PROTECTION LEAD

The Role:

Oxfam Syria is looking for Protection Lead

DEPARTMENT PURPOSE:

The Programme Quality department, under the Deputy Country Director – Programmes, brings together Oxfam in Syria's technical advisors. It strengthens the quality, safety, relevance and impact of programmes across humanitarian, recovery and development interventions through technical guidance, quality assurance, capacity strengthening, and the integration of cross-cutting standards such as protection, gender, safeguarding and accountability to affected populations.

TEAM PURPOSE:

Oxfam in Syria's protection work aims to reduce the risks faced by conflict-affected communities and strengthen their capacity to stay safe and claim their rights. Protection activities are implemented directly and with partners by the programmatic protection team. The Protection Lead, based in Programme Quality, provides technical direction and quality assurance to that team through a matrix relationship.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Protection Lead provides strategic leadership, technical oversight, and quality assurance for Oxfam Syria’s Protection portfolio. The role leads the technical design, and quality improvement of protection programmes, ensuring evidence-based, principled, and context-responsive approaches that address the evolving needs and priorities of affected populations. The Protection Lead provides technical inputs to programme strategy, design, advocacy, and resource mobilisation, while strengthening safe programming (protection mainstreaming) across the country portfolio. The role works closely with programme teams, partners, coordination mechanisms, networks, and external stakeholders to build capacity, promote learning, and influence protection practice and policy. The role ensures emerging protection risks inform programme adaptation and decision-making.

What we are looking for: 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Protection Programming, representation and Influencing

• Carry out ongoing Protection Analysis for the Syria programme, including identifying key protection risks and coping capacities, conflict analysis and risk management.
• Lead Oxfam Syria’s protection strategy and approach ensuring effective protection programming, advocacy, and partnership approaches that address humanitarian needs, supports recovery and transition and strengthen community resilience.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with relevant government institutions, including the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MOSAL), civil society, national partners and other stakeholders, to identify opportunities for collaboration on social protection and other systems and policies that can contribute to sustainable protection outcomes.
• Build the capacity of Protection staff and partners to implement protection activities in line with Oxfam’s approach and global protection standards.
• Lead technical design of protection components within donor proposals. Develop logical frameworks, theories of change, indicators, and protection outcomes.
• Support the implementation of high-quality effective protection activities and programmes and provide ongoing technical support to protection field teams.
• Support programme teams in developing work plans, technical tools, SOPs, referral pathways, and guidance documents.
• Review programme designs and activities to ensure protection outcomes are achieved.
• Commission or carry out learning reviews, evaluations, etc. of protection activities and projects and ensure learning is used to improve programme quality.
• Maintain an up to date understanding of and network of contacts within the Protection sector in Syria and ensure that programme teams have access to relevant, up to date information, including identifying overlaps and collaboration with other sectors.
• Support the DCD for Programmes and the Programme Coordinator on inclusion of protection programmes within the overall humanitarian and early recovery programme design and proposal development for protection programming.
• Develop and/or strengthen reporting tools and support the monitoring and evaluation of protection-related activities across all projects and sectors, working closely with the MEAL Manager and Project Managers.
• Support the DCD for Programs and the Programme Coordinator in identifying new protection partners for Oxfam in Syria.
• Represent Oxfam externally in protection-related UN, INGO and NGO coordination and planning mechanisms, including humanitarian, recovery and development fora, to strengthen coordination, complementarity and influence. Promote a joined-up protection approach that links immediate humanitarian response with longer-term recovery, resilience, social protection and systems strengthening, while supporting field teams to engage effectively in field-level protection coordination and ensuring Oxfam’s protection priorities inform relevant sectoral and policy discussions.
• Ensure that Oxfam Syria’s protection portfolio contributes to influencing and learning on the relationship between humanitarian protection, social protection and longer-term development, identifying opportunities to move beyond short-term service delivery towards more sustainable and locally owned protection outcomes.
• Contribute towards Oxfam’s regional and global protection work through active participation in Oxfam’s Protection Peer Group and maintaining a regular and constructive relationship with the Regional and/or the GHT Protection Advisor.
• Link with EFSVL, WASH and Gender staff to integrate protection in all aspects of the work.
• Contribute technical expertise to the recruitment of protection staff for the Syria country

