Emergency Response Officer (Gender Based Violence (GBV) Prevention, Mitigation and Response)

Job Description

About the Organization 

Finnish Refugee Council (FRC) (www.refugeecouncil.fi) is an international non-governmental organisation with Head Office in Helsinki.

FRC advocates for the rights of displacement affected populations including refugees, Internally Displaced Populations (IDPs), migrants and returnees and supports their new beginnings. By reinforcing equality and creating opportunities for everyone to lead a good life, FRC promotes the establishment of stable and peaceful societies.

In Ethiopia, FRC’s operation commenced in 2019 following its legal licencing with Registry Number 4184. FRC’s strategic interventions focus on strengthening coping, resilience and self-reliance of refugees, IDPs and hosting communities in different parts of Ethiopia. FRC does this through facilitating access to inclusive education and livelihoods opportunities and extending protection services to communities affected by internal displacement through post-conflict humanitarian emergency response interventions.

FRC is operating an ongoing Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention, mitigation and response intervention within its humanitarian emergency response project being implemented in South Wollo Zone of Amhara Regional State in northern Ethiopia.  We working in collaboration with girls, women, boys, men, community based structures, local government as well as other agencies both in IDP camps/ settlements and host communities and at various levels.  FRC GBV prevention and response activities strive to empower people affected by forced displacement and strengthen the capacity of local communities and government structures in finding lasting solutions to protection challenges while prioritizing the most vulnerable members of societies mainly women, girls, and People with Disabilities (PWD).

FRC seeks to recruit an experienced and qualified professional to lead the GBV prevention, mitigation and response activities primarily within the emergency project and with progressive role in other intervention areas.

Purpose of the Role:

The Emergency Response Officer (GBV) will play an active role in leading and coordinating FRC’s GBV prevention and response activities by working with actors at various levels based on the identified needs and using appropriate strategies. S/he will provide the FRC and partner organization’s project teams with the necessary expertise and knowledge required in the field of GBV and Gender equality.

The ERO-GBV will be part of FRC’s Protection team and plays a key role in building and enhancing FRC’s protection portfolio. Despite most of the time being dedicated to the South Wollo humanitarian response project, the post holder will dedicate a percentage of time of enhancing FRC’s protection portfolio in other FRC’s operational locations by contributing contextual knowledge, skills, and experience. This will call for provision of technical support and capacity building to colleagues and key community based workers within the FRC Ethiopia program.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Conducting  Contextual Analysis and Mapping of GBV 

• Work with Protection team in developing tools for conducting gender analysis and identify major GBV issues and the needs and capacities of IDPs (and refugees) and host communities
• Compile an overall contextual data on the nature and extent GBV in the Amhara region and specifically among the IDPs and host communities within the specific project operational locations  
• Develop the GBV  profile of camp based and host community of each of the camps for current and future interventions
• Support joint and FRC specific periodic Gender Safety Audit and ensure the implementation of action points to enhance safety and security among girls, boys, men and women within the IDP camps 

Inclusive Targeting of Service Users

• Work together with the project stakeholders in the identification of qualified community volunteers for the effective facilitation and coordination of community-based work on GBV prevention, mitigation and response
• Work with other team members in ensuring inclusive targeting of women and girls to benefit from different support services (dignity kits, economic strengthening support, Cash Based Support, NFIs etc)

Community Mobilization on GBV Awareness and Action

• Design and implement strategies to promote awareness, dialogue and action on GBV prevention, mitigation and response.
• Develop/ adapt strategies to ensure that community members, including men and women, (considering age and disability factors) are mobilized to participate in anti-GBV activities on the project sites
• Facilitate the establishment and strengthening of community based protection committees and groups and closely follow their functionality (ensuring disability inclusion)
• Facilitate interventions including awareness-raising, training, and support to community-based protection structures to strengthen GBV prevention and response based on analysis of the local context.
• Closely work with traditional and formal institutions in strengthening community based GBV prevention, mitigation and response mechanisms
• Oversee the regular awareness raising activities through close follow up of the Community Volunteers deployed at the camp and host community sites
• Conduct continuous awareness raising on GBV using the various platforms
• Develop and disseminate key GBV prevention and response messages
• Design and implement educational activities that support community members to reduce negative coping mechanisms
• Participate in the development and production of project communication materials (leaflets, posters, brochures) to raise awareness on GBV and related topics and referral pathways 

Capacity Building

• Select, train and recruit Community Volunteers
• Facilitate the GBV related capacity building trainings, aawareness raising, coaching and mentoring as well as continuous follow up of Community Volunteers for GBV and other thematic component interventions
• Conduct gender and GBV related training and capacity needs assessments of community representatives, community volunteers, FRC & partner team members and other stakeholders
• Facilitate continuous training and capacity building opportunities for community representatives, community volunteers, FRC team (in all operational sites) and partner staff, and government sector office representatives 

