Protection Coordinator job at Front Line Defenders (FLD)

Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

The Regional Team leads Front Line Defenders’ work in the Region, with responsibility for defining priorities, directing organisational protection responses, and ensuring that resources are deployed where they have the greatest impact for human rights defenders (HRDs). Grounded in sustained engagement with HRDs and regional ecosystems, the team determines where the organisation acts, who and how it supports, and how it responds to evolving risks. The Regional Team plays a central role in shaping organisational direction by ensuring that strategies, approaches and interventions are driven by regional priorities, while contributing directly to global strategy and positioning.

The Protection Coordinator (PC) is to lead timely and appropriate response to human rights defenders at risk in East and Southern Africa, ensuring holistic and effective protection support is provided. The PC is responsible for maintaining and developing Front Line Defenders' contacts and relationships with human rights defenders in the region, providing rapid response to cases of human rights defenders at immediate risk, identifying research priorities on the threats and attacks that they face, providing analysis and producing relevant materials to take action in their support, and inputting into all other programmes and activities specific to the countries assigned.

The PC works closely with and alongside the other Protection Coordinators and Protection Officers, and other teams members for the working in the region. The PCs for the region together leads the development and implementation of strategies that are relevant to their regions.

Responsibilities or duties

1. Protection Programming:

• Connect with human rights defenders at risk, while applying intersectional lens, and establish and sustain secure communications with them;
• Provide rapid response to cases of human rights defenders at risk, including but not limited to through the urgent appeal system;
• Strengthen capacity of human rights defenders in the region to respond to and manage security risks, and to build mitigation plans in coordination with other teams (advocacy, digital, security, visibility, well-being, rest and respite, relocation and grant-making);
• Maintain and update the relevant information on human rights defenders and action taken on their behalf in Front Line Defenders' database and submit timely reports on missions, meetings and other activities;
• Support grants team on applications, including support in verification of the grants, follow up, and ongoing collaboration with the regional grants coordinator;
• Liaising and coordinating with relevant human rights organisations for referral of cases and/or collaboration on protection work;
• Provide practical individual support to HRDs and active solidarity with HRDs;
• Occasional security assessments and rapid training to HRDs.

2. Strategic Leadership:

• Provide expert input to Front Line Defenders' advocacy, visibility, capacity building and protection grants programmes;
• Support on activities and strategies to ensure outreach to women and non-binary human rights defenders and overall gendered analysis of their experiences as defenders;
• Advise on overall strategic direction in the region as relevant to human rights defenders and their movements;
• Advise on the design of collaborative and inclusive interventions in order to increase organisational support to defenders from a range of less visible and less connected groups;
• Provide advice on security and safety in the region, including for any planned FLD missions within the region.
• Provide strategic input and engage in the preparation of FLD events regarding the participation of HRDS from East and Southern Africa;

3. Research and Advocacy:

• Identify, undertake or collaborate on research on a range of protection related issues and gap areas;
• Provide analysis and briefing papers on the threats faced by human rights defenders in specific countries.

4. External Representation:

• Develop contacts and liaise with relevant regional and other organisations with regard to Front Line Defenders' work for the protection of human rights defenders in the region;
• Represent Front Line Defenders and engage with the relevant authorities, international organizations, donors, embassies and the media as appropriate, and in accordance with each PC’s individual security plan.

5. Internal Collaboration and Communications:

• Close daily collaboration and workload prioritization with the regional team (staff working on East and Southern Africa from different FLD teams);
• Lead and coordinate overall annual planning of activities in the region;
• Provide input on proposals for funding;
• Collaboration with the Comms and Events team for opportunities to bring visibility to HRDs in East and Southern Africa and inputs to FLD events. The Protection Coordinator plays a key role in shaping the activities implemented by the Comms and Events team in their region, in response to HRDs needs;
• Regular communication with the Global Advocacy office in Brussels;
• Expert language support for implementation of FLD relevant programmes to HRDs.

This job description is intended as a summary of the primary responsibilities of and qualifications for this role. The job description is not intended as inclusive of all duties an individual in this position might be asked to perform based on requirements either now or in the future.

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

Knowledge and Skills

Essential:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to work in English;
• Ability to deliver accurate and objective written information in a high pressure environment dictated by the need to respond urgently to threats against human rights defenders;
• Knowledge of key human rights trends in the region and their impact on human rights defenders and their movements; ability to demonstrate a nuanced understanding of contexts in which local HRD communities operate;
• Ability to work well with a wide range of people from different cultures, backgrounds and experiences, with empathy and clear boundaries;
• At least some knowledge of key practices and trends in the area of resiliency and well-being for both HRDs and their advocates;
• At least basic knowledge of digital security tools and trends in areas related to freedom of expression, online threats and relevant policies.

