Protection Coordinator

About RI:

Established in 1990, Relief International (RI) is a leading global humanitarian, nonprofit organization committed to transforming adversity into renewal for the world’s most vulnerable populations. By partnering with communities on the front lines, RI innovatively bridges the gap between immediate relief and long-term community development, providing them the tools and support they need to gain self-reliance.

Position Summary:

The Protection Coordinator (PC) is a critical part of the NW Syria team based in Sarmada-Idleb, working closely with NW Syria Project Manager, Protection Advisor and other support departments, directly supervises the field-based Protection program senior officer and Protection officers, and coordinate closely with the Sarmada based technical coordinator (CP, GBV and PSS).

The PC is the “go to person” for all program implementation aspects of the RI protection program in NWS (CP, GBV case management and PSS support through women and Girls safe spaces plus community outreach). He/She will track progress, contribute to the design and implementation plans of activities, contribute to lesson learnt and recommendations for program improvement, provide technical support as needed, The PC is in charge of the overall quality implementation of activities in NWS including monitoring the progress of program activities, operational and financial activities in line with RI policies and procedures, identify gaps and challenges affecting the implementation and support the field-based teams in addressing them in coordination with other support departments. The PC will coordinate closely with the Damascus and Sarmada based technical teams, including technical capacity building plans for the field-based staff are relevant, technical gaps are addressed on timely manner and with quality results, keeping all relevant parties updated on the progress of the program. The PC will represent the NWS protection program in all internal coordination meetings, and will represent RI in the relevant external coordination meetings as guided by the supervisor and the protection advisor.

Reports to: NWS Project Manager, Sarmada-Idleb, with close coordination with Idleb and Damascus based Protection Technical Coordinator and Protection Advisor.

Position Responsibilities and Duties:

In coordination with the protection Advisor in Damascus, and the Protection technical specialist in Sarmada:

Contribute to the design and implementation of monitoring activities (program, operational, financial) and program improvement plans.
Contribute to the development of work plans and budget management in coordination with budget holders.
Provide day to day oversight and support to the field-based teams, ensuring the implementation of activities is in line with the set workplans, targets are met and advice changes based on needs/changes in the context.
Evaluate activity progress, define performance indicators, structure operational data collection in coordination with M&E department and implement protocols for quality assurance
Work closely with the accountability officer/focal point to ensure complaints response mechanism, is up to date and all issues are closely followed up, with adherence to the confidentiality principle.
Monitor level of project risk and the success of risk mitigation plans and report to NW Syria Project Manager and Protection Technical Advisor to identify areas of concern in advance and mitigate effectively.
Monitoring all levels of project cycle management and report to project program management team (Damascus and Sarmada based) to enable effective decision making by capturing detailed;
Contribute to the development of SOPs (program and operational), and ensure they are implemented in line with RI and donor procedures.
Contribute to and ensure timely and quality reporting on project activities and progress on targets per set deadlines, and conduct regular on-track/off-track assessments with program team (for both internal and external reports).
Support in establishing proper field management/representation in Syria (operations and programs) and provide daily oversight/supervision to the field representative when hired.
In close coordination with the technical specialist in Sarmada (CP, GBV and PSS), provide/ensure challenging of technical guidance, oversight and support to the CP, GBV, PSS and outreach team in the provision of quality case management, PSS support to ensure the needs of survivors are met in a timely and consistent manner, and ensuring safe and ethical data monitoring.
Support in the development of community-based prevention activities and provide support to the field-based protection team in the oversight of implementing the community-based prevention activities to engage all community members including women, girls, men and boys in GBV prevention, response and risk mitigation.
Support Sarmada-based technical team in organizing and following up on the capacity building training activities of RI staff and the protection team (protection technical-specific trainings and overall protection mainstreaming)
Contribute in identifying the WGSS needs/gaps from an operational and technical perspectives, and the needs are addressed in coordination with technical and operations focal points.
Collaboration with other RI programs to ensure integration of activities where applicable, and protection is mainstreamed across RI activities.
In coordination with HR and Sarmada based technical teams, recruit staff and work with supervisors to ensure Performance Management Plan for all staff is in place and followed up regularly.
Ensure field-based protection staff understand and adhere to RI Way and GBV best-practice principles, including strict adherence to confidentiality.
Provide input, and support the Protection Advisor in reviewing Budget versus actual for accuracy and tracking and to flag spending issues to the Protection Advisor on timely manner and support in providing corrective actions.
Participate in all grant opening, mid-term and closing meetings, and ensure compliance with donor regulations during implementation of projects in close coordination with the Protection Advisor.
Represent RI in external protection coordination meetings, such as the clusters, working groups, PSEA network, etc.
Update program-related tools and share relevant data with the MEAL team on a monthly basis.
Ensure that protection cases are responded to in accordance with RI policy and protection cluster guidelines.
Oversee development and implementation of procurement plans.
Coordinate with operations to follow up on procurement and report back to the program team on delays
In coordination with budget holders, work on realistic and accurate spend down plans and regularly communicate any under-over spend and plan mitigation measures
Coordinate with NWS hub finance any updates to spend down plan
Liaise with support departments to monitor risks and develop a log to measure improvements
In coordination with the grants department, ensure program is in compliance with RI and donor policies and procedures.
Grants, Finance and Operational responsibilities:

Qualifications & requirements:

This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast paced environment. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or competency required.

Minimum of 4-5 years experience in implementing child protection, gender-based violence, and PSS programs with supervisory responsibilities, preferably working with conflict affected populations
Bachelor’s degree in social work, Gender/Women Studies, or other appropriate fields; or field equivalent experience
Demonstrated experience in monitoring and evaluation and results based management, including capacity in remote management.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, public speaking, and strategic planning skills required;
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and tasks efficiently;
Strong budgeting and budget monitoring skills.
Excellent time management skills and resourcefulness with strong attention to detail.
Strong communication and analytical skills and ability to present ideas effectively;
Ability to communicate sensitively and without judgment; good diplomatic skills
Familiarity with principles and practice of monitoring and evaluation
Excellent knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and email/internet software.
This position requires an individual who is accustomed to the pace of emergency response programming, does not require close supervision or direction, is flexible and highly responsive, and has excellent organizational skills.
Language Skills:

Fluency in Arabic and Very Good spoken/written English

Professional Standards

Relief International's Values:

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and operational independence. We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities.

We value:

Inclusiveness

Transparency and accountability

Agility and innovation

Collaboration

Sustainability

How to apply
In case you meet the requirements and that you are interested in the position, please send your CV and Cover Letter in English in addition to three professional references to hrsyria@ri.org before August 18, 2025, stating in the subject: “ Protection Coordinator - Sarmada Office”.

Please note that the position may be filled before the deadline for submission of the applications.