Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission (COM) and the direct supervision of the Head of Programme and in close coordination with relevant units in the Country Office (CO), Regional Office (RO) at Headquarters (HQ), Protection Division (PXD), Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), the Protection Officer will provide strategic, technical and managerial coordination for IOM Guinea’s Protection portfolios.
The Protection Officer will have mission-wide responsibility for the implementation of the Protection programming, ensuring high-quality implementation, donor compliance and alignment with IOM policies and international standards.
The position will ensure coherence, complementarity and alignment of protection and MHPSS interventions, with a strong focus on:
- Protection and assistance to Guinean returnees in situations of vulnerability;
- Strengthening national and local protection, MHPSS and referral systems;
- Reinforcement of government and partner technical capacities; and,
- Transition from direct assistance toward sustainable, nationally anchored systems.
The Protection Officer will supervise the mission’s protection and MHPSS teams, and will contribute to the development of partnerships, referral mechanisms, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and inter‑sectoral coordination frameworks in line with IOM policies and international standards.
Responsibilities and Accountabilities
A- Strategic Leadership & Programme Management
- Coordinate the implementation of IOM Guinea’s Protection portfolios, ensuring coordination between different protection projects and thematic areas.
- Manage the full implementation of protection programmes, including planning, budgeting, donor compliance, reporting, monitoring of results and coordination with consortium partners and national counterparts.
- Provide technical support and guidance to all protection teams, including cross-cutting thematic areas and multi-sectoral projects.
- Contribute to the development of new protection and/or MHPSS project proposals, building on lessons learned, identified gaps and emerging needs.
B- Team Management & Supervision
- Provide direct supervision and technical guidance to the mission’s protection and MHPSS teams.
- Ensure effective workload planning, performance management, mentoring and capacity development of protection teams.
- Promote the consistent application of harmonized tools, methodologies and approaches across teams to ensure quality, consistency and accountability of services.
C- Protection, MHPSS & Case Management Systems
- Coordinate and monitor quality implementation of protection case management, MHPSS support, and referrals for beneficiaries assisted by IOM.
- Ensure that protection and MHPSS interventions adopt a rights‑based, Age Gender and Diversity (AGD)‑sensitive and survivor‑centred approach, including for Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Trafficking in Persons (TIP) survivors, children, persons with disabilities and persons with severe mental health needs.
- Contribute to the development, revision and coordination of the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) related to:
- Protection case management
- MHPSS
- Referrals (health, legal, social, child protection, GBV, livelihoods)
- Information sharing and data protection
D- Partnerships, Referrals & Coordination
- Establish, maintain and strengthen working relationships with relevant government institutions, UN agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations and community‑based structures involved in protection and/or MHPSS.
- Coordinate the development and operationalization of referral pathways linking IOM interventions with national and local services, including health, social services, child protection and community‑based mechanisms.
- Represent IOM in relevant national and sub‑national coordination mechanisms, technical working groups and inter‑agency fora.
- Plan and coordinate capacity building of staff and partners on protection, including case management, protection mainstreaming, diversity and inclusion, child protection, Counter-trafficking and related topics. Coordinate closely with Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) Officer regarding relevant capacity development for protection staff and partners, as well as with MHPSS.
- Support the reinforcement of government and partner technical capacities through training, joint implementation and system‑strengthening approaches.
E- Reporting, Knowledge Management & Donor Visibility
- Ensure high‑quality donor and institutional reporting of protection activities.
- Coordinate knowledge management, learning and documentation of good practices, incorporating lessons learned as a basis for programme adaptation and future design.
- Ensure donor visibility and compliance with IOM and donor communication requirements.
- Perform other duties as may be assigned.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Education
- Master’s degree (or higher) in Political or Human Sciences, International Relations, Public Administration Management, or a related field from an accredited academic institution, with at least five years of relevant professional experience; or,
- University degree in the above fields with seven years of relevant professional experience.
Accredited Universities are those listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database.
Experience
- Experience in designing protection, counter- trafficking and related support programmes in various contexts;
- Experience in coordination, community-based approaches that are customized to address a range of vulnerabilities across diverse groups to prevent main risk factors such as human trafficking, re-migration;
- Professional experience in direct implementation of protection programming in contexts of migration or displacement; and,
- Experience of working in the field and familiarity with the region will be an advantage. Proven experience in managing multi‑project protection and/or MHPSS portfolios, including supervision.
Skills
- Good project management, communication, writing, and organizational skills; with the ability to prepare clear, accurate, and concise donor and institutional reports;
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, governmental authorities, national and international institutions, and Non-Governmental Organizations;
- Knowledge of Protection principles and IOM policies and procedures;
- Knowledge of data-driven approaches that guide collective action across local agencies and institutions and the priorities of the response in the programme;
- Commitment to help persons of concern and willingness to cooperate with counterparts;
- Knowledge and experience in facilitating training and developing curricula;
- Capacity to support knowledge management, documentation, and information management processes; and,
- Good level of computer literacy, including experience with databases, reporting tools, and standard office applications.
Languages
For this position, fluency in English and French is required (oral and written).
Working knowledge of another official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish) is an advantage.
Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.
How to apply
Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile. Please refer to this link for guidance on IOM Job Category. Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation. This selection process may be used to staff similar positions in various duty stations. Recommended candidates will remain eligible to be appointed in a similar position for a period of 24 months.
Appointment will be subject to all clearances, including medical and security as well as accreditation, and any residency or visa requirements. Vacancies close at 23:59 local time in Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.
IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and any forms of discrimination. IOM is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.
IOM conducts reference checks and background verification, including through system-wide databases such as ClearCheck, to help ensure that candidates have no record of misconduct, including on sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, or fraud. Candidates are expected to uphold these standards and principles at all times.
IOM does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process—whether for application, interview, processing, training, or otherwise—and does not request any information related to bank accounts.
IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM WAVE system (for internal candidates, link here). The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For further information and other job postings, you are welcome to visit our website: IOM Careers and Job Vacancies.
More Information
- Job City Guinea
