Protection Field Officer

[This is a national position, Hungarians will be processed with priority.]

About the ICRC

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization that works worldwide to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and to provide them with humanitarian assistance. The ICRC also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with the International Federation of the Red Cross in order to ensure a concerted humanitarian response to address the needs of the people affected by armed conflict or other situations of violence.

ICRC in Budapest

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reopened its regional office in Budapest in 2022 to support the overall ICRC response to the Ukraine crisis. The regional office in Budapest covers Hungary, Slovak, Poland, and Romania. It provides support to the ICRC teams in Ukraine in the field of protection, in line with ICRC mandate. This includes supporting the documentation of the humanitarian concerns that people face in Ukraine through interviews with refugees in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries and helping refugees to restore or maintain family links with their loved ones, including collecting information and searching for those that may have gone missing because of the conflict, or migration.

Role Description

The Protection field officer based in Budapest contributes to the implementation and monitoring of ICRC protection activities in Hungary, within the framework of the priorities, objectives and strategies set by the ICRC Regional Delegation in Budapest and jointly with the Hungarian Red Cross (HRC) for the Restoring Family Links (RFL) programme.

Responsibilities

With the Hungarian Red Cross

· Under the guidance of the Protection of Family Links (PFL) delegate, plans, supervises and manages the developments of RFL activities in country through the Hungarian Red Cross (with full technical-financial support).

· Mobilizes the necessary in-house PFL expertise to support the development and regular reinforcement of capacities of the service of the HRC RFL team.

· In coordination with the PFL delegate, ensures the training of the core team of the RFL team of the HRC at the Central Tracing Agency standards and the establishment a training package for future Volunteers to be mobilized for the RFL coverage in country.

· Performs regular visits in coordination with the PFL delegate to branches along with HRC HQ colleagues to review and adapt the modus operandi of those branches.

Context analysis and reporting

· Monitors the humanitarian environment and needs, and analyses the security, socio-economic, cultural, and political environment as relevant to the ICRC. Shares relevant information with colleagues and reports any changes in the situation.

· Collects, compiles, and interprets protection-related information and provides input for specific reports.

· Has an in-depth knowledge of the missing caseload, analyzes cases and proposes follow ups (cross departmental/integrated approach).

External relations: Outreach and Networking

· Contributes to developing and maintaining a network of local stakeholders that work in the field of protection across the country.

· Together with the protection delegate, identifies, develops and maintains contact with selected Hungarian authorities to advance ICRC protection work.

· Arranges and plans meetings with identified contacts; supports the preparation of speaking notes and drafts minutes of meeting.

Field Activities

· Contacts key local actors as well as making the necessary arrangements to visit locations and meet contacts relevant to ICRC and the Hungarian Red Cross.

· Prepares, participates in and reports on all aspects of field visits.

· Supports the organisation and facilitation of individual and focus group discussions with people affected by the armed conflict in Ukraine.

· Together with the protection delegate, participates to interviews with people affected by the conflict in Ukraine with regards to their protection concerns and needs.

· Interprets to Protection Delegates.

The position holder will be asked to register and treat information accurately and with confidentiality according to ICRC guidelines. He/She will also need to represent the ICRC in an appropriate way during activities, in meetings and in the field, and avoid any activity that may reflect negatively on the ICRC’s image.

Mandatory requirements

· University degree or relevant professional experience

· Fluent in both Hungarian AND English.

· 2-4 years previous professional experience, for instance in the field of social/political/economic sciences or humanitarian work.

Assets but not mandatory

· Command of Russian and/or Slovak

What do we offer

· Rewarding diverse work in a humanitarian and multicultural environment

· An on-boarding orientation course and other opportunities for further in-house training

· Competitive compensation & benefits package including medical insurance and contribution to a pension fund

· 22 days of annual leaves