he International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global leader in humanitarian relief, supporting people affected by conflict and crisis to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. The IRC resumed operations in Sudan in 2019, focusing on Health, WASH, Protection, and Economic Recovery and Development (ERD), with an emphasis on community-driven development and local partnerships. 

Sudan continues to experience a complex humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced or facing acute needs. In response, the IRC is delivering lifesaving, multi-sectoral emergency assistance, particularly in Health, Protection, WASH, and ERD. The ERD sector aims to enhance the resilience and well-being of crisis-affected populations by improving access to income and essential needs through MPCA, unconditional food assistance via cash delivery, and livelihood recovery interventions. 

Program Summary 

In light of the deepening humanitarian crisis, the IRC has significantly scaled up its programming across several Sudanese states. As part of the Cash Consortium for Sudan (CCS), led by Mercy Corps, the IRC is implementing MPCA activities in multiple areas, including Khartoum and South Kordofan, to address immediate needs and mitigate protection risks for vulnerable populations. 

Under CCS Phase II, the IRC is intensifying efforts to integrate protection within MPCA programming. This includes strengthening referral pathways to essential services such as protection and nutrition for individuals at heightened risk, including those affected by exploitation, gender-based violence (GBV), or other forms of harm. A key component of this initiative is the establishment of a referral system between IRC and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) at Al Buluk Hospital. This system enables MSF focal staff, including the Head of the Stabilization Center (SC), to register and refer caregivers of children under five who have been diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) with medical complications and admitted to the SC. Following this, IRC’s ERD team registers these households using the referral form via the CommCare platform under the CCS project. Once verified, the household is enrolled to receive MPCA support. To ensure this system operates effectively and adheres to protection principles, the IRC has created a dedicated role of ERD Protection Assistance Officer, under the ERD sector and in close coordination with the Protection Technical Unit. 

Position Summary 

The ERD Protection Assistance Officer will be responsible for enhancing protection integration within IRC’s and partners’ cash assistance programming. This includes managing protection help desks, facilitating safe and confidential referrals, building the capacity of enumerators and frontline staff, and supporting the implementation of protection mainstreaming action plans. This role ensures that MPCA activities are safely accessible, sensitive to protection risks, and directly linked to available services, helping individuals meet their needs without resorting to harmful coping mechanisms. 

This position serves as a vital link between MPCA delivery and protection services, contributing to a more holistic, survivor-centered, and rights-based humanitarian response. 

Job Purpose: 

To ensure the safe, inclusive, and accountable delivery of MPCA programming by managing protection help desks, conducting referrals, and supporting protection mainstreaming. The officer will bridge ERD and Protection teams to ensure that individuals at risk are safely identified and supported”. 

1. Protection Help Desk Management 

• Lead the setup and daily operation management of temporary protection help desks during MPCA registration and distribution events. 
• Provide accurate information on services and assistance using updated service mappings and IEC materials. 
• Engage individuals in a trauma-informed and confidential manner, ensuring safe identification of needs and risk factors. 
• Link individuals to appropriate services through safe referrals, following established SOPs. 
• Ensure help desk SOPs and protocols (e.g., confidentiality, data protection, feedback handling) are fully implemented. 
• Participate in and support training sessions on help desk SOPs, safe communication, referrals, and feedback management. 
• Keep detailed records of interactions, referrals, incidents, and follow-up actions in accordance with protection and data standards. 
• Collaborate with CCS partners to support joint data collection & information sharing where necessary. 

2. Referral Management and Follow-Up 

• Stay informed of services available through regular engagement with the state-level referral focal point. 
• Collect updates on service availability and contribute to updating service mapping tools. 
• Guide at-risk individuals through informed decision-making, obtaining informed consent before making referrals. 
• Send, track, and follow up on all referrals using standardized referral tools and procedures. 
• Maintain and regularly update a password-protected referral tracker, ensuring data accuracy and security. 
• Share referral tracking data weekly with the referral focal point and escalate technical issues as needed. 

3. Capacity Building 

• Facilitate training for MPCA enumerators, IRC frontline workers, and the local partner staff on: Safe identification and referral, Use of referral tools and service maps; referral pathways, protection principles, and complaint/feedback channels/ mechanisms. 
• Integration of protection in MPCA delivery. 
• Provide ongoing mentoring in protection-sensitive engagement. 

4. Protection Mainstreaming Implementation 

• Support development and implementation of protection mainstreaming action plans for MPCA programming in coordination with the IRC Protection team. 
• Ensure gender, inclusion, and do-no-harm principles are upheld. 
• Serve as a liaison/ bridge between ERD operations and Protection teams, ensuring alignment with technical guidance. 
• Support and Monitor implementation of protection mainstreaming actions and report any challenges or opportunities for improvement. 

5. Reporting, Feedback, and System Strengthening 

• Contribute to refining CCS protection processes, referral systems, and help desk tools based on feedback from field operations. 
• Collect and report feedback from communities on referral and help desk systems. 
• Identify and regularly report challenges, lessons learned and recommend improvements to the ERD and Protection teams. 
• Support the development of tools to enhance client feedback, improve accountability, and reduce protection risks in cash programming. 
• Prepare monthly trend and performance reports. 

• Education:  Degree/Diploma in Social Work, Psychology, Gender, Development, or related field 
• Experience:  1–2 years in protection, case management, referrals, or social services 
• Technical Skills: Knowledge of protection principles, referral systems, and safeguarding 
• Soft Skills:  Empathy, confidentiality, communication, inclusion 
• Computer Skills:  Basic proficiency in Word, Excel, data entry tools 
• Language: Arabic (required), local dialects preferred, and English  

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity 

We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce, including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our organization. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.  

Ensuring the non-disclosure of any information whatsoever relating to the practices and business of IRC acquired in the course of duty, to any other person or organization without authority, except in the normal execution of duty.