Protection Coordinator

Location: Lviv, Ukraine (60% travel to project locations in Eastern and Southern part of Ukraine) 
Reporting line manager: Protection Advisor
Duration: 12 months with possibility of extension   
Conditions: Employment contract, gross monthly salary starting from EUR 2,857. Annual leave of 28 days per fiscal year. 
Starting date: As Soon As Possible 

The Protection Coordinator will be responsible for the development and implementation of protection monitoring, Individual Protection Assistance, case management, referral, PSS, PFA, legal services, community-based protection programming, information dissemination, emergency protection assistance and protection mainstreaming in sector specific programming (WASH, Cash, NFI, food security, SRH, Women Voice and Leadership and livelihoods). The incumbent will be responsible for supporting partners to identify protection needs, developing the implementation plan, developing and delivering capacity the enhancement plan, establishing services in the targeted locations. The incumbent will oversee the quality of protection data and analysis and production of the reports. The incumbent will be responsible for coordination with key internal and external protection partners, protection clusters and technical working groups, local authorities and other key actors. The Protection Coordinator will work under the supervision of the Protection Advisor and in close collaboration with the area offices in Dnipro and Odessa and the Rapid Response Team to provide oversight of service provision, and mainstreaming, capacity building, proposal development (as required), and reporting. We are looking for a candidate that not only has experience in protection programming in hostile/complex areas, but also someone who is quick to learn, adapt and can show agility in a fast-moving context. We encourage candidates with experience in emergency set-up to apply, and particularly welcome applications from female candidates.  

CARE INTERNATIONAL 

CARE International (CI) is among the world’s largest international non-governmental humanitarian relief and development confederations. Drawing on more than 75 years of experience, through its 21 Members, as both a practitioner and thought leader, CI’s work reaches over 100 countries worldwide to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.

CARE’s vision is to seek a world of hope, inclusion, and social justice; where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CARE focuses heavily on women and girls, and the areas of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the centre of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty and social injustice until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We recognize that power relations between people and within systems and structures are unequal and that these are entrenched in our broader systems, structures, and institutions.

At the core of the CI Confederation is a globally distributed Secretariat, which provides coordination and support to its members in areas including governance, strategic planning, communications, membership development and accountability, advocacy, humanitarian response, and program development. In addition, the Secretariat represents the CI Confederation at the United Nations and the European Union, and with other external stakeholders.

Context in Ukraine 

On 24th February 2022, the invasion of Ukraine marked a significant escalation in the conflict that started in 2014. It continues to profoundly impact the lives of people across the country at various levels. The front line is continuously shifting and there are areas under Russian military control, as well as cities under siege. Attacks on military installations and critical civilian infrastructures are conducted in the whole territory of Ukraine, often resulting in collateral civilian casualties. The conflict has caused the largest population movement in Europe since World War II, with almost 5 million currently displaced within Ukraine and 6 million refugees across Europe. OCHA had counted 17.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.  

In line with the priority of international humanitarian response, CARE is trying to structure its programs to maximize the coverage of newly accessible areas in the East/South, but also to support the internally displaced population of Ukraine who have taken shelter away from the contact line.

CARE UKRAINE

As a new actor in Ukraine, CARE prioritizes a locally led response and is partnering primarily with Civil-Society Organizations (CSOs), National NGOs, local authorities, and INGOs with a longstanding presence in the country and access to hard-to-reach areas. CARE Ukraine deliberately and strategically prioritizes partnerships with local and national Women Led and Women Rights organizations (WLO’s/ WRO’s), further strengthening the Gender in Emergencies (GiE) principle and the Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) approach.

In the first few weeks after the escalation of the war, virtually all humanitarian aid inside Ukraine was organized and implemented by local actors. These groups (together with local authorities) remain the principal aid providers but are quickly being exhausted of funds, fuel, and physical energy. Thereby, a considerable proportion of CARE’s resources is dedicated to strengthening and supporting the capacities of local partners. 

