Protection Coordinator-Country

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Protection Coordinator-Country.

About the job

The Protection Coordinator (PC) is technically responsible for ensuring quality protection programming and is the overall country level technical lead within the protection sector.

Working with a team of protection technical experts at the country level (GBV, CP, etc.), the PC has the overall responsibility for providing technical and programmatic support for DRC and partners protection activities in the DRC areas of operations in Somalia.

The Protection Coordinator will be responsible for leading country level protection analysis and strategy development and implementation. Furthermore, the PC will be responsible for providing protection sectoral technical advice, support, and has the authority to instruct.

The PC will be responsible for ensuring quality development and implementation of protection sectoral programming, including leading monitoring and evaluation efforts, in compliance with global and DRC’s protection sector standards, across the country and in close collaboration with Area Managers.

The PC will be leading and overseeing Protection sectoral technical line supervision responsibilities for protection staff and interventions that contain protection, throughout the programme/project cycle. The PC will ensure field staff capacity building and training in coordination with technical protection staff at the country level, overseeing and leading the development of protection tools, including guidelines and SOPs to ensure harmonized approaches across the areas of intervention in Somalia.

The PC will be responsible for expanding DRC’s protection portfolio and position DRC as a strategic protection actor in Somalia, while ensuring the centrality of protection across DRC’s programme. In Somalia, DRC has an exciting and varied funding base with different focus areas, including but not limited to protection information management, child protection, prevention and response to gender-based violence, community-based protection, emergency response actions, a migration component with a dedicated voluntary return project.

The PC will technically lead protection sectoral coordination and representation efforts, supporting external representation of DRC in various fora (working groups, donors, embassies, local authorities), as well as supporting the development of advocacy products where relevant with focus on protection in Somalia. As DRC intends to move into different delivery modalities that are more integrated with other programming components, including programming in hard to reach locations, and implementation through Somali local organisations, the PC will be responsible for leading this process jointly with the Technical Staff and Head of Programme.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

• Protection sectoral technical responsibility
• Lead protection analysis efforts, the development and implementation of the country level protection strategy.
• Technically responsible for the overall protection portfolio.
• Oversee and lead the development, harmonisation and rollout of internal protection related tools, Standard Operating Procedures, policies, and guidelines related to DRC’s protection interventions.
• Act as a reference point for other sectors’ colleagues for Protection Mainstreaming, and age, gender and diversity mainstreaming across all DRC field offices.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to demonstrate the following.

Required

• University or graduate degree in law, social work, gender, or other relevant field
• Minimum 5 years of proven work experience in refugee, returnee, IDP, and host community protection
• Expert knowledge of International Refugee Law, International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with and supporting national and local authorities as well as humanitarian coordination fora.
• Strong understanding of global protection sector standards, protection analysis, and Results-Based Protection
• Knowledge and experience designing, implementing, and monitoring and evaluating protection intervention within two or more of DRC’s Protection sector components: Gender-Based Violence, Child Protection, Protection Information Management, Community-Based Protection, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, and/or Legal Aid
• Experience in providing technical guidance and developing and providing learning activities
• Prior experience with data analysis and writing/development of thematic protection reports, and advocacy products is a strong asset
• Proven communication, interpersonal, representation, negotiation, promotion, and diplomacy skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with staff members and other stakeholders.
• Proven strategic and analytical thinker with the ability to quickly develop good insight and understanding of humanitarian, political and human rights situation in the relevant context
• Experience with technical management of teams
• Sound understanding and experience in protection mainstreaming and Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) mainstreaming, conflict sensitivity, and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and abuse (PSEA)
• Experience in project development (including proposal writing), implementation and MEAL for protection programmes
• Experience with capacity building, and in convening and facilitating trainings and workshops
• Excellent analytical and English writing skills.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently unsupervised.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and adapt in a complex and challenging environment.
• Experience living and working in cross-cultural, multi-sector, and/or remote environments.

We offer

Contract: 12 Months with possibility of extension, subject to funding and performance.

Band: Non-Management G

Designation of Duty station: This position is based in Mogadishu – Somalia with 60% travel to field sites( Non-Family duty station)

Reporting Line: Head of Programme

Start Date: September 2026

This position is open to both National and International Candidates. The relevant terms and conditions of employment will apply.

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: 25th July 2026

For more information about the Danish Refugee Council, please visit our website drc.ngo.