Senior Integrated Protection Officer-3

The Senior Integrated Protection Officer will coordinate and supervise integrated protection activities including GBV, child protection, MHPSS, and community risk reduction in a complex emergency context responding to an Ebola outbreak in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. The role involves technical support, supervision of social workers and MHPSS assistants, coordination with health and WASH teams, and ensuring adherence to protection standards and protocols.

Responsibilities

• Act as the integrated protection lead within IRC mobile teams coordinating protection activities (GBV, child protection, MHPSS, community risk reduction) in assigned health facilities and communities, linking closely with community social workers.
• Prepare and update detailed daily work plans aligned with the overall integrated protection work plan to ensure rapid implementation and achievement of objectives.
• Guide and monitor staff in work plan implementation.
• Work closely with the Integrated Protection Manager to track expenditures ensuring compliance with approved budgets and disbursement plans.
• Support operationalization of Cash for Protection programming and kit distributions ensuring correct targeting criteria and safe confidential beneficiary data documentation.
• Conduct regular field visits to monitor progress and quality, propose solutions and implement necessary adjustments.
• Document all monitoring activities fully.
• Compile weekly reports for the Integrated Protection Manager and contribute to monthly reports as needed.
• Provide daily technical guidance and regular supervision sessions to the integrated protection team to ensure adherence to best practices, minimum standards and IRC programmatic policies.
• Support and supervise social workers, MHPSS assistants and volunteers to ensure activities are context-appropriate and beneficiary-centered.
• Conduct regular field visits to assess technical quality and implementation issues, reporting to the Integrated Protection Manager and implementing adjustments.
• Ensure all MHPSS group activities and safe space operations are preceded by risk and feasibility assessments and implemented according to IPC-adapted SOPs in coordination with health and IPC/WASH teams.
• Play a key role supporting implementation of all integrated protection MEAL activities including cash transfers and cash for protection.
• Support safe and ethical data collection, documentation and storage at field sites.
• Lead establishment and implementation of feedback mechanisms for protection activities ensuring accessibility and sensitivity to survivors and affected groups.
• Provide support and supervision to protection teams to ensure child and adult participation in all activities through regular proactive consultation.
• Maintain regular communication with the Integrated Protection Manager to strengthen child and family safety outcomes.
• Directly supervise social workers and MHPSS assistants and indirectly supervise community volunteers.
• Ensure timely submission and follow-up of timesheets, probation and performance evaluations for protection team.
• Provide ongoing coaching and capacity building for protection staff on technical and management skills; identify further capacity building needs.
• Maintain open and professional relationships with team members fostering strong team spirit and providing supervision and guidance for success.
• Support recruitment and management of Community Facilitators with social workers and protection team.
• Facilitate close collaboration and coordination between Protection, RCCE and Health teams.
• Lead coordination of all protection activities with other IRC sectors at field level.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders.
• Participate in relevant community-level coordination meetings.
• Participate in sub-national and national integrated protection coordination meetings to support multi-actor coordination and advocacy.
• Support active engagement of Ebola survivors and other key actors as community messengers in RCCE and community risk reduction activities.
• Ensure filing and archiving of all important protection activity documents and correspondence.
• Contribute to data collection for monitoring and evaluation to support project proposals and integrated protection program strategy development.
• Comply with all safeguarding policies, cross-cutting protection standards and IRC code of conduct requirements.
• Adhere to IPC measures for epidemic response and ensure supervised staff understand and follow required protocols.
• Collaborate with health and protection teams to support safe, confidential and appropriate referrals to health, protection, MHPSS, GBV and child protection services as needed.
• Support training and reinforcement of safeguarding and basic psychosocial support principles for protection staff and volunteers.
• Participate in relevant IRC or coordination mechanism trainings and briefings.
• Act professionally and personally to uphold IRC's humanitarian mission and reputation.
• Monitor security conditions affecting field teams and promptly report concerns through established channels.
• Perform other tasks assigned by supervisor to support Ebola response.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Social Work, Psychology, Education, Human Rights, Social Sciences, Humanities or related field.
• At least 3 to 4 years of experience implementing integrated protection programs including case management, GBV response, MHPSS programming and protection risk reduction in humanitarian or development contexts.
• Experience in epidemic contexts is an asset.
• Proven knowledge of survivor-centered principles and GBV guiding principles including safety, confidentiality, respect and non-discrimination.
• Good understanding of integrated protection programming including case management and/or GBV, MHPSS programming to promote healing and recovery, and protection risk reduction approaches in crisis contexts.
• Previous experience supervising and managing a team in an intercultural context.
• Proven experience in capacity building and mentoring of staff.
• Previous emergency response experience is desirable.
• Positive and professional attitude including leadership and teamwork skills.
• Strong planning and organizational skills, excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Personal qualities: team spirit, networking ability, flexibility, multitasking and stress management.
• Good computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Fluency in French is required; proficiency in relevant local languages of Ituri is highly desirable; English is an advantage.

Skills

• Integrated Protection
• Case Management
• GBV Response
• MHPSS Programming
• Protection Risk Reduction
• Survivor-centered principles
• GBV Guiding Principles
• Capacity Building
• Technical Mentoring
• Team Supervision
• Emergency Response
• Epidemic Response
• Organizational Planning Skills
• Communications Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• MS PowerPoint

Languages

French, English