Protection Coordinator

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Protection Coordinator based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with frequent field travel.

Overall purpose of the role

The Protection Coordinator for Ethiopia leads DRC's protection programming across the country and technically oversees all of DRC’s protection activities, including protection monitoring and analysis, case management, psychosocial support, community-basedprotection, access to justice, and gender-based violence prevention and response. He/she provides technical oversight to DRC’s protection activities across the different operations, ensuring the improvement and application of harmonised quality standards, represent DRC is key humanitarian coordination forums, and support a consistent integration of a rights-based approach into all DRC's programme activities across the country. He/She provides daily supervision to the country office protection team and technically supervises protection managers/team leaders in the field, ensuring strong technical rigour and capacity building of the team.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Technical leadership and programme development:

• Oversee the continuous improvement and implementation of DRC Ethiopia protection sector strategy, and ensure protection mainstreaming across DRC interventions
• Ensure the development of high-quality, harmonized standards and approaches and develop guidelines and standard operating procedures for activities as relevant. Ensure the team are trained in the use of relevant SOPs and tools.
• Support project teams with technical supervision, regular visits, mentoring, and coaching to ensure quality implementation and adherence to best practices.
• Ensure that protection programming and other sector interventions are based on continuous protection risk analysis.
• Ensure ethical and methodologically-sound protection information management systems are in place and used for analysis, planning, evaluation, and advocacy.
• Conduct and support regular sectoral analysis and advocacy work for the country office and produce reports to be used for information or contribute to evidence-based advocacy.
• Provide technical input into DRC Ethiopia’s partnership strategy and ensure that partnerships with protection actors are managed with sufficient technical and capacity development support.
• Leads technical inputs to relevant proposals and project design processes, and provides quality assurance to protection programme design, including assessments, relevant MEAL tools, activity design, wok planning and budgeting.

Coordination and representation

• Represent DRC in national coordination forums (e.g., Protection Cluster, PC Strategic Advisory Group, GBV Working Groups, etc.) and ensure DRC contributes to joint strategies and interagency coordination.
• Coordinate with the Authorities relevant for the sector, UN agencies, INGOs and NNGOs and other key stakeholders on the provision of sectoral services.
• Represent DRC sectoral programming in meetings with donors as requested by the Senior Management Team.
• Work closely with other agencies to implement common sectoral standards and develop common strategies and responses.

Participation in the Project Cycle Management

• Review technical aspects of needs assessments TOR, questionnaires and reports and provide technical inputs to improve the quality and use of the data for DRC
• Participate in the design of project proposals and budgets by preparing or reviewing technical components to ensure high quality standards are met and proposed activities are in line with DRC global and country strategies, cluster strategies and government strategies.
• Ensure the implementation strategy of the sectoral activities is in line with DRC technical guidelines
• Undertake quality control and site monitoring to ensure that services provided are according to international best practice standards for DRC and partners’ activities.
• In coordination with the MEAL Manager, review strategic MEAL tools and products to improve their quality and use
• In coordination with the Grants Manager, develop content and review strategic donor reports to ensure quality assurance to donor and other DRC reports relevants to the sector;
• Participate in relevant internal project monitoring meeting (Kick off meeting, Project Monitoring Meeting and Close Out Meeting)
• Contribute to protection mainstreaming in all DRC field offices.

Technical Supervision

• Provides technical supervision to all field-based project managers and team leaders implementing protection programming
• Provides daily supervision to the country office Protection Specialists to ensure coherent work planning and prioritisation of human resources in line with DRC’s protection strategy and programme implementation.

Experience and technical competencies:

• Minimum 3 years of experience in a similar role in the field of law or protection, particularly within the field of migrant/IDP/refugee protection.
• Specific experience in protection monitoring, community based protection, PSS, legal aid or GBV is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating with and supporting national and local authorities as well as humanitarian coordination forums.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently in an independent manner.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and adapt in a complex and challenging environment.
• Experience with capacity building of staff and different stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective and working relations with staff members and other stakeholders.

 EDUCATION: (include certificates, licenses, etc.)

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, law, social work, international development, or other relevant field from a recognized institution.

LANGUAGE: (indicate Fluency level)

• Excellent verbal and written proficiency in English.

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: G1 – Non-Management

Designation of Duty Station: Addis Ababa, with frequent field travel.

 Start date:  1 January, 2026

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: December 3, 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 gendergap.
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.