Protection Officer – GBV and Child Protection
Organization: USPEaK
Location: Baalbeck
Contract type: Full-time, project-based
Level of effort: 100%
Starting date: Subject to funding confirmation
Position Purpose
The Protection Officer will support the implementation of USPEaK’s Gender-Based Violence and Child Protection activities. The Officer will help ensure that project interventions are safe, inclusive, confidential, culturally sensitive and consistent with safeguarding, PSEA, GBV and Child Protection standards.
The role focuses on prevention, risk mitigation, community engagement, safe identification and referral, service mapping, capacity building, coordination and reporting. Specialized GBV or Child Protection case management will only be undertaken when appropriate systems, technical supervision and qualified personnel are available.
Key Responsibilities
Protection Programming
- Support the planning and implementation of GBV and Child Protection prevention and response activities.
- Organize and facilitate awareness sessions, community dialogues and capacity-building activities.
- Support activities addressing GBV risks, child-protection concerns, harmful practices, gender equality, positive parenting and available protection services.
- Ensure the safe and meaningful participation of women, girls, children, caregivers and persons with disabilities.
- Contribute to developing and adapting awareness materials, training tools and community resources.
- Integrate protection, gender, disability inclusion and safeguarding considerations across project activities.
- GBV Responsibilities
- Promote survivor-centered approaches based on safety, confidentiality, respect, non-discrimination and informed consent.
- Support GBV risk identification and mitigation within project locations and activities.
- Provide accurate information about available GBV, health, psychosocial, legal and protection services.
- Facilitate safe referrals according to the survivor’s wishes and informed consent.
- Ensure that survivors are never pressured to disclose, report or access a particular service.
- Refer specialized GBV case-management needs to qualified personnel or service providers.
Child Protection Responsibilities
- Identify child-protection risks and support appropriate prevention and mitigation measures.
- Promote the best interests of the child in all project activities and decisions.
- Support safe, age-appropriate and child-friendly awareness activities.
- Provide children and caregivers with information about relevant protection and support services.
- Facilitate safe referrals through established Child Protection pathways.
- Ensure that children’s information is handled confidentially and shared only according to safeguarding and data-protection procedures.
- Refer specialized Child Protection case-management needs to qualified personnel or providers.
- Referral Pathways and Service Mapping
- Map and regularly update available GBV, Child Protection, health, mental-health, psychosocial, legal and emergency services.
- Establish and maintain safe referral relationships with qualified service providers.
- Ensure that referrals are voluntary, confidential, timely and properly documented without exposing identifying information.
- Follow up on the functionality and accessibility of referral pathways without requesting unnecessary information about individual cases.
Capacity Building
- Train and support USPEaK staff, volunteers and relevant partners on GBV and Child Protection principles.
- Provide orientation on safeguarding, PSEA, safe referrals, confidentiality and handling disclosures.
- Help identify staff-capacity gaps and recommend appropriate coaching or training.
- Promote safe, respectful and non-discriminatory conduct throughout implementation.
- Coordination
- Coordinate with specialized protection organizations, service providers, community representatives and relevant public institutions.
- Participate in protection, GBV and Child Protection coordination meetings when requested.
- Maintain professional relationships with stakeholders while protecting participant confidentiality.
- Support coordination between project teams and specialized service providers.
- Monitoring Reporting and Learning
- Work with the MEAL team to monitor activities, participation, quality and progress toward project indicators.
- Collect only necessary, non-identifying program data using approved tools.
- Prepare activity reports and contribute to workplans, donor reports and project reviews.
- Document challenges, community feedback, lessons learned and recommendations.
- Support safe, accessible and confidential feedback and complaint mechanisms.
- Ensure that sensitive information is never stored or shared in a manner that could identify or endanger survivors or children.
Safeguarding and PSEA
- Comply with USPEaK’s safeguarding, Child Protection, PSEA, confidentiality and code-of-conduct policies.
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with children and adult participants.
- Report safeguarding or PSEA concerns immediately through designated internal channels.
- Ensure that project activities apply the principles of do no harm, informed consent, child participation and the best interests of the child.
Required Qualifications
- University degree in social work, psychology, gender studies, sociology, public health, law, human rights or another relevant field.
- At least two years of relevant experience in protection, GBV, Child Protection or community-based programming.
- Demonstrated understanding of GBV guiding principles and survivor-centered approaches.
- Knowledge of Child Protection principles, safeguarding and the best-interests approach.
- Experience facilitating awareness sessions, trainings or community dialogues.
- Familiarity with safe identification, informed consent, confidentiality and referral procedures.
- Experience working with women, girls, children, caregivers and vulnerable communities.
- Ability to contribute to monitoring, documentation and donor reporting.
- Fluency in Arabic and good working proficiency in English.
- Strong communication, facilitation, coordination and interpersonal skills.
- Availability to travel within Baalbeck.
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous experience with a humanitarian or development organization.
- Knowledge of GBV and Child Protection referral pathways in Baalbeck.
- Relevant training in GBV core concepts, Child Protection, safeguarding, PSEA or psychological first aid.
- Experience coordinating with specialized service providers and community stakeholders.
- Experience implementing projects funded by institutional or international donors.
Important Notice
This vacancy is published in anticipation of project funding. Selection may proceed before the funding decision; however, any employment offer and contract will remain contingent upon final donor approval and the availability of funds.
