International Protection Officer

Job Title:                                                  International Protection Officer (Response)

Department:                                            Programming

Division:                                                  Programme Implementation

Duty Station:                                           Mobile

Line Manager:                                        Team Leader or Senior Program Manager

Line Management Responsibility:        N/A

Position Type:                                         Fixed term, 3 months

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a dynamic, international non-governmental organisation. We work with people affected by violent conflicts to enhance their security and dignity through Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP). We work to reduce violence, protect civilians in countries affected by violent conflict and its aftermath, and help transform the world’s response to conflict situations.

OVERVIEW

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a dynamic, international non-governmental organisation. We work with people affected by violent conflicts to enhance their security and dignity through Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP). We work to reduce violence, protect civilians in countries affected by violent conflict and its aftermath, and help transform the world’s response to conflict situations. 

NP is in the process of setting up its country program in DRC to support the strengthening of safety and security of conflict-affected communities in South Kivu and North Kivu. Working through Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP), NP centres local communities in preventing violence and promoting positive peace. Due to rapidly evolving contextual developments, NP is also simultaneously looking to scale up its response capacity and is in the process of envisioning its response activities. 

JOB SUMMARY

The Protection Officer (IPO) is responsible for supporting the DRC team with UCP response experience, contributing to program design and mentoring of the team. The holder of this role is expected to have high levels of analytical, security and UCP knowledge in order to support a forward leaning response as well as being solutions focused. High levels of motivation, empathy and responsibility are required. The holder of this role is expected to be flexible, creative and have high levels of adaptability. It is expected that they come with significant UCP experience as well as prior engagements in responses. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Provide protective presence and accompaniment to vulnerable groups and persons with specific needs, focusing on improving child protection and combating gender-based violence.
• Assess security risks and implement mitigation strategies for communities
• Continuously monitor conflict situations in order to track conflict trends and identify protection needs.
• Work and live within conflict-affected communities to build trust, establish deep contextual understanding and effect nonpartisan position
• Support design of and implementation of protection interventions appropriate to the context
• Identify and flag communities or individuals in need of specialised support services, maintain updated referral pathways, ensure effective dissemination of information
• Establish and support community protection mechanisms, provide technical skills training in conflict analysis, nonviolent conflict resolution and community-based protection strategies
• Facilitate active participation and leadership of women in community peace and security strategies
• Monitor all protection issues and coordinate with concerned local authorities and NGOs to ensure that relevant protection partners are fully informed on the situation in the region;
• Facilitate communications and relationships between communities in conflict, providing proactive engagement to mitigate potential conflict including facilitated dialogue, shuttle diplomacy and the development of specific implementable agreements

Qualifications: 

• Minimum 4 years of work experience in UCP 
• Demonstrated ability to mentor new team members
• Demonstrated ability to work in a context where they don’t speak the language 
• Demonstrated experience in working with state authorities, negotiation and mediation.
• Demonstrated ability to live, work and solve problems independently and effectively in remote, highly challenging locations.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze conflict, security, and political contexts.
• Contextual knowledge of DRC and the Great Lakes region is highly desirable

Other requirements:

• Immediate availability and available for a minimum of three months
• The candidate must have a valid Yellow Fever certificate
• French or Swahili an added advantage 
• The candidate must be able to acquire a DRC visa (supported by NP) as well as travel in the region
• The candidate must have at least 9 months validity on their passport and multiple pages still available within it 

Application Process: 

  Candidates meeting the above requirements are requested to submit a CV (max. 2 pages) and cover letter (max. 1 page), through our website detailing their experience and how they qualify for the role. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

• The closing date for application is Friday, 28th March 2025
• Candidates may be selected before the closing date; apply early
• As part of the recruitment process, shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a technical assignment before participating in an interview.

SPECIAL NOTICE 

Nonviolent Peaceforce is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability. 

Nonviolent Peaceforce acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of employees, contractors, volunteers, interns, communities we work with, and other stakeholders and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities and government guidance and complies with best practices in the Humanitarian and Development sector.NP expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We prioritise ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. 

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation. 

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. NP also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

 NO FEE

We never ask for payment as part of our selection process, and we always contact candidates via our corporate accounts and platforms. If you are approached for payment, this is likely to be fraudulent. Please check whether the role you are interested in is posted here on our website.