International Protection Officer - Talent Pool (Various Areas)

Job Title: International Protection Officer

Department: Programming

Division: Programming

Duty Station: Nineveh, Iraq

Line Manager: Team Leader

Line Management Responsibility: NA

Position Type: Full-time

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a dynamic, international non-governmental organisation. We work with people affected by violent conflicts to enhance their security and dignity through Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP). We work to reduce violence, protect civilians in countries affected by violent conflict and its aftermath, and help transform the world’s response to conflict situations.

ABOUT US

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a dynamic, international non-governmental organization. We work to reduce and prevent violence, protect civilians and build peace together with communities in countries affected by violent conflict and its aftermath through the implementation of unarmed civilian protection programming. NP implements programming through the deployment of civilian protection teams to the field and is continuing to scale up to meet the growing needs in the communities we serve. Programming is founded on Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) and is thematically focused on, interrupting cycles of violence, building trust and peaceful co-existence among divided communities and women inclusion and participation.

JOB PURPOSE

To implement civilian protection and violence-prevention programming for those affected by the crisis/violent conflict in Iraq.

The International Protection Officer will implement community-based violence reduction and prevention programming in various locations in Iraq, in the context of on-going civil conflict and high levels displacement, GBV, and familial violence. You will be a person with a genuine commitment to working at the community level; someone who is skilled at building trusting relationships in an extremely polarized political climate. You are someone who is not deterred by the complexity of conflict; you are able to analyze conflict dynamics; you are motivated and unendingly persistent in finding and implementing protection and prevention strategies. You will be responsible for working together with other international and national colleagues to directly implement the project and to participate in reporting and documentation. You are comfortable living and working in a physically demanding environment, living full-time in a shared compound environment.

The successful candidate combines creativity, innovation and demonstrated knowledge of conflict and violence prevention, protection, and/or peacebuilding and social cohesion. S/he is experienced and skilled at converting violence prevention, social cohesion, and/or conflict analysis theory into practical and locally appropriate solutions that effectively increase the safety and security of civilians affected by violence. S/he has excellent interpersonal skills and flair for connecting and building trust with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. S/he is solutions focused, strategic, and is driven by a keen interest and personal commitment to civilian protection. S/he is fluent in English and Arabic.

KEY OBJECTIVES/RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Commitment to NP Principles

• Demonstrate a commitment to NP’s mandate, principles and Code of Conduct.
• Facilitate a full-time approach to ensuring a positive image of the organization.

B. Programme Implementation

• Information gathering and context analysis
  • Continuously monitor local conflict situation in order to track violence and conflict trends and identify protection needs.
  • Assess security risks and develop conflict mitigation strategies for both host and IDP communities and returnees.
  • Work and live within conflict affected communities to build trust, to establish deep contextual understanding and to effect nonpartisan position.
• Community Engagement
  • Facilitate active participation and leadership of women in community peace and security strategies.
  • Build relationships with key stakeholders, including government, security, and tribal leadership.
  • Identify and flag communities or individuals in need of specialised support services, maintain updated referral pathway, ensure effective dissemination of information.
  • Establish and support community protection mechanisms, including intensive follow-up and support.
• Training
  • Provide technical skills training in conflict analysis, nonviolent conflict resolution and community-based protection strategies or other technical areas based upon previous experience (GBV, at-risk youth, Child Protection).
  • Develop training materials and tailor existing training materials to field-level contexts to be used with local communities.
• Protective presence, accompaniment, and other interventions
  • Design and implement protection interventions appropriate to context and need within parameters of mandate and projects.
  • Provide protective presence and accompaniment to vulnerable groups and persons with specific needs, with particular focus on combating gender-based violence.
  • Facilitate communications and relationships between communities or individuals in conflict, providing proactive engagement to mitigate potential conflict including facilitated dialogue and shuttle diplomacy.
  • Manage cases of individuals who are vulnerable or under threat, including working with other service providers and managing a follow-up process.

C. Administration and Operation:

• Reporting
  • Produce activity, field and training reports and support the Team Leader in internal and external reporting as needed.
• Security
  • Support the team in consistent security analysis and development of security protocols..
  • Ensure all project work is consistent with agreed safety and security policies and procedures.
• Logistics/Finance
  • Complete team-level finance reports as requested and support monitoring of team cash, spending and financial documentation.
  • Support team-level logistics and operations, including completing procurement requests, supporting asset management and compound management.
  • Assist with procurement of supplies or other logistical matters when delegated by the Team Leader.

D. Other

• Perform any other work duties assigned by the Team Leader.
• Be available to work in any field site as needed by the organization.

Nonviolent Peaceforce is committed to achieving a 50/50 gender balance in its staff at all levels. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. However, all qualified applicants regardless of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, or age, will be considered for this opportunity.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

A. Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• University degree in refugee law, human rights, international human rights law, international humanitarian law, negotiation, mediation, human security, or related field.

• 3-5 years’ work experience in human security, child protection, refugee, IDP, or civilian protection.
• Demonstrated management experience in working in the complex security environment.
• Demonstrated experience working with state authorities, negotiation and mediation.
• Demonstrated ability to live, work and solve problems independently and effectively in remote, highly challenging locations.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse conflict, security, and political contexts.
• Contextual knowledge of Iraq is highly desirable.

B. Skills

Independent judgment and analytical:

• Ability to set priorities, solve problems and analyse data.
• Ability to manage information with discretion.
• Demonstrable conflict analysis skills, identify entry points, and design prevention and protection strategies.

Interpersonal and representational:

• Ability to communicate effectively with individuals and motivate and provide leadership to a team and work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Solutions-focused, creative problem solver.
• Proven ability to build relationships with the full range of actors including government, chiefs, military, police and non-state actors.
• Genuine commitment and interest in living and working at the community level.
• Flexibility and adaptability.

Management:

• Ability to structure and direct work plans of national and international staff, manage conflict and maximize human resources
• Ability to address staff welfare issues maturely and discreetly

Language:

• Ability to interact confidently in English and Arabic with colleagues and external contacts, write documents and reports, and present effectively relevant information.
  

Information technology:

• Good skills in Microsoft Office applications; IT hardware skills are a definite asset

C. Other Specialized Requirements

• This field site is a complex security environment where conditions change rapidly–experience in insecure environments is essential to success in this position.
• Willingness to travel long distances by vehicle.

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Candidates meeting the above requirements are requested to submit a CV (max. 2 pages) and cover letter (max. 1 page), through our website, detailing their experience and how they qualify for the role. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• The closing date for applications is Saturday, January 31st 2026.
• Candidates may be selected before the closing date; apply early
• As part of the recruitment process, shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a technical assignment before participating in an interview.

SPECIAL NOTICE

Nonviolent Peaceforce is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability.

Nonviolent Peaceforce acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of employees, contractors, volunteers, interns, communities we work with, and other stakeholders and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities and government guidance and complies with best practices in the Humanitarian and Development sector.
NP expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We prioritise ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. NP 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 their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

NO FEE

We never ask for payment as part of our selection process, and we always contact candidates via our corporate accounts and platforms. If you are approached for payment, this is likely to be fraudulent. Please check whether the role you are interested in is posted here on our website.