DRC PRESENTATION.
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, working in over 40 countries to provide appropriate assistance with a rights-based approach to refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, returnees, and migrants. Our vision is to help refugees, IDPs, and their host communities achieve a life of dignity. We protect lives and human rights and empower beneficiaries throughout the conflict-related displacement by providing shelter, food, and hope for work, education, and integration toward a sustainable future. DRC established an operational presence in Colombia in 2011, focusing on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and supporting the conflict-affected population in the south of the country. With the onset of large mixed migration flows to Colombia due to the Venezuelan crisis, DRC initiated an integrated humanitarian response in 2018 to meet the urgent needs of refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, Colombian returnees, and host communities in some of Colombia’s most vulnerable areas, including the Caribbean coastal areas (Riohacha and Barranquilla), urban centers (Bogotá and Cundinamarca), and Caquetá. In 2021, DRC opened field offices on the South Pacific coast in the department of Nariño and in the northern part of Colombia in Norte de Santander.
JOB OVERVIEW: The Protection Team Leader (PTL) – NdS will be based in the Cúcuta office and, under the supervision of the Protection Manager, will lead the implementation of all protection monitoring objectives of DRC projects, in addition to ensuring the quality of planning, implementation and monitoring of all technical aspects of the protection unit’s activities and the DRC base in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander; providing support to the Protection Manager in developing and maintaining good relationships with persons of interest, key stakeholders and other humanitarian actors, to ensure a coordinated and effective operation. The PTL will also assist in the preparation of reports required by the Protection Manager for the Norte de Santander area.
Responsibilities:
Sectoral:
- Support the Protection Manager of the NdS area in advocating with local stakeholders and other protection sector agencies in Cúcuta regarding the rights of persons of concern in the DRC, in the context of internal displacement, to facilitate IDPs’ access to basic services, vulnerability-based individual protection assistance, and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence.
Implementation of the Protection Project
- Lead the implementation of general protection activities in accordance with agreed objectives and taking into account the directives of the NdS Protection Manager.
- Continually monitor and document the needs of persons of interest.
- Monitor and analyze trends by reading quantitative and qualitative data collected by the protection team in Norte de Santander for management, program, and promotional purposes.
- Coordinate, plan, and monitor, in conjunction with the Protection Manager, the activities of the protection team in the assigned area.
- Organize workshops, in coordination with the Protection Manager, to strengthen the skills of protection officers and assistants.
- Systematize the internal and external care pathway to strengthen the referral system.
- Ensure capacity building of Community Focal Points (CFPs) through individual training sessions and workshops.
- Maintain constant contact with the PFCs to gather daily security information and any incidents that may occur in the neighborhoods.
- Strengthen the capacities of the PFCs in identifying protection cases and structure the system for referring cases from the PFPs to the Protection team.
- Monitor databases and ensure they are kept up-to-date, accurate, and organized.
- Ensure the protection monitoring database is properly cleaned to allow for the preparation of monthly reports.
Programming and Operations
- Ensure the efficient and effective implementation of the Protection program.
- Prepare reports and participate, in coordination with the Protection Manager, in writing monthly/quarterly/annual proposals and budgets for donors.
- Organize and ensure the successful design and implementation of awareness-raising sessions and information campaigns for people of concern and host communities.
- Identify vulnerable individuals, based on criteria established by the DRC, and ensure appropriate action, including referrals to specialized services.
- Lead the safeguarding team in conducting safeguarding monitoring, rapid safeguarding assessments, identifying specific safeguarding needs, providing referrals, and providing Individual Protection Assistance (IPA).
Coordination and representation.
- Maintain contact with local authorities and humanitarian actors to support service mapping and the development of effective care pathways.
- Collaborate with internal and external technical experts on relevant industry topics, as directed by the NdS Protection Manager.
- Represent DRC at internal and external meetings, relevant technical coordination, etc., as directed by the Protection Manager or NdS Area Manager.
- Ensure integration with other DRC programmatic sectors.
Program development
- Prepare the work plans of the protection team for the assigned area (in this case Cúcuta).