As of May 2023, CARE Ukraine has established partnerships with more than 20 national organizations (incl. four WLO’s/WRO’s) and five international NGOs. From the more than 45 million that has been raised for Ukraine thus far, around 70% is allocated to local/national partners. Through the activities that have been implemented so far, CARE Ukraine has been able to reach 759 651 people, including IDPs and affected populations in hard-to-reach areas. CARE with its partners providing protection, GBV, Sexual Reproductive Health, WASH, Shelter and Multi-purpose Cash Assistance related support. 

CARE Ukraine head office is currently based in Lviv, but the organization also has area offices in Odessa, Dnipro, and Kyiv, and plans to open antenna offices in other cities in the East of the country to respond quickly to the situation there. 

Role Responsibilities:

Responsibility 1: implementation of protection programming 

• Conduct protection assessments to identify protection needs and maximize available information and opportunities for program development and coordination. 
• Support protection and WVLiE partners in implementation of safe and quality general protection services by providing technical guidance and support on protection monitoring, case management, IPA, referral, PSS, legal assistance, community-based protection program. 
• Ensure that all interventions are in compliance with CARE’s protection strategy, GiE framework, international law and protection standards and national policies. 
• Identifying appropriate locations and orientation for services, including community centres where specialized general protection services will be provided.
• Ensure that program is driven by women, girls and most vulnerable people and planned with community stakeholders. 
• Lead regular program monitoring and apply learning for continuous improvement of interventions. 
• Contribute to regular program reports, on time and with accurate data. 
• Organize regular coordination meetings with protection partners to identify the challenges, opportunities and needs related to general protection programming. 
• Liaise with sectors technical advisors such as SRH, GBV, GiE, WASH, WVLiE, Shelter and MEAL to better mainstream protection principles. 
• Liaise with WVLiE team for partner identification and promote women’s participation in information sharing mechanisms. 
• Coordinate with partners and Field Program Managers, Gender and Protection Officers and provide technical support on program implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all capacity building and protection activities.
• Contribute to concept notes/proposals/appeals, and other strategic documents as needed.
• Support the identification of local partners and Women led and Women Rights organizations to reinforce efforts in providing general protection programs.

Responsibility 2: Deliver Capacity Building initiatives. 

• Conduct capacity building assessments (professional/personal) of CARE and partner staff.
• Assist in developing capacity building plans to strengthen knowledge/understanding of protection concepts.
• Develop the capacity of staff on all protection case management, IPA, protection monitoring, protection assessment, PIM, PSS, PFA, referral pathways etc, via tailored engaging and participatory workshops/ trainings and provide on-going mentoring and coaching post trainings, ensuring program quality.
• Develop, update and contextualize tools, guidelines and supporting documents to provide technical support to CARE and partners. 
• Facilitate the development/roll out of all training curriculums and training materials.
• Coordinate and liaise with CARE partners to ensure quality implementation and output in relation to agreed objectives and provide trainings where necessary.
• Coordinate and liaise with referral pathway members to provide trainings on safe referrals and how to best support to the persons who have experienced or exposed to heightened risk of rights violation. 
• Support community centre staff in delivering/co-facilitating community trainings and community-based protection programming and response activities. 
• Develop and update protection program profiles and location documents on a quarterly basis.
• Submit weekly and monthly reports to supervisor, capturing all implemented activities and challenges, using the agreed tools, keeping organized and providing full documentation of all activities. 

Responsibility 3: Manage PIMS, providing support to Response Team on case management

• Manage the PIMS, ensuring timely and quality reporting and all data protection mechanisms are in place both at the field level and digitally. 
• Provide 1:1 support to Response Team including Case Workers in close coordination with implementing partners in accurately populating case management files. 
• Attend all PIMS and Case Management Task Force coordination meetings at national and sub-national levels. 

Responsibility 4: Coordination, Representation and Advocacy

• Support coordination efforts with other service providers to establish and strengthen referral pathways.
• Actively participate in protection cluster and specialized working group meetings.
• Support CARE’s visibility within the relevant coordination forums and working groups.
• Inform, mentor and build the capacity of cross-sector and specific sector program management on protection program integration strategies. 
• Support program goals and protection principles, standards, advocating as necessary with relevant leaders, authorities and humanitarian actors. 
• Act as focal point and support on all research requests/visits (internal/external).

