Protection Coordinator

Education / Qualifications

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

CONTEXT

Following recurrent outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and the persistent humanitarian crisis affecting eastern DRC, IRC is implementing a multisectoral emergency response in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. The response integrates Health, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), WASHRisk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), and integrated Protection, including Child Protection, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Cash for Protection and Community-Based Protection. The Integrated Emergency Protection Coordinator will provide strategic, technical and operational leadership for all protection interventions implemented under the emergency response, ensuring that protection risks are identified, mitigated and addressed through high-quality, safe, accountable and survivor-centered programming.

JOB PURPOSE

The Integrated Emergency Protection Coordinator leads the design, implementation, monitoring and quality assurance of IRC’s integrated protection response within the Ebola emergency framework in Ituri and North Kivu.

Candidate profile

The position ensures strategic coordination across Child Protection, GBV, MHPSS, Protection Monitoring, Community-Based Protection and Protection Mainstreaming, while ensuring alignment with humanitarian principles, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures and donor requirements. The coordinator provides overall supervision to protection teams, contributes to emergency preparedness and response planning, oversees budgets and grants, supports resource mobilization efforts and represents IRC in relevant coordination platforms.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• 1. Strategic Leadership and Program Quality Provide overall leadership for integrated protection programming. Ensure effective integration of GBV, Child Protection, MHPSS, Cash for Protection and Community-Based Protection interventions. Lead protection risk analysis and identity protection priorities in outbreak-affected communities. Ensure all protection activities complement with humanitarian standards, IASC guidelines and IRC technical standards. Ensure all interventions systematically integrate Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures. Lead contextual and protection trend analysis and adapt response strategies accordingly. Ensure protection programming remains conflict-sensitive and follows the Do No Harm principle.
• 2. Program Management and Technical Oversight

Location

Oversee implementation of emergency protection activities in all operational locations. Develop annual, quarterly and monthly work plans. Supervision quality implementation through regular field visits. Ensure case management services meet applicable global standards. Monitor service quality, referrals, confidentiality and safeguarding compliance. Ensure quality data collection and analysis for decision-making. Lead adaptive management processes responding to epidemiological and protection trends.

• 3. Team Management and Capacity Building Directly oversees Senior Protection Officers, Protection Managers and technical focal points. Establish performance objectives and regular supervision mechanisms. Conduct individual performance reviews. Facilitate weekly technical supervision meetings. Development staff capacity-building plans. Promote staff wellbeing and Staff Care initiatives. Strengthen emergency surge team manageess and deployment capacity.

Job overview

• 4. Coordination and Representation Represent IRC in the Protection Cluster, Child Protection Working Group, GBV Working Group, MHPSS Working Group, Ebola Response Coordination Structures, and meetings with provincial and health authorities. Strongthen collaboration with Health, RCCE, WASH and IPC actors. Support harmonization of protection approaches across response partners. Lead protection advocacy initiatives based on evidence and field findings.
• 5. Grants, Budget Management and Reporting Lead protection grants implementation and budget monitoring. Conduct monthly Budget versus Actual (BvA) reviews. Ensure expense rates remain aligned with implementation plans. Support proposal development and emergency resource mobilization initiatives. Contribute technical content for donor reports. Prepare high-quality monthly, quarterly and final reports.
• 6. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Ensure quality monitoring systems are functional. Track protection indicators and project targets. Ensure accountability mechanisms are accessible and operational. Promote customer feedback and participation. Use monitoring results to improve programming quality.
• 7. Safeguarding, Risk Management and Compliance Ensure compliance with IRC safety standards. Strongthen safe programming approaches. Ensure confidential handling of protection information. Monitor security, operational and programmatic risks. Implementation mitigation plans for identified risks. Ensure compliance with donor and IRC requirements.

KEY DELIVERABLES

Protection strategy and implementation plan. Monthly protection trend analyses. Quality assurance reports from field monitoring visits.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Human Rights, Psychology, Social Work, Public Health, International Development, Humanitarian Affairs or a related field.

Experience

Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in humanitarian protection programming. Minimum 3 years in a senior coordination or management role. Demonstrated experience managing GBV, Child Protection and MHPSS programs. Previous experience in emergency response and outbreak settings is highly desirable. Experience managing multi-donor grants and large teams. Experience working within humanitarian coordination mechanisms.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCES

Strong knowledge of GBV programming. Child Protection programming. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS). Case Management. Community-Based Protection. Cash for Protection. Strong understanding of Ebola Virus Disease response. Infection Prevention and Control (IPC). Humanitarian principles. Sphere Standards. IASC Protection Policy. GBVIMS and CPIMS+.

LANGUAGES

English: Fluent (mandatory). English: Professional working proficiency (mandatory). Swahili: Highly desirable.

