Senior Protection Officer

Job Summary Job Summary The post holder will coordinate with the CARE-ECHO project management staff as well as the CARE-ECHO local partners in health and EiE sectors to ensure the effective implementation of child protection and safeguarding activities in the target provinces of the ECHO project. She will provide guidance and technical support on Child Safeguarding, Do No Harm, Child Safety Checks, and Child Protection Programming. In this capacity, she will be responsible for the capacity building of the ECHO project staff on the mentioned topics. The Senior Protection Officer will actively monitor and strengthen the quality and effectiveness of Child Protection and Child Safeguarding interventions in line with the donor agreement and CARE Afghanistan’s organizational guidelines, values, and principles. The Senior Protection Officer will also lead community engagement and participation in child protection activities. Child Protection and Safeguarding: - Promote children’s meaningful participation throughout the project and support strategies that enable children to identify and address issues affecting them. - Actively lead safeguarding reporting and support the PSEA team to strengthen safeguarding measures and procedures. - Lead the development and quality assurance of child protection case management in line with international standards. - Support effective Child Protection approaches, including case management and community mobilization. - Lead Child Safety spot checks in project locations. - Act as an advocate to prevent and respond to child protection concerns and demonstrate zero tolerance for abuse, violence, exploitation, and neglect. - Identify and report current child protection issues in Afghanistan and ensure leadership is informed. Capacity Building and Technical Support: - Support the development, implementation, and documentation of training on child protection issues for ECHO beneficiaries. - Conduct training on child safeguarding, child participation, and child protection for ECHO staff, especially teachers and health service providers. - Identify training needs and implementation gaps. - Conduct regular field visits and provide technical support to implementing staff. - Monitor child protection activities and safeguarding standards at implementation sites. Project Management, Monitoring and Reporting: - Support the Consortium Manager and Deputy Project Manager in monitoring project activities and verifying quality against targets and standards. - Support the development, maintenance, and updating of project work plans and recommend course corrections where needed. - Ensure professional, documented, and timely communication regarding CP&S activities, including monthly and quarterly reports. - Provide input for case studies, success stories, and organizational learning. - Assist in preparing monitoring reports and donor deliverables (technical and financial). - Work closely with the MEAL team to monitor and evaluate project activities, including child-friendly accountability and feedback mechanisms. Advocacy, Coordination and Representation: - Lead the development and implementation of an advocacy strategy for the Child Protection component of the ECHO Project. - Represent CARE in relevant coordination forums and working groups (Protection, Child Protection, MHPSS, SGBV, etc.). - Promote learning and collaboration across the organization and with external stakeholders. Key relations Internal: - Consortium Manager, Deputy Project Manager, Provincial Managers, Education Technical Advisor, Senior Project Officer, EiE and Health Field Supervisors, and operations departments. External: - Exchange of information & coordination with (upon request from the project management) - Local partner education and health staff (Teacher Trainers, Community Mobilizers, CBE/CBS, teachers, BHCs doctors, Community Health Supervisors (CHSs) and other education and Health management and provincial staff). Responsibilities on Safety and Security, Gender and Inclusion and Safeguarding and Child Protection: [Staff] at CARE are expected to adhere to Safety & Security responsibilities, emphasizing team and individual accountability to maintain a safe environment. This includes readiness, compliance, and active engagement to mitigate risks through awareness, reporting, and policy enforcement. Gender equality and inclusion are fundamental at CARE, promoting equal rights and challenging discriminatory norms to achieve social justice. We foster an inclusive workplace respecting diverse gender identities, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences through dialogue, training, and diversity initiatives. All CARE staff must uphold ethical standards, following codes of conduct to prevent abuse, including sexual harassment, exploitation, and neglect. Regular monitoring ensures accountability to uphold these principles and support our mission of social justice and poverty alleviation. Job Requirements Education: - At least having University Degree in social sciences (psychology and sociology) or faculty of Law. Competence - Builds and maintains effective relationships, with team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters. - Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength. - Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to. - Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions. - Willing to take disciplined risks. - Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity. - Demonstrable competence in training and coaching staff on child protection and safeguarding. Core competencies: Collaboration, Creativity, Integrity, and excellent in teamwork. Skills and Experience - Excellent understanding of rights based/child rights programming, psychosocial support, community mobilization, and child protection. - Demonstrable competence in report writing - Sensitive to the cultural & political environment - Ability to conduct child protection and safeguarding, psychosocial support, and GBV training to the beneficiaries Work Experience: - At least three (3) years relevant experience in similar settings. Languages Skills: - Fluent spoken & written English language - Fluent in Dari and Pashto languages