Protection Coordinator - Uganda, Kampala

Role Overview

The Protection Coordinator will provide expert technical support and guidance related to protection programming and coordination within the humanitarian context in Uganda. Based in Kampala, this role ensures protection interventions adhere to NRC standards, legal frameworks, and humanitarian principles, enhancing program quality and strategic impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Offer technical assistance and training to protection staff to uphold NRC's standards, including mentoring and onboarding new personnel involved in protection work.
• Collaborate with the ICLA/Protection Technical Specialist to develop and refine NRC's Protection Core Competency strategies, tools, and approaches.
• Oversee and guarantee high-quality planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of protection programs in alignment with organizational policies and humanitarian standards.
• Lead protection monitoring activities, risk analysis, and data collection to inform program adjustments, advocacy, and strategy formulation.
• Promote protection mainstreaming by integrating protection principles throughout NRC programs to ensure safety, inclusivity, and accountability.
• Develop and disseminate tools, methodologies, SOPs, and quality standards to advance program effectiveness.
• Represent NRC in protection coordination bodies, technical working groups, and partnerships, fostering inter-agency collaboration and advocacy.
• Build and maintain relationships with government authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, community organizations, and other stakeholders to boost coordinated protection outcomes.
• Contribute to program design, proposals, budgeting, donor reporting, assessments, evaluations, and fundraising efforts related to protection.
• Ensure compliance with NRC's policies, safeguarding, PSEA standards, donor demands, accountability frameworks, and applicable national and international legal protections.
• Coordinate strategic growth and positioning of NRC’s Protection Core Competency, supporting program teams with technical guidance and quality assurance.
• Lead technical evaluations of program designs, methods, and outputs to increase program impact and consistency.
• Analyze protection trends and incorporate findings into programming, advocacy, and strategy.
• Provide capacity building through training, coaching, and mentoring of NRC staff and partners involved in protection activities.
• Support emergency preparedness and surge responses, providing coordination and technical expertise as required.
• Perform additional tasks delegated by line managers related to advancing protection priorities and NRC organizational goals.

Professional Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Law, Human Rights, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or related fields; postgraduate qualifications are a plus.
• A minimum of five years in protection programming within humanitarian, development, or displacement environments, including leadership roles.
• Proven skills in protection project design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
• Strong grasp of international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law and protection principles.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams, delivering performance management, coaching, and capacity building.
• Established ability to engage effectively with government bodies, UN, NGOs, community groups, and donors.
• Proficiency in project management, budgeting, grants administration, and donor compliance.
• Excellent analytical, report writing, proposal drafting, presentation, and communication skills.
• Fluency in English, verbally and in writing.
• Familiarity with data management and monitoring tools, including case management systems.
• Capability to manage multiple priorities and perform under pressure in dynamic settings.
• Strong computer literacy, particularly with Microsoft Office and digital collaboration platforms.

Contextual Knowledge & Skills

• In-depth understanding of the Ugandan refugee response system, protection architecture, and related national laws and policies.
• Experience with protection coordination mechanisms, case management, community protection, monitoring, and referral systems.
• Aware of protection risks to refugees and vulnerable populations such as women, children, elderly, disabled, and survivors of violence.
• Ability to work with community and refugee-led groups and local authorities to enhance protection results.
• Proven capability in analyzing protection data to improve programming and influence advocacy agendas.
• Representation in inter-agency protection forums and coordination groups.
• Knowledge and application of safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and safe programming standards.

Behavioural Attributes

• Comfort working in insecure environments.
• Efficient planning and results-oriented delivery.
• Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills.
• Effective analytical thinking.
• Clear, respectful, and impactful communication.
• Adaptability to change.

Important Additional Details

This position is open exclusively to qualified Ugandan nationals. The role demands working onsite in Kampala, Uganda. Candidates should be aware that NRC has zero tolerance for misconduct, including sexual exploitation and abuse and requires signing of organizational policies and codes of conduct.

The Protection Coordinator liaises closely with technical specialists, program managers, and multiple internal support teams as well as external stakeholders such as government ministries, UN agencies, NGOs, and local communities to deliver integrated protection responses.