This presents an exciting opportunity to acts as the organisation’s strategic leader for the Protection from Violence Core Competency – which is what we call our sectors of operation in NRC. The global lead is accountable for ensuring the scope, quality, and relevance of the violence prevention and response, and site management programme approach within NRC. In this role, you will ensure continuous programme development, including policy, strategy, standards, evidence and learning, innovation, fundraising for global programme development, and coordinating the sharing of knowledge and expertise within NRC at all levels.

What we are looking for:

We seek to recruit a seasoned Protection from Violence specialist with extensive operational experience in protection programming in complex and volatile contexts. The ideal candidate must have humanitarian experience in programme development and institutionalisation within violence prevention and response, and site management portfolios.

What you will do:

Policy, strategy and programme development

1. Protection from Violence policy, strategy, and programme development: Responsible for the development of policies, strategies and information related to violence prevention and response; and site management in line with organisational global policies and strategies. Ensuring the coordination of contributions by regional and global advisers/specialists, enabling the identification and utilisation of programmatic synergies through the integrated programme approach. In 2024, there is a particular emphasis on the integration of site management in the wider Core Competency, protection monitoring and analysis and protection coordination. Ongoing program development initiatives related to support to civilian self-protection, humanitarian mediation and protection case management will also continue to be priorities.
2. NRC wide policy, strategy and programme development: Contribute to the content and development of NRC’s Global Strategy, Programme Policy, and related governing documents to reflect new needs and emerging humanitarian trends in relation to violence prevention and response; and site management.

Technical development, support, and capacity building

1. Technical Development: Responsible for the continuous development of violence prevention and response; and site management standards, working collaboratively with programme colleagues at regional and country level, and drawing on evidenced best practice to be relevant to the needs of beneficiaries and within the humanitarian landscape. Accountable for the development of tools and methodologies to better integrate cross-cutting issues and prioritised development areas into violence prevention and response, and site management programmes.
2. Knowledge management: Responsible for the pro-active and inclusive management of the NRC violence prevention and response; and site management communities of practice with its members in country, regional, representation and head office. Accountable for the development of tools and resources to support capacity development through the technical lines (to Regional and Country Offices). Contribute to development and delivery of learning and development initiatives working collaboratively with Learning & Development and other colleagues.
3. Innovation: Responsible for facilitating and stimulating an environment conducive to innovation within NRC. Keeping informed on innovation insights and analysis. Apply this knowledge where relevant and support integrated into the systems and culture of the organisation as necessary.

Data use and learning

1. Evidence and analysis: Responsible for ensuring that evidence generated is interpreted and utilised for organisational learning, strategic use, programme development, and communication. This includes leading data interpretation in routine learning moments and more specific in-depth learning moments, identifying and promoting best practice and learning, and use of evidence in the development of strategies, guidelines, themes and policies. Accountable for ensuring that sector specific Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) content (see above) is communicated, disseminated, and institutionalised.
2. Systems and frameworks: Accountable for the development and design of MEL tools for the Protection from Violence Core Competency, to ensure that the organisation is generating relevant and useful evidence for organisational learning and accountability. This includes global Theories of Change and indicators, global evidence and research plans, contribution to strategic evaluation design, responsible for impact research for the sector, quality assessment content and MEL toolkits relevant to the sector (beneficiary counting, indicator definitions, qualitative data collection tools, outcome monitoring toolkits. It also includes developing results frameworks for global grants in line with NRC’s MEL framework.

Advocacy, representation, and relationships

1. Advocacy: Responsible for the identification, prioritisation, development and documentation of global advocacy issues related to protection in cooperation with the Global ICLA Lead and the Partnership and Policy Department. Contribute to advocacy campaigns related to protection.
2. Representation and Relationships: Responsible for identification, development and maintenance of relationships with relevant stakeholders (e.g. donors, UN agencies, NGOs, research and educational institutions, private sector) related to protection from violence and site management. Ensure that NRC is well placed within the wider sector including presenting NRC’s work and position NRC in the major debates and leading advocacy initiatives linked to the development area. This includes representation in global cluster or refugee coordination forums.

Administrative Management

1. Resource mobilisation: Responsible for providing senior management with the necessary documentation and arguments to include protection from violence and site management in framework agreements and obtain share of available flexible funds. Also responsible for supporting external fundraising in collaboration with external relations and the donor section.
2. Project Development and Management: Responsible for identifying and articulating project opportunities linked to the development area. Accountable for the management of these projects, including progress, budgets, spending and donor reporting.
3. Staff and matrix management: Responsible for matrix managing and working alongside global Core Competency teams, technical experts, consultants, and interns. May have direct staff management responsibility. Contribute to the recruitment of Protection from Violence Core Competency regional advisers and Emergency Response Team members.
4. Risk: Responsible to identify areas of programmatic risk and elevate issues to senior management.

Please download the detailed job description to learn more about the position.

What you will bring:

• Minimum 8 years of relevant leadership/senior adviser experience within the humanitarian protection field.
• Extensive operational experience in protection programming in complex and volatile contexts
• Experience in one or more of the following areas of technical expertise is essential: civilian self-protection, humanitarian mediation, protection case management or site management.
• Experience of strategic approaches to programme development
• Experience of leading organisational change and learning processes
• Experience of programme quality assessments, programme development and delivery
• Experience in drafting and encouraging implementation of policy/strategic guidance and developing practical tools and resources.
• High level of understanding of organisational learning, and the role and contribution of MEL to evidencing impact assessment
• High level of understanding of, and commitment to, providing technical leadership and working collaboratively and supportively with colleagues both within the function and operationally, including capacity development
• Understanding of effective matrix management, including working with virtual teams and providing technical supervision and support
• Credibility to represent NRC at a strategic level and contribute to global policy developments with key donors and stakeholders. Direct experience with humanitarian/refugee coordination systems would be an advantage.
• Evidenced experience of delivering learning and development as part of programme development and capacity development.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal. Knowledge of French or Spanish is considered a distinct advantage.

What we offer:

• Duty station: NRC Head Office in Oslo or Representational Offices in Berlin, Brussels, or London.
• Contract: National Temporary Contract (2 years), with possibility of extension.
• Salary/benefits: Grade 10 on NRC’s Country Salary scale, with accompanying terms and conditions.
• NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.
• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process:

• Internal candidates only: please click on the suitcase icon labelled “I am an employee” to be redirected to NRC’s internal careers site.
• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.
• Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.
• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
• As we receive many applicants for each vacant position, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

If you have any questions about this role, please contact [email protected] with the job title as the subject line.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

Learn more about NRC