VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
(National Contract)
Position: Protection Officer
Salary: Starting from 6755 Shekels
Contract Duration: 5 months
Location: Gaza
Responsible to: Education Project Manager
Closing date: 15 September, 2024
THE ORGANIZATION
Handicap International (which runs projects under its operating name, Humanity & Inclusion – HI -), is an independent and impartial international aid organization working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights. Handicap International is a not-for-profit organization with no religious or political affiliation. It operates as a federation made up of a network of associations.
OBJECTIVE OF THE POSITION:
Under the supervision of the Inclusive Education (IE) Project Manager and the Protection Specialist, the Protection Officer is responsible to support the Inclusive Education (IE) Project interventions ensuring the optimal quality and the impact of the project in areas of expertise. The Protection Officer will be mainly assigned as a protection focal point. Besides providing support to mainstream the protection approach across the different project activities, the Officer will work closely with the Protection Cluster/CP AOR (Child Protection Area of Responsibility) to improve the referral process to case management and gender-based violence (GBV) services, particularly for children. She/ He will ensure that referral pathways are well-maintained, updated, and accessible to all Protection Cluster members, and that all referred cases are followed up on and documented appropriately.
Responsibilities:
Responsibility 1: Referral Management:
Ensure the safety and well-being of children at risk by managing their referral process with care, confidentiality, and strict adherence to established child protection standards.
Responsibility 1.1 — Protection, referral and Psychosocial support activities
Activities:
- Provide appropriate guidance and support to the partner’s project team (adapts standards to project tools) in line with internal mandatory cross-cutting approaches (DGA, Protection mainstreaming and conflict sensitivity), Institutional policies (PSEAH and CP), International standards in the field of protection such as Minimum standards for Child Protection, IASC guidelines for integrating GBV in humanitarian response, SPHERE Standards, and IASC for the Inclusion of Persons With Disabilities.
- Train project’s partners and relevant actors and stakeholders on the basic of Protection standards
- Facilitate a thorough psychosocial support (PSS) needs assessments for identified BNFs (school-aged, affected children, both with and without disabilities as well as Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) teachers in collaboration with project team.
- Adapt / Utilize previously developed and tested tools to identify specific PSS needs, screening for behavioral issues, and identifying challenges faced by the children.
- Facilitate participatory discussions with beneficiaries to develop support and guidance plans aimed at providing PSS services tailored to individual needs in cooperation with HI & project team.
- Maintain and update referral pathways in coordination with relevant partners and service providers.
- Ensure that all referrals are handled with confidentiality, sensitivity, and in line with protection principles and guidelines.
- Follow up on referred cases to ensure that services are provided and that the needs of beneficiaries are met.
- Contribute to development of communication materials related to protection risk/service available that are child friendly and accessible in cooperation with HI project team.
- Ensure that responses to protection risks & referral mechanisms are disability inclusive.
- Conduct Regular field visits to project partner team for monitoring and follow up on referral, protection and safeguarding.
- Organize and lead individual and collective meetings with partners and stakeholders based on the needs.
- Coordinate and collaborates with relevant internal support services, especially logistics, HR, finance and technical resources when needed.
- Organize safety audits of project facilities
Responsibility 1.2 — Capacity building
Activities:
- Provide training and capacity-building support to program staff, Cluster partners, and service providers on referral mechanisms and mainstreaming protection principles (child safeguarding, prevention of abuse…)
- Develop and disseminate informational materials on referral pathways and protection services.
- Coach the project staff on proper data collection on referral.
Responsibility 1.3 — Collaboration with Protection cluster/CP AOR on referral to case management, GBV services.
Activities:
The Officer will work closely with the Protection Cluster/CP AOR (Child Protection Area of Responsibility) within Gaza Strip to:
- Identify existing gaps and challenges in the current referral process.
- Establish and maintain strong relationships with The Cluster Protection partners, service providers, and relevant stakeholders.
- Represent HI in coordination meetings and networks related to protection and referral mechanisms.
- Work with other stakeholders to develop a comprehensive and efficient referral system for GBV cases involving children. Through joint assessments and consultations with the Protection Cluster and community members, gather insights to inform the development of the referral system.
Responsibility 2: Contribute to project’s monitoring, lessons learning and reporting.
Aim: Ensure a sound project planning, implementation and learning in line with the existing frameworks.
Activities:
- Contribute to provide regular reports to the project Manager on Protection/Referral activities and numbers of beneficiaries reached.
- Raise new protection gaps or challenges, needs and trends proposing possible adaptation of the program.
- Support the Project Manager in analyzing the data collected and in identifying necessary adjustments in the project implementation framework to improve the quality and impact of the intervention.
- Contribute to the production of the donor reports,
- Contribute to the preparation and implementation of project quarterly reviews.
- Keep all data of the project recorded in the different Project Monitoring and Evaluation Tools.
Responsibility 2: Contribute to project’s monitoring, lessons learning and reporting.
Aim: Ensure a sound project planning, implementation and learning in line with the existing frameworks.
Activities:
- Contribute to provide regular reports to the project Manager on Protection/Referral activities and numbers of beneficiaries reached.
- Raise new protection gaps or challenges, needs and trends proposing possible adaptation of the program.
- Support the Project Manager in analyzing the data collected and in identifying necessary adjustments in the project implementation framework to improve the quality and impact of the intervention.
- Contribute to the production of the donor reports,
- Contribute to the preparation and implementation of project quarterly reviews.
- Keep all data of the project recorded in the different Project Monitoring and Evaluation Tools.
file requirements:
- Degree in social sciences, psychology, and human rights or any other related qualification, complemented by at least 2-year experience in the field of protection.
- Minimum 2 years providing direct support to children (case management, PSS support, teaching etc..).
- Experience in conducting safety audit and capacity assessment of protection service providers.
- Robust Knowledge of referral mechanism.
- Experience developing gender sensitive, child friendly and accessible materials.
- Experience in supporting the emotional wellbeing of children and adults during crises.
- Good knowledge of international core standards and guidelines related to protection in humanitarian and development settings.
- Good knowledge of national/ international legal framework (especially related to children, persons with disabilities and displaced population).
- Good understanding of concept such as gender, protection mainstreaming, intersectionality, transformative approaches, participatory approaches.
- Strong basic psychosocial support skills required.
- Knowledge of MHPSS principles and practices highly desired.
- Ability to work in a team.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Good English writing skills.
- Ability to work with partners.
- Promotes gender equality and agency of persons with disabilities.
- Empathetic, Motivated, Flexible, Diplomatic, have a Positive personality, demonstrate persistence and tenacity, and have good communication skills.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS:
HI workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in HI Code of conduct. In accordance with these values, HI operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-fraud, bribery, and corruption.
DISABILITY INCLUSION:
The candidate or his/her representative must let the HR representative know that s/he needs an adjustment or change at the test and the interview for a reason related to a medical condition by sending a request for accommodation at the email: recruitment@palestine.hi.org.
By applying to this position, you grant HI’s recruitment team your consent to perform a reference check on you with respect to the misconduct disclosure scheme.
The initial contract will be for a period of up to 5 months, to be extendable based on the availability of funds.
Handicap International is an equal-opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from persons with disabilities
Interested candidates should fill out the form Protection Officer and submit their resume with a motivation letter to reach on or before September 15, 2024. Incomplete applications or applications received after the deadline will be disregarded.
Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and those shortlisted will be contacted.
How to apply
Interested candidates should fill out the form Protection Officer and submit their resume with a motivation letter to reach on or before September 15, 2024. Incomplete applications or applications received after the deadline will be disregarded.
