Protection Manager

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 650 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 Manager for its Protection activities in Chernihiv / Sumy Oblast.

About the job

The Protection Manager will be based in Chernihiv or Sumy and will be responsible for managing protection activities in the oblast. This position will report to the Area/Base Manager with technical supervision from the DRC Country Protection Coordinator.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Project Management and implementation – protection activities.
• Coordinate, plan, and monitor all protection-related project activities, including protection monitoring, individual protection assistance, information dissemination, community-based protection, psychosocial support, GBV prevention and response activities, and legal aid.
• Liaise and coordinate permanently with DRC’s partner organizations, if present, UNHCR, and other protection humanitarian actors in the intervention area.
• Ensure the highest quality of sectoral interventions and coherence between all projects, ongoing and proposed, according to the overall strategy.
• Take leadership of the programs in terms of high quality and timely deliveries, narrative reporting, financial overviews, close cooperation with donors, Government counterparts, and coordination mechanisms on-site and in synergy with other DRC interventions in the area.
• Formalize and develop project-related operational tools and training modules.
• Provide inputs for monthly, quarterly, and annual donor reports.
• Monitor overall budget, financial management, and expenses control for program activities, including compliance with minimum DRC and donor requirements

Program development and strategy

• Representation of DRC and active participation in sectoral and relevant subsectors/working groups.
• Oversee knowledge sharing across teams and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programs.
• Drive the development and growth of relevant programs within the DRC program objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development

Accountability and reporting

• Guided by the DRC Programme Handbook, continuously monitor and develop relevant accountability initiatives within relevant project program as well as strengthening the effort to document the impact of activities.
• Ensure compliance with internal and external reporting requirements including procurement.

People Management.

• Recruit and line manage protection project staff;
• Provide regular constructive feedback to direct reports, and support direct reports in performance management of their team members;
• Assess training and development needs within the Protection team, develop and implement capacity-building plans

Coordination:

• Ensure the coordination with relevant protection actors in the area of intervention.

To be successful in this role we expect you to have at least 5 years’ working experience in similar protection positions and at least 3 years of people management experience. Moreover we expect you to have the following:

• Proven experience in implementing protection programs in complex emergency contexts.
• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Human Rights, Political Science, Refugee Law, or any other relevant field.
• Experience in carrying out humanitarian interventions through and in coordination with implementing partner organizations is an asset.
• Vast experience with protection monitoring including protection analysis and reports.
• Proficiency in English is compulsory.
• Fluency in Ukrainian or Russian is an asset.
• Excellent writing and editing skills for external audiences (including governments and donors).
• Experience in producing high-quality technical material (training material, program tools, proposals, strategic documents, etc.).
• Experience in working with Monitoring, Evaluation and learning in protection programs.
• Excellent reporting and protection analysis skills.

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master DRC’s core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: Focusing on reaching results while ensuring efficient processes.
• Collaborating: Involving relevant parties and encouraging feedback.
• Taking the lead: Taking ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: Listening and speaking effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: Acting in line with DRC’s vision and values.

We offer:
Contract duration: 12 months with 3 months of probation period

Band: F management level 2

Designation of Duty Station: to be determined – Chernihiv or Sumy

Start date: ASAP

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates or National staff.