OVERVIEW

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty. We are shop volunteers, women's rights activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won't stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of an international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries.

The Protection Coordinator provides strategic technical leadership to ensure that protection principles, safeguarding standards, and accountability to affected populations are systematically integrated across Oxfam's humanitarian programming across the Southern Africa (SAF) Cluster. The role is responsible for ensuring that protection mainstreaming, safe programming, inclusion, and safeguarding are embedded across all technical sectors including WASH, food security, livelihoods, and emergency response. Working closely with partners, programme teams, and the Humanitarian Action Programme Manager, the Coordinator ensures that protection considerations are central to programme design, implementation, monitoring, and influencing.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Protection Mainstreaming & Technical Guidance (25%)

• Provide strategic technical guidance on protection mainstreaming, safe programming, inclusion, safeguarding integration, and accountability to affected populations.
• Ensure protection principles are embedded across WASH, Food security, Livelihoods, Emergency response, and Recovery programming.
• Strengthen identification, analysis, and mitigation of protection risks, gender-based vulnerabilities, exclusion risks, and safeguarding concerns.

2. Safeguarding, Compliance & Accountability Systems Strengthening (20%)

• Ensure strong integration of safeguarding, protection standards, community accountability systems, and ethical programming.
• Support programmes and partners to comply with international protection frameworks, donor standards, and organisational safeguarding systems.
• Strengthen accountability to affected populations (AAP).

3. Partner Engagement, Capacity Strengthening & Localisation (20%)

• Provide structured technical accompaniment and support to partners.
• Strengthen partner capacity in protection mainstreaming, safeguarding, safe programming, inclusion, and accountability systems.
• Promote localisation and equitable partnership models.

4. Programme Design, Proposal Development & Technical Implementation Support (10%)

• Provide technical input into concept notes, proposals, programme frameworks, and emergency response plans.
• Ensure protection considerations are embedded from programme inception.
• Strengthen programme design quality across humanitarian portfolios.

5. Emergency Preparedness, Humanitarian Response & Protection Readiness (10%)

• Support preparedness planning, emergency assessments, response planning, and contingency systems.
• Ensure protection considerations are central during rapid-onset and protracted emergencies.
• Provide technical support during humanitarian responses.

6. Evidence Generation, Learning, MEAL Integration & Adaptive Practice (10%)

• Support integration of protection indicators within MEAL systems, research agendas, and accountability frameworks.
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluations, technical learning, and programme reviews.
• Document lessons learned, innovation, and best practice.

7. Coordination, Knowledge Sharing & Cross-Cluster Integration (5%)

• Facilitate technical learning and protection knowledge sharing across countries, partners, and humanitarian portfolios.
• Strengthen consistency of protection approaches across the Cluster.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration with Gender Justice, WASH, FES, PQK, and Safeguarding systems.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Master's degree in Social Work, Human Rights, Development Studies, Social Sciences or related discipline.
• 5 years of relevant experience in protection, safeguarding, humanitarian programming, including experience working with partners.
• Proven experience in multi-country or regional systems, protection mainstreaming, partner support and technical coordination.
• Strong technical expertise and ability to integrate programme design with influencing and policy work.
• Strong communication, analytical, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to build strong, credible relationships with internal and external individuals and organisations.
• A high level of self-awareness, personal energy, stamina and flexibility.
• Proven experience as a team worker and demonstrably cooperative with members of other teams.
• Commitment to Oxfam's safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Organisational Values

• Accountability: Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable.
• Empowerment: Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen.
• Inclusiveness: We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

Languages

• Fluent in written and spoken English and ideally Portuguese.

WHAT WE OFFER

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits.

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the-job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online through the link: https://jobs.oxfam.org.uk/jobs/vacancy/protection-coordinator-int11739/24915/description/

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.

Application Deadline: 13th August 2026

SAFER RECRUITMENT

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants' previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.