Desirable:

• Direct experience with holistic protection and engagement with HRDs, including digital, physical, risk assessment and well-being;
• Other languages spoken in East and Southern Africa.

Experience needed

Essential:

• At least 5 years of experience working with a diverse range of human rights defenders;
• Experience with a wide range of defenders, and a strong understanding of the gendered and other risks women human rights defenders and LGBTIQ+ defenders face;
• Experience with drafting reports, conducting research and any other tasks where analytical writing skills are required;
• Experience working with diverse teams, especially in emergency settings.

Desirable:

• Experience of developing gender responsive, intersectional protection strategies;
• Experience with managing collaborative projects inside organisations and with external partners.

Any other provided details (e.g., benefits, work environment, team info, or additional notes)

Front Line Defenders Values:

1. Working With Colleagues:

• Respect for the Individual
• Building Trust
• Collaborative Working
• Communication With Each Other

2. Developing Myself:

• Self-Awareness
• Adapting to Change
• Proactive Learning
• Managing My Well-being

3. Leadership:

• Strategic Thinking
• Engaging With People
• Stewardship of Resources

• Connect with human rights defenders at risk, while applying intersectional lens, and establish and sustain secure communications with them;
• Provide rapid response to cases of human rights defenders at risk, including but not limited to through the urgent appeal system;
• Strengthen capacity of human rights defenders in the region to respond to and manage security risks, and to build mitigation plans in coordination with other teams (advocacy, digital, security, visibility, well-being, rest and respite, relocation and grant-making);
• Maintain and update the relevant information on human rights defenders and action taken on their behalf in Front Line Defenders' database and submit timely reports on missions, meetings and other activities;
• Support grants team on applications, including support in verification of the grants, follow up, and ongoing collaboration with the regional grants coordinator;
• Liaising and coordinating with relevant human rights organisations for referral of cases and/or collaboration on protection work;
• Provide practical individual support to HRDs and active solidarity with HRDs;
• Occasional security assessments and rapid training to HRDs.
• Provide expert input to Front Line Defenders' advocacy, visibility, capacity building and protection grants programmes;
• Support on activities and strategies to ensure outreach to women and non-binary human rights defenders and overall gendered analysis of their experiences as defenders;
• Advise on overall strategic direction in the region as relevant to human rights defenders and their movements;
• Advise on the design of collaborative and inclusive interventions in order to increase organisational support to defenders from a range of less visible and less connected groups;
• Provide advice on security and safety in the region, including for any planned FLD missions within the region.
• Provide strategic input and engage in the preparation of FLD events regarding the participation of HRDS from East and Southern Africa;
• Identify, undertake or collaborate on research on a range of protection related issues and gap areas;
• Provide analysis and briefing papers on the threats faced by human rights defenders in specific countries.
• Develop contacts and liaise with relevant regional and other organisations with regard to Front Line Defenders' work for the protection of human rights defenders in the region;
• Represent Front Line Defenders and engage with the relevant authorities, international organizations, donors, embassies and the media as appropriate, and in accordance with each PC’s individual security plan.
• Close daily collaboration and workload prioritization with the regional team (staff working on East and Southern Africa from different FLD teams);
• Lead and coordinate overall annual planning of activities in the region;
• Provide input on proposals for funding;
• Collaboration with the Comms and Events team for opportunities to bring visibility to HRDs in East and Southern Africa and inputs to FLD events. The Protection Coordinator plays a key role in shaping the activities implemented by the Comms and Events team in their region, in response to HRDs needs;
• Regular communication with the Global Advocacy office in Brussels;
• Expert language support for implementation of FLD relevant programmes to HRDs.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to work in English;
• Ability to deliver accurate and objective written information in a high pressure environment dictated by the need to respond urgently to threats against human rights defenders;
• Knowledge of key human rights trends in the region and their impact on human rights defenders and their movements; ability to demonstrate a nuanced understanding of contexts in which local HRD communities operate;
• Ability to work well with a wide range of people from different cultures, backgrounds and experiences, with empathy and clear boundaries;
• At least some knowledge of key practices and trends in the area of resiliency and well-being for both HRDs and their advocates;
• At least basic knowledge of digital security tools and trends in areas related to freedom of expression, online threats and relevant policies.
• Direct experience with holistic protection and engagement with HRDs, including digital, physical, risk assessment and well-being;
• Other languages spoken in East and Southern Africa.

• At least 5 years of experience working with a diverse range of human rights defenders;
• Experience with a wide range of defenders, and a strong understanding of the gendered and other risks women human rights defenders and LGBTIQ+ defenders face;
• Experience with drafting reports, conducting research and any other tasks where analytical writing skills are required;
• Experience working with diverse teams, especially in emergency settings.
• Experience of developing gender responsive, intersectional protection strategies;
• Experience with managing collaborative projects inside organisations and with external partners.