PROPOSED SUPERVISION

Senior Emergency GBV Officer. Senior Emergency Protection Officer – Information Management. Integrated Protection Managers – Ituri & North Kivu. The position will also maintain a dotted-line technical coordination relationship with the Health, RCCE, IPC and WASH emergency leads to ensure full multisectoral integration of the EVD response and smooth collaboration with Country Program counterparts. French Version:

BACKGROUND

Following the recurrence of Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks and in a context of persistent humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC, IRC is implementing a multisectoral emergency response in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. This response integrates Health, Infection Prevention and Control (ICP), EHA/WASH, the Communication on Risks and Community Commitment (CREC/RCCE), as well as Integrated Protection, including Child Protection, Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MSSPS/MHPSS), Cash for Community-based Protection and Protection. The Coordinator

• Integrated Protection in Emergencies will provide strategic, technical and operational leadership for all protection interventions implemented as part of the emergency response. He/she will ensure that protection risks are identified, mitigated and addressed through quality, safe, accountable and survivor-centred programmes.
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JOB PURPOSE

The Coordinator

• The Integrated Protection in Emergencies program leads the design, implementation, monitoring and quality assurance of IRC’s integrated protection response as part of the Ebola emergency response. Ituri and in North Kivu. The position provides strategic coordination between Child Protection, GBVs, SMSPS/MHPSS, protection monitoring, community-based Protection and cross-cutting protection integration, while ensuring alignment with humanitarian principles, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures as well as donor requirements. The Coordinator
• rice provides overall oversight of protection teams, contributes to the preparation and planning of emergency responses, oversees budgets and grants, supports resource mobilization efforts, and represents IRC within relevant coordination mechanisms.

Responsibilities

• 1. Strategic Leadership and Program Quality Provide overall leadership for integrated protection programming. Ensure effective integration of VBG, Child Protection, SMSPS/MHPSS, Cash for Community-Based Protection and Protection interventions. Lead protection risk analysis and identify protection priorities in communities affected by the outbreak. Ensure that all protection activities comply with humanitarian standards, IASC guidelines and IRC technical standards. Ensure the systematic integration of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures in all interventions. Lead contextual analyses and protection trends and adapt intervention strategies accordingly. Ensure that protection programmes remain sensitive to conflict and respect the "Do No Harm" principle.
• 2. Programme management and technical supervision Oversee the implementation of emergency protection activities in all operational areas. Develop annual, quarterly and monthly work plans. Oversee the quality of implementation through regular field visits. Ensure that case management services meet applicable international standards. Monitor the quality of services, referencing mechanisms, confidentiality and compliance with backup standards. Ensure quality data collection and analysis to support decision making. Lead adaptive management processes to adjust interventions to epidemiological developments and protection trends.
• 3. Team management and capacity building Directly supervise Senior Protection Officers, Protection Managers and technical focal points. Define performance objectives and set up regular oversight mechanisms. Conduct individual performance evaluations. Facilitate weekly technical supervision meetings. Develop plans for staff capacity building. Promote staff well-being and team support initiatives (Staff Care). Strengthen the preparedness and deployment capabilities of emergency/surge teams.
• 4. Coordination and representation Represent IRC at the Child Protection Cluster, Child Protection Working Group, VBG Working Group, SMSPS/MHPSS Working Group, Ebola response coordination structures and meetings with provincial and health authorities. Strengthen collaboration with health actors, CRCC/RCCE, WASH/EHA and PCI. Support the harmonization of protection approaches between different response partners. Lead protection advocacy initiatives based on evidence and findings from the field.
• 5. Grant management, budgeting and reporting Lead the implementation of protection grants and monitor budgets. Perform monthly Budget versus Actual (BvA) reviews. Ensure that the level of spending remains aligned with implementation plans. Support the development of proposals and resource mobilization initiatives for emergency responses. Contribute to the technical content of reports for donors. Prepare high quality monthly, quarterly and final reports.
• 6. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Ensure the proper functioning of quality monitoring systems. Monitor protection indicators and project targets. Ensure accountability mechanisms are accessible and operational. Promote feedback and customer participation. Use monitoring results to improve the quality of programs.
• 7. Backup, risk management and compliance Ensure compliance with IRC backup standards. Strengthen safe programming approaches. Guarantee the confidential treatment of information relating to protection. Monitor security, operational and programmatic risks. Implement identified risk mitigation plans. Ensure compliance with donor and IRC requirements.

KEY DELIVERABLES

Protection strategy and implementation plan. Monthly analyses of protection trends. Quality assurance reports from field monitoring visits.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education Master in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Human Rights, Psychology, Social Work, Public Health, International Development, Humanitarian Affairs or a related field. Professional experience Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in humanitarian protection programming. Minimum of 3 years of experience in a senior coordination or management position. Demonstrated experience in managing VBG, Child Protection and SMSPS/MHPSS programs. Prior experience in emergency responses and epidemic contexts is strongly desired. Experience in managing multi-donor funded grants as well as managing large teams. Experience working in humanitarian coordination mechanisms.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Strong knowledge in the following areas VBG programming. Protection of childhood. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MSSPS/MHPSS). Case management. Community-based protection. Cash for Protection. Good command of the following areas Response to Ebola virus disease. Prevention and Control of Infections (PCI). Humanitarian principles. Sphere standards. The IASC Protection Policy.

GBVIMS AND CPIMS+.

LANGUAGES

French: current, compulsory. English: professional level, compulsory. Swahili: strongly desired.

PROPOSED SUPERVISION

Senior Emergency GBV Officer. Senior Emergency Protection Officer – Information Management. Integrated Protection Managers – Ituri & North Kivu. The position also maintains a functional relationship of technical coordination with the Health, CREC/RCCE, PCI and WASH, to ensure full multi-sectoral integration of the EVD response and seamless collaboration with country programme counterparts. Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures

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