Protection Team Leader

About DRC

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is one of the world’s leading humanitarian non-governmental organizations, committed to protecting, advocating for, and building sustainable futures for displaced people and communities affected by conflict and displacement.

DRC is seeking a qualified, motivated, and results-oriented professional to join its team as Protection Team Leader (Roving). The successful candidate will contribute to life-saving humanitarian interventions in complex and challenging environments, strengthening protection systems and ensuring that vulnerable individuals and communities can safely access essential protection services.

About the Job

The Protection Team Leader is responsible for overseeing the planning, implementation, supervision, and monitoring of protection interventions, with a particular focus on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response activities across the Mobile Response Team (MRT) operations in South Sudan.

The role provides technical leadership to ensure that GBV prevention and response activities are effective, context-appropriate, survivor-centred, and aligned with the needs of women and girls affected by emergencies. Responsibilities include supervising GBV response services, strengthening case management quality, guiding prevention initiatives, and supporting structured psychosocial support activities across Women and Girls Centres (WGCs).

Working closely with the Emergency Manager, Country Protection Manager, Protection Technical Coordinator, and Emergency Project Manager, the Protection Team Leader will ensure effective programme delivery, staff capacity development, data quality, donor reporting, and compliance with approved budgets and activity indicators.

The position also contributes to emergency response coordination, programme development, and the harmonization of protection approaches across MRT missions and response locations countrywide.

Key Responsibilities

1. Programme Management and Leadership

• Lead the planning, implementation, and monitoring of GBV prevention and response activities across Women and Girls Centres (WGCs) and other designated response locations.
• Ensure the timely, effective, and quality implementation of programme activities throughout the project cycle.
• Oversee GBV case management, prevention curricula, sexual and reproductive health education, structured psychosocial support activities, including the Women Rise curriculum, and community-based interventions.
• Supervise GBV Officers, Protection Officers – GBV Response, and GBV/Protection Assistants, ensuring accountability and high-quality service delivery.
• Coordinate with the Country Office Protection and Information Management teams to conduct monthly data validation and ensure the accuracy and appropriate management of GBV Information Management System (GBVIMS) data.
• Represent DRC, when requested by the Emergency Manager, in Protection Working Group and GBV Working Group meetings, as well as bilateral meetings with donors and key stakeholders.
• Contribute to donor reports, programme updates, and national and international GBVIMS reporting requirements.
• Support the development of GBV project proposals in collaboration with the Protection Coordinator and Emergency Manager.
• Monitor programme expenditure and activity indicators in collaboration with the Emergency Manager, ensuring implementation remains aligned with approved budgets and spending plans.
• Support integrated emergency response programming in coordination with the Emergency Manager and other relevant team members.

2. Technical Oversight and Staff Capacity Development

• Provide ongoing technical guidance, mentoring, and capacity-building support to GBV team members and centre-based staff on prevention, response, case management, and data management.
• Lead the planning and implementation of structured psychosocial support activities across Women and Girls Centres.
• Support the harmonization of tools, resources, methodologies, and approaches across MRT missions in collaboration with the Emergency Manager, Protection Specialist, and other protection colleagues.
• Identify technical and capacity gaps among GBV and Protection Officers and Assistants and develop appropriate training and mentoring plans.
• Provide technical guidance on structured curricula, including Women Rise, ensuring proper documentation and compliance with established standards.
• Contribute context-specific insights to the development of GBV curricula, awareness sessions, and community engagement materials.
• Co-facilitate training on survivor-centred care, GBV case management, GBVIMS, and other relevant technical areas.

3. Gender-Based Violence Programme Oversight

A. GBV Response Oversight

• Provide technical supervision, mentoring, and coaching to case management staff, including Protection Officers and Assistants.
• Ensure that GBV case management follows established international standards, confidentiality requirements, informed consent principles, and a survivor-centred approach.
• Conduct regular case supervision meetings to support timely follow-up, appropriate case planning, and quality service delivery.
• Identify and address gaps in case management practices while ensuring the safety, dignity, and rights of survivors.
• Promote safe, confidential, and appropriate referral pathways to specialized services.

B. GBV Prevention Oversight

• Supervise GBV Prevention Officers and support the effective implementation of awareness-raising sessions, focus group discussions, women's empowerment activities, support groups, and community dialogues.
• Guide prevention teams in identifying priority emergency response locations and selecting context-appropriate prevention topics for Women and Girls Centres.
• Support the development and adaptation of prevention curricula, tools, IEC materials, and other resources in collaboration with the Protection Technical Coordinator and relevant officers.
• Promote women's participation, empowerment, and leadership through community-based prevention initiatives.
• Ensure that prevention activities are inclusive, context-sensitive, and informed by the priorities and feedback of affected communities.

4. Administration and Team Management

• Supervise GBV and Protection Officers and Assistants, ensuring completion of assigned tasks, effective performance management, and proper documentation of project-related means of verification.
• Complete performance evaluations, update job descriptions, maintain leave trackers, and use other relevant DRC HR tools for supervised staff.
• Support recruitment and onboarding processes, including drafting job descriptions, publishing vacancies, participating in interviews, and orienting new team members.
• Prepare and manage incentive worker agreements, monthly payment documentation, and related administrative processes in accordance with DRC procedures.
• Contribute to procurement planning and address relevant financial and administrative requirements.
• Coordinate with internal departments and external stakeholders to facilitate effective programme implementation.
• Participate in internal and external coordination meetings and represent the GBV programme when delegated.
• Ensure staff compliance with DRC policies, safeguarding standards, the Code of Conduct, and applicable safety and security procedures.

Requirements

Education

• A university degree in Social Sciences, International Development, Gender Studies, Social Work, Psychology, or another relevant field.

Experience and Technical Competencies

• At least four years of relevant professional experience with a humanitarian or development organization.
• At least two years of experience in women's protection or GBV-related programming, including women's empowerment, sexual and reproductive health education, counselling, psychosocial support, or related interventions.
• Demonstrated experience in staff supervision, team leadership, and technical capacity development.
• Strong knowledge of GBV prevention and response, survivor-centred case management, psychosocial support, and safe referral mechanisms.
• Knowledge of GBVIMS and the principles of confidentiality, informed consent, and safe data management is an advantage.
• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality, women's leadership, and the prevention and elimination of all forms of GBV.
• Willingness to support women affected by violence based on need, without discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or other personal characteristics.
• Understanding of the operational context of DRC South Sudan's Mobile Response Team and the challenges associated with emergency response in hard-to-reach locations.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, coordination, and report-writing skills.
• Ability to work under pressure, travel to field locations, and adapt to changing humanitarian priorities.

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Knowledge of Arabic or other relevant local languages is an added advantage.