Senior Protection Officer at Women in New Nigeria (WINN)

Women in the New Nigeria (WINN) is a leading women-led and women’s rights non-governmental organization established in 2010 and legally incorporated in 2013, that focuses on women’s empowerment and enhancing the lives of youths. WINN has presence in 17 states in Nigeria, including FCT Abuja, and an international presence in eight (8) countries: North America (WINNA), WIN Ghana, WIN Mozambique, WIN South Africa, WIN Sierra Leone, WIN World UK, WIN Niger, WIN Cameroun.

We ensure that the structures and systems with which women, girls, and people with disabilities interact on a daily basis, such as safe spaces, health facilities, education, legal services, and community engagement activities, to name but a few, are accessible and conducive to the empowerment and support of all stakeholders through our programs.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Protection Officer

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employment Type: Full-time
Duration: 22 Months

General Position Summary

• The Senior Program Officer is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day implementation of Protection sector activities to ensure quality implementation including Adolescent safe space and Women and Girls centre activities, GBV case management, Protection community prevention activities, training on topics such as psychological first aid, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and the validation of referral pathways in Northeast Nigeria, Maiduguri (Jere LGA).
• The Senior Program Officer will also advise other sector teams on gender and protection mainstreaming and best practices.
• The Senior Program Officer will work closely with the Programs Manager, Protection/GBV Officers, Case Workers, and support staff (including finance, operations, and administration) to ensure that activities are implemented according to schedule, budget and required quality.
• The position includes the daily management of program staff, whilst working closely with Mercy Corps focal point and other consortium members.
• The Senior Program Officer will report directly to Program Manager.

Essential Job Responsibilities
Strategy & Vision:

• Oversee the implementation of protection activities and ensure adequate gender mainstreaming across program field locations.
• Develop protection strategy, harmonize activity work plans, and manage all field activity implementation related to protection/GBV.
• Ensure that program implementation mainstreams protection in coordination with other sectors in line with best practices.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to vulnerability criteria.
• Lead where necessary community meetings to identify gender-related priorities and protection concerns.
• Establish and maintain effective program reporting, and monitoring and evaluation systems (to track, analyze and report on results) for both internal and external use.
• Integrate community approaches, protection mainstreaming, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Ensure program filing system is in place, adheres to internal and donor regulation and filing is regularly maintained.
• Adhere to all WINN policies related to security, operations and transport/ logistics information related to programming.
• Support orientation for all new staff on WINN guidelines on gender and protection mainstreaming. If necessary, organize capacity building sessions for other sector staff on gender and protection.
• Provide weekly field reports, capturing activities progress, lessons learned, success stories on the project as well as the general situation and community updates and needs.
• Report on any problems encountered in the field such as project participant complaints, local authority interference, and security threats to WINN staff and activities.
• Coordinate with WINN Security and safety Officer and line manager on any threats to WINN staff and activities.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to WINN and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Perform other related special projects and duties as determined and assigned by supervisor.

Program Management:

• Oversee program startup and ongoing program management and administration of teams across various field locations.
• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with WINN’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
• Undertakes regular (weekly, bi-weekly) field monitoring visits to assess progress and identify technical quality and/or other implementation issues, flag these to PM, provide solutions and implement modifications as required
• Guides and support implementation of all project activities (including overseeing case management, PSS, Skills acquisition, age-appropriate engagement, prevention, and risk mitigation), providing affirming feedback, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and making recommendations for improvement
• Supports WINN in adapting case management tools and implementing the GBVIMS/ Primero, ensuring strict compliance with confidentiality policy and guidelines for information sharing of GBV data
• Ensure that program implementation mainstreams protection in coordination with other sectors in line with best practices.
• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.
• Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution process as well as psychosocial and capacity building of staff.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.
• Ensure program implementation is on time, target, and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and WINN policies and procedures.
• Fulfil WINN’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to WINN’ Gender and social inclusion Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

Team Management:

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Providing technical assistance to the field staff, by designing and rolling out capacity building activities and training on all GBV/protection, ensuring on the job coaching and mentoring
• Under the supervision of Program Manager with staff to assess training needs and develop a training and capacity development plan to ensure successful transfer of skills, knowledge, and attitudes to improve GBV responses.
• Organize trainings as per learning needs assessment and co-facilitate trainings.
• Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

Finance & Compliance Management:

• Ensure compliance with donor and WINN regulations related to emergency programming.
• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence & Representation:

• Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments, and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Security:

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by organizations leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning:

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit WINN as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries:

• WINN team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
  to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and WINN’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• S/he will supervise Program Officers (Community mobilization, complaint and Feedback Officer, Protection/GBV Officer, , Case Management Supervisor).

Accountability:

• Reports Directly to: Program Manager
• Works Directly with: Finance, Program, MEL, and Operation Teams, partner staff

Knowledge and Experience

• B.A / B.Sc. Degree in Social science, Law or Arts is required.
• 5 years of experience working on the development, implementation, administration and compliance of a field-based international development or humanitarian program; general gender and protection mainstreaming experience & knowledge required.
• Experience with conducting gender analysis, protection assessments, monitoring and evaluation and other learning efforts required.
• Experience in adolescent programming, EMAP and EASE (VSLA, DGS, BDS) is an added advantage
• Demonstrated strengths in analytical skills, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing
• Strong interpersonal, intercultural and communication skills
• Excellent oral and written skills and computer skills
• Fluency in English, Kanuri and Hausa is required,.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will have a can-do attitude. Ideally, s/he will be very committed and willing to learn and work in remote locations.
• S/he is a problem solver, an effective community mobilizer who is adept in successfully dealing with issues of complexity.
• S/he is an active listener and contributor, working to create a strong team that share ideas and learn.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges.
• We strive for a culture of trust, integrity, accountability, decency, transparency and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
• We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

• WINN is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a sustained global impact.
• We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all.
• We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics:

• WINN is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity.
• We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation abuse and harassment laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members.
• As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and always adhere to WINN Code of Conduct Policies and values.
• Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Application Closing Date
15th May, 2022.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: This position is subject to availability of fund.