Protection Officer - Return, Reintegration & Mixed Migration

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Protection Officer

About the job

The Protection Officer is responsible for field-level coordination, implementation and quality assurance of DRC's SIDA P2P protection, return/reintegration and related Economic Recovery linkages in Bosaso and relevant Eastern Route return and transit locations in Puntland. The role supports timely, protection-sensitive delivery of DRC direct activities and field-level accompaniment of local partners across vulnerability screening/case management, PSS, IPA and referrals, route-based Protection Monitoring, reintegration follow-up, livelihoods linkages and systems strengthening.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Protection services, case management and direct assistance

• Coordinate vulnerability screening and protection risk assessment for migrants and returnees and support safe, rights-based case management and referral follow-up in line with DRC SOPs, informed consent, confidentiality and Do No Harm.
• Provide field-level technical guidance to assigned DRC caseworkers and support quality of partner case-management/referral delivery as delegated; ensure GBV, Child Protection, trafficking and other specialized concerns are safely identified and referred.
• Coordinate approved IPA and other immediate protection support, and facilitate safe referrals to MHPSS, health, legal aid, shelter/housing, civil documentation, livelihoods and other specialized services based on assessed needs.

 PSS, return/reintegration and Economic Recovery linkages

• Coordinate/support delivery of structured individual and group PSS and appropriate referral to specialized MHPSS services.
• Support dignified reception, protection screening, information and counselling, access to hotline services, documentation, individualized reintegration planning and structured post-return follow-up, including through the Bosaso MRC and other P2P service points as relevant.
• Work closely with Economic Recovery colleagues and partners to link returnees to market-informed skills, employment/self-employment, business/start-up and financial-inclusion pathways, ensuring protection barriers and safeguarding considerations are integrated.

 Protection Monitoring, referral systems and evidence

• Coordinate regular community and route-based Protection Monitoring in assigned locations; provide day-to-day technical guidance to Protection Monitors/enumerators and ensure urgent protection risks and referral needs trigger appropriate response.
• Support service mapping and referral/RMS strengthening, monitor referral functionality, and contribute to the Ethiopia-Somalia cross-border case-management/legal-aid pilot in line with agreed consent, confidentiality and data-protection protocols.
• Use anonymized Protection Monitoring and referral trends to inform programme adaptation, reporting, validation and evidence/advocacy, keeping confidential case data separate from routine monitoring/MEAL datasets.

 Partner, government and stakeholder coordination

• Provide field-level technical accompaniment to KAALO, participate in joint monitoring with government counterparts and KAALO, and follow up agreed capacity-strengthening actions on Protection, referrals, PSS, Protection Monitoring and rights-based return/reintegration.
• Support existing government-led migration, referral and reintegration systems through joint monitoring, dialogue, practical coordination and on-the-job support, strengthening rather than creating parallel mechanisms.
• Coordinate with authorities, MRCs, service providers, community structures and humanitarian/protection actors, and support relevant reintegration, social-cohesion and stakeholder-engagement activities as assigned.

 Planning, monitoring, reporting and compliance

• Maintain field activity plans and monitor delivery against approved workplans, budgets, targets and programme-quality standards; identify implementation gaps and support timely corrective action.
• Coordinate with MEAL/IM, Economic Recovery, Partnerships/Grants, Finance and relevant programme/area teams; maintain accurate programme documentation and timely activity/technical reporting.
• Ensure implementation complies with DRC policies and donor requirements, safeguarding/PSEA/AAP commitments, core Protection principles, confidentiality and responsible data management.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have:

Required

• Minimum 3 years of relevant Protection experience in humanitarian, displacement or mixed-migration settings; experience in return/reintegration is strongly preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Human Rights, International Development, Peace and Conflict Studies, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience in case management/referrals, PSS, Protection Monitoring and protection-sensitive direct assistance.
• Relevant training in Protection, case management, PSS, mixed migration and/or return and reintegration is an asset.
• Experience working with local partners, government authorities and service providers, including joint implementation/monitoring and capacity strengthening.
• Experience linking Protection with reintegration/Economic Recovery or livelihoods pathways is an asset; strong planning, analysis, reporting, communication and data-protection skills are required.
• Somali: Native/Fluent, spoken and written.
• English: Advanced/Professional proficiency, spoken and written.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process. 

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. 

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 6 months, with possible extension

Band: H

Work location: Bosaso, Somalia

Start date: October 2026

Reporting to: Area Protection Team Leader

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for

employees on national contract.

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. A pplications sent by email will not be considered. Qualified Females are always strongly encouraged to Apply

Closing date for applications: 29th September 2026

For more information about the Danish Refugee Council, please visit our website drc.ngo .

Danish Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive work environment based on mutual respect for all employees. All applicants are considered for employment regardless of personal characteristics or attributes.