Protection Specialist

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Description

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DRC Cameroon began its operations in Cameroon in 2018 responding to the humanitarian needs of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) and vulnerable Cameroonians in the Adamawa region. Currently, DRC operates with a regional office in Meiganga and two sub-offices in Djohong (Adamawa region) and Garoua-Boulai (East region). Interventions focus on finding durable solutions for the most vulnerable, using the holistic graduation approach to enhance both protection and economic recovery. Subsequently, in late 2018, DRC began its activities in the South West region of Cameroon in late 2019 to respond to the needs of forcibly displaced persons in the context of the Anglophone crisis, commencing humanitarian activities in January 2019. DRC operates in the Meme, Fako, Kupe-Manenguba and Ndian divisions with an office in Buea and a sub-base in Kumba. Programming focuses on rural and hard-to-reach areas to meet people’s basic needs for food, shelter and NFI, while improving the protective environment and providing income-generating opportunities.

In 2023, DRC expanded its activities to the Far North of Cameroon to provide a response in terms of protection, positive peace, governance and economic resilience to the multidimensional and interconnected crises affecting the region.

Overall Purpose of the Role

• Under the direct line management of the Area Manager, the Protection Specialist plays a pivotal role in the development and implementation of DRC’s protection sector strategy in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. This position ensures that DRC’s protection program aligns with all DRC’s guidelines, SOPs, and global protection standards, encompassing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), legal assistance, child protection, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), case management, and capacity building. The Protection Specialist is responsible for supporting the delivery of high-quality protection services across all these areas in close collaboration with the Area Manager and the Protection Coordinator at the country level.
• To this aim, the Protection Specialist will support the harmonization and rollout of tools, guidelines, and SOPs, strengthen referral pathways and ensure standard donor and data analysis/reporting methods (in collaboration with MEAL) are in place for these activities.

The role is mainly to :

• Develop and implement strategies, tools, and guidance to ensure the effective delivery of high-quality protection services, including legal assistance, MHPSS, GBV, and case management. This includes conducting regular field visits for monitoring and providing technical support, ensuring that activities align with international standards and SOPs.
• Lead efforts in capacity building, coordination, and strategic planning by working closely with the Protection Coordinator, Project Managers, and other stakeholders. This includes contributing to the design and implementation of protection strategies, developing capacity-building plans, ensuring effective data management, and representing DRC in relevant coordination bodies.

Tasks and responsibilities

Main responsibilities

Project Design

• Contribute to the development and implementation of DRC’s sector strategy in Southwest and Northwest regions of  Cameroon, focusing on legal assistance, MHPSS, Case Management (CM), Individual Protection Assistance (IPA), Community-Based Protection (CBP) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV)
• Identify community needs and gaps in protection services in collaboration with the Protection Coordinator and Project Manager (PM)
• Develop guidance on mobile implementation and integration of protection with other core sectors, ensuring a participatory community-based approach.
• Provide technical input for the development and implementation of relevant SOPs, technical standards, and MOUs with specialized service providers.
• Participate in proposal development by providing context analysis, legal analysis, technical sector-specific analysis, beneficiary information, and technical feedback.

Implementation

• Develop program tools and guidance notes to support and reinforce the quality of protection activities.
• Provide technical support to the Protection team and the Project Manager, ensuring the delivery of high-quality legal assistance, MHPSS, GBV, CM services, and other individual assistances, with oversight at the field level by Project Managers.
• Conduct regular field visits to monitor implementation quality, provide technical advice, and conduct needs assessments to guide capacity building.
• Support the adoption of standardized community-level PSS methodologies and associated monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
• Ensure quality control of protection activities, including Protection Monitoring, GBV, Child Protection, Community-Based Protection, and civil documentation, aligning with international and national standards and SOPs.

Capacity Building

• Assess training and development needs within the Protection team, develop a capacity-building plan, and implement it with the support of the Protection Coordinator.
• Participate in the recruitment and capacity building
• Establish processes and systems that lead to general capacity building and professionalization of DRC staff and partners on protection.
• Support information management needs, ensuring data consistency, integrity, and continuous availability for decision-making and project design.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL)

• Support the Project Manager in the establishment and regular updates of the MEAL plan, ensuring appropriate indicator and quality tracking (both quantitative and qualitative).
• Stay informed on developments impacting the protection environment in Southwest and Northwest, providing ongoing analysis of key issues.

Coordination and Representation

• Actively participate in and represent DRC in the Protection Cluster, assigned AOR, working groups, and other protection-related meetings.
• Ensure coordination with other agencies to address the specific needs of vulnerable communities.
• Contribute to national cluster transitions through Technical Coordinators, focusing on context, needs, and coordination possibilities.
• Serve as a backup to the Protection Coordinator in coordination meetings when necessary.

Technical Support

• Provide technical assistance to project managers, guiding team management and improvement plans.
• Offer support in case management, technical validation of IPA, SNF, case openings, quality monitoring of documentation, and ensuring confidentiality, with the support of the Protection Information Management Specialist.
• Participate in the technical review of protection activity terms of reference, ensuring alignment with DRC’s SOPs.
• Contribute to the development of protection training modules and technical tools, supporting the dissemination and implementation of the protection strategy in intervention areas.
• Contribute in updating the current protection strategy

Experience and technical competencies

• Proven experience of at least 4 years in Protection, including in Legal Assistance, MHPSS, Case Management, and Protection of IDPs in conflict-affected countries, is required.
• Prior experience implementing Legal Assistance, MHPSS, Case Management at a community level is required; previous experience in GBV (including GBV case management) is strongly recommended;
• Experience providing technical guidance, developing and delivering participatory training/capacity building is desired;
• Significant knowledge of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Laws and International standards relating to the protection of IDPs; 
• Experience in report writing, data/information analysis, and M&E; 
• Strong information management skills, including but not limited to the creation of databases, use of server-based information collection tools, etc.; 
• Proven strong analytical and communication, representation, negotiation, advocacy, and diplomacy skills; 
• Strategic thinker with the ability to quickly develop good insight and understanding of the conflict, the human rights situation, and the political environment of the program country; 
• Knowledge of Gender and Protection mainstreaming, AGD, PwSN, and AAP approaches; 
• Experience working and living in a multicultural environment and traveling to conflict-affected areas; 
• Extensive experience in reporting and project development, excellent writing skills in English. Good command of French is an asset.

 Skills and qualities required

• In this role, you must demonstrate the five essential DRC skills, namely:
• Striving for Excellence: You focus on achieving results while ensuring an efficient process. You strive to produce accurate, thorough and professional work with optimal use of time and effort.
• Collaborate: You cooperate with and engage stakeholders, actively seeking their opinions and sharing key information with them. You support and trust others, while encouraging feedback.
• Taking the Lead: You take responsibility and prioritize your work based on DRC’s overall vision and goals. You take the initiative when faced with a challenge or opportunity and seek innovative solutions.
• Communicate: You write and speak effectively and honestly while adapting your style and tone to the situation. You actively listen to others and involve them in dialogue.
• Demonstrate Integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values ​​and code of conduct, including protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Experience and technical competencies: 

• Master’s in political science, humanitarian Or development , MHPSS, Legal Assistance, gender/protection or other relevant area
• All other professional training relevant in terms of protection

LANGUAGES :

• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Source: https://candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationInit.aspx?cid=1036&ProjectId=171876&DepartmentId=19109&MediaId=5

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