Humanitarian Counselor (Protection & Psychosocial Support) (100%) – VK 960, limited to 2 years

Diakonie Katastrofenhilfe, Curriculum Department, Research:

Humanitarian Advisor (Protection & Psychosocial Support) (100%)
VK 960, limited to 2 years

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) is part of the Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e. V., the Social Service Agency of the German Protestant Church – one of the largest welfare institutions in Germany – with headquarters in Berlin. We provide humanitarian aid around the world and support people who have been affected by natural disasters or wars and displacement. We currently maintain three regional offices in Africa, Asia and Latin America who are responsible for coordinating aid programs in the respective regions.

In humanitarian crises, people need help to meet their most basic needs. However, in situations of violence or hardship, they also need special support to preserve their personal safety and dignity. The objective is to prevent, minimize and/or respond appropriately to the needs of people during humanitarian crises. At Diakonie Katastrofenhilfe, 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 field of humanitarian aid.

The position is part of the newly formed Technical Unit within the Programs Department. The purpose of the unit is to provide technical advice and capabilities to DKH and its partners to further strengthen and professionalize our work worldwide. This position ensures the quality of our projects in the areas of protection/psychosocial support (PSS) (with a particular focus on women and girls) and thus makes a valuable contribution to the operationalization of our 2025 strategy.

Areas of responsibility:

1. Provide technical advice and qualification from DKH and its local partners (40%)

• Conduct a desk review/SWOT analysis of DKH and partners’ projects/capabilities 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 contribution to the follow-up strategy
• Lead gender within the organization working closely with other staff to strengthen integration
• Focal point for protection and PSS and ensure continuous awareness within DKH and partners
• Review project proposals/reports to ensure that projects meet relevant technical standards, donor guidelines and other requirements e.g. humanitarian law
• Support the capacity and use of routine protection risk analysis and management at the program level
• Ensure protection mainstreaming, in particular with regard to safety and dignity, “do no harm”, access, accountability, effective participation and empowerment of beneficiaries, as well as community protection and MHPSS measurements (with program and technical unit staff, e.g. MEAL advisor)
• Support the strengthening of complaints and feedback mechanisms/procedures, in particular the use of participatory methods with other stakeholders (e.g. MEAL advisors)
• Support DKH / partners in MHPSS methodologies and analyzes
• Regular visits to project sites and DKH/partner offices for support, capacity building or short-term technical support in humanitarian emergencies
• Qualification of DKH and its partners through training, coaching, training of trainers (ToT) as well as coordination of external opportunities for capacity building
• Targeted support and mentoring of protection and psychosocial support personnel around the world
• Collaborate with technical unit colleagues 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

1. Development of procedures, guidelines and instruments (30%)

• Develop procedures/tools/methodologies building on existing best practices (or adaptation of appropriate external resources) that take into account the latest evidence and best practices
• Qualify and support staff in the competent adoption and use of these instruments
• Development of the DKH protection approach and methodologies, including mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in communities
• Mainstream and integrate the subject into organizational policies and practices
• Develop/revise procedures/standards (e.g. MEAL) with key stakeholders (e.g. technical unit advisors)
• Promote systematic application of existing procedures/tools in programs
• Support DKH/partners in the contextualization of tools and procedures
• Contribution to the development of a standardized qualification concept in collaboration with other advisers (under the direction of the head of the technical unit)

1. Profiling, building an evidence base, contributing to learning culture/knowledge management (15%)

• Systematic collection/processing/sharing of evidence and lessons learned from projects
• Support commissioning/conducting studies, assessments, etc. to strengthen our evidence base
• Develop materials such as publications, brochures, website content, etc. in collaboration 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, fueling innovations and new evidence across the organization with the ability to pilot new approaches with technical oversight
• Organizational Learning Culture Champion

1. External representation, cooperation and collaboration (15%)

• Focal point for internal and external protection and PSS incl. audits, EU, donors, e.g. DG ECHO or AA
• External representation of DKH on the subject at national/international events
• Support DKH senior management in preparing topics 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 purposes or relevant media purposes
• Raise awareness on the subject and on our work within the organization and partners

Qualifications

Technical diplomas:

• University degree in a relevant field of study
• Several years of professional experience in humanitarian aid in Protection / MHPSS programs
• Thorough knowledge of IASC MHPSS guidelines, MH action plan, IASC MHPSS monitoring and evaluation framework, human rights and protection in humanitarian contexts
• Experience in handling sensitive protection issues in a confidential manner
• Knowledge in the field 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 subject
• Excellent English language skills, additional language is an advantage eg French, Spanish
• Advanced communication skills to convey complex information appropriately to target audiences
• MS-Office skills as well as the use of digital technologies applied at the project level

Personal Qualifications

• Willingness to take responsibility
• Organizational skills, ability to prioritize tasks
• Works independently and reliably, but also works well in a team
• Intercultural and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to providing quality
• Ability to build trusting and successful relationships (in person and remotely)
• Positive and engaging attitude, ability to inspire others
• Affinity for localization and collaboration with local partners
• Flexibility, ability to work under pressure, perseverance
• Willingness to travel on mission, ability to work in tropical regions

Further information

• Duty station: DKH office in Berlin or DKH field office (e.g. Amman), pending eligibility to work there
• Travel: Frequent field trips planned
• Duration of the contract: CDD 2 years, full-time with possibility of extension (pending funding)
• TVöD salary (compensation group 13) in Germany or according to the place of employment
• Reporting line: Head of Technical Unit

What we offer

In Berlin, we offer:

• Flexible working hours and family-friendly working conditions (including home office)
• Company pension plan
• Professional development opportunities
• Annual leave of 30 days/year as well as special leave models
• Opportunity to be part of a highly dynamic and motivated team and thus make an important contribution to the quality of our work worldwide
• Lots of freedom to shape the role and our portfolio of work in protection and psychosocial support

If you are based in the DKH field offices, benefits will be similar to those above, but tailored to the location, eg R&R, medical cover, insurance, salary, etc. There will be a preparatory period of several weeks in our office in Berlin (in case the role is performed in another office).

How to register

How to register

Please apply with your CV and cover letter via the following link: https://ewde.hr4you.org/job/view/1226 (you can translate the page with your internet browser in English)
Please make sure to use the email subject line “DKH Advisor (Protection & PSS)”. Applications close on January 4, 2023.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Claudia Puschner, Technical Unit Manager (tel: +49 (0) 30 65211-1555 or e-mail: claudia.puschner@diakonie-katastrophenhilfe.de). If you have any questions about the application procedure, please contact the Human Resources department by e-mail: ausschreibung@ewde.de

Diversity is important to us. We welcome applications from people regardless of ethnic, national or social origin, gender, disability, age or gender identity.