PROTECTION SPECIALIST/LEGAL ANALYST– ProLAC

The Danish Refugee Council is one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, working in more than 40 countries to provide adequate assistance with a rights-based approach to refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, returnees, and migrants. In Latin America, DRC is currently working in Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru and implements regional programs through its Latin America (LA) office. DRC LA office is currently looking for a highly qualified Spanish and English-speaking Protection/Analyst to work on the regional ProLAC initiative. For more information about ProLAC, please visit our website: https://prolac.live/en/

DRC is offering an 7-8-month contract (renewable depending on performance and funding) based in Bogota, Colombia with frequent (20 to 30% of the time) travel in South and Central America including Mexico. This is an opportunity for an experienced protection professional with extensive experience in legal aid programming and analysis, field protection and, and capacity building.

About the job:

The Protection Specialist/Analyst (PSA) will be part of the ProLAC team implementing the harmonized protection monitoring aimed at providing up to date protection analysis to inform humanitarian responses and advocacy in Latin America. The PSA will lead the development of legal aid analysis and provide technical inputs and capacity support to protection analyses, capacity development and support the implementation of advocacy plan.

Main responsibilities:                                                           

• Together with consortium partner NRC, lead on the development of ProLAC’s annual legal aid analysis, including primary data collection and review of secondary data.
• Contribute to the protection analysis and drafting of ProLAC’s protection monitoring reports.
• Monitor closely the changes in the legal normative environment in Latin America, ensuring that ProLAC includes and analyses correctly norms related to international protection, migratory regularization, rights of internally displaced persons, and access to justice.
• Contribute to the implementation of ProLAC’s advocacy plan, regularly conducting the following activities:
  • Develop products based on ProLAC’s protection monitoring, legal aid analysis, as well as secondary sources to support in the implementation of the ProLAC advocacy plan.
  • Networking and developing positive working relationships with relevant duty bearers, including government officials, national and regional ombudsmen, humanitarian coordination forums, and regional NGO/CSO networks.
  • Presenting and making recommendations based on key findings from ProLAC’s protection monitoring activities, reports, and legal aid analysis at regional human rights conferences and coordination forums.
  • Organize and facilitate round tables, panel discussions, spaces for best-practice sharing aimed at creating more protective policy and normative landscape.
  • Documenting positive changes and achievements as a result of ProLAC’s regional advocacy activities.

• Deliver training on LAAF and provide trainings on protection monitoring and legal aid to national and international NGOs partners throughout the region.
• Support the coordination with key protection stakeholders at the regional and national level as required.

• Ensure all MoVs related to the activities implemented are systematized and reported.  

• Other tasks assigned by the ProLAC Manager & ProLAC Consortium Manager.

Roles reporting to this position: None.

Reports to: DRC ProLAC Protection Manager.                      

Technical line: None.

Required experience and competencies:                                                                            

• Minimum of four years of experience working in general Protection/legal aid humanitarian projects at national and/or international level, at least 1 year working in a crisis context.
• Excellent understanding of International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law and International Refugee Law and UN and Inter-American Human Rights System.
• Excellent analytical skills, good ability in collecting and interpreting data, designing and producing high quality protection and legal aid analysis. Experience in producing high quality reports and documents is required
• Experience in developing and implementing advocacy strategies and activities in Latin America.
• Excellent networking skills and experience in collaborating and coordinating with duty-bearers for policy and normative changes
• Prior experience with Protection Information Management (PIM) for humanitarian organizations.
• Experience in delivering protection and legal aid training using an adult learning approach.
• Knowledge and working experience with refugees, migrants and IDPs in Latin America.
• Full proficiency in Spanish and working knowledge in English is required.

Key skills required.

• Proven experience in legal aid research and data analysis and report writing.
• Proven experience in organizing and delivering training events.
• Knowledge of key protection principles, standards and understanding of a holistic approach to protection, and the ability to incorporate these into operational and technical solutions,
• Great understanding of existing and new technological solutions for qualitative and quantitative research and information management in humanitarian contexts.
• Familiarity with the Global Protection Cluster´s (GPC) Protection Analytical Framework and Legal Aid Analytical Framework (LAAF).
• Excellent communication - written and oral presentation skills.
• Excellent coordination, networking, and negotiation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect or diversity, including ability to facilitate collaboration across institutional mandates.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and coordinate diverse issues simultaneously and to develop clear goals, establish priorities and allocate time and resources appropriately.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage tight deadlines.
• Commitment to continuous learning and willing to keep abreast of new developments in law and policy related to forced migration and human mobility in the region.

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master DRC’s core competencies:  

• • Striving for excellence: Focusing on reaching results while ensuring efficient processes.  
  • Collaborating: Involving relevant parties and encouraging feedback.  
  • Taking the lead: Taking ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.  
  • Communicating: Listening and speaking effectively and honestly.  
  • Demonstrating integrity: Acting in line with DRC's vision and values.                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Required education.                                                                         

• • Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in Law, or Human Rights Law, International law and other related fields. A relevant combination of academic qualifications and extensive experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Contract length: Until 31 March 2026, renewable depending on performance and funding. Fixed terms contract according to Colombian labor law including all employer social contributions.  

Salary Level: G1 -Non management with gross salary starting at COP 6.748.000, starting salary progression depending on experience. Salary and conditions: will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Term for national contracts in Colombia.

Benefits: Prepaid medicine benefit for the employee fully covered by DRC extendable to all family members at a convenient rate. 15 days paid leave per year.

This position is open for national contracts only.

Designation of Duty Station: Bogota, Colombia with frequent travels in the region.

Start date: August 2025.

For questions regarding the vacancy please contact: [email protected]

Closing date for applications: 30/06/2025

Note: We invite interested candidates to apply as soon as possible, because while the announcement is kept open, we will start with some steps of the selection process.