Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified candidate for the Protection Officer – Child Protection position in Pibor. If you are a skilled and motivated professional ready to make a difference, we want you on board! Together, we’ll work to deliver impactful humanitarian solutions in challenging environments.

About the job

The Protection Officer – Child Protection will lead the planning, implementation, supervision, and monitoring of Child Protection (CP) activities within the Mobile Response Team (MRT). The protection officer plays a key role in emergency child protection case management; in strengthening community-based child protection mechanisms, including alternative care arrangements, family tracing and reunification; in identifying and referring at-risk children (including unaccompanied and separated children); in mitigating child protection risks; in conducting rapid protection assessments; and in coordinating with humanitarian actors in newly affected or hard-to-reach areas.

The Protection Officer – CP will ensure full adherence to child safeguarding principles, confidentiality, and DRC Code of Conduct throughout all interventions. They will be part of the Mobile Response Team (MRT) working across South Sudan, hard-to-reach locations, and areas with limited humanitarian presence affected by conflict and/or natural disasters.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the implementation of emergency Child Protection activities within the Mobile Response Team across hard-to-reach and shock-affected locations.
• Provide direct Child Protection Case Management for complex and high-risk cases in line with inter-agency standards, Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS), Best Interest Procedures (including BIA and contribution to BID when required), and DRC SOPs.
• Serve as the technical focal point and provide ongoing supervision, mentoring, and quality assurance to CP Case Workers/Assistants, including structured case reviews and joint case planning.
• Ensure safe identification, assessment, documentation, and follow-up of children at risk, including unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) and children exposed to violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, recruitment, child labour, and early marriage, in full compliance with confidentiality and child safeguarding standards.
• Support and oversee alternative care arrangements, family tracing, and reunification processes in coordination with relevant actors and authorities.
• Strengthen and support community-based child protection mechanisms to enhance community-level identification, referral, prevention, and child participation in safe and age-appropriate ways.
• Conduct rapid protection assessments, safety audits, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and community mapping with a focus on child protection trends and emerging risks, and contribute to updating event trackers, trigger tools, and alert monitoring systems.
• Update referral pathways and coordinate with CP AoR partners, local authorities, RRC, social workers, and humanitarian actors to ensure timely and appropriate services for children.
• Develop and adapt child protection tools, IEC materials, and training modules for emergency response and provide capacity building to case workers and community structures.

 Experience and Technical Competencies:

• Minimum 2 years of experience in Child Protection programming in humanitarian or emergency contexts.
• Experience in emergency case management and working in hard-to-reach areas in South Sudan is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of inter-agency Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS) and Best Interest Procedures (BIA/BID).
• Familiarity with family tracing and reunification processes is an asset.
• Demonstrated understanding of child safeguarding principles.
• Demonstrates strong knowledge of IASC guidance on mental health and psychosocial support services in humanitarian settings. 
• Strong reporting and documentation skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Commitment to child rights and humanitarian principles.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Desirable qualifications

• Prior experience working under UNICEF-funded projects.
• Experience in Mobile Response or Rapid Response programming.
• Strong interpersonal and mentoring skills.
• Ability to work in remote locations for extended periods with limited amenities.
• Works collaboratively with team members to achieve results
• Remains productive when under pressure with the ability to prioritize effectively, and respects and adheres to deadlines
• Strong relationship-building / interpersonal skills;
• Positive attitude;
• Energetic and interested
• University degree in Social Work, Social Sciences, Psychology, Law, Development Studies, Child Protection, or other relevant field.
• Additional certification or formal training in Child Protection Case Management or Best Interest Procedures (BIA/BID) is an asset.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken), knwoledge in local languages added advantge

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: 6 Months

Band: H2

Work location: Pibor (None relocatable).

Start date: 1 April 2026, subject to funding approval.