Protection Specialist - GBV

The Protection Specialist supports the Protection Coordinator in leading DRC's Gender Based Violence prevention and response programming across South Sudan. The role provides technical leadership, quality assurance, mentoring, and supervision support to GBV interventions, ensuring survivor-centered, protection-sensitive, ethical, and safe programming approaches.

Responsibilities

• Ensure that DRC's and partner's protection interventions, GBV prevention and response activities are designed and implemented according to best practices and interagency standards
• Develop guidelines, SOPs and tools to support safe, sensitive and quality protection activities across field bases
• Provide technical oversight for GBV prevention, risk mitigation and response, including survivor-centred case management, psychosocial support, Women and Girls Safe Spaces, community-based prevention and safe referral pathways
• Ensure GBV case management follows guiding principles including informed consent, confidentiality, non-discrimination, survivor safety and best-interest considerations for child survivors
• Establish and maintain supervision, case review and case-conferencing mechanisms; coach supervisors and caseworkers and support quality-improvement plans
• Support service mapping and referral pathway updates, safe and inclusive access, and coordination with health, MHPSS, legal, child protection and other relevant services
• Advise sector teams on GBV risk mitigation and safe referral
• Provide technical leadership for the safe and ethical use of GBVIMS/GBVIMS+ and other approved GBV case-management information systems
• Assess staff and partner capacity, develop capacity-strengthening plans, and deliver coaching, mentoring and training
• Strengthen partner systems for safe service delivery, technical supervision, safeguarding, accountability and sustainable ownership of GBV programming
• Develop and maintain a community of practice for consistent approaches and peer learning
• Coordinate with Protection Managers, Team Leaders, Specialists, and IM teams to strengthen integrated quality approaches
• Participate in technical working groups and coordination forums
• Support harmonization of approaches with inter-agency standards and national guidance
• Support planning and designing protection related proposals
• Develop protection-focused program monitoring tools
• Monitor protection project work plans, M&E plans, and recruitment plans
• Undertake quality control and site monitoring to ensure services meet international standards
• Conduct program monitoring as per expected outputs and outcomes
• Monitor implementation of specialized services including case management, IPA, and PSS
• Review project and programme donor’s reports
• Explore new business and partnerships and assist in proposal development
• Provide technical supervision to GBV staff across field sites
• Contribute to recruitment and performance management of protection staff
• Develop staff capacities on rights-based approaches, participatory protection assessments, interagency GBV guidelines and inclusion of vulnerable groups
• Conduct and supervise internal and external trainings on protection related issues including protection mainstreaming

Requirements

• Minimum a university or graduate degree in social studies, international development, gender, or other relevant field
• Minimum five years of progressively responsible protection experience, including at least three years focused on GBV programming in humanitarian, refugee or internal-displacement settings
• Demonstrated experience in survivor-centred GBV case management and supervision, psychosocial support, referral systems, community-based prevention and GBV risk mitigation
• Advanced practical knowledge of inter-agency GBV standards and tools, including GBV guiding principles, GBV case-management guidance, GBV Minimum Standards, GBVIMS/GBVIMS+, incident classification, information-sharing protocols and safe data practices
• Experience designing, monitoring and adapting multi-site programmes; developing technical guidance; and contributing to proposals, budgets and donor reports
• Strong record of training, coaching and mentoring staff and local partners, including remote and field-based technical accompaniment
• Experience with coordination mechanisms, government counterparts, UN agencies and national/local organizations
• Excellent analytical, facilitation, communication and relationship-management skills; ability to prioritise, travel frequently and work independently in complex environments
• Excellent English writing skills

Skills

• GBV Programming
• Survivor-centred GBV case management
• Psychosocial Support
• Referral Systems Knowledge
• Community-based prevention
• GBV/SEAH Risk Mitigation
• Inter-Agency GBV Standards
• GBV Guiding Principles
• GBV Case-Management Guidance
• GBV Service Standards
• GBVIMS
• Incident Classification
• Information-Sharing Protocols
• Safe Data Practices
• Programme Design
• Programme Monitoring
• Technical Guidance
• Proposal Development
• Budget Development
• Donor Reporting
• Training and Mentoring
• Technical Accompaniment
• Coordination Mechanisms
• Government Liaison
• UN Agency Coordination
• Local Organization Engagement
• Analytical Skills
• Facilitation Skills
• Relationship Management
• English Writing

Languages

English