Protection Officer

Europe Cares is a young and growing humanitarian organization supporting people on the move and standing up for human rights at the European external borders.

On Lesvos, we operate the community center Paréa Lesvos located within walking distance from the CCAC (or Mavrovouni refugee camp). The center offers a safe space where residents of the camp, locals, and international people can meet freely to spend time in a peaceful environment with many recreational activities and sports, a Women Space, a cafeteria with free drinks and daily lunch. Our center hosts another 10+ partner organizations offering a wide range of services to our visitors including MHPSS, legal support, NFI distributions, informal education and integration support.

Position Summary

Our Protection Officer is responsible for designing, implementing and evaluating the activities in the Child Friendly Space (CFS), as well as training and supervising the volunteers involved in the program. You would also be the focal point for safeguarding and protection issues in the CFS, and support the overall project team and volunteers involved in the other programs run by Europe Cares in Paréa.

The full-time role is based in Lesvos, Greece. The (ideal) starting date is early or mid August 2025.

Your daily tasks may involve:

• Designing the activities of the CFS program, in collaboration with the Project Coordinator;
• Running the CFS program, together with trained longer-term volunteers and community volunteers;
• Creating new tools to gather quantitative & qualitative data concerning the CFS, in collaboration with the Project Coordinator;
• Developing additional training material for the volunteers with a specific focus on safeguarding and child protection in the humanitarian setting;
• Conducting program training with newly arrived volunteers involved in the CFS program;
• Ensure safe, child friendly and participatory atmosphere in the CFS;
• Continuously monitor and report on the emerging child protection needs of children arriving to the CFS;
• Supporting and supervising volunteers’ performance in the CFS;
• Organizing and conducting bi-weekly program meetings, with the supervision of the Project Coordinator;
• Preparing weekly volunteer schedules for the shifts in the CFS;
• Following the EC's M&E standards to systematically collect information on CFS activities - daily, weekly, and monthly;
• Evaluate satisfaction, identify needs, and address potential gaps in our service;
• Recommend and implement changes to improve project outcomes based on the insights collected;
• Discussing cases in need of further follow-up with the parents of the children involved in the CFS program;
• Monitoring & reporting any suspected case of abuse and/or neglect involving the children participating in the CFS program, in collaboration with the Field Coordinator;
• Being the focal point for safeguarding reports in the CFS;
• Participating bi-weekly in the coordination meetings;
• Participating in the weekly Project Team meetings;
• Taking over minor tasks from one of the coordinators, when necessary;
• Intervening in case of emergencies in the absence of one or more Coordinators.

What we are looking for:

• Eligible to reside and work in the EU (as a small NGO we are not able to offer assistance for visa applications). People from a displacement background and eligible to work in Greece will be prioritised for this role;
• Able to commit for 12 months;
• Able to provide a Criminal Record Check;
• (Under-)graduate degree in a relevant field of study (Social Work, pedagogy, psychology);
• At least 1 year of proven work experience with displaced communities;
• At least 2 years of experience working with children with age group of 3 -12 years;
• Experience working and supervising volunteers is highly desirable;
• Excellent communication & interpersonal skills;
• Excellent organizational & time management skills;
• Ability to work in high-paced environment and under pressure;
• Ability to work independently and take initiative;
• Fluent in English. Other context relevant languages (i.e. Greek, Farsi, Arabic, French, etc.) are an advantage;
• High degree of integrity and strict compliance to Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Policy;
• Commitment to the values and mission of Europe Cares;
• (Desirably but not necessarily) an experienced driver with an international drivers license.

What you get:

• Greek contract & 14 yearly salaries;
• Monthly supermarket vouchers;
• 1 week off every 8 weeks;
• Shared rental car;
• Regular training sessions & team building events;
• Support in the further development of professional skill set;
• Wide network of partner organizations and local actors;
• More coffee than you can drink, as well as breakfast, lunch and snacks (from Monday to Friday).