The overall purpose of the role:

The Protection Team Leader (Child Protection) will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership, coordination, and quality implementation of child protection activities across Imvepi and Rhino Camp refugee settlements. He/she will ensure the provision of high-quality, safe, and accountable child protection services as well as prevention approaches that adhere to humanitarian principles, organizational policies, and donor requirements, while contributing to the placing of significant emphasis on protection mainstreaming, safeguarding, and the centrality of protection in DRC’s work overall.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Coordination and Representation

• Maintain effective working relationships with donors, government authorities, UN agencies, and international and local NGOs, as required.
• Represent DRC and actively participate in local Protection Sector and relevant sub-sector working groups, including settlement coordination meetings and other relevant child protection coordination mechanisms and forums.
• Coordinate project implementation closely with UNHCR, OPM, district authorities, and other local and international NGOs, including facilitating joint assessments, protection gap analyses, advocacy initiatives, and the strengthening of referral mechanisms at settlement level.

Project Development and Implementation

• Develop project activity work plans, procurement plans, and budget tracking mechanisms at field level, in collaboration with relevant support departments and with support from the Project Manager.
• Ensure the integration of child safeguarding, child participation, and best-interest principles across all child protection interventions, and coordinate with relevant actors to strengthen referral pathways and child protection service delivery.
• Provide technical support and supervision to child protection staff implementing child protection case management, psychosocial support (PSS), positive parenting programmes, adolescent life-skills activities, and community-based prevention interventions, ensuring alignment with relevant child protection standards and a rights-based approach to programming.
• Work closely with the Project Manager to maximize programme outputs and impact, and with the Protection Specialist to ensure alignment with global and national technical standards.
• Coordinate the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of child protection activities across Imvepi and Rhino Camp, including case management, psychosocial support services, positive parenting, adolescent life-skills programming, and child protection prevention and awareness-raising.
• Ensure that project implementation adheres to protection standards and principles, DRC guidelines, and accountability standards.
• Oversee child protection case management processes and prevention approaches in collaboration with the Protection Officer, ensuring compliance with global and national Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and national referral pathways.
• Ensure accurate case documentation and compliance with data protection and confidentiality requirements.
• Ensure that protection activities align with the protection strategy and respond to identified protection risks and needs, informed by protection analysis findings.
• Monitor and track activity progress against agreed indicators and work plans to support effective implementation and timely achievement of project objectives.

Grants Management and Reporting

• Update and maintain project implementation and procurement plans in collaboration with and with support from the Project Manager.
• Prepare quality and timely monthly, quarterly, and annual reports in collaboration with the Project Manager.
• Ensure effective implementation of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities throughout the project lifecycle.
• Manage the project budget, oversee expenditures, and ensure that costs are allowable and allocable in accordance with donor regulations. Review the monthly Budget Follow-Up (BFU) and implementation tracking tools, and collaborate with the Finance Department to ensure accurate expenditure monitoring and reporting.
• Prepare all required documentation in advance and actively participate in BFU and implementation tracking meetings, particularly Project Management Meetings (PMMs).

Staff Development and Management

• Provide technical and programmatic leadership to project staff and the wider DRC team across Imvepi and Rhino Camp settlements, including providing support to partner staff as required.
• Establish staff performance objectives and conduct performance appraisals against agreed targets.
• Conduct periodic visits to activity sites to support field staff and ensure compliance with programme quality standards, implementation requirements, and reporting procedures. Plan and provide backstopping support to the team as required.
• Identify capacity gaps among direct reports and address them through on-the-job training, technical guidance, and ongoing performance management.
• Foster a positive, ethical, and safeguarding-compliant working environment that promotes teamwork and collaboration.
• Conduct regular team meetings, case reviews, and technical coaching sessions to ensure adherence to protection standards and quality implementation.
• Uphold DRC’s Code of Conduct, values, and principles of accountability.

Logistics and Finance

• Monitor financial commitments and expenditures against approved budgets and provide timely feedback on budget follow-ups.
• Liaise with DRC Administration, Logistics, and Finance Departments, as well as the Protection Manager, to ensure the smooth and effective implementation of field activities.

About you

To be successful in this role, you must have a minimum of (5) years’ experience working with refugees, vulnerable communities, basic needs and distribution programming experience, and/or advocacy programs. Moreover, we also expect the following.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Law, social sciences, development studies, guidance and counselling or related field.
• At least 2 years in a supervisory or team leadership role.
• Proven experience in child protection case management.
• Experience working in refugee or emergency contexts is highly desirable.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and team management skills.
• In-depth knowledge of Child Protection, protection principles, and safeguarding standards.
• Excellent coordination, communication, and reporting skills.
• Ability to manage sensitive information with confidentiality and professionalism.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office and basic data management tools.
• Experience of working with UN or Non‐Governmental organizations.
• Good communication skills and ability to conduct training and awareness;
• Familiarity with Monitoring & Evaluation for UN-funded projects.

