Programme Officer - Protection Mainstreaming at Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)

Job Profile

• The Programme Officer- Protection mainstreaming will manage CAFOD/Caritas Germany’s ECHO funded project in Northeast Nigeria and will be a member of the Nigeria humanitarian team.
• The Programme Officer- Protection mainstreaming will ensure that protection and gender mainstreaming are integrated into all sectorial programming using the SADI model (Safe Accessible, Dignify and Inclusive). The Programme Officer-Protection Mainstreaming will develop and modify existing tools of the protection mainstreaming team to ensure they are accurate and comprehensive. He/she will be responsible for identifying and training Protection Focal Points in all teams, ensuring that protection mainstreaming is used effectively in all programming. He/she will also conduct field visits to conduct Protection Mainstreaming assessments and site visits. The Programme Officer-Protection Mainstreaming will work with diverse communities including but not limited to persons with specific needs, IDPs, returnees, and persons with specialized protection concerns.
• The candidate will need a background in general protection with a broad knowledge of international protection and human rights legal standards, as well as an understanding of guiding principles on Internal Displacements.  The post holder will have experience of mainstreaming protection in food security/cash transfer and WASH programmes and extensive knowledge of Child Protection, and or Gender Based Violence responses.

Reporting to: 

• Programme Manager with shared management lines to ECHO Consortium Programme Coordinator.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop existing tools to ensure up to date and technically sound mechanisms are in place for the protection mainstreaming program.
• Ensure mainstreaming of protection in food security/cash transfer and WASH programs
• Identify and train Protection Mainstreaming and Gender Focal Points for each team to conduct and ensure protection mainstreaming on a regular basis.
• Compile information from protection mainstreaming focal points and provide weekly reports to the Programme Coordinator and the relevant thematic manager with observations and recommendations to enhance the protection environment
• Writing regular narrative reports for the donor for each field site visited.
• Liaise with relevant public authorities and service providers in order to foster effective collaboration and encourage a conducive protection environment for affected populations and ownership in protection of beneficiaries.
• Any other duties assigned by the Protection Coordinator

Advisory Support:

• Ensure all partners familiar with the use of SADI (Safe Accessible, Dignify and Inclusive) framework

Technical Support:

• Deliver trainings to consortium staff members on protection principles, SADI (Safe Accessible, Dignify and Inclusive) programming. protection mainstreaming, accountability to affected populations, and other relevant topics
• Conduct safety audits and follow-up on safety audits’ findings to reduce risks and strengthen local self-protection strategies
• Conduct field visits to ECHO SAHaRa distribution/construction sites, areas of operation and other project areas with ongoing activities.
• Establish and train community-based Protection Action Committees and establish referral procedures and structures in communities to report SEA/GBV
• Organize community meetings to provide crucial information and increase awareness and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) and SEA (sexual exploitation and abuse) issues, available services and how to access them
• Produce information materials to enhance the knowledge and awareness of the population in the target region on prevention of GBV and SEA and to inform about established support structures and referral pathways.

Internal and External Representation:

• In co-ordination with the Programme Manager and the Programme Coordinator develop, nurture and sustain relationships and effective communications with relevant stakeholders, including local government, national networks, clusters and working groups especially protection cluster, and other agencies working in North-East Nigeria.
• Effectively communicate with other teams within CAFOD to ensure that the programmes are well understood, and that information is available for fundraising and other communications, including publications, media briefings, development education, etc. This may involve participating in communities of practice, working groups, supporter events, etc, as agreed with the Country Representative.

Systems and Compliance:

• Overseeing the effective use of CAFOD’s systems to share programme knowledge and inform decision-making. This includes overseeing compliance with agreements, regulations and requirements attached to our work.

Person Specification
Essential Criteria:

Understanding Our Context:

• Understanding Catholic identity; Works comfortably with Secular and Faith-based partners
• Understanding international development.

Working Together:

• Working with others; especially local partners and other staff; can build capacity of colleagues and partners
• Communicating; Fluent written and spoken English
• Looking outwards; Carries out partner capacity assessments and identifies support needs; collaborates with colleagues across CAFOD, and good at networking with other agencies on M&E

Making Change Happen:

• Managing resources; Delivers programmes within an agreed budget; Develops programme funding proposals; Makes effective use of ICT
• Achieving results; Delivers work within the context of an agreed programme framework, uses programme cycle management tools effectively and demonstrating and reporting impact

Job-Specific Competencies:

• Ability to work with and build the capacity of programme staff and partner organizations
• Ability to develop and/or adapt protection mainstreaming tools for practical use
• Excellent writing skills, including experience of donor reporting
• Willingness to undertake travel.
• Relevant University degree in Social Science, Law, Gender studies or any equivalent degree.
• Relevant professional experience, preferably in emergency and/or development context.
• Familiarity with international protection and human rights legal standards, Guiding principles on Internal Displacements. Post holder will hold extensive knowledge and experience in General Protection, Child Protection, or Gender Based Violence responses.
• Good verbal & oral communication skills in English and local language widely spoken in the area.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and respect for people from different cultures and backgrounds and especially those with special needs and other vulnerability.
• Must have strong ethos of working as a team player and good leadership skills.
• Must be able to maintain the highest level of confidentiality regarding work-related information and data.