JOB PURPOSE:
The Protection Coordinator role is primarily focused on leading an Oxfam team in direct implementation of protection activities and working with national organisations and authorities carrying out protection activities for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Ukraine. The role will maintain a protection analysis of the situation which will help inform partner activities, and both partner and Oxfam advocacy and influencing work. The Protection Coordinator will identify, monitor and analyse the protection situation in coordination with counterparts in other refugee receiving countries and lead referrals to help individuals and families access protection services. A core component of the role is to provide technical leadership in developing and applying communitybased protection approach in helping people access information and protection services and creating platforms for them to voice their protection concerns. The postholder shall also work with local acters and provide them technical support in line with Oxfam’s feminist approach and goal of transformative partnerships. All team members will be expected to foster an appropriate working culture built on Oxfam’s values, respectful and cognizant of power imbalances internally and between Oxfam, our partners and the communities we serve and in line with Oxfam’s partnership principles. All Oxfam staff are expected to promote and use a safe-programming approach in all humanitarian responses, to be accountable for ensuring community participation shapes programme decisions, and actively seek a partnership approach and worked following feminist principles including strong awareness of power dynamics.
In March 2022, Oxfam launched its response to the influx of refugees and other people forced to flee from Ukraine in Romania, Moldova and Poland. A Programme Management Unit (PMU) has been established to provide leadership, oversee, support and provide technical assistance to the response in the affected countries. The PMU will be led by an Operational Lead and includes dedicated advocacy and influencing capacity; business support functions, and a programme quality team with technical support on gender in emergencies, protection, cash and voucher programming, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL), and safeguarding. Oxfam shall be working inside Ukraine to support the protection of internally-displaced persons (IDPs) and communities hosting them.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Project Management
Support the Programme Manager in
• Developing the protection element of the response strategy and design appropriate interventions and approaches to protection in conjunction with partner organisations
• Participating in field assessments in order to include protection issues, and/or carrying outspecific protection assessments;
• Supporting the integration of specific protection activities into a humanitarian response (e.g. into advocacy, policy papers, coordination, information dissemination) including establishing internal referral processes
• Managing protection activities/projects where relevant (noting that the response will be a combination of activities led by partners, and certain activities directly implemented by Oxfam)
• Ensure programmes are safe, are sensitive to gender and other power dynamics and ensure that they are informed by the community to benefit from the work.
• Building the capacity of Oxfam and partner staff (and potentially authorities) on community-based protection, and specific issues such as gender-based violence and durable solutions to displacement e.g. through mentoring, coaching, training.
Support protection partner organisations in
• Carrying out technical capacity assessments on protection and identify capacity-building and
technical support requirements and how they can be fulfilled
• (where required) Supporting the management of their protection projects/programmes, including developing programme plans and budgets, recruiting and managing staff, managing funding and donor requirements, monitoring and adapting programmes and reporting
• Scenario planning and preparedness including innovation means to build surge capacity
• Delivering high quality protection responses in line with global standards including ICRC Professional Standards for Protection
• Coordinating with international refugee response forums and networks
Analysis and Problem Solving
• Promote collaborative working relationships with key internal stakeholders
• Promote integrated, gender aware protection responses which demonstrate accountability to beneficiaries and are consistent with Oxfam policies and international quality standards
• Support the protection response by carrying out or contributing to learning processes, studies or research as required including supporting programme policy development ensuring that partner organisations are fully involved in leadership of such work
• Ensure all protection work includes a strong gender analysis and works to promote women’s rights and gender equity as appropriate
• To track humanitarian information, learning and knowledge developed in responses, research and global fora and ensure these are actively shared within Oxfam teams and with partners
• Working with the Ukraine refugee response Policy Lead to provide protection information for international advocacy and campaigning and in joint information gathering processes (e.g. surveys)
• Ensure protection programmes are safe, are sensitive to gender and other power dynamics and ensure that they are informed by the community to benefit from the work.
Impact
• Facilitate and support access of partners to global humanitarian bodies, processes and debates, including global partnerships, in coordination meetings and working groups (Protection Cluster or Working Group, Refugee Co-ordination Group), and to donors, UN agencies, government officials, ICRC, national civil society and NGOs;
• Provide guidance to partners on technical elements of protection programming and programme policy relating to protection issues incl. cash and vouchers in protection programming, community-based protection, protection advocacy
• Provide, or facilitate access to, technical support to partners on generic humanitarian standards, requirements, approaches and tools such as safeguarding, safe programming, data rights and ethical use of digital tools, working safely and ethically with volunteers etc. as required
• Facilitate access of protection partners to Oxfam’s protection peer groups of Oxfam and partner protection staff and their active participation in the network
• Documenting and sharing good practices and innovations on protection work.
• Foster an appropriate working culture built on Oxfam’s values. (for all) respectful and cognizant of power imbalances internally and between Oxfam, our partners and the communities we serve.
Other
• Eager and required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women’s rights.
• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles.
• Motivation for and a ‘hands-on approach’ to setting up programmes with the ability to take the initiative and to address challenges as they arise.
Experience, Knowledge & Competencies
Essential
• Knowledge of and demonstrated commitment to Oxfam’s values, mission and work including feminist approach to humanitarian responses, and Oxfam’s partnership principles
• Emergency response experience working in situations of displacement including in insecure and unpredictable environments
• Excellent technical knowledge and understanding of protection including issues relating to displacement, prevention and response to human trafficking and gender-based violence, legal protection
• Understanding of community-based approaches, protection services and referral mechanisms
• Experience working with and in support of national organisations, including community groups, local and national NGOs and federations, networks and platforms
• Enhanced and demonstrable collaboration and networking skills
• Excellent understanding of gender in conflict and disasters including the ability to analyse gender issues in a protection context and incorporate gender into all key responsibilities.
• Technical knowledge and understanding of protection including relevant international standards (e.g. International Humanitarian Law, Refugee Law)
• Understanding of advocacy, policy, campaigning and influencing for protection
• Demonstrable project management experience
• A proven capacity for mentoring, facilitation, training, capacity building and coaching;
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Certified Hostile Environment Awareness Training (taken within the past three years)
Key Attributes:
• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible
Minimum requirements all staff are expected to fulfil:
• Demonstrate Oxfam values and behavioural competencies.
• Behavioural skills; to be able to successfully work with and mentor others often under challenging circumstances and to demonstrate competencies around “listening and creating dialogue” and
“working with others” as well as networking skills. Desirable
• Understanding of Oxfam’s approach to protection
• Expertise in conflict sensitivity and social cohesion
• An advantage if the candidate is able to communicate effectively in relevant languages including Ukrainian, Polish or Romanian
Closing Date: 7 September 2022