Safe Programming

• Contribute to strengthen Syria team capacity on Safe Programming as well as to support senior and medium management to take the lead and the responsibility on it.
• Support the DCD for Programs, Humanitarian Coordinator and Area Managers in team and partner risk analysis related to programme activities before and during implementation, and advise on amending activities and approaches where necessary.
• Participate in country planning, strategy development and reviews.

Other

• Required to adhere to Oxfam’s principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women's rights.
• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles.

Person Specification

Most importantly, every individual at Oxfam International Secretariat needs to be able to:

• Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, COURAGE, SOLIDARITY and EQUALITY (read more about these here)
• Ensure you commit to our ORGANIZATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct):

1. Be committed to our feminist principles, and to applying them in your day-to-day behaviour and your work. Be ready to keep learning, with accountability to those who experience oppression as a result of their identities, such as their gender, race/ethnicity, disability, class, or LGBTQIA identity.
2. Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible.

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE & COMPETENCIES

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS ALL STAFF ARE EXPECTED TO FULFIL:

• Demonstrate Oxfam values and behavioral competencies.
• Behavioral skills: able to work successfully with and mentor others, often under challenging circumstances, and to demonstrate competencies in "listening and creating dialogue" and "working with others", as well as strong networking skills. In particular:

• Sound judgement: weighs risks, context and the principle of "do no harm" to make balanced, well-reasoned decisions, including on sensitive protection issues.
• Listening: actively listens to colleagues, partners and affected communities, and makes sure their perspectives shape programme decisions.
• Self-awareness: understands own strengths, limitations and biases, seeks feedback, and manages own wellbeing and reactions under pressure.
• Decisiveness: makes timely, clear decisions in fast-changing or uncertain situations, takes ownership of them, and adjusts course when new information emerges.

ESSENTIAL:

• Advanced level in international development or gender related degree or relevant work experience.
• Experience in working in the Syrian crisis;
• Minimum of 5 years involvement in humanitarian and development work, preferably in field-based protection work in conflict settings or environments in transition as well as experience of working in a senior advisory role
• Proven experience in carrying out protection analysis and providing strategic advice to protection staff and/or partner teams;
• Strong conceptual and practical understanding of protection standards, key sectoral issues and processes;
• Experience and understanding of community-based protection at the field level, including the constraints, sensitivities and risks associated with such work;
• Ability to represent Oxfam in country in sector meetings and with other NGOs/INGOs, donors, and local authorities;
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including ability to fluently articulate key protection issues verbally and in writing;
• Demonstrable understanding of protection work and ability to implement protection activities with a strong emphasis on the gendered aspects of conflict, violence and abuse.
• Commitment to gender equity, diversity and equal opportunities.
• Experience in capacity building of staff and partners, and the professional development of protection staff.
• Fluency in English.

DESIRABLE

• Understanding of Oxfam’s protection approach.
• Knowledge of protection programming in early recovery and longer-term contexts (e.g. housing, land and property rights, civil documentation, social cohesion, etc.).
• Experience in working with partners.
• Experience in integrating programs.
• Understanding of advocacy and campaigning work.
• Experience in participatory research.
• Conflict analysis skills.
• Fluency in Arabic.

KEY ATTRIBUTES

• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and protection issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities;
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of protection mainstreaming, children’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible;
• Behavioural competencies: Influencing, relationship building, strategic thinking and judgment, vision setting, self-awareness.

SAFER RECRUITMENT: Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. Offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.

We offer:

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits. 

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer here.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam: 

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.