Protection Officer (PRoL)-Daraa

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Job Overview/Summary: The Protection Officer (PRoL) is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day implementation and technical quality of integrated protection programming delivered through partner organizations in Daraa and other assigned locations. The position has a primary focus on Protection and Rule of Law (PRoL) interventions, including legal awareness, legal assistance, civil documentation support, housing, land and property (HLP) issues, referrals, and community-based protection activities, while also supporting the quality and effective implementation of Child Protection (CP) and Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) interventions delivered by partners.

The Protection Officer serves as the primary technical focal point for partner field teams, providing ongoing coaching, mentoring, capacity building, and technical guidance to ensure services are delivered in accordance with IRC standards, donor requirements, and international protection principles. The role includes conducting regular field visits, monitoring service quality, verifying program data and documentation, identifying implementation gaps, and working collaboratively with partners to strengthen program performance and accountability.

The Protection Officer supports the establishment and strengthening of community-based protection mechanisms, promotes meaningful participation of affected populations, and ensures that vulnerable individuals are safely identified and referred to appropriate services. The position works closely with partner staff, community structures, and IRC technical teams to promote integrated protection outcomes, strengthen referral pathways, enhance service quality, and ensure that protection interventions effectively address the needs of women, girls, boys, men, and individuals with specific needs.

The position also contributes to strengthening partner capacity, quality assurance processes, project reporting, coordination with stakeholders, and continuous improvement of protection programming to ensure the effective and accountable delivery of services across all project locations.

Major Responsibilities: Major responsibilities of the Community-based Protection Officer (not exhaustive) are listed below:

• Lead the day-to-day technical support and oversight of Protection and Rule of Law (PRoL) activities implemented through partners, ensuring adherence to IRC technical standards, donor requirements, and international protection principles.
• Support partners in the implementation of legal awareness, legal information dissemination, HLP-related activities, civil documentation support, protection advocacy, and referral services.
• Provide technical guidance to partner staff on protection case management principles, safe identification, referrals, protection mainstreaming, confidentiality, and survivor-centered approaches.
• Support the implementation and quality assurance of Child Protection (CP) and Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) activities delivered by partners, ensuring compliance with sector standards and quality benchmarks.
• Ensure that integrated protection approaches are applied across all project interventions and that protection risks are systematically identified and addressed.
• Accompany partner teams during field visits and service delivery activities to provide mentoring, coaching, and technical support.

Community Protection Systems Strengthening & Sustainability

• Assess partner capacity gaps and develop capacity-strengthening plans in coordination with relevant technical coordinators and managers.
• Deliver training, coaching, mentoring, and on-the-job capacity-building for partner staff on PRoL, CP, WPE, safeguarding, protection mainstreaming, referrals, and case management principles.
• Facilitate regular technical review meetings with partner teams to discuss challenges, lessons learned, and corrective actions.
• Support partners in developing action plans to improve service quality and ensure timely implementation of recommendations.
• Support sustainable capacity strengthening and knowledge transfer initiatives to enhance partners’ long-term ability to deliver quality protection services independently.

Referral & Coordination Oversight

1. Oversee referral pathways to ensure effectiveness, continuity, and proper coordination with partners and service providers.
2. Work closely with the partner to ensure gradual handover of responsibilities and knowledge transfer.

Data Validation, Compliance & Reporting

1. Verify beneficiary data and ensure its accuracy and reliability.
2. Manage documentation and achieving in line with donor requirements.
3. Prepare impact reports, closure reports, and ensure full compliance with donor regulations and requirements.

Program Closure & Transition Planning

1. Support final evaluations and lessons learned exercises.
2. Lead or contribute to closure planning, ensuring safe and structured transition of activities to partners or communities.
3. Ensuring protection mainstreaming is integrated across remaining program activities.
4. General

• Perform any other duties as required by program needs or as requested by the supervisor.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to