Protection Coordinator - Idlib Office

Job description

Context Relief International (RI) is an international non-profit organization that partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience and promote long-term health and wellbeing. Our team of more than 7,000 staff and local volunteers work in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, providing Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Education and Livelihoods programming that creates the foundation for community resilience. We do this by working with local actors to develop safe and inclusive local programming that is evidence based, conflict sensitive, climate smart, and reaches those in need. Relief International is an alliance of four organizations with one shared mission, comprised of Relief International, Inc., Relief International-France, Relief International-UK and Relief International-Europe, which operate under a one-team concept under a single senior leadership team. 3. Job Profile The Protection Coordinator - NWS is a crucial member of RI’s Syria team, based in Northwest Syria and operating under the supervision of the Project Manager. The Coordinator is responsible for managing the Protection field team in NWS and providing technical oversight of all protection activities. These include GBV case management, Psychosocial Support (PSS), and Child Protection (CP) services provided through Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS), protection units (PUs), health facilities, and community outreach. Working under the guidance of the Project Manager – NWS and the Protection Technical Advisor (Country office), the Coordinator organizes and supervises the field work of the Protection team in NWS, ensures the overall quality implementation of activities, provides technical supervision and capacity-building for field-based staff, and contributes to coordination and to internal and donor reporting. 4. Key Responsibilities Under the supervision of the Project Manager – NWS and the technical guidance of the Protection Advisor (Country Office): Accountability and Complexity  Oversee the implementation of protection activities in the area of operation, ensuring adherence to international standards and internal SoPs and guidelines, technical guidance, and quality assurance.  Provide input into the development of relevant tools and SoPs and ensure their effective rollout at field level in order to support high-quality implementation of protection activities.  Provide technical guidance, oversight and support to the Protection staff in the provision of quality case management, PSS, CP, and other activities to ensure the needs of survivors are met in a timely and consistent manner, and ensuring safe and ethical data monitoring.  Ensure field-based protection staff understand and adhere to GBV best practice principles, including strict adherence to confidentiality.  Monitor project activity implementation and technical standards on a continuous basis, identifying risks and promptly reporting to the Project Manager and Protection Advisor any areas of concern and recommendations on mitigation measures.  Support donor visits, third party monitoring, audits, or external evaluations to Protection activity sites within the area of responsibility. Project Implementation and Oversight  Provide day to day oversight and targeted technical support and supervision to the field-based staff, ensuring that work plans are set and followed and that targets are achieved in line with protection principles.  Monitor the activity implementation, identify and recommend solutions to challenges, promptly report issues to the Project Manager and Protection Advisor, and propose adaptations to the programmatic and technical strategy based on identified gaps/needs and contextual changes.  Manage high-risk cases and emerging protection concerns effectively at field locations, in consultation with line managers and mission senior management if required.  Utilize and promote the use of inter-agency tools and frameworks such as the GBVIMS, CPIMS+, IASC Guidelines on MHPSS, and other global standards to ensure consistency and quality in service delivery.  Contribute to timely and quality internal and donor reporting on project activities and progress toward targets.  Assess and address operational and technical gaps in protection facilities in coordination with technical and operations focal points.  Monitor and evaluate the quality of protection programming by utilizing structured checklists and monitoring tools, identifying areas of improvement and implementing corrective actions.  Support the monitoring and evaluation of program implementation and quality by MEL, Accountability, and technical staff.  Ensure that Child Protection activities are implemented in line with international standards, including the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPMS), and that staff adhere to child safeguarding, best interest principles, and safe referral pathways. Leadership & Team Management  Line manage the Protection Officers, supervising and supporting them to effectively lead the staff in each protection site in the implementation of activities, sharing relevant information, tools and guidance to improve quality and achieve timelines.  Set clear objectives for protection staff under line management and do timely performance evaluations.  Support staff capacity development, including by conducting capacity needs assessments, providing training and on-the-job coaching and mentoring, and requesting the support of the Technical Advisor for capacity-building of the team.  Participate in the recruitment of protection staff. Grants, Finance and Operational Responsibilities:  Provide input, and support the Project Manager in reviewing Budget versus actual for accuracy and tracking and to flag spending issues in timely manner and support in providing corrective actions.  Under Project Manager supervision, regularly coordinate with the supply chain, finance and HR departments regarding project implementation, raising any delays or other issues of concern which may impact project implementation progress.  In coordination with the grants and awards teams, ensure project activities are in compliance with RI and donor policies and procedures.  Contribute to proposal development and reporting, providing sectoral and area-based insights and analysis as needed. Other duties:  Support the Protection Advisor in order to integrate protection principles across all sectors by organizing and conducting training sessions on protection mainstreaming for RI protection staff and staff from other sectors.  Ensure safeguarding principles are embedded in all protection activities, including case management, PSS interventions, and community engagement, in alignment with RI’s safeguarding policy and global standards.  If requested, serve as a safeguarding focal point for complaints from staff or beneficiaries in the area of operation, and for providing assistance for survivors, ensuring strict adherence to confidentiality.  Represent RI in area-based protection coordination meetings, such as protection sub-sector/cluster, GBV, PSS, CP working groups, etc, as delegated by the Project Manager. Behavior and Conduct  Ensures the highest standards of behavior in and outside of work, promoting the values in RI’s code of conduct and safeguarding policies at all times.  Leads by example - is a model for ethical conduct standards for other team members.  Adheres to humanitarian principles and protection standards.  Ensures own actions and the actions of the team members do not impact the safety of the RI team and the vulnerable communities we serve.  Promotes awareness by external stakeholders of RI conduct and reporting mechanisms  Promptly reports any concerns about possible violations of safeguarding or other protectionrelated policies and principles to relevant organizational focal points and/or senior management.  Displays cultural sensitivity and the ability to work with diverse communities in an empathetic, non-judgmental manner. 5. Person Specification Skills, knowledge and expertise required for the role. Essential criteria  Bachelor’s degree in social work, social sciences, gender/women studies, or other appropriate fields; or field equivalent experience.  Minimum of 3 years of experience in protection programming, specifically in gender-based violence, child protection and/or PSS programs, working with conflict affected populations.  Staff supervisory experience.  Excellent interpersonal, communication, and diplomacy skills; able to communicate sensitively and without judgment.  Strong organizational, planning, and analytical skills.  Demonstrated knowledge of protection principles, including related to case management and GBV.  Track record of delivering high-quality reports, analysis, and technical materials (trainings, program tools, guidelines, etc).  Fluency in Arabic and excellent spoken/written English. Desirable criteria  Experience and knowledge of Northeast Syrian context, with a sound understanding of local dynamics and protection-related needs.  Experience of coordinating with government agencies, NGOs, and UN bodies.  Facilitation and capacity-building skills (trainings, mentoring).  Experience of integrating protection with other sectors’ programming.  Experience in information data management, utilizing databases and platforms. RI Values Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as well as “Do No Harm,” Relief International Values:  Integrity  Adaptability  Collaboration  Inclusivity  Sustainability How To Apply To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button in the job advert page. You will be asked to upload a CV. Closing Date June 22, 2026 Please note that the position might be filled before the deadline As a humanitarian organization, Relief International is committed to the safeguarding of all those we come into contact with through our work. We are committed to the core humanitarian principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. Relief International expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and uphold the values and behaviors outlined in the Code of Conduct. Recruitment to all roles in Relief International include a criminal records self-declaration, references, and other pre-employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checks.