Protection Officer

Job Description

Background of Country and Emergency Response:

Months of escalating Russian hostility towards Ukraine have culminated in a concerted invasion of the country and the launch of military attacks across multiple cities in Ukraine, with a view to destabilize the country and provoke a change in government. Fleeing insecurity, Ukrainians are travelling west, with Poland establishing 8 reception centers along its border with Ukraine, for an estimated 1 million arrivals.

Between February 7-23, 2022, an IRC team undertook a scoping mission covering Poland and Ukraine to better understand the context, humanitarian and civil society landscape, and anticipated service gaps in the event of an escalation of conflict in Ukraine and consequent displacement into neighboring Poland. As of February 24th, the IRC has pivoted to an emergency response, and have identified partner agencies in Poland and Ukraine to facilitate immediate assistance that can be used where it is the most needed. Simultaneously, IRC/partners will launch a rapid needs assessment to better understand the humanitarian needs in both Poland and Ukraine and how IRC can complement partner response services either in breadth or scale.

This position will be based in Warsaw, with occasional travel to Rzeszow, Lublin and other locations as necessary. As this is a fluid and rapidly changing context, the location of this position and length of assignment may change based on the needs of the program.

The Protection Officer will support the Protection Coordinator in activities relevant to protection programming.

Major Responsibilities:

The scope of work includes but is not limited to the following:

- Support the Protection Coordinator in the design and facilitation of rapid needs assessment (directly or in partnership), including individual surveys, focus group discussions, safety audits, etc. - Under guidance of Protection Coordinator, provide technical support to designated partners on key protection standards and approaches, including protection mainstreaming principles, GBV/CP/Protection core concepts, safe referrals, basic MHPSS skills, safeguarding, etc. Technical assistance may be delivered in the form of sharing of technical resources, remote support calls, partner visits, or trainings. - Identify technical language resources (in Ukrainian, Polish, Russian), screen for quality/consistency with comparable IRC approaches and global protection standards, and compile in technical resource library - Support the Protection Coordinator in engagement with various interagency coordination forum and identification of strategic partnerships aligned with IRC approach - Conduct regular context monitoring/protection analysis from local sources - Provide translation and interpretation (verbal and written) support to program team

Job Requirements****:

· **Education****: Bachelors degree in social sciences (i.e. sociology, psychology, gender studies, law, human rights, etc.) or equivalent work experience

**Work Experience****:

· At least 2 years of experience in working in the social sector, particularly working with refugee groups.

· Experience working in humanitarian responses targeting vulnerable individuals a strong advantage.

**Demonstrated Skills and Competencies****:

· Excellent communication and analytical skills and ability to present ideas effectively, in both oral and written form.

· Ability to communicate sensitively and without judgment; good diplomatic and persuasion skills.

· Good interpersonal skills including ability to gain trust and build relationships.

· Ability to handle multiple tasks; proven self-initiative and problem solving abilities.

· Be able to work in a stressful setting and adapt quickly to changing environments.

Language Skills: Fluency in English and Polish languages required, Ukrainian strongly preferred.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Qualifications

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