Desirable

• Post graduate training in project planning and management.
• Knowledge of the local languages spoken in the operation area.

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: M G2

Designation of Duty Station: Imvepi

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.

• Maintain effective working relationships with donors, government authorities, UN agencies, and international and local NGOs, as required.
• Represent DRC and actively participate in local Protection Sector and relevant sub-sector working groups, including settlement coordination meetings and other relevant child protection coordination mechanisms and forums.
• Coordinate project implementation closely with UNHCR, OPM, district authorities, and other local and international NGOs, including facilitating joint assessments, protection gap analyses, advocacy initiatives, and the strengthening of referral mechanisms at settlement level.
• Develop project activity work plans, procurement plans, and budget tracking mechanisms at field level, in collaboration with relevant support departments and with support from the Project Manager.
• Ensure the integration of child safeguarding, child participation, and best-interest principles across all child protection interventions, and coordinate with relevant actors to strengthen referral pathways and child protection service delivery.
• Provide technical support and supervision to child protection staff implementing child protection case management, psychosocial support (PSS), positive parenting programmes, adolescent life-skills activities, and community-based prevention interventions, ensuring alignment with relevant child protection standards and a rights-based approach to programming.
• Work closely with the Project Manager to maximize programme outputs and impact, and with the Protection Specialist to ensure alignment with global and national technical standards.
• Coordinate the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of child protection activities across Imvepi and Rhino Camp, including case management, psychosocial support services, positive parenting, adolescent life-skills programming, and child protection prevention and awareness-raising.
• Ensure that project implementation adheres to protection standards and principles, DRC guidelines, and accountability standards.
• Oversee child protection case management processes and prevention approaches in collaboration with the Protection Officer, ensuring compliance with global and national Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and national referral pathways.
• Ensure accurate case documentation and compliance with data protection and confidentiality requirements.
• Ensure that protection activities align with the protection strategy and respond to identified protection risks and needs, informed by protection analysis findings.
• Monitor and track activity progress against agreed indicators and work plans to support effective implementation and timely achievement of project objectives.
• Update and maintain project implementation and procurement plans in collaboration with and with support from the Project Manager.
• Prepare quality and timely monthly, quarterly, and annual reports in collaboration with the Project Manager.
• Ensure effective implementation of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities throughout the project lifecycle.
• Manage the project budget, oversee expenditures, and ensure that costs are allowable and allocable in accordance with donor regulations. Review the monthly Budget Follow-Up (BFU) and implementation tracking tools, and collaborate with the Finance Department to ensure accurate expenditure monitoring and reporting.
• Prepare all required documentation in advance and actively participate in BFU and implementation tracking meetings, particularly Project Management Meetings (PMMs).
• Provide technical and programmatic leadership to project staff and the wider DRC team across Imvepi and Rhino Camp settlements, including providing support to partner staff as required.
• Establish staff performance objectives and conduct performance appraisals against agreed targets.
• Conduct periodic visits to activity sites to support field staff and ensure compliance with programme quality standards, implementation requirements, and reporting procedures. Plan and provide backstopping support to the team as required.
• Identify capacity gaps among direct reports and address them through on-the-job training, technical guidance, and ongoing performance management.
• Foster a positive, ethical, and safeguarding-compliant working environment that promotes teamwork and collaboration.
• Conduct regular team meetings, case reviews, and technical coaching sessions to ensure adherence to protection standards and quality implementation.
• Uphold DRC’s Code of Conduct, values, and principles of accountability.
• Monitor financial commitments and expenditures against approved budgets and provide timely feedback on budget follow-ups.
• Liaise with DRC Administration, Logistics, and Finance Departments, as well as the Protection Manager, to ensure the smooth and effective implementation of field activities.

• Strong leadership, mentoring, and team management skills.
• In-depth knowledge of Child Protection, protection principles, and safeguarding standards.
• Excellent coordination, communication, and reporting skills.
• Ability to manage sensitive information with confidentiality and professionalism.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office and basic data management tools.
• Good communication skills and ability to conduct training and awareness
• Familiarity with Monitoring & Evaluation for UN-funded projects.

• Bachelor’s degree in Law, social sciences, development studies, guidance and counselling or related field.
• At least 2 years in a supervisory or team leadership role.
• Proven experience in child protection case management.
• Experience working in refugee or emergency contexts is highly desirable.
• Experience of working with UN or Non‐Governmental organizations.
• Post graduate training in project planning and management. (Desirable)
• Knowledge of the local languages spoken in the operation area. (Desirable)