Technical Support

• Develop and provide ongoing and technical support to project partner’s program staff and key stakeholders regarding GBV prevention and response activities
• Support GBV and gender mainstreaming approaches and strategies within other thematic components
• Closely collaborate with Disability and Inclusion Officer in ensuring disability inclusion within GBV response activities
• Contribute to the development of tools, guidelines and operating procedures for the integration of GBV prevention and response in other thematic sectors in line with international and local standards.
• Provide continuous technical advice and support for community volunteers, FRC and ANE thematic colleagues and other implementing partners 
• Collaboratively work with Psycho Social Support (PSS) Officer in counselling related activities for GBV survivors including in the use of Safe Spaces.
• In consultation with community members and relevant stakeholders, and by working with FRC and partners, develop and execute strategies to reduce negative coping mechanisms among male and female members of IDPs (applying gender, age and disability analysis)
• Participate in the procurement of GBV related materials and goods to ensure timeliness and quality of the purchases
• Work with Livelihoods Program to undertake feasibility study for Income Generation Activities (IGAs) for GBV survivors

•  Through close coordination with other Protection team, input into the development of protection, gender and inclusion strategies 

Case Management and Referral Linkages

• Conduct mapping of existing services and actors
• Develop/ regularly review referral pathways for available GBV prevention and response services and based on survivors needs
• Provide psychosocial support (PSS) support to survivors and vulnerable individuals in line with the guidance and procedures
• Provide case management support to individuals with PSS needs
• Use Women and Girls Safe Spaces to provide counseling for survivors and other community members (women, girls, men and boys)
• Develop templates, procedures and tools for recording, referring and documenting GBV related support activities and follow up of referrals
• Closely work with other team members to facilitate integrated (Cash, NFI, GBV, Education and WASH) support for survivors of GBV and to reduce negative coping mechanisms 

Coordination, Networking and Advocacy

• Establish and strengthen positive working relations with stakeholders and partners implementing protection and GBV interventions at the camp and host community sites
• Represent FRC in regional, zonal  and Woreda level GBV and protection coordination cluster activities including providing regular updates and compiling progress reports on the GBV component 
• Closely work with all relevant government sector departments in supporting the coordinated response on GBV including providing technical advise to relevant line departments
• Provide GBV-related information and reports to key stakeholders and working groups
• Plan, organize and participate in joint campaigning and advocacy campaigns on gender equality and GBV related themes with government and other implementing partners at community, Woreda, Zonal and regional levels

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Monitor trends and needs related to GBV in the project sites and recommend activities for improving the efforts on prevention and response to instances of sexual and gender-based violence
• Develop/ revise necessary templates for gathering and documenting information related to case management and other services provided to project targets 
• Properly record and document quantitative and qualitative information regarding the GBV prevention and response activities
• Compile regular and timely reports on standalone and integrated GBV activities by closely working with FRC and ANE team members
• With the support of MEAL Officer collect, compile, analyze, and share baseline, monthly or need-based data (disaggregated age/gender/ disability/ different vulnerability factors) to inform programming
• Participate in verification and monitoring the distribution  of appropriate relief items to target groups, including GBV survivors  
• Ensure and actively engage in joint project monitoring and evaluation procedures with the key partners
• Collect replicable good practices and lessons learned, including pictures to be used in other programming
• Assist in mid-term and/or end of project evaluations
• Provide input into strategies and appeals based on assessment findings that build on identified best practices

Accountability

• Ensure the provision of necessary and relevant information to community, government and other stakeholders in timely manner
• Support the design and implementation of appropriate accountability mechanisms including setting up and monitoring community-based complaints response mechanisms including for Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse (PHSEA)
• Ensure the regular gathering of feedback and complaints on GBV component service provision and provide timely response
• Work with the FRC Protection team in ensuring that FRC policies on gender and PHSEA are enforced in all project activities
• In close coordination with FRC Protection team, build the capacity of FRC and partner emergency project staff, community volunteers and government stakeholders on PHSEA 
• Work with other Protection focal persons in receiving, investigating and processing complaints related to SEA (including facilitating survivor support) 

Other

• Contribute to the design of fund-raising proposals through analysis and articulation of GBV issues to strengthen FRC’s protection portfolio.
• Perform other duties given by the immediate supervisor.

Job Requirement

Required Educational and Technical Competencies 

Education

• Advanced degree in social sciences – Law, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology and related fields

Experience

• 3-5 years of practical field-based experience in managing GBV prevention, mitigation and response interventions within humanitarian settings, preferably in the context of forced displacement
• Proven knowledge of GBV minimum standards and guiding principles and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) prevention and response approaches
• Demonstrated skills in gender and GBV mainstreaming within multisectoral interventions
• Experience in developing training materials and delivering training independently using participator facilitation techniques
• Experience in working with community based, government and non-government stakeholders at various levels in coordinating GBV prevention and response activities
• Experience in counselling, case management and referrals
• Joint/collaborative implementation experience with partners
• Working knowledge of disability inclusion and disability mainstreaming in the context of multisectoral emergency response operations
• Ability to develop contextually appropriate information, education and communication (IEC) materials
• Experience in planning and facilitating of mass awareness and campaigning activities
• Good knowledge and application of humanitarian accountability standards on safeguarding (especially Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)
• Excellent written and spoken English language skills;
• Contextual knowledge and work experience in South Wollo Zone is an asset

Required Qualities

• Familiarity with humanitarian principles;
• Ability to keep confidentiality
• Excellent interpersonal and team work skills
• Strong communication and advocacy skills
• Cultural sensitivity and respect for diversity
• Planning skills and attention to detail
• Problem-solving and solution-oriented attitude
• Adaptability and willingness to perform other duties
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and deliver on set objectives within given deadlines,