Protection Monitoring Officer

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency with a mandate to promote and protect durable solutions to conflict and displacement-affected populations based on humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC is implementing a multi-sector response to support Ukraine refugees, IDPs, and host populations both within Ukraine and the neighboring countries of Poland, Romania and Moldova, and wider Europe. Due to the ongoing conflict that began in February 2022, DRC opened offices in Poland, Moldova, and Romania to provide support to the displaced population in partnership with civil society organizations and national NGOs, duty bearers, and other actors. DRC continues to implement in these three countries through partnerships, technical assistance and capacity exchange, and direct implementation in some cases.

DRC Poland is looking for qualified and enthusiastic professionals to be part of the mobile protection monitoring team in several locations in Poland – Warsaw, Lublin, Wroclaw, and Gdynia. Under the supervision of the Protection Team Leader, and in close collaboration with the protection monitoring team, the Protection Monitoring Officers will be field-based, roving within the voivodship, will develop and maintain good relations with the persons of concern, and will support the implementation of DRC’s protection objectives and activities to provide timely and effective protection to persons of concern under DRC projects in the open accommodation sites.

About the Job

The Protection Monitoring Officers will be expected to conduct extensive travel within the voivodship most days of the week using a combination of DRC contracted means and public transportation. This role will have a base focus and will ensure compliance with DRC procedures and guidelines at the base level. The role will also contribute to the development of base strategies, which will be translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks.

• Participate in the implementation of general protection activities in accordance with agreed objectives.
• Continuously monitor and document the needs of the persons of concern through:
  • Identification of key sites where monitoring should be conducted.
  • Engagement of community representatives as key informants, and focus group discussion participants.
  • Collecting data directly and supporting protection monitors in data collection using standardized tools provided by DRC collect data (key informant interviews, focus group discussions, site observations).
• Liaise with local authorities, service providers, and humanitarian actors to support the mapping of services and the development of effective referral pathways.
• Identify and document the needs at the individual/household level.
• Support referrals to existing services or processing of Individual Protection Assistance as per DRC guidelines.
• Provide appropriate and relevant information to refugees and migrants regarding their rights and the services available to them.
• Provide support in designing and implementing awareness-raising sessions and information campaigns for persons of concern.
• Ensure that DRCs protection activities are flexible and responsive by participating in (joint) assessments, identifying protection concerns and reporting for follow-up.
• Continuously monitor the provision of services on the site and report on findings, to ensure Protection considerations are mainstreamed across all sectors.
• Contribute to the review of DRC protection programmatic approaches.
• Encourage, support, and monitor community-based protection networks in the locations where DRC operates and strengthen community-based protection methods.
• Draft protection monitoring reports and provide input in designing protection monitoring tools and formats.
• Document case studies, best practices, and lessons learned from each of the activities implemented.
• Represent DRC in Protection meetings as required.

About You

To be successful in this role we expect you to have a minimum of 2 years of proven experience working with refugees and IDPs or other vulnerable groups with NGOs or social services. Moreover, we also expect the following:

• Higher education in related fields (social sciences, law, psychology, international relations, etc.).
• Experience in working with children will be considered an asset.
• Understanding of key protection and child protection concepts.
• Excellent communication skills, as well as respect, patience, and politeness.
• Very good computer/mobile device skills.
• Fluency in Ukrainian and/or Russian and/or Polish
• Good command of English. Additional languages will be considered an asset.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five 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 DRC’s vision and values.

We Offer

Contract Type: National Contract

Contract length: November 2022 – April 2023, with the possibility of extension depending on the availability of funding.

Band: Non-Management, G

Positions: 20

Duty base: Warsaw, Lublin, Wroclaw, Gdynia with extensive travel.

Start date: ASAP

We offer a competitive salary and benefits in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for National Staff.