Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency with a mandate to protect, advocate and promote durable solutions for displacement affected populations.

DRC has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, currently DRC employs over 700 staff in Ukraine and will continue significant scale-up in 2024 to implement emergency response in the Protection, Livelihoods, Shelter/NFIs and Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (humanitarian mine action) sectors, using direct interventions, support to duty bearers and civil society organizations (CSOs), and partnerships with CSOs. DRC will continue and adapt its durable solutions portfolio to the evolving context.

DRC is currently looking for a Protection Officer (Case Management) for its activities in Kharkiv.

This position will report to the Protection Team Leader.

Overall purpose of the role:

Under the management of the Protection Team Leader, the Protection Officer will implement protection case management activities with vulnerable individuals. Case management is a structured form of support focused supporting vulnerable individuals in need of assistance with emotional support and supporting them to access services and information. He/she will work closely with communities, civil society organisations (CSOs), and government services to identify vulnerable individuals in need of support, conduct service mapping, and share information about services available. S/he will be based in Kharkiv DRC office, with field activities in Kharkiv oblasts.

Your main responsibilities will be:

Under the supervision of the Protection Team Leader, the Protection Officer will:

• Provide case management services to vulnerable individuals, including completing assessments of the client’s needs, developing action plans, sharing information and referring them to other service providers, and carrying out follow up with the client.

• Safely refer clients to other service providers when needed, including health, legal, shelter services, and support clients to advocate for their needs with other services.

• Provide cash or in-kind assistance to vulnerable individuals to reduce their protection risks.

• Technically supervise the Protection Assistant and ensure the quality of the activities.

• Carry out service mapping to identify the available services in the community. Build and maintain relationships with relevant governmental and non-governmental service providers to support safe referrals.

• Carry out awareness raising sessions with stakeholders to share information about case management services being provided by DRC and other protection information topics.

• Provide Targeted Individual Assistance (i.e. conditional cash grants) to direct and indirect victims of EO/EW accidents contributing to the improvement of their socio-economic situation.

• Support the designing and delivery of Age, Gender, and Disability (AGD) Inclusion training as well as any other capacity building measures on VA to relevant target groups (e.g. children, pedagogical staff, authorities and others).

• Contribute to the development of information leaflets, brochures for awareness-raising activities, and ensure their distribution as instructed.

• Complete and ensure the safe storage of documents activities conducted, including referral forms and consent forms.

• Coordinate with other departments in DRC to facilitate referrals and information sharing.

• Ensure that accurate and timely reports are submitted to donors, and that program documentation is maintained and up to date.

• Contribute to and provide field-related inputs for proposals for funding for new projects.

• Provide regular reports to the Protection Team Leader and/or Protection Manager.

Any other duties as may be assigned by the Protection Team Leader and/or Protection Manager, relevant to the achievement of protection objectives.

About you

To be successful in this position, we expect you to have excellent communication skills and at least 2 years of experience working with vulnerable people and good English language skills.

Moreover we also expect the following:

• Comfortable in speaking about sensitive topics and working with people in distress.
• Familiarity with social work or case management or counselling etc. is preferred but not required.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with vulnerable individuals, staff members, and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience supervising staff is desirable.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and manage multiple responsibilities.
• Strong sense of personal integrity and understanding of confidentiality and ethics.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, Windows operating systems.
• Ukrainian language skills required.
• Required education: Completion of secondary school, or relevant level of experience required. University study preferred.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

• Contract length: Open-ended contract after initial 3 month probation period
• Duty Station: Kharkiv
• Band: H
• Start date: As soon as possible
• Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for national staff.

Application process

All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages).

Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: 02 September 2024

Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Recruitment will be conducted on a rolling basis, and a final candidate may be selected before the advertisement closes.

Candidates without a background working with vulnerable groups or in case management, but who have an interest in the area are encouraged to apply as on the job training will be provided.

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.