Regional Protection Officer
Organizational Context
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency established in 1951, promotes humane and orderly migration. The Protection Unit within the Regional Office for West and Central Africa (WCA) provides oversight and technical support for Protection, Return, and Reintegration programs across the region, working with country offices to ensure safe and dignified assisted voluntary return services for beneficiaries.
Job Purpose
This role supports the Protection Unit in the Regional Office for West and Central Africa (WCA) by contributing to the drafting and review of protection assessments and risk mitigation strategies. The incumbent provides technical guidance and support to protection staff in the region, ensuring high-quality outcomes for migrants and adherence to IOM policies. The position involves coordinating protection activities, participating in inter-agency mechanisms, and representing the organization in technical meetings. The role also contributes to project development, supports case management coordination for Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) cases, and assists in developing and delivering specialized training on protection interventions and AVR.
Responsibilities
Contribute to drafting and reviewing protection assessments and identifying risk mitigation strategies, focusing on operational settings, service accessibility, and protection risks for vulnerable groups. Provide technical guidance and support to protection staff in the WCA region to ensure high-quality outcomes and adherence to IOM policies. Ensure appropriate coordination in line with IOM and inter-agency standards, participating in relevant coordination mechanisms. Offer remote and in-person thematic support to Country Offices, ensuring a coherent approach and being available for international deployments. Represent the Regional Office in technical meetings with donors, partners, and stakeholders. Identify operational priorities and contribute to the design of project proposals. Support case management coordination for complex AVR cases, providing technical input for reviews. Contribute to developing and delivering specialized training on AVR, case management, and protection interventions, and facilitate the exchange of lessons learned and best practices.
Work Experience
Experience working with migrants, civil society, and governments; experience in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams; proven experience supporting protection programming and mainstreaming protection across operations, preferably in multiple countries. Experience providing protection and assistance to vulnerable migrants and communicating with individuals with complex needs. Experience in return and reintegration programs is preferred, as is experience in capacity building, training delivery, and developing operational tools.
Skills
Strong knowledge of IOM and inter-agency protection standards and procedures. Solid coordination skills. Ability to research and adapt to different operational and cultural contexts. Strong writing, editing, presentation, and training facilitation skills. Excellent computer proficiency (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email/internet). Ability to gather and consolidate information from multiple sources. High degree of judgment and initiative. Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse individuals.