- Support the Protection Manager in the preparation and development of the protection program work plan.
- Participate in the development of project tools.
- Organize and direct the implementation of protection monitoring, legal assistance, GBV, and psychosocial support (PSS) activities in the assigned area.
- Ensure the referral and IPA databases are updated, as well as the review of the protection monitoring database.
- Monitor and evaluate the actions of the projects under your leadership.
Logistics / Finance
- Support the monitoring of financial commitments and expenditures, and provide timely information on budget monitoring.
- Proactively plan and coordinate logistics and personnel movements to and from different operational areas.
- Make purchase requests, according to needs
- Ensure distribution plans are prepared and shared with logistics in a timely manner.
Supervisor Responsibilities:
- Coordinate the daily activities of the ground protection teams; Protection Officers and Assistants.
- Support the Protection Manager in the recruitment processes that are required, as needed.
- Implement the processes of planning, monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the members of the protection team under your charge
Experience and Technical Competencies:
- Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in humanitarian protection, related to an NGO, UN agency or other non-profit organization;
- Postgraduate degree in humanities and/or social sciences.
- Field experience and experience working in protection in areas with highly volatile contexts.
- Demonstrated experience in leading multidisciplinary teams in humanitarian contexts.
- Experience in strategic planning and preparation of short, medium, and long-term work plans.
- Extensive soft skills in assertive communication, emotional management, and teamwork.
- Excellent experience and ability to interview people of all ages and backgrounds.
- Excellent skills and experience progressing in database management and Excel use.
- Experience analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. Demonstrated experience developing reports with a contextual and analytical approach.
- Above average writing skills.
- Excellent skills in MS Word and PowerPoint
- Experience in the production of technical material (training materials, protection tools, reports, documents, etc.);
- Skills and experience in training and capacity development of inexperienced personnel.
- Experience with accountability measures and compliance with DRC and donor requirements.
- Demonstrated experience and skills in humanitarian protection and a differentiated approach to protection responses.
- Diplomatic character.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
- Ability to create a good team atmosphere.
- Good teamwork; ability to create a good atmosphere.
- Having worked in the intervention region or knowing the territorial context.
- Mastery of the English language is an advantage.
Desirable:
Educational Level:
Relevant professional diploma or degree in political science, law, social work, international development, psychology, human rights, or related fields. Postgraduate degree in humanities and/or social sciences.
All DRC roles require the subsequent incumbent to master the core DRC competencies:
- Achieving excellence: focusing on achieving results and ensuring efficient processes.
- Collaboration: Involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
- Taking the initiative: taking ownership and initiative while seeking innovation.
- Communicate: listen and speak effectively and honestly.
- Demonstrate integrity: act in accordance with DRC’s vision and values
We offer:
The opportunity to belong to one of the best NGOs in the world.
- The opportunity to belong to one of the best NGOs in the world.
- Access to over 1,000 free online training courses and certificates.
- Prepaid medical insurance, 100% coverage for employees, and special pricing for beneficiaries.
- National contract for work and labor (for the duration of the work/labor).
- Salary starting at $5,560,000 depending on the candidate’s experience and skills.
- Start date: November 2025
- Salary and conditions in accordance with the terms of employment in Colombia.
Application process:
All applicants must upload only a cover letter (1 page) and an updated resume (no more than 3 pages). No further support will be accepted through this means.
Closing date for applications: October 8, 2025 at 11:59 am Local Time.
Note 1: Applicants who apply to this call authorize DRC to validate the personal information provided in their resume. Their identification will be verified against public and private databases for the exclusive purpose of validating the information, in accordance with our anti-fraud, money laundering, and terrorist financing policies.
Note 2: Applicants who freely and voluntarily wish to participate in the selection process to fill the position in this call must strictly adhere to the rules applicable to the matter (suitability of the qualifications presented, execution of tests on a personal and individual basis, and truthfulness of information), adhering to the DRC anti-fraud manuals and policies, under penalty of declaring any applicant disqualified if they incur in any irregularity in the judgment of the organization, even on mere suspicion, and even in possible criminal conduct in accordance with Colombian law.