Global Protection Lead

Are you passionate about ensuring the safety, dignity, and rights of people affected by crisis and displacement? Do you bring deep expertise in leading protection programming in complex emergencies? Are you skilled in integrating protection principles across sectors to deliver people-centred, accountable humanitarian responses?

Who are we?

The Programme and Policy Division is the main ‘engine room’ for programmatic policy and development for the global organization. It houses DRC’s overall Response Framework, which guides how we programme worldwide, our Core Sectors, as well as HQ units related to cross-cutting work on emergency response, localization, and climate & environment.

About the job

The Global Protection Lead is a full-time role within the Programme and Policy Division, serving as the organization’s lead technical expert on Protection. The Global Protection Lead provides strategic leadership, technical direction and team coordination of highly skilled protection experts, technical supervision and advisory support to country offices, and global advocacy and fundraising efforts. The position is responsible for driving the integration of Protection across all areas of programming, particularly in close collaboration with the other DRC core sectors: WASH, Shelter & Infrastructure, Economic Recovery, and Humanitarian Disarmament & Peacebuilding.

The core areas of responsibility for the Global Protection Lead include:

1. Strategic Leadership, Team Coordination & Integration
2. Technical Supervision, Guidance and Capacity Strengthening
3. Program Quality & Evidence-Based Learning
4. Sector Representation & Advocacy

Strategic Leadership, Team Coordination & Integration:

• Lead the direction of DRC’s protection work in alignment with organizational goals.
• Coordinate a team of experts and ensure alignment across core sectors and programmatic areas across DRC.

Technical Supervison, Guidance, Capacity Strengthening & Learning:

• Take lead on technical support and supervision to country offices, HQ Hubs, and HQ across the DRC response framework and the project cycle.
• Ensure that relevant policy, technical standards, procedures and guidance (tools) are updated and available for country operations, and act to ensure appropriate knowledge, use and compliance. 

Program Quality & Evidence-Based Learning:

• Provide high-level technical support to field operations to ensure protection interventions meet global standards and are informed by evidence.
• Oversee the development of monitoring frameworks and learning agendas, support data analysis and use, and promote the documentation of lessons learned to inform adaptive programming, policy engagement, and advocacy.

Sector Representation & Advocacy

• Lead the external sector representation in close coordination with DRC Partnerships, Advocacy, Engagement & Resource Mobilization (PAER) department.
• Lead and support advocacy engagement, business development, and strategic communication.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have  10 years of professional experience in the Protection sector, with at least 5 years in senior roles at regional and / or global level focusing on results-based, specialized protection programming, with experience in minimum 3-4 of DRC Protection sector components (Child Protection, Community-Based Protection, Gender-Based Violence, Legal Aid, Mental Health & Psycho-Social Support, and Protection Information Management); and integrated programming in humanitarian or development settings. This should include team coordination, overseeing or delivering technical supervision, as well as training to support complex, multisector adaptation initiatives, including in fragile and conflict-affected locations.

Moreover, we also expect:

Required:

• Master's degree in relevant academic field.
• Significant demonstrable experience from regional and / or global level in providing high quality, in-person and remote protection technical and strategic advice and support to country operations, across the project cycle.
• Proven experience with development, roll out and implementation of Protection policy, guidance, tools.
• Demonstrable capacity building skills, including the design and facilitation of trainings / workshops / events.
• Skills in data, analysis and evidence generation for Protection programming and response.
• Knowledge and experience with integrated programming and multi-sectoral response.
• Sufficient familiarity with protection quality management systems and structures to be able to oversee and support their implementation and development by technical staff.
• Strong understanding of protection architecture and proven experience engaging in advocacy with external stakeholders.
• Strong ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and provide technical assistance in a collaborative and dynamic environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including donors, governments, and partner organizations.
• Experience in resource mobilization, including developing proposals and concept notes for the protection sector and cross-sector programs.
• Fluent in English (additional languages, such as French, Spanish, or Arabic, are highly desirable).
• Experience working in both emergency and humanitarian response with INGOs at both the field and global level.

Desired

• Knowledge of regional protection challenges, risks and solutions, particularly in Africa, Asia, Middle East or Latin America. 
• Experience in designing protection outcomes that address both immediate and long-term needs across the humanitarian, development, peace nexus. 
• Familiarity with the humanitarian sector overall, cluster coordination, and other relevant humanitarian frameworks and guidelines.  

We offer

Contract length: permanent contract.

Workplace: Preferably in DRC’s HQ, Borgergade 10, 1300 Copenhagen. Danish Refugee Council’s headquarters in Copenhagen will move to Lyngbyvej 100, 2100 Østerbro, just by Ryparken station, in the fall of 2025.

Other DRC offices may be considered but will be subject to further discussions.

Start date: 1st September or as soon as possible thereafter
 

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with the agreement between DRC and AC (if the position is in Denmark). This is a national position for which local terms and conditions apply.

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter, an updated CV in English as well as a degree certificate.

Closing date for applications: 12 June 2025. We expect to conduct interviews during weeks 26 & 27 in our office in Copenhagen or virtually.

Further information

For questions regarding the vacancy please contact Fie Lauritzen, head of sector coordination & thematic areas, [email protected]. For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.