Senior Protection Officer at Community Livelihood Empowerment Water Sanitation Initiative

Overall purpose of the role:

The Protection Assistant is responsible for implementing community-based protection and psychosocial support activities. The Protection Assistant is expected to develop positive relationships with individual beneficiaries, community mobilizers and focal points and other stakeholders so as to ensure to the efficiency of CLEWSI’s outreach strategy and overall intervention.

Responsibilities:

Programme

• Contribute to the planning and implementation of programme activities related to community-based protection (CBP) and psychosocial support (PSS) activities. To this end, support the Protection Team Leader in producing and updating monthly workplans and implement programme activities accordingly.
• Effectively use and comply with all the tools, forms and SOPs related to CBP and PSS as communicated by the Protection Manager. Comply with applicable professional standards related to protection and humanitarian interventions.
• Contribute to the quality of CLEWSI’s community outreach approach by effectively identifying and coordinating with community mobilizers, community-based protection networks (CBPNs) and other community focal points. To this end, ensure that community mobilizers and focal points represent a diversity of backgrounds, nationalities, profiles and locations so as to support CLEWSI’s capacity to reach the individuals who are the most in need of protection and assistance. Contribute to all aspects of the relationship with community mobilizers and focal points including, identification and mobilization, onboarding and capacity-building, contractual and administrative management, coordination on field activities etc.
• Ensure that individuals in need of protection services and/or assistance, identified through outreach and other activities, are timely and adequately referred to the relevant services. Conduct regular and systematized follow-up of all referred cases to ensure adequate service provision, reassess needs and potentially identify any new trends.
• Conduct information dissemination, awareness and capacity-building activities with communities on protection risks, on rights and on available services among others, in safe and suitable locations.
• Conduct any other programme activities related to the provision of protection services and assistance as instructed by the Protection Team Leader and the Protection Manager.
• Mobilize and build strong rapport with communities through consistent engagement with community-based structures and adhering to dignified, culturally sensitive approaches.
• Support community-based structures by facilitating meaningful group dialogue and mentoring participants to self-identify protection concerns that affect their communities

Representation and coordination

• Represent CLEWSI and the programme towards a wide range of stakeholders including individual beneficiaries, community mobilizers, community-based structures’ members and focals points. To this end, ensure professional standards and transparent communication in the external representation of the organization so as to build trust and ensure effective collaboration with all concerned stakeholders.
• Ensure that all interactions with individual beneficiaries take place in an environment and in a way that respect and promote the individuals’ safety, agency and dignity in accordance with professional standards for protection and humanitarian work.

Operations support

• Support the coordination of programme support activities as they relate to logistics, administration or security as relevant, under the guidance and supervision of the Protection Team Leader and in coordination with the relevant departments. Comply with all relevant internal policies and directives.

Experience and technical competencies:

• Min 8 years of professional experience in the field of humanitarian interventions, social sciences, human rights or community development, preferably with an international humanitarian organization.
• Experience in provision of psychosocial support and community-based protection activities
• Knowledge of the humanitarian context in Nigeria and of the issues related to conflict and displacement.
• A degree in psychology is highly desirable.
• Education:

University Degree in the field psychology, social sciences, humanitarian affairs, international law, development or any other related field.

• Languages:

Fluency in written and spoken English and Hausa

• Core Competencies: Striving for excellence, collaborating, Taking the lead, communicating, and Demonstrate integrity.