Assistant, Community Based Protection (Beledweyne)

Duty stations: Beledweyne.
Field travel: Beledweyne — Hirshabelle and Galmudug, including high-risk frontline locations, subject to CIVIC security procedures.
Expected start date: 1 December 2026, to be confirmed and subject to project funding.
Contract duration: 12 months, to be confirmed and subject to project funding.
Project and funding status: Anticipated project. Funding has not yet been secured; recruitment and appointment are contingent on confirmed funding and approval to proceed.
1. Background
Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) is an international non-governmental humanitarian protection organization that works to protect civilians affected by armed conflict. CIVIC works with communities, governments, security actors, civil society, and other partners to prevent, mitigate, and respond to civilian harm. In Somalia, CIVIC supports community-based protection, civilian harm mitigation, community-security and civil-military dialogue, engagement with security institutions, evidence and research, and policy and institutional efforts to strengthen civilian protection. A central part of CIVIC’s approach is supporting conflict-affected communities to identify and prioritize protection concerns, develop locally led responses, engage relevant authorities and security actors, and follow up on actions intended to improve civilian protection.
CIVIC supports Community Protection Groups (CPGs) and Community Protection Champions as locally rooted mechanisms for community engagement, protection analysis, advocacy and dialogue. CIVIC works with these structures to strengthen their capacity to identify and document protection concerns, conduct Protection of Civilians (PoC) awareness and engagement activities, engage authorities and security actors, participate in community-security dialogues, follow up on protection concerns and agreed actions, and monitor changes affecting civilian safety. To strengthen the capacity, leadership and sustainability of community-based protection structures, and to sustain CIVIC’s field presence and accompaniment alongside them, the Somalia Programme anticipates recruiting a Assistant Community-Based Protection based in Beledweyne. These positions are planned for an anticipated project for which funding has not yet been secured. Recruitment and appointment are contingent on confirmation of project funding and approval to proceed.
2. Position Summary
The Assistant, Community-Based Protection will support implementation and day-to-day follow-up of CIVIC’s community-based protection and civilian harm mitigation activities within an assigned geographic area. Through sustained support to Community Protection Groups (CPGs) and Community Protection Champions and direct engagement with local authorities, security and armed forces and conflict-affected communities, including in high-risk frontline areas, the Assistant will strengthen community leadership, facilitate safe, inclusive dialogue and follow up on commitments to reduce civilian harm. The Assistant will support community consultations and protection analysis, PoC workshops and community-led activities; prepare communities and security actors for structured dialogue; and follow up on protection concerns and agreed actions.
Central to the role is strengthening CPGs’ and Champions’ ability to independently convene discussions, conduct PoC awareness and workshops, engage authorities and security actors, raise protection concerns, facilitate or participate in dialogue, and follow up agreed actions. The Assistant will maintain regular community and stakeholder relationships, monitor community protection mechanisms and document changes resulting from community-led action and CIVIC-supported engagement.
The role requires sustained field presence and regular travel, including to high-risk frontline and conflict-affected areas under CIVIC security procedures. This position is based in Beledweyne, covering Hirshabelle and Galmudug. All travel and activities depend on programme priorities, access assessments, security clearance and CIVIC duty-of-care requirements.
3. Key Responsibilities
Across all responsibilities, strengthen the capacity, ownership and sustainability of CPGs and Community Protection Champions to increasingly lead protection activities independently of CIVIC.
A. Community Engagement and Protection Analysis
• Maintain continuous, inclusive community engagement beyond workshops and dialogues, involving women, youth, elders, persons with disabilities, displaced communities, minority groups and others facing heightened protection risks.
• Support consultations and joint analysis with communities and CPGs to identify and prioritize protection concerns, determine community-led responses, and distinguish issues requiring authorities, security, humanitarian or other actors.
• Identify emerging protection concerns and promptly communicate significant developments through CIVIC programme and management channels.
B. CPG and Community Protection Champion Capacity Strengthening
• Provide structured accompaniment, mentoring, training, refresher sessions, coaching and peer learning to build CPGs’ and Champions’ capacity, confidence and independence in PoC, civilian harm, community-based protection, conflict sensitivity, early warning and locally led approaches, including developing and updating protection action plans.
• Support CPGs and Champions to prioritize issues, prepare objectives and increasingly plan, organize and lead PoC workshops, consultations, awareness and protection engagements. Accompany activities, progressively transfer facilitation and leadership, coach engagement with decision-makers, and support documentation of issues, decisions and agreed actions.
• Follow up and document agreed actions and examples of independent activities, authority or security engagement, and resolution or escalation of protection concerns.Promote meaningful participation of women, youth and groups facing heightened risks, and exchange learning across programme locations where appropriate.
C. Engagement with Security and Armed Forces and Frontline Dialogue
• Prepare communities, CPGs, authorities and security and armed forces for structured civil-military and community-security dialogue, including in frontline areas. Conduct separate consultations to prioritize concerns, agree discussion points and assess participation, confidentiality and retaliation risks.
• With CIVIC staff and CPGs, organize and facilitate safe, inclusive dialogue with security and armed forces, including commanders and liaison officers, supporting community representatives to raise concerns and agree practical civilian harm prevention and mitigation measures.
• Record commitments, focal points and timelines in an action tracker; follow up implementation with communities, authorities and forces, and provide community feedback. Maintain district, state and field-level security relationships under CIVIC protocols; support recurring dialogue, safe communication and PoC awareness with colleagues, raise emerging harm concerns and encourage improvements. Engagement must exclude operational intelligence gathering or sharing.
D. Protection Concerns, Referrals and Follow-Up
• Support safe identification, confidential documentation and records of protection concerns under CIVIC policies and programme approaches, avoiding unnecessary risks to community members.
• Help CPGs and Champions identify safe pathways to raise concerns with authorities, security and armed forces or other stakeholders. Support specialized referrals through established protection service providers, with informed consent and confidentiality, within CIVIC’s mandate and procedures.
• Follow up concerns, document actor responses and monitor unresolved issues requiring programme, advocacy or management attention.Immediately escalate sensitive, serious or urgent concerns through appropriate CIVIC channels.
E. Monitoring Community Protection Systems
• Monitor CPG and Champion functionality, effectiveness and progress toward independent leadership, including regular meetings, identification of concerns, action plans, decision-maker engagement and follow-up. Assess participation and representation of women, youth and other relevant groups, and identify additional mentoring, training or support needs.
• Maintain updated membership, Champion activity, community-led initia

Employment type
Full-Time

Work arrangement
No