Protection Coordinator - Country (Somalia)

About the role

The Danish Refugee Council is looking for a Protection Coordinator for its country office in Somalia. The Protection Coordinator is the overall country-level technical lead for protection, responsible for quality protection programming, technical advice and supervision of protection staff, and for leading protection analysis, strategy and monitoring and evaluation. The post is based in Mogadishu with 60% travel to field sites, reports to the Head of Programme and starts in December 2026.

Key responsibilities

• Lead protection analysis and the development and implementation of the country-level protection strategy, and oversee the protection portfolio
• Develop and roll out protection tools, SOPs, policies and guidelines, and act as a reference point for protection mainstreaming and age, gender and diversity mainstreaming
• Supervise protection staff, take part in recruitment, set performance objectives and appraisals, identify technical gaps and plan capacity building
• Lead the design and implementation of protection interventions, review proposals, and maintain oversight of budgets, indicators and programme quality
• Work with the MEAL team on quality assurance systems, monitoring tools, site monitoring and the Protection Programme Quality Framework self-assessment
• Represent DRC in protection coordination meetings (e.g. Protection Cluster, CP-GBV sub-cluster), coordinate with government agencies and donors, and act as the main sector point of contact with donors
• Support advocacy and integrated programming with other sectors such as CCCM, Economic Recovery and Emergency Response

Required profile

• University or graduate degree in law, social work, gender or another relevant field
• At least 5 years of proven experience in refugee, returnee, IDP and host community protection
• Expert knowledge of international refugee, human rights and humanitarian law
• Experience coordinating with national and local authorities and humanitarian coordination bodies
• Experience designing, implementing and monitoring protection interventions in at least two protection components (e.g. GBV, child protection, community-based protection, PIM, mental health and psychosocial support, legal aid)
• Experience in project development, implementation, MEAL, capacity building and facilitation of trainings
• Ability to work independently, meet deadlines and in cross-cultural, remote environments; open to national and international candidates

Required skills

• Strong understanding of global protection standards, protection analysis and results-based protection
• Data analysis, thematic protection reporting and advocacy product writing (a strong asset)
• Protection mainstreaming, AGD mainstreaming, conflict sensitivity and PSEA
• Excellent English writing skills

Contract length is 12 months with possible extension depending on funding and performance; the band is non-management. Applications require a cover letter and a CV of no more than four pages in English, submitted online by 24 November 2026.