Title: Protection Specialist (Access to Justice and Community Based Protection)

Location: Addis Ababa

Employment Category: G2

Salary: As per organization Salary Scale

Reporting To: Protection Manager

Contract Duration: Twelve Months (12)

Posting date: December 16, 2024

Required Employee: 1

INTRODUCTION

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. DRC promotes and supports solutions to the problems faced by refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and migrants. The organization has offices across the region and has been operational in Ethiopia since 2009. With funding from bilateral and multilateral donors, DRC is currently implementing a range of activities across Ethiopia, including WASH and shelter provision, child and youth protection, gender-based violence response, awareness-raising of migration risks, protection monitoring of migration routes, and livelihoods support for returning migrants or those at-risk of migration.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

The Protection Specialist (Access to Justice and Community-Based Protection) will support DRC’s Protection Manager in leading and advancing DRC’s protection programming in Ethiopia. This role will provide specialized technical leadership on Access to Justice and Community-Based Protection initiatives, ensuring that programming is rights-based, participatory, and aligned with internal and international standards. The Protection Specialist will also oversee the development and implementation of legal aid and community-based protection activities across multiple field offices, providing consistent technical guidance to ensure high-quality outcomes. S/He will also support field teams in integrating community-led solutions and enhancing access to justice for vulnerable populations, particularly displaced and conflict-affected communities.

Responsibilities and tasks

Technical Oversight and Management of Protection Programming

• Ensure that DRC’s legal protection and CBP interventions are in accordance with international best practices and minimum standards;
• Provide technical oversight of community-based protection activities, including support in developing training manuals, community-based protection SoP, and community action plans.
• Conduct regular technical reviews of Access to Justice and Community-Based Protection programming to ensure alignment with international protection standards
• Technically lead the development of concept notes and proposals for legal aid and CBP according to request.
• Deliver targeted training and mentoring to field teams on legal aid and community-based protection principles and practices.
• Support field protection managers on access to justice and community-based protection team recruitment and induction, and provide technical supervision and mentoring, as well as support line manager in performance monitoring
• Conduct legal needs assessments and legal analysis to inform program design and strategic direction on evidence-based and contextualized
• Develop, adapt and oversee the roll-out and application of quality measures for DRC’s legal protection activities in line with SPHERE standards, the Inter-Agency Minimum Standards for Child Protection, guidelines defined in national coordination forums, and similar;
• Act as a focal person for legal cases referred to the CO; provide information and referral and follow up to UNHCR and other relevant stakeholders
• Lead the engagement with human rights mechanisms initiative in collaboration with the CO Protection Manager
• Support field teams in conducting participatory assessments and community mapping to understand protection concerns and design context-specific responses.
• Document lessons learned and best practices to inform program adaptation and development
• Strengthen partnerships with relevant stakeholders, such as bar associations, legal aid providers, and government entities, to enhance justice pathways.
• Provide technical capacity development support to DRC legal aid and CBP partners, including through training, on-the-job mentoring and joint monitoring

Coordination and Representation

• Represent DRC in Access to Justice and HLP working groups, and coordination platforms as agreed with the Protection Manager;
• Ensure internal coordination and harmonization of DRC legal protection/community-based-related activities with DRC’s Ethiopia and regional protection programs;
• Promote improved understanding of legal protection issues among all relevant stakeholders and ensure the observance of international protection and humanitarian law standards.
• Creating a network among legal aid providers in Ethiopia to enhance legal aid services to refugees, IDPs, and returnees.
• Advocate for policy changes at national and local levels to improve justice and protection mechanisms

Monitoring, Reporting, and Development

• Support the Protection manager and Head of Programs on protection-related proposals as relevant.
• Develop protection-focused program monitoring tools as relevant and upon request;
• Undertake quality control and site monitoring of DRC’s and partners’ programming to ensure that services provided are according to international best practice standards;
• Conduct program monitoring as per expected outputs and outcomes;
• Ensure that the design and implementation of protection activities address protection needs of refugees, IDPs, and other vulnerable populations within DRC’s mandate, and contribute to the relevant durable solutions;
• Ensure that quality assurance systems are developed and applied, with particular reference to the Core Humanitarian Standard and Age, Gender and Disability throughout the program;
• Explore new business and partnerships and work closely with the Protection manager and the other relevant staff to develop quality proposals, concept notes, and budgets;

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master

DRC’s 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 act in line with our vision and values.

Experience and technical competencies: (include years of experience)

• Minimum of 3 to 5 years’ work experience within the field of law and protection, particularly within the field of migrant/IDP/refugee protection;
• At least 3 years of experience working with international NGO’s, UN agencies, relevant ministries and/or local authorities in IDP/migrants/refugee settings in complex emergencies;
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with and supporting national and local authorities as well as humanitarian coordination forums;
• Excellent analytical skills
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently unsupervised;
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and adapt in a complex and challenging environment;
• Experience with capacity building, and in convening and facilitating trainings and workshops;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective and working relations with staff members and other stakeholders;

EDUCATION: (include certificates, licenses, etc.)

• Minimum a university or graduate degree in law.

LANGUAGE: (indicate fluency level)

• Excellent verbal and written proficiency in English.

How to Apply

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updated CV and cover letter explaining their motivation and why they are suited for the post.

We only accept applications sent via our online-application form on https://candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationForm/SinglePageApplicationForm.aspx?cid=1036&departmentId=19012&ProjectId=172784 under Vacancies.

Please forward the application and CV, in English through the stated website no later than December 29, 2024.

For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.ngo

Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In light of this, women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gender gap.

Equal Opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status or other protected characteristics

We encourage only qualified nationals to apply. DRC considers all applicants based on merit.

Female Applicants are highly encouraged!