In humanitarian crises, people need support to meet their most basic needs. However, in situations of violence or hardship, they also need special support to maintain their personal safety and dignity. The aim is to prevent, minimise and/ or respond appropriately to people's needs in humanitarian crises. At Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, we live localization by working exclusively through a network of local partners. We are also a member of the ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together), the global alliance of churches and aid agencies in the area of humanitarian aid.
The position is part of the newly formed Technical Unit within the programme department. The aim of the unit is to provide technical advice and capacity to DKH and its partners in order to further strengthen and professionalise our work worldwide. This position ensures the quality of our projects in the areas of protection / psychosocial support (PSS) (with a special focus on women and girls) and thus makes a valuable contribution to the operationalisation of our 2025 strategy.
Areas of responsibility:
- Provide technical advice and qualification of DKH and its local partners (40%)
- Conducting a desk review/ SWOT analysis of DKH and partner projects/capacities in this area, to provide guidance and identify good practices, learnings, entry points and opportunities for improvement
- Implementation of the current DKH strategy on the thematic area as well as input for follow-up strategy
- Lead on gender within the organization in close collaboration with other staff to strengthen mainstreaming
- Focal point for protection and PSS and ensure ongoing sensitisation within DKH and partners
- Review project proposals/ reports to ensure projects meet relevant technical standards, donor guidelines and as well as other requirements e.g. humanitarian law
- Support capacity and use of routine protection risk analysis and management at program level
- Ensure protection mainstreaming especially regarding safety and dignity, "do no harm", access, accountability, effective participation and empowerment of beneficiaries, as well as community-based protection and MHPSS measures (together with program and technical unit staff e.g. MEAL advisor)
- Support strengthening of complaints and feedback mechanisms/procedures especially use of participatory methods together with other stakeholders (e.g. MEAL Advisers)
- Support DKH/ partners in MHPSS methodologies and analyses
- Regular visits to project locations and DKH/partner offices for support, capacity strengthening or short-term technical support in humanitarian emergencies
- Qualification of DKH and partners through training, coaching, Training of Trainers (ToT) as well as coordination of external opportunities for further capacity building
- Targeted support and supervision of protection and psychosocial support staff worldwide
- Collaboration with colleagues in the Technical Unit and other stakeholders to develop/revise new procedures/standards (e.g. MEAL, Gender, CVA, Nexus)
- Potential support for programs (e.g. global projects) in this thematic area
- Development of procedures, guidelines and instruments (30%)
- Develop procedures/ tools/ methodologies building on existing good practices (or adaptation of appropriate external resources) that take into account latest evidence and good practices
- Qualify and accompany staff in competent uptake and use of these instruments
- Development of DKH Protection approach and methodologies, including Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in communities
- Mainstream and integrate topic throughout organisational policies and practices
- Develop/ revise procedures/ standards (e.g. MEAL) with key stakeholders (e.g. Technical Unit advisers)
- Promoting the systematic application of existing procedures/ tools in programs
- Support DKH/ partners in contextualizing tools and procedures
- Contribution to the development of a standardized qualification concept in collaboration with other Advisers (under the leadership of the Head of the Technical Unit)
- Profiling, building evidence base, contribution to learning culture/knowledge management (15%)
- Systematic collection/ processing/ sharing of evidence and learnings from projects
- Support commissioning of/ carrying out of studies, evaluations etc. to strengthen our evidence base
- Develop materials such as publications, brochures, website content etc. together with relevant stakeholders
- Promote and facilitate regular knowledge exchange and learning between DKH offices and partners (e.g. through communities of practice, learning events)
- Stay abreast of current discourses on this topic, feeding innovations and new evidence back into the organisation with the possibility to pilot new approaches with technical supervision
- Champion organisational learning culture
- External representation, cooperation and collaboration (15%)
- Focal point for protection and PSS internally and externally incl. audits, EU, donors e.g. DG ECHO or AA
- External representation of DKH on the subject in national/ international events
- Support DKH senior management in the preparation on subject matters for meetings, conferences etc.
- Network and explore new opportunities with NGOs, networks, working groups, faith-based actors etc.
- Maintain and invest in existing collaborations and networks e.g. ACT Alliance, BfdW
- Collaboration with respective stakeholders/ departments for advocacy or media relevant purposes
- Raising awareness on the topic and on our work within the organization and partners
Qualifications
Technical qualifications:- University degree in relevant field of study
- Several years of professional experience in humanitarian aid in Protection / MHPSS programs
- In-depth knowledge of IASC MHPSS guidelines, MH action plan, IASC MHPSS M&E framework, human rights and protection in humanitarian contexts
- Experience in handling sensitive protection matters in a confidential manner
- Knowledge in the area of gender and inclusion
- Proven experience in capacity development (trainings, mentoring, coaching, ToT etc.)
- Experience in external representation (donors, clusters, conferences etc.)
- Familiar with humanitarian coordination structures, clusters, and working groups
- Familiar with donor guidelines and other technical standards and requirements for this topic
- Excellent language skills in English, further language an advantage e.g. French, Spanish
- Advanced communication skills to convey complex information appropriately to target audiences
- MS-Office skills as well as use of digital technologies applied on project level
Personal qualifications
- Willingness to take on responsibility
- Organizational skills, ability to prioritize tasks
- Works independently and reliably, but also well as part of a team
- Intercultural and interpersonal skills
- Commitment to delivering quality
- Ability to build trust and successful relationships (in person and from a distance)
- Positive and engaging attitude, ability to inspire others
- Affinity for localization and working with local partners
- Flexibility, ability to work under pressure, perseverance
- Willingness to travel on assignments, ability to work in tropical regions
Additional information
- Duty Station: DKH office Berlin or DKH office in the field (e.g. Amman), pending eligibility to work there
- Travel: Frequent field travel expected
- Duration of contract: Fixed term 2 years, full-time with a possibility of extension (pending funding)
- Salary TVöD (pay group 13) in Germany or as per duty station
- Reporting line: Head of Technical Unit
What we offer
In Berlin we offer:- Flexible working hours and family-friendly working conditions (incl. home office)
- Company pension scheme
- Opportunities for professional development
- Annual leave of 30 days/ year as well as special leave models
- Opportunity to become part of a highly dynamic and motivated team and thus make an important contribution to the quality of our work worldwide
- A lot of freedom to shape the role and our work portfolio in the field of protection and psychosocial support
If based in DKH offices in the field, benefits package will be similar to above, yet adjusted to the location regarding e.g. R&R, medical cover, insurance, salary etc. There will be preparatory period of several weeks in our office in Berlin (in case the role is carried out in another office location).
How to apply
Please apply with your CV and cover letter using the following link: https://ewde.hr4you.org/job/view/1226 (you can translate the page with your internet browser in English)Please ensure you use the email subject line ‘DKH Advisor (Protection & PSS)’. Applications close on
4th of January 2023.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Claudia Puschner, Head of the Technical Unit (Tel.: +49 (0) 30 65211-1555 or Email: claudia.puschner@diakonie-katastrophenhilfe.de). If you have any questions about the application procedure, please contact the Human Resources Department email: ausschreibung@ewde.de
Diversity is important to us. We welcome applications from people regardless of their ethnic, national or social background, gender, disability, age or sexual identity.