Protection Officer

The Protection Officer will provide capacity building and training on protection mainstreaming, manage referrals for vulnerable individuals, ensure inclusive and protection-sensitive implementation of MPCA distributions, and maintain accurate documentation and reporting of protection activities. The role supports vulnerable populations in humanitarian contexts, ensuring safe and ethical practices in line with IRC standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide capacity building, training field staff and relevant partners on protection mainstreaming principles, safe identification, referral procedures, and CCA referral SOPs.
• Strengthen staff understanding of safer cash programming, “Do No Harm,” inclusive programming, and appropriate referral pathways.
• Ensure safe, ethical, and confidential information sharing with relevant stakeholders and service providers, in line with data protection protocols, informed consent, and best interest principles.
• Identify protection, GBV, child protection, disability, health, shelter, WASH, legal, and other critical needs through safe screening during registration, PDM, outreach, home visits, or community feedback.
• Facilitate safe inward and outward referrals for vulnerable individuals and households in line with CCA referral SOPs.
• Maintain accurate referral documentation, including intake, consent, referral, follow-up, and feedback forms, and ensure timely entry into referral tracking systems (e.g., CommCare).
• Coordinate with service providers to verify eligibility, service availability, referral protocols, and response timelines.
• Maintain up-to-date service mapping through quarterly reviews and conduct monthly coordination meetings with service providers to ensure effective inward and outward referral pathways.
• Ensure inclusive, safe, and protection-sensitive implementation of MPCA and other distributions through protection mainstreaming principles.
• Work closely with MEAL, field teams, and CCA partners to ensure equitable access for women, girls, persons with disabilities, elderly individuals, and other vulnerable groups.
• Support safe beneficiary identification, vulnerability screening, and inclusive targeting throughout registration, verification, distribution, and post-distribution processes.
• Monitor distribution sites to ensure accessibility, dignity, confidentiality, and protection-sensitive practices are maintained at all stages.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and confidential documentation of all protection activities, referrals, screenings, beneficiary records, and distribution-related processes.
• Maintain organized records of intake, consent, referral, follow-up, feedback, training, and monitoring activities in line with IRC and CCA SOP requirements.
• Support data entry, tracking, and reporting through approved systems such as CommCare and other project databases.
• Prepare regular reports on protection mainstreaming, referrals, distribution oversight, challenges, and key trends for supervisors and relevant teams

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, Psychology, Sociology, Law, Human Rights, International Relations, or a related field preferred. Relevant field experience may substitute where appropriate.
• Minimum 2-3 years of relevant experience in protection, humanitarian response, referral work, community mobilization, case management, or related sectors preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, problem-solving, community engagement, safeguarding, and beneficiary support skills with the ability to work effectively with vulnerable populations.
• Knowledge of protection mainstreaming, safer cash programming, referral systems, PSEA/SEAH, accountability mechanisms, and humanitarian principles preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to prepare clear reports, maintain documentation, and coordinate professionally with teams and stakeholders.
• Fluency in Pashto, Dari and English.
• Computer skills (including MS Word, Excel, Access, and internet) an advantage.
• Ability to work closely, professionally, and constructively with all others regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, race, tribe, or cultural background.

Skills

• Protection Mainstreaming
• Humanitarian Response
• Referral Systems Knowledge
• Case Management
• Social Mobilization
• Safeguarding
• Beneficiary Support
• Safer Cash Programming
• PSEA/SEAH
• Accountability Mechanisms
• Humanitarian Principles
• Report Writing
• Documentation Management
• Stakeholder Coordination
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• MS Access
• Capacity Building
• Training Delivery

Languages

Pashto, Dari, English