Protection Coordinator

Introduction

Mercy Hands is a nongovernmental nonpolitical nonreligious international humanitarian organization, founded in 2004 in Baghdad, Iraq, with a goal to save lives and preserve human dignity. Mercy Hands is governed by a board of directors, and the highest executive body in Mercy Hands is the Executive Administration, which is headed by the Executive Director (ED). To learn more about Mercy Hands please visit www.mercyhands.org

Protection Programs

Mercy Hands has been active in protection sector since 2005 and it is a member of different protection clusters, sub-clusters, and working groups in Iraq. According to the nature of the protection program, we target IDPs, returnees, refugees, disaster affected people, detainees, vulnerable groups, and minorities. Our protection interventions include legal assistance, psychosocial support, advocacy, raising awareness, capacity building, and advocacy. Currently we are implementing a few programs that are either all protection or have a component of protection. These programs are managed by program managers.

Position

Within Mercy Hands’ organizational hierarchy, the Protection Coordinator works under the direct supervision of the Regional Coordinators and the Executive Director.

Contract

One Year, renewable. Position to be filled ASAP.

Location

Baghdad, Iraq.

Salary and Fringe Benefits

Starting salary is $2000 per month, with potential increase to $3000, depending on funds availability.

For expats, there will be the following fringe:

• Residence, including utilities and internet;
• Driver after working hours and during holidays and weekends;
• Phone cards;
• Gym membership;
• Mercy Hands will cover Iraq’s social security, income tax, and health insurance;
• Reimbursement of the airfare ticket when arriving to the country and airfare ticket when departing the country at the end of the contract;
• $1500 annual allowance for airfare tickets;
• 30 days annual leave; plus sick and maternity leaves;
• Mercy Hands will be responsible for obtaining and renewing the visa/ residency and all related expenses.

Responsibilities and Duties

The Protection Coordinator is responsible for: the overall Mercy Hands Protection Strategy; technical design; quality assurance; and the support, mentoring and capacity building of staff (field and office). S/he will ensure interventions are harmonized across different areas of operations, that tools, SOPs and quality benchmarks are established and adhered to, and that protection interventions are integrated with other Mercy Hands sectors wherever possible to ensure a more holistic approach to assistance.

Programming and Coordination

• Oversee all Mercy Hands protection programing and provide guidance/support to ensure quality and timely protection deliverables.
• Lead/support on the design of protection proposals and quality assurance of reports, advocacy and policy notes.
• Develop/ensure that protection is mainstreamed across all sectors and areas of interventions.
• Feed into and update Mercy Hands’ Protection Strategy as needed.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of protection issues in Iraq and share this information with teams and senior management as appropriate.
• Provide technical advice on assessments; participate in protection assessments as needed.
• Identify protection gaps and opportunities for Mercy Hands interventions and participate in enhancing sector integration.
• Share experiences, lessons learned, and good practices internally.
• Manage information flows internally and externally including from/to Cluster Coordination and other relevant fora.
• Ensure protection related information products are standardized and kept up to date, e.g. area reports, 5Ws, briefing notes and coordinate news/interest piece and press releases.
• Develop/strengthen a protection data collection and management system as required.
• Work closely with the Executive Director, Regional Coordinators, Program Directors, Program Managers, and MEAL Director to ensure that all protection activities uphold standards while key issues and findings are utilized for program design, and/or advocacy efforts.
• Represent Mercy Hands and actively participate in National Protection Cluster and related coordination mechanisms.

Representation

• Continue the active engagement with the National Protection Cluster (NPC) and aim to be part of the Cluster Advisory Group and/or Co-chair of NPC.
• Attend national level protection cluster as well as other protection related meetings; respond to requests for information from protection cluster and related sub-clusters.
• Advocate and guide advocacy on protection issues.

Organization, administration, and personnel management

• Provide technical support for expat and national staff Protection recruitments.
• Provide direct line management to Protection Program Managers and protection specialists.

Training and capacity building

• Identify training gaps among protection and other Mercy hands staff and/or implementing partners and facilitate coaching, mentoring and support as part of capacity building initiatives accordingly.

Accountability

• Ensure that Mercy Hands’ protection programing meets quality standards and accountability obligations and are carried out in accordance with global best practices, minimum standards, and guidelines