Protection Manager

Program Brief

Founded in 1933, International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s leading agencies working in post-conflict and development contexts, supporting communities in over 40 fragile, failed and developing states. In this capacity, we work to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted, struggling to endure, and wishing to advance on a path of development.

IRC has been present in Bangladesh since 2017 and obtained registration with the NGOAB in March 2018. Since IRC obtained registration in March 2018, it has moved quickly to expand its integrated emergency health and protection response through both direct and partner-based programming focused on primary healthcare, women’s protection and empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and child protection. Through 2018, the IRC’s response strategy will primarily target Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, while meeting the significant needs in both refugee and host populations, as already existing vulnerabilities are compounded with cyclical monsoon and cyclone seasons that impose additional threats to the lives and protection of those refugees as well as vulnerable host populations. IRC has grown its programming to cover education and livelihoods/DRR, as well as its geographic footprint in the host community and to other parts of the country.

Purpose of the role:

The Manager- Protection, based in the Ukhia office will be responsible for program and operational management of the community-based protection (CBP) and protection monitoring (PM) in Bangladesh. The overall goal of the CBP and PM is to facilitate community resilience for community-based protection and provide actionable information about the protection environment in Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees for advocacy and response targeting, and to directly facilitate information provision and referrals for vulnerable refugee populations. The Protection Manager will ensure quality CBP, case management and PM including referrals and follow ups, and ongoing responsibilities as they arise, including emergency assessments and focus groups on specific protection issues identified. The Protection Manager will report to the Senior Protection Manager and manage the senior officer - protection.

Major Responsibilities:

Program Management and Development:

• Oversees the daily activities of the community-based protection, general protection case management, protection monitoring program and emergency response and coordinating regular field activities, emergency assessments, and informationdissemination and ensures that program activities are responsive and executed to a high quality standard.
• Provide technical guidance to camp team in managing community mobilization for community-based protection structures for enabling community groups’ participation in protection discussions and facilitate community action plan and their community resilience for protection concerns in camps.
• Provide programmatic and operation support to general protection case management in camps at Ukhiyaand Teknaf.
• Support team to facilitate trainings on protection, human rights, community-based protection approaches, protection mainstreaming using IRC and partner-developed modules for community groups, ensuring coordination with WPE, CP and health teams and safeguarding focal points to ensure conceptual and practical links to protection mainstreaming, inclusiveness, gender mainstreaming and safeguarding.
• Contribute significantly to assessing potential risks of community-based protection activities particularly dialogues with authorities and service providers, ensuring that inputs from the communities are obtained.
• Ensure that risk assessment is done on an ongoing basis and mitigation measures are implemented, reviewed, updated as necessary.
• Develop and continuously update and refine quality systems and tools for protection
• monitoring to ensure the effective collection and analysis of qualitative data relating to the protection environment, including physical safety and security, freedom of movement, documentation, safe and equitable access to services, etc
• Provide quality oversight of the information products coming from the MEAL Officer team in coordination with the Senior Protection Manager.
• Support the Senior Protection Officer and Officer - Protection to identify protection needs/risks affecting individuals, households and groups, and initiate referrals to appropriate service providers and case management in collaboration with protection monitors.
• Coordinate with Signpost team (Editorial Manager and Information Moderators) to strengthen community-based protection and protection monitoring and integration with two-way communications.
• Lead the design of capacity building program for local NGOs related to protection mainstreaming, including creation of work plans, agendas, and logistical organization of training courses.
• Ensure appropriate use of IRC global technical resources for all trainings, including the Protection Mainstreaming Monitoring and Evaluation System (ProMMS).
• Provide inputs for donor reporting. Track and regularly report on program deliverables and targets per donor requirements to the Protection Coordinator.
• Ensure regular field supportive monitoring of activities across the sites of operation, raising any concerns to the supervisor in a timely manner and ensure adaptations are followed through on.
• Ensure that ethical and sound data collection and information management is implemented for appropriate data analysis, planning, evaluation, and advocacy; working closely with the Senior Protection Manager and the Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team.
• Carry out administrative and financial tasks as needed.
• In collaboration with the Senior Protection Manager and Editorial Manager, ensure smooth management and integration of project work plans and budgets procurement plans, timely recruitment, and accurate reporting in accordance with IRC and donor regulations.
• Participate in cross-departmental collaboration and coordination with Health, Child Protection and WPE colleagues to ensure that linkages between programs are made and programs gain from protection best practice.

Staff Support:

• Support with the hiring, supervising, and build the capacity of PRoL team members in relevant technical and management competencies.
• Provide technical mentorship, on the job mentoring and coaching ongoing training and targeted technical capacity building for the protection team Put capacity development plans in place for the protection teams based on documented capacity needs assessments exercise.
• Approve and manage all time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage.
• Ensure monthly, accurate timesheet submission and carry out probationary reviews.
• Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, at least monthly.
• As required identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and mentorship to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs. 

Representation, coordination and advocacy:

• Dedicatedly develop and maintain effective working relationships with other key partners, including donors, government actors, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and other relevant actors; establishing IRC as one of the leaders in protection.
• Dedicatedly seek to establish and develop partnerships and collaborate with the Bangladeshi and Rohingya civil society and local partners.

Major Challenges/Difficulties of this role:

• Regular travel to the camps.
• Cultural and linguistic constraints.
• Coordination with multiple actors.

Deliverables:

• Supervise weekly work plans.
• Compile protection monitoring data on a weekly and monthly basis.
• Ensure services mapping is updated on a monthly basis.
• Participate in coordination meetings at camp level.
• Contribute to monthly reports on protection trends per camp.