Gender and Protection Officer (Local Posting)

Near East Foundation

Job Announcement

Title:  Gender and Protection Officer (Local Posting)

Reports to:  Senior Project Coordinator

Location:  Beirut, Lebanon

Travel:  40% frequent travel between project sites within Lebanon.

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking candidates for the Gender and Protection Officer position, based in Beirut, Lebanon. For over 100 years, NEF has worked to build a more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive communities in the Middle East and Africa through economic development and governance initiatives. NEF’s work is organized around three core program areas: Inclusive Economic Development, Climate-resilient Development, and Stabilization and Peacebuilding.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Gender and Protection Officer is a key member of the Near East Foundation team in Lebanon.  The Gender and Protection Officer has the responsibility to ensure protection and gender mainstreaming in all activities under NEF Lebanon’s livelihoods projects, and to coordinate the implementation of protection-based livelihoods activities. Project activities aim to reduce household economic vulnerability and reliance on harmful coping strategies by increasing access to livelihoods and protection information and coping skills. 

The role will mainly require the postholder to: (a) organize and facilitate gender-based violence (GBV) awareness and protection workshops with partners; (b) ensure that community-based organizations (CBOs) have proper GBV and protection protocols in place; (c) ensure GBV awareness and protection are mainstreamed into programming; (d) ensure safe spaces for project participants are available within the CBOs and meet necessary standards; (e) develop a referral process in coordination with CBO partners to ensure vulnerable cases are received, handled and referred with necessary follow-up; (f) play a role in the identification and selection of vulnerable beneficiaries for livelihoods support, including examining cases of vulnerability in more detail as required; and (g) support the coordination and implementation of livelihoods activities.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the supervision of the Senior Project Coordinator, the Gender and Protection Officer has the following specific responsibilities:

Implementation, Monitoring, and Oversight:

• Ensure protection mainstreaming and gender inclusion in all components and activities through regular field monitoring, collaboration with staff, assistance in capacity building of partners, etc. 
• Maintain a robust and up-to-date referral system to receive and respond to protection cases in field locations. 
• Maintain an up-to-date mapping of services and foster linkages with service providers.
• Identify protection trends on a regular basis and share them with the Senior Project Coordinator for action planning. 
• In coordination with the M&E Officer and the Senior Project Coordinator, ensure smooth implementation of protection-related activities against targets and budgets.
• Manage, track, and follow up on the referrals received from NEF field offices through the available ‎referral platforms.

Reporting & Documentation:

• Ensure gender and protection strategies, SoPs, guidelines, and frameworks are updated, explained and in place to guide project implementation.
• Compile field-generated information and provide inputs to reports in a timely manner and in compliance with HQ and donor requirements. 
• Identify and draft relevant impact and success stories related to protection mainstreaming and gender inclusion. 
• Ensure proper documentation and data protection of vulnerable cases received and handled by protection focal points. 
• Prepare, develop, and implement regular reports, analysis, and assessments related to protection.
• Develop internal and external monthly and quarterly protection reports.

Training/Guidance/Capacity Building:

• Deliver relevant protection and gender training to NEF staff and CBO teams.
• Provide team and individual guidance and technical capacity through training, operational planning, daily interaction, regular team meetings, and learning and reflection events to implement gender, GBV, and protection effectively and efficiently into project activities.

Representation & Coordination:

• Represent NEF in protection working groups at national and local levels, and other relevant interagency workshops or events in related sectors.
• Share relevant project information and documents related to protection and gender with project teams, partners, HQ, and other stakeholders.
• In coordination with the Senior Project Coordinator, identify areas of collaboration with UN agencies, international NGOs, local NGOs, government departments around protection and gender issues. 

Program Development & Strategic Planning:

• Contribute to the design of a protection strategy for the Lebanon operation.
• Support field assessments and research studies as required to identify new areas of intervention. 

Other Responsibilities:

• Ensure compliance with applicable donor rules and regulations on gender and protection. 
• Provides leadership and work direction to assigned work team, and/or mentors and supervises the work, as appropriate.
• Any other duties relating to the nature of the job as requested by the supervisor. 

QUALIFICATIONS 

The successful Gender and Protection Officer must be a self-directed individual with the following qualifications: 

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in international human rights, law, sociology, social work, or any other relevant field.
• 3-5 years of relevant protection experience with a humanitarian/development organization. 
• 2 years of project management and coordination experience.
• At least 1 year of experience working on livelihoods projects.
• Experience working in a field environment and leading or managing teams.
• Experience conducting and facilitating training and workshops in both Arabic and English.
• A clear understanding of the rights and protection issues of refugees, children, and women, including solid experience working with vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian communities. 
• Fluency in Arabic and English, both written and verbal.
• Proven analytical and writing skills.
• High-level knowledge and practice with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc., required. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong facilitation skills for effective training, workshops, and meetings with a diverse population with clear gender focus.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to work effectively across a wide variety of cultural contexts.
• Effective team player, able to develop and maintain effective working relationships.
• Flexible, creative, and problem-solving oriented. 

Position Criteria:

• Willingness and ability to frequently travel to field sites. 
• Ability to take initiative; highly self-motivated, with a strong capacity to work within a team. 
• Ability to work independently, with strong work ethics and a high level of professionalism.
• Capable of maintaining confidentiality and ensuring others do as well. 
• Flexible, enthusiastic, and willing to learn from and support others.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and cope with competing demands under tight deadlines. 
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with people from different backgrounds.  
• Strong commitment to humanitarian principles.