Responsibility 5: mainstream protection in sector programming 

• Ensure the integration of protection issues in sectoral needs and assessment, analysis, planning and monitoring and response. 
• Support the development and dissemination of beneficiary selection and vulnerability criteria and guidance. 
• Develop tools and guidance to support CARE and partners to better mainstream protection in sector programming. 
• Conduct training, workshops, orientation and provide technical guidance and support in protection mainstreaming in sector programming. 
• Coordinate with sector team including MEAL team and conduct internal and external advocacy based on evidence to mainstream protection throughout project cycle. 

Reporting Lines/Line Management

The General Protection Coordinator reports to the CARE Ukraine Protection Advisor  

Key Internal Contacts

• GBV Coordinator 
• Gender in Emergencies Team
• Women Voice and Leadership in Emergencies (WVLiE) team 
• Sexual Reproductive Health team 
• Area Programme Managers and Project staff in designated area
• MEAL team 

Key External Contacts

• GBV Sub-Cluster and technical working groups 
• GBV actors 
• Local Authorities 

Essential Criteria required:

Qualifications, experience and technical skills 

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in social science, Psychology, Human Rights, International Humanitarian law, Social work and other related disciplines
• 3-5 years’ experience with a minimum of 3 years work experience of protection programming in emergency set-up (work experience in East and South part of Ukraine is high advantage)
• Excellent understanding of protection issues in emergency situations and strong knowledge of humanitarian principles, guidelines and laws
• Demonstrated experience in working in protection, clear understanding of gender, GBV, human rights, cash for protection/IPA, PSS programming and protection mainstreaming 
• Training/facilitation experience required
• Proven experience in case management, PSS, IPA, PIMS, protection monitoring, documentation and analysis of protection data 
• Excellent skills in designing, delivering/facilitating, tailored trainings to different stakeholders on protection, GBV and knowledge of training participatory tools and methods
• Excellent representational and interpersonal skills, must be confident to attend and facilitate internal/external meetings, representing protection issues 
• Positive and professional attitude, including ability to lead and work well in team setting 
• Strong ability to organise work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritise work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and competing priorities and maintain attention to detail 
• Excellent interpersonal and staff management skills, problem-solving skills, creativity and flexibility
• Excellent report writing skills
• Strong computer skills on MS word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Fluent communication skills in both verbal and written English and Ukrainian Russian high advantage.
• Experience working with local partners and women rights and women led organizations is an advantage

Core Competencies: 

• Commitment to and understanding of CARE core values and principles.
• Must adhere to and encourage PSHEA and CARE Code of Conduct and ensure timely reporting.
• Strong belief in and commitment to human rights and gender equality.
• Demonstrated competency to work independently with minimum supervision.
• Resilient, flexible and gender sensitive.
• Commitment and energy to work across multiple sectors and with a variety of actors.
• Ability to work effectively in a culturally diverse organization.
• Ability to communicate ideas in a culturally-sensitive manner.
• Ability and willingness to travel and stay in the field, regularly.
• Ability to manage conflict and reach and build consensus.
• Willingness to live and work in difficult and rapidly changing conditions.
• Constructive and pro-active communication with a wide variety of actors and stakeholders

Accountability: 

A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability: 

• Comply with CARE’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols.
• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area. 
• Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a CARE staff or partner.

Safeguarding:

Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with CARE as a result of CARE activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that CARE shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates. 

Gender equality:

CARE is committed to meeting the standards of the CARE International Gender Policy (2019). Through this policy, CARE seeks to promote the equal realization of dignity and human rights for girls, women, boys and men in all diversities, and the elimination of poverty and injustice. Specifically, this policy seeks to improve the explicit incorporation of gender in programmatic and organizational practices. 

How to Apply:

Please send your complete application package (CV, motivation letter) only in English to <[email protected]>, no later than 22 August 2023 with Protection Coordinator as the subject title of your email.   Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  References will only be contacted after the interview.  

[email protected]