Senior Project Officer - Protection

As a lead for the RAPID project protection sector , you will lead the coordination and delivery of community-based protection interventions under the RAPID program, ensuring access to safe, inclusive, and accountable services. The role focuses on establishing and supporting community protection structures, strengthening referral and accountability systems, and overseeing psychosocial support interventions. You will engage with community actors and local authorities to guide protection planning and implementation, while ensuring adherence to safeguarding standards and integration of protection principles across program activities.

Your coordination and relationship management skills will ensure that the project for which you are responsible applies best practices and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve.

• →Organize and lead the implementation of all assigned project activities as outlined in the detailed implementation plan in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• →Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities and guiding partners in their efforts to reflect on project experiences. Analyze implementation challenges and report any inconsistencies and/or gaps to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules. 
• →Coordinate and oversee working relationships with all local project stakeholders and serve as the liaison between them and the project team to mobilize local actors and promote project activities and impact.
• →Oversee and perform ad-hoc inspections of various processes and resources at project sites to ensure timely project activities implementation and adherence to established process standards and procedures. Ensure proper tracking of resource use for project activities through periodic budget reviews and follow-up with and assistance to implementing partner.
• →Support and coordinate capacity building and technical support activities to ensure assigned project activities are implemented per project guidelines and standards.
• →Coordinate provision of any logistical and administrative support to staff and partners.
• →Ensure project documentation for assigned activities is complete with all required documents and is filed per agency and donor requirements. Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and documentation of case studies and promising practices
• →Lead community-based protection (CBP) activities including community structures and participatory protection analysis. 
• →Identify, analyze, and mitigate protection risks throughout the project cycle. 
• →Establish and monitor safe, ethical, and survivor-centered referral pathways. 
• →Support implementation of FCRM and integrate safeguarding and PSEA risk mitigation in activities. 
• →Coordinate with Protection Cluster and service providers to maintain referral pathways and service mapping. 
• →Integrate basic MHPSS and trauma-informed approaches into protection activities. 

Required Languages - List languages required to perform the job

Travel - You must be willing and able to travel up to 40 % of the time.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• →Analysis and problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment
• →Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners
• →Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented
• →Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• →Protection principles and Do No Harm
• →CBP approaches 
• →Referral systems 
• →Safeguarding/PSEA and FCRM

• Experience working with partners, participatory action planning and community engagement.
• Staff supervision experience a plus.
• Experience monitoring projects and collecting relevant data.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

• Bachelor’s degree in law, social work, development studies and any other related field
• Minimum 5 years of experience of which 2 years are in a supervisory role, in the protection field for an NGO.

 Agency Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions. 
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission.  Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

CRS is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all people who interact with our work. We uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and expect all staff and partners to respect and protect the dignity and rights of everyone from any form of harm, abuse, harassment, or exploitation. All staff are required to follow CRS’s safeguarding policies and procedures and to complete mandatory safeguarding e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.