Protection Sector Co-Lead at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization with 60 years of experience in helping to create a safer and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced people. NRC advocates for the rights of displaced populations and offers assistance within the shelter, emergency food security, and water, sanitation and hygiene sectors.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Protection Sector Co-Lead

Job Identification: 3661
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Job Category: Coordination
Job Schedule: Full time

Role and Responsibilities

• The Protection Sector NGO Co-Lead will work in partnership with the protection sector/ northeast/ UNHCR, as the Sector Lead Agency, to provide leadership and facilitate the processes that will ensure a well-coordinated, strategic, adequate, coherent, and effective protection response within BAY States of North-East Nigeria.
• The Co-Lead will have specific responsibility for ensuring that the Protection Sector is informed by NGO perspectives, including, importantly, that of local partners.
• The Co-Lead will also be responsible for ensuring that the NGO membership is contributing to and sharing Protection Sector responsibilities, and will play a lead role in developing the active engagement and technical capacity of members of the Protection Sector. 
• The four expected results are as follows:
  • NGOs concerns and priorities are adequately brought up to Protection Sector Coordination Team/ secretariat,
  • Protection stakeholders are encouraged to participate in Protection Sector activities,
  • Protection inter-sector and/or multisectoral coordination effectiveness is reinforced and,
  • Protection Sector coordination, NGO- government relation is strengthened at LGA and state levels.
• NRC as the NGO Co-Lead Agency will appoint a Protection Sector Co-Coordinator, full time.
• The coordinator will be reporting to NRC for all contractual arrangements and will be accountable to the NGOs (both international and national) partners of the sector.

Generic Responsibilities:

• As per IASC Guidelines, Sector Co-Coordinators at the national level are accountable to the Humanitarian Coordinator for facilitating a process at the sectoral level aimed at ensuring the following:

Inclusion of key humanitarian partners:

• Ensure inclusion of key humanitarian partners for the sector, national protection actors, and key ministries, respecting their respective mandates and programme priorities

Establishment and maintenance of appropriate humanitarian coordination mechanisms:

• Ensure appropriate coordination with all humanitarian partners (including national and international NGOs, the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, IOM, UN Agencies and other international organizations), through establishment/maintenance of appropriate sectoral coordination mechanisms, including working groups at the national and, if necessary, local level;
• Secure commitments from humanitarian partners in responding to needs and filling gaps, ensuring an appropriate distribution of responsibilities within the sectoral group, with clearly defined focal points for specific issues where needed;
• Ensure the complementarity of different humanitarian actors’ actions;
• Promote emergency response actions while at the same time considering the need for early recovery planning as well as prevention and risk reduction concerns;
• Ensure effective links with other sectoral groups, working groups and AoRs;
• Ensure that sectoral coordination mechanisms are adapted over time to reflect the capacities of local actors and the engagement of development partners;
• Represent the interests of the sectoral group in discussions with the Humanitarian Coordinator / Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator and other stakeholders on prioritization, resource mobilization and advocacy;

Coordination with national/local authorities, State institutions, local civil society and other relevant actors:

• Ensure that humanitarian responses build on local capacities;
• Ensure appropriate links with national and local authorities, State institutions, local civil society and other relevant actors and ensure appropriate coordination and information exchange with them.

Participatory and community-based approaches:

• Ensure utilization of participatory and community-based approaches in sectoral needs assessment, analysis, planning, monitoring and response.

Attention to priority cross-cutting issues:

• Ensure integration of agreed priority cross-cutting issues in sectoral needs assessment, analysis, planning, monitoring and response (e.g. age, diversity, environment, gender and human rights); contribute to the development of appropriate strategies to address these issues; ensure gender-sensitive programming and promote gender equality; ensure that the needs, contributions and capacities of women and girls as well as men and boys are addressed;

Needs assessment and analysis:

• Ensure effective and coherent sectoral needs assessment and analysis, involving all relevant partners and complimenting sectors.
• Active contribution to the development, implementation of harmonized tools and participatory analysis

Emergency preparedness:

• Ensure adequate contingency planning and preparedness for new emergencies including monitoring/surveillance and timely propositioning of contingency stock in strategic areas

Planning and strategy development:

• Ensure predictable action within the sectoral group for the following:
• Identification of gaps;
• Developing/updating agreed response strategies and action plans for the sector and ensuring that these are adequately reflected in overall country strategies, such as the Humanitarian Response Strategy and the entire Humanitarian Program Cycle.
• Drawing lessons learned from past activities and revising strategies accordingly;
• Developing an exit, or transition, strategy for the sectoral group.

