Project Manager - Protection

Overall Purpose of the Role

Based in Malakal, with frequent travel to field locations, the Project Manager – Protection will lead DRC’s UNICEF-funded Child Protection (CP) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) programming across Baliet and Chuil.

The position is responsible for overall programme delivery, quality assurance, staff management, budget oversight, donor compliance, coordination, and representation across both locations. Working closely with the Area Manager, Country Protection Manager, and CP/GBV technical specialists, the Project Manager will ensure the delivery of safe, accessible, accountable, and quality protection services.

The role will also strengthen referral systems, ensure effective coordination with relevant stakeholders, and translate protection analysis, community feedback, and programme evidence into operational decisions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Management and Leadership

• Lead coordinated CP and GBV implementation across Baliet and Chuil, ensuring location-specific workplans, targets, staffing, and resources are aligned with the UNICEF agreement and DRC strategy.
• Ensure all activities comply with DRC SOPs, relevant CP and GBV standards, survivor-centred approaches, and the best interests of children.
• Organize regular technical support, supervision, and field monitoring visits to both locations.
• Oversee safe identification and assessment, appropriate care and support, family tracing and reunification, psychosocial support, and community-based prevention activities within the approved project scope and best interests’ procedures.
• Oversee survivor-centred case management, psychosocial support, prevention, and risk-mitigation activities, ensuring confidential access and appropriate links to health and other specialized services.
• Manage project budgets, forecasts, expenditure, and procurement planning in coordination with Finance, Grants, and Supply Chain teams.
• Monitor programme delivery and expenditure across both locations and address variances within delegated authority.
• Ensure adherence to DRC’s Code of Conduct, PSEA, child safeguarding, and security procedures.
• Maintain safe disclosure and reporting mechanisms and escalate safeguarding or protection concerns through designated channels.
• Coordinate accurate and timely narrative and financial reporting, supporting documentation, and donor monitoring visits.
• Track project commitments against the approved results framework and flag changes requiring donor or management approval.

2. Coordination, Sector Integration, and External Representation

• Maintain functional and location-specific CP and GBV referral pathways in Baliet and Chuil.
• Regularly assess service-provider capacity and focal points, address urgent referral barriers, and establish continuity arrangements where services are unavailable.
• Engage women, children, caregivers, and other affected populations through safe, inclusive, and accessible community engagement mechanisms.
• Coordinate with health, nutrition, WASH, and other sectors to identify and reduce protection risks and improve access to services.
• Represent DRC, as delegated, with UNICEF, the Protection Cluster, CP and GBV Areas of Responsibility, relevant authorities, service providers, and other humanitarian stakeholders.
• Strengthen referrals, joint gap analysis, information sharing, and principled advocacy across both locations.

3. Strategy and Programme Development

• Lead protection assessments, risk analysis, and reviews of protection-related service gaps.
• Use assessment findings, programme data, and community feedback to adjust implementation and escalate urgent protection concerns to area and country-level technical management.
• Contribute to proposals, budgets, programme learning, and response planning.
• Provide regular programme updates to the Area Manager, Country Protection Manager, and relevant technical leads.
• Contribute to the development, review, and updating of SOPs, guidelines, tools, and other programme framework documents as requested by the Protection Technical Coordination team.
• Undertake other duties relevant to the role and programme requirements.

4. People Management and Capacity Building

• Lead the recruitment, induction, supervision, and performance management of direct reports.
• Support Team Leaders to manage daily programme delivery, develop staff capacity, and address staff welfare and safeguarding needs.
• Ensure qualified supervisors provide structured CP and GBV case reviews, coaching, mentoring, and quality assurance.
• Ensure safe documentation, informed consent/assent, referral, follow-up, and case closure procedures are consistently applied without unnecessary access to identifiable case information.
• Promote a supportive, accountable, inclusive, and professional team culture.

5. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning

• Work closely with MEAL teams to track programme results, quality, inclusion, and community feedback across both locations.
• Validate aggregated programme data, minimize double counting, and ensure accessible and safe complaints and feedback mechanisms are in place.
• Ensure approved CP and GBV information management systems have appropriate access controls, data-quality checks, and secure data-handling procedures.
• Ensure only authorized and necessary case information is shared and that analysis is appropriately anonymized.
• Facilitate regular reflection and learning within the project team.
• Capture lessons learned from protection activities and use evidence, monitoring findings, and community feedback to strengthen programme quality and effectiveness.

Experience & Technical Competencies

• At least four years of relevant humanitarian protection programme/project management experience, with demonstrated responsibility for CP and/or GBV programming and experience managing an integrated CP and GBV portfolio.
• Proven experience in staff leadership, mentoring, supervision, and oversight of specialized case management teams.
• Strong understanding of Child Protection Minimum Standards, GBV case management principles, Best Interests Procedures, informed consent/assent, safeguarding, and protection information management.
• Experience managing project budgets, workplans, procurement planning, donor reporting, and compliance requirements.
• Experience managing UNICEF-funded programmes is an advantage.
• Experience coordinating with CP/GBV actors and humanitarian coordination mechanisms.
• Strong assessment, analysis, reporting, stakeholder engagement, and programme planning skills.
• Experience working in South Sudan or comparable emergency settings, including supervision of geographically dispersed teams and adaptation to access and operational constraints.
• Strong communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to Baliet and Chuil and work in remote locations and changing security environments.

Female candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

Education

• University degree in Social Work, Psychology, Social Sciences, Law, Development Studies, or a related field.
• Relevant professional training in Child Protection, GBV, protection programming, safeguarding, or programme management is an advantage.

Languages

• Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
• Knowledge of one or more relevant local languages is an advantage.