Protection Officer – (Return, Reintegration & Mixed Migration -P2P)

The Protection Officer is responsible for field-level coordination, implementation and quality assurance of DRC's SIDA P2P protection, mixed migration, return/reintegration and related Economic Recovery linkages in Mogadishu and relevant South-Central return and transit locations. The role supports timely, protection-sensitive delivery of DRC direct activities and field-level accompaniment of local partners across vulnerability screening/case management, PSS, IPA and referrals, route-based Protection Monitoring, reintegration follow-up, livelihoods linkages and systems strengthening.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate vulnerability screening and protection risk assessment for migrants and returnees and support safe, rights-based case management and referral follow-up in line with DRC SOPs, informed consent, confidentiality and Do No Harm.
• Provide field-level technical guidance to assigned DRC caseworkers and support quality of partner case-management/referral delivery as delegated; ensure GBV, Child Protection, trafficking and other specialized concerns are safely identified and referred.
• Coordinate approved IPA and other immediate protection support, and facilitate safe referrals to MHPSS, health, legal aid, shelter/housing, civil documentation, livelihoods and other specialized services based on assessed need.
• Coordinate/support delivery of structured individual and group PSS and appropriate referral to specialized MHPSS services.
• Support dignified reception, protection screening, information and counselling, access to hotline services, documentation, individualized reintegration planning and structured post-return follow-up, including through the Mogadishu MRC and other P2P service points as relevant.
• Work closely with Economic Recovery colleagues and partners to link returnees to market-informed skills, employment/self-employment, business/start-up and financial-inclusion pathways, ensuring protection barriers and safeguarding considerations are integrated.
• Coordinate regular community and route-based Protection Monitoring in assigned locations; provide day-to-day technical guidance to Protection Monitors/enumerators and ensure urgent protection risks and referral needs trigger appropriate response.
• Support service mapping and referral/RMS strengthening, monitor referral functionality, and contribute to the Ethiopia-Somalia cross-border case-management/legal-aid pilot in line with agreed consent, confidentiality and data-protection protocols.
• Use anonymized Protection Monitoring and referral trends to inform programme adaptation, reporting, validation and evidence/advocacy, keeping confidential case data separate from routine monitoring/MEAL datasets.
• Provide field-level technical accompaniment to KAALO, participate in joint monitoring with government counterparts and KAALO, and follow up agreed capacity-strengthening actions on Protection, referrals, PSS, Protection Monitoring and rights-based return/reintegration.
• Support existing government-led migration, referral and reintegration systems through joint monitoring, dialogue, practical coordination and on-the-job support, strengthening rather than creating parallel mechanisms.
• Coordinate with authorities, MRCs, service providers, community structures and humanitarian/protection actors, and support relevant reintegration, social-cohesion and stakeholder-engagement activities as assigned.
• Maintain field activity plans and monitor delivery against approved workplans, budgets, targets and programme-quality standards; identify implementation gaps and support timely corrective action.
• Coordinate with MEAL/IM, Economic Recovery, Partnerships/Grants, Finance and relevant programme/area teams; maintain accurate programme documentation and timely activity/technical reporting.
• Ensure implementation complies with DRC policies and donor requirements, safeguarding/PSEA/AAP commitments, core Protection principles, confidentiality and responsible data management.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Human Rights, International Development, Peace and Conflict Studies, or a closely related field.
• Relevant training in Protection, case management, PSS, mixed migration and/or return and reintegration is an asset.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant Protection experience in humanitarian, displacement or mixed-migration settings; experience in return/reintegration is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in case management/referrals, PSS, Protection Monitoring and protection-sensitive direct assistance.
• Experience working with local partners, government authorities and service providers, including joint implementation/monitoring and capacity strengthening.
• Experience linking Protection with reintegration/Economic Recovery or livelihoods pathways is an asset; strong planning, analysis, reporting, communication and data-protection skills are required.
• Languages: English - Advanced/Professional proficiency, spoken and written.
• Languages: Somali - Native/Fluent, spoken and written.

Skills

• Protection Case Management
• Psychosocial Support
• Protection Monitoring
• Mixed Migration
• Return and Reintegration
• Capacity Strengthening
• Partner Coordination
• Protection-sensitive Assistance
• Economic Recovery Linkages
• Livelihoods Pathways
• Planning and Reporting
• Data Protection
• Field-level Coordination
• Vulnerability Screening
• Referral Systems Knowledge
• Direct Implementation
• Protection Training Delivery
• Humanitarian Protection
• Displacement Settings Experience

Languages

English, Somali