Role overview
What you'll be stepping into
The Protection Officer will oversee the day-to-day delivery and quality of protection activities under the Refugee Support, Empowerment and Transformation (ReSET) Programme in the assigned refugee settlement.
The successful candidate will ensure that individuals and households are screened for protection risks, vulnerable people receive appropriate assistance, and survivors and at-risk individuals access safe, confidential, and survivor-centred case management. The role also involves protection monitoring, community-based protection, referrals, and follow-up to ensure affected individuals receive the services they need.
The Protection Officer will work closely with IRC cash assistance teams and consortium partners, including TPO Uganda, UGANET, and the Refugee-Led Organisations Network (RELON). Coordination with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), UNHCR, district authorities, and humanitarian stakeholders will also be essential.
Key Responsibilities
1. Protection Programme Implementation
Lead the delivery of protection activities in the assigned refugee settlement.
Support field-level planning, implementation, monitoring, and follow-up of protection interventions.
Ensure activities comply with programme implementation plans, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and established quality standards.
Identify operational challenges and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.
Document case studies, best practices, and lessons learned to support programme improvement.
2. Protection Screening and Cash Assistance Integration
Conduct integrated protection screening for individuals accessing protection, gender-based violence (GBV), child protection, legal, disability, and mental health services.
Support household vulnerability assessments and verification processes to identify protection risks and potential eligibility for multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA).
Identify persons with specific needs, oversee needs assessments, and facilitate appropriate assistance and follow-up.
Support the allocation of households to relevant assistance packages, including Protection and Protection Plus.
Contribute to targeting decisions and the Safer Cash approach by identifying risks associated with cash delivery.
Support appeals processes and ensure urgent protection-related appeals are escalated and reviewed on the same day.
3. Protection Case Management
Ensure protection case management services meet established standards.
Support child protection case management, including identifying unaccompanied and separated children and facilitating referrals to specialised services.
Coordinate with TPO Uganda to facilitate access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).
Work with UGANET to support access to legal assistance, civil documentation, legal representation, and housing, land and property services.
Participate in multidisciplinary case conferences for complex and high-risk cases.
Immediately escalate cases involving suicide or self-harm risks, severe protection concerns, or safeguarding issues in accordance with established protocols.
Ensure case information is accurately recorded in the appropriate case management systems.
4. Community-Based Protection and Prevention
Conduct community protection risk assessments, safety audits, and targeted individual assistance activities.
Strengthen the capacity of Refugee Welfare Councils, Community Protection Committees, women's and girls' groups, youth groups, para-social workers, and community volunteers.
Organise awareness-raising sessions on rights, available services, referral pathways, safeguarding, and complaints mechanisms.
Promote peaceful coexistence and social cohesion between refugee and host communities.
Apply conflict-sensitivity and Do No Harm principles throughout programme implementation.
5. Protection Monitoring and Referrals
Conduct protection monitoring and document the needs and risks of forcibly displaced and stateless persons, including women, children, older people, persons with disabilities, new arrivals, and minority groups.
Support service mapping and maintain referral directories and pathways.
Follow established referral procedures and ensure referrals are tracked through to completion.
Ensure referrals to ReSET Pillar 2 and self-reliance programmes are voluntary and based on informed consent.
Maintain continuity of assistance for active protection cases, including when referrals are declined.
Report referral failures, service delays, and gaps to the Protection and Referral Specialist.
6. Safeguarding, Accountability and Inclusion
Uphold IRC safeguarding policies and standards for preventing sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH).
Support accountability to affected populations by ensuring feedback and complaints are acknowledged within one working day and resolved or escalated within three working days.
Apply gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) measures, including the Washington Group Questions and accessibility audits.
Maintain informed consent, confidentiality, data minimisation, and appropriate data protection practices in all protection activities.
7. Reporting, Monitoring and Evaluation
Prepare timely weekly and monthly reports, including protection monitoring reports and inputs for quarterly programme reports.
Support the development of protection monitoring tools and reporting formats.
Work with Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) staff to monitor programme quality and implementation progress.
Collect and report data disaggregated by sex, age, disability, and displacement status.
Document programme successes, challenges, and lessons learned, and follow up on agreed actions.
Participate in community needs, vulnerability, and capacity assessments.
Complete required protection sector reporting, including the 4W matrix.
8. Coordination and Representation
Work collaboratively with IRC teams, TPO Uganda, UGANET, and RELON through joint planning, case conferences, and field visits.
Coordinate with refugee leadership structures and community protection groups.
Represent IRC in settlement-level protection, child protection, GBV, and other relevant coordination meetings.
Maintain effective working relationships with OPM, UNHCR, district local governments, social welfare officers, police, justice actors, health authorities, and other humanitarian organisations.
Support coordination and integration with cash assistance, MEAL, and economic recovery programmes.
Qualifications and Education
Applicants should possess:
A university degree, preferably in Social Work, Sociology, Law, Human Rights, or a related field.
A postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline is desirable.
Experience and Competencies
Candidates should demonstrate:
Three to five years of experience in protection programming, including GBV, child protection, or protection monitoring in refugee or other displacement settings.
Demonstrated experience in protection case management.
Knowledge of community-based protection, protection monitoring, and referral systems.
Experience in community mobilisation is an advantage.
Understanding of cash and voucher assistance and protection mainstreaming in cash programmes, including Safer Cash, is an asset.
Strong knowledge of protection principles, safeguarding, PSEAH, confidentiality, and data protection.
Experience in programme cycle management, monitoring, evaluation, and accountability.
Ability to supervise and coach field teams and work effectively with national and refugee-led organisations.
Experience delivering training to staff, volunteers, and community structures.
Good report-writing, organisational, leadership, and communication skills.
Ability to use digital data collection and case management tools.
Ability to represent an organisation effectively in meetings with local authorities and stakeholders.
Ability to work independently, make sound decisions, and operate with minimal supervision.
Fluency in English. Knowledge of a language commonly spoken in the assigned refugee settlement is an advantage.
How to apply