International Protection Officer

Job Title:          International Protection Officer

Function:         Programmes

Duty Station:   Iraq (Multiple Locations)

Line Manager: Team Leader

ABOUT US

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a dynamic, international non-governmental organization. We work to reduce violence and protect civilians in countries affected by violent conflict and its aftermath through the implementation of unarmed civilian protection prog ramming. NP implements programming through the deployment of civilian protection teams to the field and is continuing to scale up to meet the growing needs in the communities we serve. Programming is founded on unarmed civilian protection and is thematically focused on protection in displacement, child protection, gender-based violence protection and inter-communal violence reduction. 

JOB PURPOSE

The International Protection Officer will implement community-based violence reduction and prevention programming in various locations in Iraq, in the context of an on-going civil conflict and high levels of displacement. You will be a person with a genuine commitment to working at the community level, someone who is skilled at building trusting relationships in an extremely polarized political climate. You are someone who is not deterred by the complexity of conflict; you are able to analyze conflict dynamics; you are motivated and unendingly persistent in finding and implementing protection and prevention strategies. You will be responsible for working together with other international and national colleagues to directly implement the project and to participate in reporting and documentation. You are comfortable living and working in a physically demanding environment, living full-time in a shared compound environment.

The successful candidate combines creativity, innovation and demonstrated knowledge of protection, conflict prevention and peacebuilding. S/he is experienced and skilled at converting protection, violence reduction and conflict analysis theory into practical, locally appropriate solutions that effectively increases safety and security of civilians affected by violent conflict. S/he has excellent interpersonal skills and flair for connecting and building trust with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. S/he is solutions focused, strategic and is driven by a keen interest and personal commitment to civilian protection. S/he is fluent in English and has strong spoken Arabic.

KEY OBJECTIVES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Commitment to NP Principles

• Demonstrate a commitment to NP’s mandate, principles and Code of Conduct.
• Facilitate a full-time approach to ensuring a positive image of the organization

Programme Implementation

• Information gathering and context analysis
  • Assess security risks and develop conflict mitigation strategies for both host and IDP communities and returnees
  • Continuously monitor local conflict situation in order to track conflict trends and identify protection needs.
  • Work and live within conflict affected communities to build trust, to establish deep contextual understanding and to effect nonpartisan position

• Community Engagement
  • Identify and flag communities or individuals in need of specialised support services, maintain updated referral pathway, ensure effective dissemination of information
  • Establish and support community protection mechanisms, including intensive follow-up and support.
  • Facilitate active participation and leadership of women in community peace and security strategies
  • Monitor and report on breaches of locally negotiated peace agreements

• Training
  • Provide technical skills training in conflict analysis, nonviolent conflict resolution and community based protection strategies
  • Develop training materials and tailor existing training materials to field-level contexts

• Protective presence, accompaniment and other interventions
  • Design and implement protection interventions appropriate to context and need within parameters of mandate and projects
  • Provide protective presence and accompaniment to vulnerable groups and persons with specific needs, with particular focus on improving child protection and combating gender-based violence.
  • Facilitate communications and relationships between communities in conflict, providing proactive engagement to mitigate potential conflict including facilitated dialogue, shuttle diplomacy and the development of specific implementable agreements
  • Manage cases of individuals who are vulnerable or under threat, including working with other service providers and managing a follow-up process.

Administration and Operation

• Reporting
  • Produce activity, field and training reports and support the Team Leader in internal and external reporting as needed

• Security
  • Support the team in consistent security analysis and development of security protocols.
  • Ensure all project work is consistent with agreed safety and security policies and procedures

• Logistics/Finance
  • Complete team-level finance reports as requested and support monitoring of team cash, spending and financial documentation
  • Support team-level logistics and operations, including completing procurement requests, supporting asset management and compound management
  • Assist with procurement of supplies or other logistical matters when delegated by the Team Leader

Other

• Perform any other work duties assigned by the Team Leader
• Be available to work in any field site as needed by the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

Language

• Professional-level spoken Arabic is mandatory
• Fluent in English

Experience

• 3 -5 years’ work experience in human security, child or civilian protection.
• Demonstrated successful experience in working in complex security environments
• Demonstrated experience working with state authorities, negotiation and mediation
• Demonstrated ability to live, work and solve problems independently and effectively in remote, highly challenging locations
• Demonstrated ability to analyse conflict, security and political contexts

Skills

• Ability to set priorities, solve problems and analyse data
• Ability to manage information with discretion
• Demonstrable conflict analysis skills, identify entry points and design prevention and protection strategies
• Ability to communicate effectively with individuals and motivate and provide leadership to team and to work and live in a multi-cultural environment
• Solutions focused, creative problem solver
• Proven ability to build relationships with the full range of actors including government, sheikhs, military, police and non state actors
• Genuine commitment and interest in living and working at the community level
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Good skills in Microsoft Office applications

HOW TO APPLY

• Candidates meeting the above requirements are requested to submit a CV (max. 2 pages) and cover letter (max. 1 page) detailing your experience and how you qualify for the role. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• The closing date for applications isMonday, 14th February 2022  
• Candidates may be selected before the closing date, apply early
• As part of the recruitment process, shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a written assignment before participating in an interview.

SPECIAL NOTICE

Nonviolent Peaceforce is committed to achieving a 50/50 gender balance in its staff at all levels. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. However, all qualified applicants regardless of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, or age, will be considered for this opportunity.

Nonviolent Peaceforce acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of employees, contractors, volunteers, interns, people in communities we serve, and other stakeholders and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice in the Humanitarian and Development sector.

NO FEE

PLEASE BEWARE OF FRAUDULENT JOB OFFERS. NONVIOLENT PEACEFORCE DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR ASK FOR FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (INCLUDING APPLICATION, INTERVIEW, MEETING, TRAVELING, PROCESSING TRAINING, ETC). NONVIOLENT PEACEFORCE WILL NOT REQUEST INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS