Protection Manager

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Protection Manager for our operations in our Shire Field Office.

Overall purpose of the role

The Protection Manager will be responsible for the design, implementation, and technical oversight of DRC Ethiopia’s Protection activities in North Ethiopia Region, including protection monitoring, case management, Gender-Based Violence, legal aid, community-based protection, and psychosocial support for displacement-affected communities. The Protection Manager will also provide technical support and capacity building to DRC’s local partners.

As the lead for the area-based protection consortium, the Protection Manager ensures coordination, coherence, and complementarity among partners. This includes overseeing joint planning and analysis, ensuring protection monitoring feeds into response, and establishing referral pathways and SOPs in collaboration with both consortium members and external actors.

The role provides technical oversight to field teams, supports program development and scale-up, ensures compliance with donor and internal procedures (including finance, procurement, and HR), and contributes to contextualized protection strategies. The position works closely with the Country Office Protection Team, MEAL staff, and the Area Manager to deliver high-quality, accountable, and impactful protection programming.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Project development, & management

• Lead the implementation of DRC protection activities, including protection monitoring, case management, Gender-Based Violence, PSS, legal aid, and community-based protection.
• Coordinate planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of protection projects in coordination with the Area Manager, Grants, and country Protection Manager.
• Contribute to concept note and proposal development and identify protection gaps and priorities.
• Contribute to area-level protection analysis, identifying protection risks and gaps to inform programming and ensure close alignment of strategy with the DRC country, regional and protection strategies.
• Ensure that ethical and statistically sound data collection and protection-related information management systems are in place and used for analysis, planning, evaluation, and advocacy, based on guidance provided by the Country Office team.
• Technically lead protection needs assessments as needed, including developing appropriate tools to inform program design as well as identify risks and vulnerabilities, including those related to gender, age and diversity.
• Ensure integration of AGD (Age, Gender, Diversity) and AAP (Accountability to Affected Populations) across all protection activities.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of protection advocacy strategies.

Technical support

• Provide technical oversight and support to DRC field protection teams and local partner teams, including protection monitoring, case management, Gender-Based Violence, legal aid, community-based protection, and PSS.
• Deliver and oversee on-the-job coaching, training sessions, and workshops for DRC staff and partners.
• Collaborate with the Country Office Protection Team to ensure technical consistency and contextualization.
• Support the mainstreaming of protection principles across other DRC sectors such as HMA, WASH and Economic Recovery.

Coordination & representation

• Serve as area-based lead for the protection consortium, coordinating joint planning, implementation, and monitoring with partners.
• Facilitate joint analysis, planning, and implementation among consortium members to ensure a cohesive response.
• Represent DRC and the consortium in relevant sub-national coordination mechanisms and working groups.
• Close coordination of project implementation with partners (UN agencies and national/international NGOs), including referrals, protection gap analysis and advocacy.
• Promote improved understanding of protection issues among all relevant stakeholders and ensure the observance of international protection and humanitarian law standards.
• Maintain/establish rapport with key stakeholder including donors, government authorities, UN agencies, civil society, international and local NGOs as required.

Grants Management, Finance & Reporting

• Manage and oversee all protection grants; develop and maintain implementation Project Implementation plan and procurement plans for all protection projects for both DRC and local partners.
• In collaboration with the MEAL Specialist/Area Manager, and local partner MEAL staff, prepare quality and timely monthly, quarterly and annual reports.
• With the Country Protection Manager and MEAL Specialist, ensure a MEAL plan is in place and implemented for Protection activities in the North Ethiopia Area Office.
• Manage the Protection project budgets; oversee all budget expenditures and ensure they are allowable and allocable according to donor regulations; review monthly BI reports and collaborate with the Finance department to ensure accurate expenditures and reporting.
• Actively participate and prepare all documents in advance of the Budget Follow-Up and implementation tracking meetings.
• Liaise with DRC Administration, Supply Chain, and Finance Departments and the Area Manager/Head of Program/Head of Operation and relevant local partner staff to ensure smooth operation of the field office.
• Collaborate with the Country Protection Manager and Specialists to ensure effective documentation and compliance with DRC standards for both DRC and local partners.

People management

• Provide technical and programmatic leadership for the protection, Gender-Based Violence, Legal Aid and community Based Protection staff in the North Ethiopia Area Office.
• Responsible for undertaking recruitment, onboarding, and appraisal of protection staff within area of responsibility.
• Set clear workplans and objectives for protection teams and promote professional development of staff by identifying and implementing capacity development opportunities.
• Conduct frequent project location visits to support project location staff through technical back stopping and to train duty bearers.
• Uphold DRC’s code of conduct, values, and principles of accountability.

Experience and technical competencies:

• At least 5-year work experience in protection work or related field
• At least 3-year experience in international organizations and humanitarian settings

 EDUCATION: (include certificates, licenses, etc.)

• University degree preferably in the social sciences such as social work, psychology, law or similar.
• Knowledge and experience designing, implementing and monitoring and evaluating protection intervention within two or more of DRC’s Protection sector components: Gender-Based Violence, Protection Information Management, Community-Based Protection, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and/or Legal Aid.
• Proven experience in capacity development including preparation and delivery of materials and mentoring of staff.

LANGUAGE: (indicate Fluency level)

• English (spoken and written) - excellent
• Tigrigna and/or Afar (spoken) – good (desirable)
• Amharic (spoken) – good (desirable)

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies: 

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process. 

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. 

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 1 year

Contract Type: National Contract

Band: F2 - Management

Designation of Duty Station: Shire, North Ethiopia Field Office.

Start date:  15 December 2025

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for National employees

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered

Closing date for applications: November 23, 2025

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.

Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In light of this, women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gender gap.
Equal Opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status, or other protected characteristics

We strongly encourage female candidates to apply for the position!

We encourage only qualified Ethiopian Nations to apply. DRC considers all applicants based on merit.