Protection Officer (Child Protection)-Homs

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Job Overview/Summary: The protection Officer (Child Protection) is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day implementation and technical quality of Child Protection programming delivered through partner organizations in Daraa and other assigned locations. The position has a primary focus on Child Protection interventions, including case management, psychosocial support, community-based child protection, safe identification and referral, parenting and caregiver support, and child safeguarding, while also supporting the quality and effective implementation of Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) and Protection and Rule of Law (PRoL) interventions delivered by partners.

The Child Protection Officer serves as the primary technical focal point for partner field teams, providing ongoing coaching, mentoring, capacity building, and technical guidance to ensure services are delivered in accordance with IRC standards, donor requirements, child safeguarding principles, and international protection standards. The role includes conducting regular field visits, monitoring service quality, verifying program data and documentation, identifying implementation gaps, and working collaboratively with partners to strengthen program performance and accountability.

The Child Protection Officer supports the establishment and strengthening of community-based child protection mechanisms, promotes meaningful participation of children, caregivers, and communities, and ensures that vulnerable children are safely identified and referred to appropriate services. The position works closely with partner staff, community structures, and IRC technical teams to strengthen referral pathways, improve service quality, and ensure that protection interventions effectively address the needs of children and their caregivers while contributing to integrated protection outcomes.

The position also contributes to strengthening partner capacity, quality assurance processes, project reporting, coordination with stakeholders, and continuous improvement of protection programming to ensure the effective and accountable delivery of services across all project locations.

Major Responsibilities: Major responsibilities of the Protection Officer (Child Protection) are listed below:

• Lead the day-to-day technical support and oversight of Child Protection activities implemented through partners, ensuring adherence to IRC technical standards, donor requirements, and child protection principles.
• Support partners in the implementation of child protection case management, psychosocial support activities, parenting and caregiver support initiatives, community-based child protection mechanisms, and child safeguarding interventions.
• Provide technical guidance to partner staff on case management principles, best interests’ procedures, safe identification, referrals, confidentiality, child safeguarding, and mainstreaming protection.
• Support the implementation and quality assurance of WPE and PRoL activities delivered by partners to ensure integrated protection programming and effective referral pathways.
• Ensure that child protection risks are systematically identified, monitored, and addressed through project interventions.
• Accompany partner teams during field visits and service delivery activities to provide mentoring, coaching, and technical support.

Community Protection Systems Strengthening & Sustainability

• Assess partner capacity gaps and develop capacity-strengthening plans in coordination with relevant technical coordinators and managers.
• Deliver training, coaching, mentoring, and on-the-job capacity-building for partner staff on CP, safeguarding, case management, referrals, protection mainstreaming, and integrated protection approaches.
• Facilitate regular technical review meetings with partner teams to discuss challenges, lessons learned, and corrective actions.
• Support partners in developing action plans to improve service quality and ensure timely implementation of recommendations.
• Support sustainable capacity strengthening and knowledge transfer initiatives to enhance partners’ long-term ability to deliver quality protection services independently.

Referral & Coordination Oversight

1. Oversee referral pathways to ensure effectiveness, continuity, and proper coordination with partners and service providers.
2. Work closely with the partner to ensure gradual handover of responsibilities and knowledge transfer.

Data Validation, Compliance & Reporting

1. Verify beneficiary data and ensure its accuracy and reliability.
2. Manage documentation and achieving in line with donor requirements.
3. Prepare impact reports, closure reports, and ensure full compliance with donor regulations and requirements.

Program Closure & Transition Planning

1. Support final evaluations and lessons learned exercises.
2. Lead or contribute to closure planning, ensuring safe and structured transition of activities to partners or communities.
3. Ensuring protection mainstreaming is integrated across remaining program activities.

General

• Perform any other duties as required by program needs or as requested by the supervisor.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Protection Senior Manager (Child Protection).
• Position directly supervises: IRC’s activities and field staff – local partner activities.
• Indirect Reporting: IP Coordinator.
• Other Internal and/or external contacts:
• Internal: Protection Officers, IP Coordinator, WPE, and CP teams, ERD team. IP senior managers, and Health team.
• External: INGOs, local actors, and Local authorities.

Job Requirements:

Education:

• A bachelor's degree in social work, international relations, human rights, community development, or any other university degree.

Work Experience:

• Proven experience2-4 years in Child Protection, case management, psychosocial support, child safeguarding, or related humanitarian programming.
• Experience working with NGOs and implementing programs through partner organizations.
• Experience in providing technical support, coaching, and capacity strengthening to staff and partners.
• Experience in field monitoring, quality assurance, reporting, and compliance with donor and organizational standards.
• Knowledge of Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE), Protection and Rule of Law (PRoL), referral pathways, and protection principles.
• Strong understanding of the Syrian humanitarian context and commitment to child protection, inclusion, and gender equality.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Strong management and organizational skills.
• Excellent time management skills and ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong communication, negotiation and persuasion skills
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team, as well as independently.
• Flexible and able to work in a dynamic and diverse environment.
• Experience in regular report writing.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team, as well as independently.
• Flexible and able to work in a dynamic and diverse environment.
• Must be computer literate (Microsoft Word and Excel).

Language Skills:

• Arabic & English are required.
• Travel: If requested

Professional Standards: IRC staff must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, IRC operates and carries out policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Respect at Work Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Returning National Candidates: We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a citizen of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

Accountability to Clients: IRC staff must adhere to the commitment of contributing to the sustainability and development of its (CR) Client Responsiveness Mechanisms, preserving the culture of prioritizing the needs of our clients and affected communities by systematically listening to their perspectives and using their feedback to make programmatic decisions and give them greater influence over program design and delivery.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Diversity and Inclusion: at IRC MENA, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.

IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. In keeping with our core values of Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality, IRC strives to maintain a work environment built on mutual respect in which all individuals treat each other professionally, and free of bias, prejudice, and harassment. IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. All IRC staff, wherever they are located, are accountable for creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and retaliation.