Protection Officer

Organizational Context

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), established in 1951, is a leading UN agency promoting humane and orderly migration. It operates globally, saving lives, protecting people on the move, and facilitating pathways for regular migration. The organization is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace. This role is situated within IOM Guinea, under the supervision of the Chief of Mission and Head of Programme.

Job Purpose

The Protection Officer will provide strategic, technical, and managerial coordination for IOM Guinea’s Protection portfolios, ensuring mission-wide, high-quality implementation aligned with IOM policies and international standards. This involves ensuring coherence and complementarity of protection and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) interventions. Key focuses include protection and assistance for vulnerable Guinean returnees, strengthening national and local protection and referral systems, enhancing government and partner capacities, and transitioning towards sustainable, nationally anchored systems. The role also involves supervising protection and MHPSS teams and contributing to partnerships, referral mechanisms, SOP development, and inter-sectoral coordination.

Responsibilities

The Protection Officer is responsible for coordinating the implementation of IOM Guinea’s Protection portfolios, ensuring seamless integration between projects and thematic areas. This includes managing program planning, budgeting, donor compliance, reporting, and monitoring results, while coordinating with partners and national counterparts. The role involves providing technical support and guidance to protection teams, contributing to new project proposal development, and supervising protection and MHPSS teams, focusing on workload planning, performance management, and capacity development. The officer will oversee the quality implementation of case management, MHPSS support, and referral systems, ensuring a rights-based, AGD-sensitive, and survivor-centred approach. Responsibilities also include developing and coordinating SOPs for case management, MHPSS, referrals, and data protection, establishing and strengthening partnerships with government institutions and NGOs, representing IOM in coordination mechanisms, and planning capacity-building initiatives for staff and partners. Finally, the role entails ensuring high-quality reporting, knowledge management, and donor visibility.

Work Experience

Required experience includes designing protection, counter-trafficking, and related support programs in diverse contexts. Experience in coordination and community-based approaches tailored to address vulnerabilities and prevent risks like human trafficking is essential. Professional experience in direct implementation of protection programming within migration or displacement contexts is necessary. Proven experience managing multi-project protection and/or MHPSS portfolios, including supervision, is also required. Familiarity with the region and field experience are advantageous.

Skills

Key skills include strong project management, communication, writing, and organizational abilities, with proficiency in preparing donor and institutional reports. The ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders is crucial. Knowledge of Protection principles, IOM policies, and data-driven approaches is required. Experience in facilitating training and developing curricula, along with capacity for knowledge management and information processes, is beneficial. Good computer literacy, including database and reporting tool experience, is also necessary.

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