Protection Specialist - GBV

Overall purpose of the role:

Under the supervision of the head of Programme, the Protection Specialist will support the Protection Coordinator in leading DRC's Gender Based violence prevention and response programming across the country. The Protection Specialist will provide technical leadership, quality assurance, mentoring, and supervision support to DRC's Gender-Based Violence (GBV) interventions.

The role will work closely with field teams and partners to strengthen adherence to inter-agency standards and ensure survivor-centered, protection-sensitive, ethical, and safe programming approaches across all GBV interventions. It involves a lot of travelling to DRC’s area offices.

Responsibilities:

Technical Oversight of Protection Programming

• Ensure that DRC's and partner's protection interventions, GBV prevention and response activities are designed and implemented according to best practices and interagency standards.
• Develop with the Protection Coordinator the necessary guidelines, SOPs and tools to support the roll out of safe, sensitive and quality protection activities across the field bases.
• Provide technical oversight for GBV prevention, risk mitigation and response, including survivor-centred case management, psychosocial support, Women and Girls Safe Spaces, community-based prevention and safe referral pathways.
• Ensure GBV case management follows the GBV guiding principles, informed consent, confidentiality, non-discrimination, survivor safety and best-interest considerations for child survivors.
• Establish and maintain structured supervision, case review and case-conferencing mechanisms; coach supervisors and caseworkers and support corrective quality-improvement plans.
• Support service mapping and referral pathway updates, safe and inclusive access, and coordination with health, MHPSS, legal, child protection and other relevant services.
• Advise sector teams on GBV risk mitigation and safe referral, ensuring that all staff understand how to respond safely to a disclosure without undertaking case management.
• Provide technical leadership for the safe and ethical use of GBVIMS/GBVIMS+ and other DRC-approved GBV case-management information systems, in line with survivor-centred principles, informed consent, confidentiality, purpose limitation and data minimisation.
• Provide support to GBV mainstreaming across the organisation

2. Capacity strengthening and partnerships

• Assess staff and partner capacity, develop practical capacity-strengthening plans, and deliver coaching, mentoring and training based on observed needs.
• Strengthen partner systems for safe service delivery, technical supervision, safeguarding, accountability and sustainable ownership of GBV programming.
• Develop and maintain a community of practice that promotes consistent approaches, peer learning and timely technical problem-solving across field locations.

Coordination and Representation

• Coordinate closely with Protection Managers (when existing), Team Leaders, Specialists, and IM teams to strengthen integrated quality approaches.
• Participate in relevant technical working groups and coordination forums as requested.
• Support harmonization of approaches with inter-agency standards and national guidance.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Development

• Support the Protection Coordinator and Head of Programme on planning and designing protection related proposals as relevant.
• Develop protection-focused program monitoring tools as relevant and upon request.
• Monitor protection project work plans, M&E plans, and recruitment plans to ensure progress aligns with project timeline and target.
• Undertake quality control and site monitoring to ensure that services are provided according to international best standards.
• Conduct program monitoring as per expected outputs and outcomes.
• Monitor the implementation of specialized services including case management, IPA, and PSS to ensure alignment with DRC’s guideline, interagency standards and local SOP’s.
• Review project and programme donor’s reports in agreement with the Protection Coordinator
• Explore new business and partnerships and work closely with the Protection Coordinator to develop quality proposals, concept notes and budgets

Management and supervision

• Provide technical supervision to GBV staff across DRC’s field sites, in collaboration with the Protection Coordinator and the Area managers.
• Contribute to the recruitment and performance management of protection staff as needed.
• Develop staff capacities on the rights-based approaches, participatory protection assessments and monitoring, interagency GBV guidelines and inclusion of vulnerable groups though training, mentoring and coaching.
• Conduct and supervise internal and external trainings on protection related issues including protection mainstreaming for DRC staff, partners, and project beneficiaries.

Experience and technical competencies:

• Minimum a university or graduate degree in social studies, international development, gender, or other relevant field;
• Minimum five years of progressively responsible protection experience, including at least three years focused on GBV programming in humanitarian, refugee or internal-displacement settings.
• Demonstrated experience in survivor-centred GBV case management and supervision, psychosocial support, referral systems, community-based prevention and GBV risk mitigation.
• Advanced practical knowledge of inter-agency GBV standards and tools, including GBV guiding principles, GBV case-management guidance, GBV Minimum Standards, GBVIMS/GBVIMS+, incident classification, information-sharing protocols and safe data practices.
• Experience designing, monitoring and adapting multi-site programmes; developing technical guidance; and contributing to proposals, budgets and donor reports.
• Strong record of training, coaching and mentoring staff and local partners, including remote and field-based technical accompaniment.
• Experience with coordination mechanisms, government counterparts, UN agencies and national/local organizations. South Sudan or comparable emergency experience is an advantage.
• Excellent analytical, facilitation, communication and relationship-management skills; ability to prioritise, travel frequently and work independently in complex environments.
• Excellent English writing skills;