Title: Protection Assistant-Legal

Location:  Jigjiga

Employment Category:  I2

Salary: As per organization Salary Scale

Reporting To:  Area Manager

Contract Duration:  Until December 31, 2024 

Posting date: October 21, 2024

Required Employee: 1        

INTRODUCTION 

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. DRC promotes and supports solutions to the problems faced by refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and migrants. The organization has offices across the region and has been operational in Ethiopia since 2009.  With funding from bilateral and multilateral donors, DRC is currently implementing a range of activities across Ethiopia, including WASH and shelter provision, child and youth protection, gender-based violence response, awareness-raising of migration risks, protection monitoring of migration routes, and livelihoods support for returning migrants or those at-risk of migration.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

Working under the technical support of the Protection officer, the protection assistant will support the overall implementation of Protection activities in Jigjiga field office. The protection assistant will be tasked with the direct supervisor of social workers in the IDP camps. Furthermore, the protection assistant will be contributing to project cycle management, including to attend the site level coordination meetings and updating DRC with the minutes and actions from the meetings at site level, The protection assistant will work closely with UNHCR funded protection project team (Protection Officers-Legal to ensure the successful implementation of all Protection-related activities under the field office

Responsibilities and tasks

Programming & Operations 

• Assist protection officer in monitoring & supervising legal case management, including capacity building through training, mentorship and on-the-job training of social workers to provide legal case management,.
• Make sure IEC messages are appropriate for the community and tested before dissemination.
• Provide direct supervision to Community social Workers through development of daily and weekly outreach plan
• Conducting house to house visits or group discussion sessions in the community
• Mobilize community members to create a protective environment for women and girls and promote their safety and dignity
• Assist protection officer in developing and conducting trainings and workshops for DRC staff, partner organizations and community members on a variety of issues related to violence against women and girls, access to services, and reducing risk for women and girlsCarry out activities focusing on legal support according to work plan and allocated budget in accordance with international and national laws and regulations.
• Conduct information dissemination on the legal rights and procedures with a focus on issues affecting the target population through the mobile protection desk and community outreach under the technical support from the protection officers-Legal.
• Provide legal counselling to the target community through the mobile protection desk.
• Facilitate and advocate access to legal documentation for the target community in collaboration with relevant government authorities and humanitarian agencies.
• Support and contribute in organize capacity building training to government stakeholders and community-based structures on relevant durable solutions frameworks, international laws and national laws and procedures for IDPs;
• Perform other relevant duties, as needed or requested by protection officers and Area Manager

Reporting 

• Prepare and submit progress reports of activities to Area Manager.
• Keep up to date record of legal cases, beneficiaries list and provide update as needed in line with DRC protection data management and confidentiality.

Coordination 

• Participate and contribute to Liaising and build partnership with community leaders, local authorities, humanitarian organizations operating in the area and other relevant actors to achieve project objective.
• Contribute to establishing working partnership with university law faculty, Justice bureau and lawyers associations – legal aid service;
• Attend regularly the site level coordination meetings and share the updates and action points from the meetings

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master 

DRC’s 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 act in line with our vision and values.