts, including remote management and capacity development.

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Location: Adamawa
Reports Directly to: Senior Finance Officer with indirect reporting on technical aspects to the Finance Manager in Abuja.
Works Directly with: Finance, Program and Operation Teams.
Supervisory Responsibility: None

Program/Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on women’s empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the north east of Nigeria and causing displacement of over a million individual, Mercy Corps is addressing the rising humanitarian needs among displaced households and vulnerable host communities through program interventions in the Northeast. With current funding from OFDA, FFP, CERF and ECHO and ongoing opportunities from other donors, all Mercy Corps interventions in the Northeast are implemented with plans for scale-up.
• The current funding opportunity’s goal in Gombe is to support economic opportunities, food security and protection among conflict-affected populations, and to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian agencies and the quality of information gathering in Nigeria. The current funding opportunity’s goal in Adamawa is to provide a package of relief interventions designed to help conflict affected communities in central Adamawa meet their basic needs in livelihoods restoration, water and sanitation and protection. Expansion into other affected states is also planned for the humanitarian response team.

General Position Summary

• The Protection Officer will be responsible for the implementation of protection and gender project activities and protection mainstreaming in Mercy Corps northeast Nigeria program portfolio.
• S/he will assist in strengthening the organizational capacity to address protection risks in the context of northeast Nigeria.
• S/he will have responsibility for the implementation of strategies and activities developed to address and mitigate protection risks.
• S/he will work extensively with other sectors to ensure that protection principles are being incorporated into all program activities to strengthen the integrated nature of Mercy Corps’ work.

Essential Job Functions

• Follow and implement the guidelines of the protection strategy developed within the program.
• Provide technical inputs and guidance to protection interventions.
• Take ownership of integration and mainstreaming of protection, with an emphasis on enhancing program quality.
• Conduct workshops and trainings for Mercy Corps staff, community leaders and volunteers and women’s groups to promote and institutionalize protection principles.
• Participate in cross-departmental collaboration and coordination in order to ensure that protection is mainstreamed into all program activities.
• Support the roll out of protection best practices based on the operational context of northeast Nigeria.
• Contribute to the implementation of assessments, monitoring and analysis to better understand and respond to protection risks.
• Ensure the effective implementation and integration of gender sensitive monitoring and evaluation systems and protection monitoring methodologies into all stages of the program.
• Participate in the design, planning and implementation of protection activities to ensure that protection activity objectives are met.
• Supervise psychosocial support to survivors of GBV, including case management and referrals.
• Prepare internal and external reports on protection activities within agreed deadlines as required.
• Represent Mercy Corps as required in working relationships with all stakeholders - including NGOs, clusters, UN agencies and community based organizations to enhance cooperation and coordination.
• Attend protection coordination meetings and/or represent Mercy Corps in other relevant forums as requested, and ensure that relevant information is shared internally as appropriate.
• Adherence to all MC policies and procedures as outlined in MC policies and procedure manuals;
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission in country of operation;
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in relevant field or equivalent experience
• 3-5 years of professional experience in protection programming (both stand alone and mainstreaming) or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Strong understanding of protection principles, likely protection concerns and conflict sensitivity in the context of northeast Nigeria.
• Commitment to renewing and maintaining knowledge of best practices
• Demonstrated training and facilitation experience
• Ability to work under pressure
• Demonstrated strengths in analytical skills, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing
• Strong interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills
• Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills
• Fluency in English; fluency in Hausa is required.

Success Factors

• The successful candidate will combine strong technical skills, experience in protection programs, and a can-do attitude.
• Ideally s/he will have previous experience in working in large-scale emergency programs in insecure and conflict-affected contexts, including remote management and capacity development.