Protection Advisor

Job Purpose:

S/he will provide technical and strategic leadership and direction for Concern’s Protection Programme in Lebanon, ensuring that all projects are sensitive to gender and power dynamics in design and implementation, adhere to international standards, and staff capacity is built to deliver accordingly.

Main duties &

Responsibilities:

Technical Support and Coordination:

• Lead on the translation of Concern’s Global Equality Strategy into practice in all Concern’s programme and operations in Lebanon, with objectives and indicators for monitoring progress and achievements annually.
• Engage with Project Managers and support them in implementation of high quality protection programming such as gender-based violence and children protection programmes across Concern’s operational areas in Lebanon, and champion evidence based innovative adaptations as appropriate.
• Provide technical oversight for the protection interventions, ensuring that the standards agreed at sector, national and global levels are adhered to in protection project design and implementation.
• Work with the protection teams facilitating psychosocial support and emotional support group sessions in the adaptation of IEC materials and sessions delivery modalities that are contextually appropriate and address desired social and behaviour change.
• Liaise with other Technical Advisors, Programme Quality Coordinator and MEAL Manager and support them in integration of gender and protection principles in all deliverables at all levels as appropriate.
• Lead the development and/or review and updating of tools and materials used on the protection projects and interventions of Concern in Lebanon, including monitoring and evaluation tools and databases.
• Stay informed on all global, national and Concern’s developments in the field of protection, generate trend analyses and gap identification to inform protection programme development in terms of target groups, target geographic locations and key interventions and approaches.
• Provide technical support, advice and direction to Concern’s Lebanon programme and operations on protection and equality, including reviewing relevant job descriptions, proposals, donor reports and communication materials, as you will be requested from time to time.
• Represent Concern at protection fora at sector, national, regional and global level, as appropriate.

Programme Quality Support:

• Collaborate with the MEAL team to ensure that gender and protection principles are taken into account during development of project logframes, and that gender and protection indicators are clear and SMART
• Lead on gender and protection analyses, including conflict dynamics, in the contexts of Concern’s areas of operation, to inform gender transformation programming
• Work with the MEAL team to capture and disseminate learning in gender and protection internally and externally and with other Concern country programmes.
• Establish and drive accountability measures to ensure beneficiaries and affected population feedbacks are available and taken into account about the quality and appropriateness of Concern Lebanon response and implementation.

Capacity building and human resources development:

• Provide training, support supervision, mentorship and coaching to Concern and partner staff on protection, in both prevention and response to protection concerns such as gender-based violence.
• Liaise with HQ based Advisors on trends in gender and protection in Concern and ensure awareness and adoption by the Lebanon country programme and operations.
• Lead on equality initiatives by Concern globally and as applies to Lebanon such as managing the support to Lebanon programme by Sonke Gender Justice, in consultation with HQ Advisors.
• Work with HR and the Systems Director in reviewing and revising, where necessary, Concern’s workplace, policies and recruitment procedures to address and advance equality, diversity and inclusion, and maintenance of a healthy working environment in Concern.
• Work with existing and potential new national partner. Responsible in the vetting and selection of new protection partners, analyzing their technical competencies and providing capacity building by establishing work plan and participating to the capacity strengthening of staff where necessary.
• Set realistic and measurable objectives to Protection team and national partner based on Concern Lebanon strategy.

Safeguarding

• Contribute to the dissemination and understanding of Concern’s Code of Conduct and Associated policies among Concern and partners’ staff.
• Work with HR and Safeguarding Focal Points to ensure that staff are trained and that the mechanisms in place for reporting safeguarding issues are contextually appropriate.
• Lead on the delivery of protection elements of Concern’s Global Safeguarding Strategic Framework and Action Plan in Lebanon programme and operations.
• Ensure the understanding and dissemination of the Approach to Protection paper and its associated technical standards.

Other:

• Actively participate in preparation or updates of Preparing for Effective Emergency Response (PEER) plan, Security Management Plan (SMP) and other Concern initiatives. 
• Support managers and HR teams in reviewing, and revising where necessary, the organisation’s workplace, policies and recruitment procedures to address and advance safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion with their teams and offices
• Take active measures to address equality issues, particularly relating to gender, in programme as well as operational activities.
• Ensure the highest stands of accountability through ensuring good communication and information sharing within and outside the organisation.
• Be aware of, understand and comply with all of Concern’s policies and procedures (P4, finance, logistics, HR, security management etc).
• Actively participate in any emergency response if called upon to do so (within the existing programme area or in a new one).
• Undertake other related duties as may reasonably be assigned by the CD or PD

Emergency response

Concern is committed to responding to emergencies efficiently and effectively in order to help affected people meet their basic needs, alleviate suffering and maintain their dignity. To this end, when emergencies strike and Lebanon Programme is to respond, all staff are required to actively participate in the response, regardless of location and contribute to the efforts aimed at achieving the humanitarian objective of the organization.

Skills and experience

Essential

• Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Gender studies or a related discipline
• At least eight years of relevant experience with an NGO, UN agency or donor
• At least two years in a senior protection programming role with NGO
• Experience of senior leadership or technical advisory positions with NGO
• Knowledge of humanitarian principles, standards and system (e.g. IHL, CHS, Sector System, etc)
• Experience of organisation representation, advocacy and coordination with NGOs/UN, donors
• Experience of protection programme design, planning, management and implementation with community level engagement

Desirable

• Experience of working in the North and Akkar is an advantage

Special Skills, Aptitude or Personality Requirements:

• Aptitude to inspire creative growth, innovation and learning.
• Strong human resource development skills including capacity building and mentoring.
• Ability and personal resilience to work in fast paced, dynamic and pressurised environment.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in Arabic and English.
• Ability to work, live and thrive in a complex environment.

Concern Code of Conduct and its Associated Policies

Concern has an organisational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organisation, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organisation to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies.