Protection Officer (role based in Mali)

PROTECTION Officer – Mali Country Office

Background and Rationale

Mali country Office has developed a Protection and AAP action plan aligned with the Country Strategic Plan design and implementation. This plan, in accordance with the corporate WFP policies is gradually being rolled-out in order to mainstream Protection in all facets of WFP’s operations in the country. This includes the production of protection risks analyses based on protection assessments at field levels, the review of accountable mechanisms, including but not limited to Complain and Feedback Mechanisms, the training of WFP personnel and Cooperating Partners, and the identification of WFP’s bilateral and inter-agency opportunities of collaboration to integrate and/or address Protection concerns in its operations. . The Protection Officer will also provide technical guidance to the national protection officer based in Mopti sub-office. 

Location and Duration of Assignment

The Protection Officer will be deployed to WFP Office in Bamako, Mali. She/He will report directly to the Deputy Country Director and she/he will work under the technical guidance of the Regional Humanitarian Policy advisor based in Dakar.

While based in Bamako, the Protection Officer will need to travel extensively to other regions and programmes sites in the country. The initial duration of the assignment will be 03 months. She/He will receive a briefing at the starting of the mission and will provide a debriefing and a hand-over report highlight the progress and way forward for the outputs mentioned below 

Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Regional Humanitarian Policy Advisor, the Protection office will:

1. Identify the protection risks in WFP operations either direct implementation and partners’ implementation and will undertake analysis of Protection concerns, gauging the Protection risks to all assisted populations. To this end, the Protection Officer will conduct field visits and protection assessments and will consult protection actors on the ground to produce an comprehensive protection risks analysis;

2. Ensure the effective implementation of Accountability to affected Population, including through functional Complain and  Feedback Mechanism, consultations and information provision. Develop new adequate channels based on communities’ preferences. Find avenues for inter-agency AAP coordination, in the framework of the Collective Accountability Framework, also to avoid duplications and maximize impact;

3. Integrate Protection in programme tools, as part of the protection action plan for the Country Office. The Protection Officer will work with relevant units in the Country Office to ensure the integration of protection considerations into relevant programme tools, including assessment, targeting, M & E, and reporting tools while ensuring the confidentiality of sensitive data;

4. Provide training/workshop and Supervision to WFP personnel and partners especially those who are field based, on protection mainstreaming, principled programming, accountability to affected populations and their implementation throughout the project cycle;

5. Identify partnerships with other UN humanitarian agencies, National and International NOGs and other relevant actors on assessment and mitigation of current and emerging Protection issues, and represent WFP in the relevant fora (clusters, working groups etc..)) and identify lessons learnt on Protection mainstreaming in the recent past from Mali (eg. programmatic actions, advocacy measures, enhanced visibility, active presence, partnership building). Identify avenues for increased coordination, including at the AAP Working Group;

Requirements

• Advanced degree in Social science, international law, human rights or public policy;
• 3-5 years of on the ground relevant experience;
• Knowledge of Malian humanitarian and socio-economical contexts;
• Fluent in French, working knowledge of English.