GBV/ Protection Officer | Abala

Location: Abala, Ethiopia

Organization: Mercy Corps

Deadline: Feb 01, 2025

Job Description

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, and in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now and for the future

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. With the launch of Mercy Corps Global Strategy, Pathway to Possibility, the country office is poised to operationalize its three-year strategy with a vision to enhance the resilience of climate- and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises.

In Ethiopia, our strategy focuses in the four outcome areas:

1) Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets;

2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food;

3) Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and

4) People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use.

Currently, we operate in six regional states – Afar, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Amhara and South Ethiopia. Working with a diverse base of donors that includes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union, GAC, Hilton Foundation, United Nations (UN), JOA, Sweden, EKN, and other foundations, Mercy Corps Ethiopia empowers people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good.

Mercy Corps Ethiopia has secured funding from the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF) to provide multi-sector humanitarian assistance to people affected by drought and conflict in Aba’ala woreda in Zone 2, Afar. The project focuses on supporting nutritionally vulnerable groups, such as pregnant and lactating women and children under five, through interventions in education, multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA), protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and agriculture.

Position Title: GBV/ Protection Officer

Duty Station: Abala (Zone 2, Afar) Field Office

Open Position:  1

Safeguarding Risk Level: High

Position Summary

The person in this position will be responsible for ensuring the technical quality of the implementation and delivery of GBV-related activities, as well as the mainstreaming of gender and protection in all focus areas for all standalone and multisectoral projects in the assigned Woreda. They will be primarily responsible for the daily implementation of GBV response and prevention interventions, working with government agencies, humanitarian actors, and community members to identify protection risks. Additionally, they will provide capacity-building training on different protection topics, including basic protection principles, GBV case management, prevention and response mechanisms, PSS, PFA, PSEA, and safeguarding to government line bureaus, community representatives, community volunteers, and other humanitarian actors.

The position holder will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of activities in the Women and Girls Safe Spaces, counseling room, and community-based and home-to-home sensitizations. They will also be responsible for documenting GBV and related activities, compiling weekly reports, providing case management, ensuring proper utilization of different safe space tools, as well as representing Mercy Corps in protection and GBV-related coordination forums such as Zonal and Woreda-levels protection, GBV cluster, PSEA Network, and so on.

Essential Job Responsibilities

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversee Safe space and community-based program startup and ongoing program implementation in the assigned field locations.
• Ensure that all the GBV and
• Protection implementations are responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards, and strategic plans.
• Ensure that Clients are effectively targeted especially for Dignity kit and UASC material support and work together with respective government offices at the woreda and Kebele level to establish vulnerability criteria.
• Make sure community approaches by integrated with
• protection, gender sensitivity, and capacity building are integrated into all activities as appropriate.
• Ensure program implementation at ground level is on time, on target, and within budget, using effective M&E tools in both protection mainstreaming and GBV areas to reach desired impacts with quality.
• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Coordinate and implement GBV and Protection related activities of the project.
• Mentor and capacitate the Women and Social Affairs office and other protection frontline service providers on GBV, and psychosocial support interventions.
• Conduct Safety Audit, Market Assessment, and protection risk assessment to better understand protection risk factors.
• Conduct GBV service mapping and coordinate with service providers to strengthen service provision and to support vulnerable children and GBV survivors to have timely and multi-sector response services as required.
• Participate in GBV coordination platforms in the area.
• Lead the community-level awareness sessions on GBV, and protection-related issues together with community volunteer workers and social workers.
• Provide awareness to community members on basic protection principles, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) training, Mercy Corps safeguarding principles, and reporting mechanisms.
• Lead and organize review meetings and other periodic meetings with community members, government representatives, and other humanitarian actors on the GBV, and protection concerns about the project.
• Ensure that the GBV referral and psychosocial support-related activities are properly implemented with all protection frontline service providers at the kebele and woreda level in collaboration with the women and social affairs office.
• Provide job training and mentoring sessions for the safe space facilitators, and community volunteers in GBV, and protection-related activities.
• lead the process of WGSS and CFS activities in the selected areas together with the community volunteers and social workers.
• Cascade training and provide unstructured and structured safe space interventions, like positive parental sessions, Adolescent girls programming, information dissemination, skill building, and other sessions.
• Participate in capacity-building trainings and workshops that focus on gender, GBV, and protection issues.

Team Management

• Work with other humanitarian actors in the areas of kebele and woreda level and provide support to make sure to integrate basic GBV, and protection principles during service delivery.
• Coordinate with humanitarian actors and attend in periodic GBV, and protection risk assessment and safety Audits and develop a joint strategy.
• Supervise the safe space facilitators and community volunteers of GBV, and protection work and work with the Protection Advisor and Specialist.

Influence & Representation

• Represent Mercy Corps in different GBV, and protection-related platforms (Kebele and Woreda) levels and communicate what Mercy Corps is doing regarding GBV, and protection and share lessons from other agencies as well.
• Provide timely training and orientation to safe space facilitators and community volunteers and make sure that they convey messages clearly to the community.
• Coordinate with safe space facilitators, community volunteers, and other community structures in the area to provide information to community members on available services for GBV survivors, and other protection issues.
• Upholds the image and values of Mercy Corps at all times,

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational Learning 

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
• Mercy Corps team members are expected to implement a community accountability reporting Mechanism (CARM) effectively.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respect local laws, customs, and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Supervisory Responsibility

The Protection officer is responsible for providing technical support to the community volunteers and social workers to be able to properly integrate protection principles during day-to-day activity implementation; as well as responsible for providing a capacity-building training.

Accountability

• Reports Directly to: Protection Specialist / Filed program manager.
• Technical report to Protection Specialist/protection Advisor

Knowledge and Experience

• BA degree in Gender and social development, Sociology, Psychology, Social work, or other similar social science field of studies
• Minimum two years’ work experience in GBV, Protection, and Protection roles (Experience working in an NGO is an advantage)

GEDSI (GENDER, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)

• Support the organization’s commitment to age and gender inclusive team building process
• Promote an inclusive and equitable workplace culture
• Increase staff knowledge of GEDSI

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members.

As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

 

HOW TO APPLY

All qualified individuals are invited to apply for the advertised position. All applications, including a CV, three references, and all applicable official papers, must be sent electronically through this; LINK.

Only candidates that are shortlisted will be acknowledged and called for interviews.

“Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer, promoting gender, equity and diversity. Qualified female and young candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to empowering women and youth.”

DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: February 01 2025/ 4:00 PM.