International Protection Officer At Nonviolent Peaceforce

Job Title: International Protection Officer

Function: Programme Implementation

Job Group: Programme

Duty Station: Darfur Region, Sudan (El Fasher and El Geneina)

Administrative Line Manager: Team Leader

Technical Line Manager: Team Leader

Line Management Responsibility: N/A

ABOUT US

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a dynamic, international non-governmental organisation. We work to reduce violence and protect civilians in countries affected by violent conflict and its aftermath through unarmed civilian protection (UCP) and by helping to transform the world’s response to conflict situations. NP implements programming through the deployment of civilian protection teams to the field. NP is continuing to scale up to meet the growing needs in the communities we serve and established a programmatic presence in Sudan in January 2022.

Initial programming will be in Darfur with field teams in El Fasher, Nyala, and El Geneina with a mobile protection response to reach other communities affected by violent conflict and displacement. Programming is founded on unarmed civilian protection and is thematically focused on protection in displacement, child protection, gender-based violence protection and inter-communal violence reduction.

JOB PURPOSE

To implement civilian protection and violence-prevention programming for those affected by the crisis/violent conflict in Sudan.

ABOUT YOU

We are looking for experienced Protection Officers to implement community-based violence reduction and prevention programming in various locations in Sudan, in the context of an ongoing civil conflict and extremely high levels of displacement in the context of an ongoing civil conflict and high levels of displacement. You will be a person with a genuine commitment to working at the community level, someone who is skilled at building trusting relationships in an extremely polarized political climate. You are not deterred by the complexity of conflict; you are able to analyze conflict dynamics; you are motivated and unendingly persistent in finding and implementing protection and prevention strategies. You will be responsible for working together with other international and national colleagues to directly implement the project and participate in reporting and documentation. You are comfortable living and working in a physically demanding environment, living full-time in a shared compound environment.

The successful candidate combines creativity, innovation and demonstrated knowledge of protection, conflict prevention and peacebuilding. S/he is experienced and skilled at converting protection, violence reduction and conflict analysis theory into practical, locally appropriate solutions that effectively increase the safety and security of civilians affected by violent conflict. S/he has excellent interpersonal skills and a flair for connecting and building trust with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. S/he is solutions-focused, strategic and driven by a keen interest and personal commitment to civilian protection.

KEY OBJECTIVES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Commitment to NP Principles

• Demonstrate a commitment to NP’s mandate and principles.
• Maintain a positive image of the organization full-time while in the field.

Programme Implementation

• Information gathering and context analysis.
  • Assess security risks and develop conflict mitigation strategies for both host and IDP communities and returnees.
  • Continuously monitor local 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.
• Community Engagement
  • Identify and flag communities or individuals in need of specialised support services, maintain updated referral pathways, and ensure effective dissemination of information
  • Establish and support community protection mechanisms, including intensive follow-up and support
  • Facilitate active participation and leadership of women in community peace, safety and security strategies
  • Monitor all protection issues and coordinate with concerned local authorities and NGOs to ensure that relevant protection partners are fully informed of the situation in the region
• Training
  • Provide technical skills training in conflict analysis, nonviolent conflict resolution and community-based protection strategies
  • Develop training materials and tailor existing training materials to field-level contexts
• Protective presence, accompaniment and other interventions
  • Design and implement protection interventions appropriate to context and need within parameters of mandate and projects
  • Provide protective presence and accompaniment to vulnerable groups and persons with specific needs, with a particular focus on improving child protection and combating gender-based violence
  • 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
  • Manage cases of individuals who are vulnerable or under threat, including working with other service providers and managing a follow-up process

Administration and Operation:

• Reporting
  • Produce activity, field and training reports and support the Team Leader in internal and external reporting as needed
• Security
  • Support the team in consistent security analysis and development of security protocols.
  • Ensure all project work is consistent with agreed safety and security policies and procedures
• Logistics/Finance
  • Complete team-level finance reports as requested and support monitoring of team cash, spending and financial documentation
  • Support team-level logistics and operations, including completing procurement requests, supporting asset management and compound management
  • Assist with procurement of supplies or other logistical matters when delegated by the Team Leader

Other:

• Perform any other work duties assigned by the Team Leader
• Be available to work in any field site as needed by the organisation.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

Education, Knowledge and Experience

• 3 -5 years’ work experience in human security, child or civilian protection
• Demonstrated successful experience in working in complex security environments
• Demonstrated experience 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 analyse conflict, security and political contexts
• Post-secondary education in law, human rights, international human rights law, international humanitarian law, negotiation, mediation, human security or related, or equivalent experience
• Contextual knowledge of Sudan is highly desirable
• Skills

Independent Judgment/Analytical:

• Ability to set priorities, solve problems and analyse data
• Ability to manage information with discretion
• Demonstrable conflict analysis skills, identify entry points and design prevention and protection strategies

Interpersonal:

• Ability to communicate effectively with individuals and motivate and provide leadership to team and to work and live in a multi-cultural environment
• Solutions focused, creative problem solver
• Proven ability to build relationships with the full range of actors including government, chiefs, military, police and non-state actors
• Genuine commitment and interest in living and working at the community level
• Flexibility and adaptability

Management:

• Ability to structure and direct work plans of national and international staff, managing conflict, and maximizing human resources
• Ability to address staff welfare issues maturely and discreetly

Language:

• Ability to interact confidently in English with colleagues and external contacts, to write documents and reports, and to present effectively relevant information
• Ability to speak Arabic is highly desirable

Information Technology:

• Good skills in Microsoft Office applications.
• IT hardware skills a definite asset

Other Specialized Requirements

• This field site is a complex security environment where conditions change rapidly–experience in insecure environments is essential to success in this position.
• Willingness to travel long distances by vehicle.
• The role is physically and psychologically demanding. Successful candidates will be expected to walk for long periods in challenging conditions and under hot sun