Protection Officer Ukraine Mykolaiv

1. Background:
NRC has been present in Ukraine since 2014. Since the escalation of the war in 2022, we have been continuously scaling up our response across the country and working with national partners. We are providing life-saving assistance, such as food and basic relief items, to the most vulnerable people in Ukraine. And we are assisting hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the South, East, North and West.

2. Role and responsibilities
The purpose of the Protection Officer position is to deliver NRC protection interventions in West Ukraine. The position will be managed by the Protection Project Coordinator under the overall management of the Protection Project Manager and with technical support from the country level Protection Specialist.
We are recruiting for a Protection Officer based in Mykolaiv with reach to Southern region Oblasts as required. The focus of this position will be to deliver Individual Protection Assistance (IPA) with a client-centred approach, to vulnerable people who have been affected by conflict in the country, and ensure the appropriate and effective referral of individuals with identified protection needs and risks. This will involve the assessment of cases, including in person, as well as liaison with stakeholders, including relevant NGOs and national institutions, and NRC implementing protection partners. The individual is also expected to carry out activities related to protection mainstreaming in collective sites, and support with the provision of protection training and capacity building.

Generic responsibilities
1. Ensure compliance with NRC policies, guidelines and standards
2. Ensure compliance with Protection strategy, tools, handbooks, guidelines and standards
3. Technical responsibility for implementation of Protection activities within the Southern region of Ukraine
4. Tracking of financial expenditures and maintenance of accurate project documentation with compliance with sensitive data handling principles, for Protection activities.
5. Prepare and develop status reports as required by management, including timely reporting on programmatic and contextual issues
6. Provision of technical support and capacity building towards project staff
7. Assess, promote and document ideas for technical improvement and further program development options

8. Ensure that projects target beneficiaries most in need, and explore and asses new and better ways to assist
9. Promote the rights of IDPs/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy
10. Support with monitoring, documentation, and technical support for implementation of project activities done by implementing partners as required

 

Specific responsibilities
1. Provide Individual Protection Assistance (including in-kind support, cash assistance, accompaniment) to persons at risk of or exposed to protection risks
2. Conduct safe referrals internally and to external specialized service providers, working with Protection Coordinator to ensure service mappings and referral pathways are up to date and utilized
3. Conduct trauma informed needs and risk assessment of individuals
4. Provide psychological first aid to individuals in need of psychological support
5. Ensure regular collection, analysis and internal dissemination of protection information
6. Ensure proper data protection of sensitive information at field level, development and maintenance of databases, filing of documents, etc. All data collection, information/data storage, and sharing of all information must be done in compliance with existing data protection protocols and standards of confidentiality.
7. Support field data collection to inform relevant internal and externally-commissioned protection assessments, risk analyses, and needs assessments
8. Support the enabling of a protective environment in collective sites through protection mainstreaming activities, and protection training provision to relevant staff teams.
9. Represent NRC at external meetings as delegated by the protection coordinator, including bilateral meetings with partners and local authorities.

 

Critical interfaces
By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Project implementation: Protection Project Coordinator, Project Manager, Protection Specialist, Support departments, other NRC programme teams, M&E Officers/Coordinators
• Area operations: Area Programme Managers, Area Support Coordinators/Officers (field office coordinators/officers)
• Staff capacity building: Protection Coordinator, Protection Specialist, Project Manager, HR Development Officer, other NRC programme teams

Scale and scope of position

Staff:                             N/A

Stakeholders:                INGOs, local NGOs, governmental and regional authorities, UN agencies, Protection cluster, Collective Site Managers and community governance structures.

Budgets:                       N/A

Information:                 Office 365, Agresso, Intranet

Legal or compliance:   NRC’s internal policies and guidelines, Donors’ guidelines, Agreements with vendors

 

3. Competencies

1. Professional competencies
Generic professional competencies:

• Minimum 1 or 2 years of professional experience preferably including experience within the humanitarian sector
• Previous experience working with vulnerable populations
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Good reporting skills with working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
• Working knowledge of English, both written and verbal preferable

Context/ Specific skills, knowledge and experience:

• Previous experience working in Protection or Protection-related projects in the humanitarian or NGO sector, or previous experience or training in social work.
• Knowledge of protection principles and global protection best practices preferrable
• Awareness of national social support systems within Ukraine preferrable
• Deep knowledge and understanding of the local context, including socio-cultural, political, security and humanitarian situation
• A commitment to provision of protection assistance according to global and local best practices.
• Flexibility and creativity in addressing protection risks and needs

2. Behavioral competencies

• Planning and delivering results
• Empowering and building trust
• Communicating with impact and respect
• Handling insecure environment
• Working with people