Application of standards:

• Ensure that sectoral group participants are aware of relevant policy guidelines, technical standards and relevant commitments that the Government has undertaken under international human rights law;
• Ensure that responses are in line with existing policy guidance, technical standards, and relevant Government human rights legal obligations.

Monitoring, evaluating and reporting:

• Ensure adequate monitoring mechanisms are in place to review the impact of the sectoral working group and progress against implementation plans;
• Ensure adequate reporting and effective information sharing (with OCHA support), with due regard for age and sex disaggregation.
• Support Sector Information Management Officer (IMO) to ensure Protection related data are compiled, analyzed and synthesized to inform planning and decision making. 
• Support the sector IMO to ensure mapping of various Protection related needs assessments planned or done including Multi-sector needs assessments and ensure Protection findings are refined.
• Support in analysis to identify and address (emerging) gaps, obstacles, duplication, and cross-cutting issues.

Advocacy and resource mobilization:

• Identify core advocacy concerns, including resource requirements, and contribute key messages to broader advocacy initiatives of the HC and other actors;
• Advocate for donors to fund humanitarian actors to carry out priority activities in the sector concerned, while at the same time encouraging sectoral group participants to mobilize resources for their activities through their usual channels.

Training and capacity building:

• Promote/support the training of staff and capacity building of humanitarian partners;
• Support efforts to strengthen the capacity of the national authorities, civil society and LGA authorities
• Provide training and update sector partners on the benefits and outcomes of incorporating better assurance mechanisms into programs and responses as required.

Other Responsibilities:

• In addition, the Protection Sector Co-Coordinator, as a representative of NGO interests in the Protection Sector will assume the following responsibilities;
• Participate in HNO, HRP, NHF and Flash Appeals processes and represent /sector Partners during the processes of defences before the respective boards.
• Develop a sector strategy that ensures appropriate NGO inclusion.
• Establish regular exchange with NNGOs and INGOs mechanisms and Nigeria INO Forum (NIF).
• Ensure that NGO Protection partners have equal and fair access to all Humanitarian Common Services (HCS)
• Represent the NGO community at the monthly Protection sector meetings.
• Contribute to the production of Protection documents (policies, strategies, work plans, advocacy briefs, and bulletins) with an appropriate view and technical input from NGO Protection partners.
• Work closely with the UN co-lead agency UNHCR to ensure effective collaboration between UN and NGOs
• Motivate NGOs to participate in Protection events (coordination meetings, working groups, training, workshop, assessments, etc.).
• Represent the NGO interests various in humanitarian forums where needed.

Qualification
Education:

• Advanced University Degree in Protection related field with a minimum of 4 years experience in Humanitarian assistance.

Competencies:
Generic professional competencies for this position:

• Experience from working in complex and volatile IDP’s contexts
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
• Be technically competent in the sector systems, procedures and governance structures.
• Able to maintain good relationships with all relevant stakeholder counterparts.
• Be able to work with diverse stakeholders to develop consensus.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the international humanitarian response and coordination mechanisms, and humanitarian reform.
• Able to take into consideration the interests of NGOs (international and national) while advocating or lobbying for any cause. The sector is guided by the principles of neutrality, impartiality and advocacy for all.
• Experience working with UN agencies on Protection matters.
• Demonstrate personal and professional integrity in all interactions.

Context/Specific skills, knowledge and experience:

• Strong leadership and coordination skills.
• Considerable relevant field experience in Protection projects in humanitarian and development programs preferable with non-governmental organizations and in more than one country.
• Experience and/or understanding of Protection related issues in humanitarian and development contexts.
• Experience in management and capacity building of teams in complex contexts.
• Proven record of training/skills development of individuals and teams, including partner organizations.
• Proven ability to analyze complex humanitarian and recovery contexts at the local and national level, monitor changes and translate into appropriate strategic planning
• Good assessment, analytical, monitoring and evaluating and planning skills and project management skills to enable program delivery.
• Ability to consolidate and triangulate information received from various sources
• Good communication skills
• Working experience in BAY is preferred.

What We Offer

• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to join our work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.
• At NRC we think outside the box.
• We encourage ideas and give responsibility to all employees at all levels, to help solve the complex issues that we face.
• You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.
• 12 months fixed term contract with possibility of extension
• Grade 9 in NRC scale
• Duty Station: Maiduguri with 50% travelling
• An opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause
• A chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields.

Application Closing Date
13th November, 2021 at 12:02.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online