Background

DRC Uganda is currently looking for a highly qualified and motivated individual to join our dynamic team as Protection Specialist. The overall purpose of the role is to support in the implementation, quality, and coordination of Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Protection activities in West Nile, Uganda. The Protection Specialist will be part of the Protection team and will work under the guidance and supervision of the Country Protection Manager. She/he will be based in Arua, supporting the Protection activities focused on Gender Based Violence (GBV) response and prevention, child protection, community-based protection, and legal aid. Protection is mainstreamed throughout all other program areas and is a key component in program design.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Program management and implementation

• Follow up on the quality of implementation of project activities at the field level, including appropriate documentation and management of protection cases.
• Ensure that the beneficiary selection criteria are properly implemented.
• Ensure referral pathways are updated and are being utilized.
• Provide hands-on training, coaching, and mentoring to protection staff, ensuring clarity on protection tools and standards in consultation with the Country Protection Manager.
• Ensure that a protection risk analysis is in place and constantly updated.
• Identify key advocacy messages and promote dissemination of these within the operational context.
• Collaborate with the Country Protection Manager to develop context-specific SOPs and guidelines for protection activities as needed.

Programme Development and Quality

• Support in developing DRC’s Protection action plan for West Nile and provide support to rolling out, in coordination with the Protection Manager and Country Protection Manager.
• Conduct protection mainstreaming trainings and participate in Non-Food Items (NFI)/Cash/Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) distributions at the field locations on a need basis.
• Identify gaps and opportunities for further programming, support needs assessments and gap analyses, and contribute to proposals and other program development initiatives.
• Ensure that the protection analysis for West Nile is constantly updated.
• Contribute to timely review and submission of Protection reports as requested by the Protection Manager.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

• Support planning and ensure that activities are implemented in accordance with project objectives and work plan.
• Collaborate & coordinate with the Protection Information Management (PIM) officer and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team to ensure monitoring activities are mainstreamed with protection and ensure protection of vulnerable groups while gathering appropriate and accurate data on protection outcomes.
• Ensure protection teams maintain project data adhering to the highest standards of data protection and confidentiality.

Coordination & Representation

• In coordination with the Protection Manager, participate in the relevant protection sector working group meetings and with relevant line Ministries and stakeholders.
• Stay abreast of developments in the protection environment in West Nile and Uganda Operation and provide timely analysis on key issues on a regular basis.
• Any other duties assigned by the protection manager from time to time.

The responsibilities listed in the job description are not exhaustive and may be readjusted according to operational needs but will remain in line with the overall purpose of the role.

About you

To be successful in this role, you are expected to have at least 5 years’ experience in implementing and overseeing protection activities in the sub-sectors of GBV, child protection, and community-based protection. Moreover, we also expect the following.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, Sociology, Social sciences or a related field
• Experience in developing technical guidance and tools to ensure quality of implementation of protection activities and alignment to global standards
• Experience in designing and facilitating protection training
• Experience in collaborating with information management colleagues to use evidence on protection risks to inform protection programming
• Experience in legal aid is an asset
• Ability to engage and mobilize colleagues with no direct management lines

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s 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: 12 months

Band: NM G2

Designation of Duty Station: Arua

Start date: November 2026

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for national employees; please refer to our website.

• Follow up on the quality of implementation of project activities at the field level, including appropriate documentation and management of protection cases.
• Ensure that the beneficiary selection criteria are properly implemented.
• Ensure referral pathways are updated and are being utilized.
• Provide hands-on training, coaching, and mentoring to protection staff, ensuring clarity on protection tools and standards in consultation with the Country Protection Manager.
• Ensure that a protection risk analysis is in place and constantly updated.
• Identify key advocacy messages and promote dissemination of these within the operational context.
• Collaborate with the Country Protection Manager to develop context-specific SOPs and guidelines for protection activities as needed.
• Support in developing DRC’s Protection action plan for West Nile and provide support to rolling out, in coordination with the Protection Manager and Country Protection Manager.
• Conduct protection mainstreaming trainings and participate in Non-Food Items (NFI)/Cash/Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) distributions at the field locations on a need basis.
• Identify gaps and opportunities for further programming, support needs assessments and gap analyses, and contribute to proposals and other program development initiatives.
• Ensure that the protection analysis for West Nile is constantly updated.
• Contribute to timely review and submission of Protection reports as requested by the Protection Manager.
• Support planning and ensure that activities are implemented in accordance with project objectives and work plan.
• Collaborate & coordinate with the Protection Information Management (PIM) officer and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team to ensure monitoring activities are mainstreamed with protection and ensure protection of vulnerable groups while gathering appropriate and accurate data on protection outcomes.
• Ensure protection teams maintain project data adhering to the highest standards of data protection and confidentiality.
• In coordination with the Protection Manager, participate in the relevant protection sector working group meetings and with relevant line Ministries and stakeholders.
• Stay abreast of developments in the protection environment in West Nile and Uganda Operation and provide timely analysis on key issues on a regular basis.
• Any other duties assigned by the protection manager from time to time.

• Experience in developing technical guidance and tools to ensure quality of implementation of protection activities and alignment to global standards
• Experience in designing and facilitating protection training
• Experience in collaborating with information management colleagues to use evidence on protection risks to inform protection programming
• Ability to engage and mobilize colleagues with no direct management lines

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, Sociology, Social sciences or a related field
• Experience in legal aid is an asset