Publication Date:19th January 2026.
Background
Concern for Women and Children Development Foundation (COWACDI) is a women-led organization born out of passion for the wellbeing of Women and Children in Nigeria. It has a special interest in mitigating the suffering of the vulnerable persons (mostly Women & Children) in times of crisis. Currently the organization has focused its attention on the Northeast of Nigeria with special emphasis in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states (BAY states) due to the decade old crises. COWACDI intervenes through community-based approach in addressing humanitarian and development needs since its establishment in 1998, these include in Protection, Peace Building, Housing Land & Property (HLP), Non- food Items (NFI), Livelihood, WASH, Nutrition, Livelihood, amongst others. These interventions have directly benefited thousands of children, women, men, girls and boys of all groups. Determined to expand her interventions to reach more vulnerable people in conflict affected regions. COWACDI operates with full respect to humanitarian laws, concrete policies and principles of international standard such as humanity, Do no harm, impartiality, neutrality, independency and accountability to affected population and zero Tolerance to Fraud and related activities.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Employment Type: Part-Time
Qualification: BSc/HND
Experience: 1-2 Years
Location: MMC and Jere LGAs, Borno State.
Job Field: Programmes
Reports to: Protection Specialist
Contractual Arrangement: Internal/External
Contract Duration: 10 Months
Roles
The Protection & GBV Assistant supports the delivery of integrated protection and GBV prevention and response services through Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) and community-based outreach. The role includes facilitating awareness and dialogue at community level and providing day-to-day supervision and technical support to paralegals and Gender Reporting Desk Officers, ensuring survivor-centered, accountable, and quality service delivery.
Responsibilities:
- Support implementation of protection and GBV prevention and response activities in WGSS and surrounding communities, in line with project objectives and organizational policies.
- Support daily operations of the Women and Girls Safe Space (WGSS), ensuring a safe, inclusive, confidential, and welcoming environment.
- Facilitate or co-facilitate GBV prevention, protection, life-skills, and psychosocial support sessions within WGSS.
- Identify protection and GBV risks, vulnerabilities, and trends affecting women, men, girls, and boys, including persons with disabilities.
Tasks:
- Conduct regular community awareness sessions and dialogue activities on protection, GBV prevention, rights, available services, and referral pathways.
- Engage community leaders, women and youth groups, men and boys, and other stakeholders to promote positive social norms and GBV prevention.
- Support conflict-sensitive and culturally appropriate messaging using SBCC approaches.
- Strengthening linkages between communities and WGSS services.
- Coordinate with local authorities, LGAs, and traditional leaders for smooth implementation.
Other tasks:
- Provide routine supervision, mentoring, and technical support to community-based paralegals and Gender Reporting Desk Officers.
- Support paralegals and desk officers to identify protection and GBV concerns and facilitate safe and ethical referrals.
- Monitor performance, activity implementation, and reporting of supervised staff and volunteers.
- Ensure adherence to survivor-centred principles, confidentiality, safeguarding, and ethical standards in all case-related work.
Survivor-Centred Support and Referrals
- Support safe identification of GBV survivors and individuals at risk, ensuring informed consent and confidentiality.
- Facilitate referrals to appropriate service providers using established protection and GBV referral pathways.
- Support follow-up on referrals, where appropriate, while respecting data protection protocols.
Accountability, Safeguarding, and Mainstreaming
- Support implementation of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) mechanisms at WGSS and community levels.
- Promote protection mainstreaming, GBV risk mitigation, safeguarding, and Do No Harm principles across all activities.
- Ensure safe handling of feedback, complaints, and sensitive information.
Monitoring, Documentation, and Reporting
- Support routine data collection, attendance tracking, and activity reporting for WGSS and community-based activities.
- Compile reports from paralegals and Gender Reporting Desk Officers and submit consolidated updates to the Protection/GBV Officer.
- Assist in documenting protection and GBV trends, lessons learned, success stories, and case studies.
Coordination and Field Support
- Coordinate with community leaders, local authorities, service providers, and partners to support smooth implementation.
- Participate in assessments, monitoring visits, coordination meetings, and trainings as required.
- Perform any other related duties as assigned by the Protection/GBV Officer, Programme Officer, or Project Manager.
Desirable Skills
- Good understanding of protection, GBV prevention and response, and WGSS programming.
- Demonstrated community facilitation and dialogue skills.
- Basic supervisory and mentoring skills.
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and documentation skills.
- Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality and professionalism.
- Strong commitment to survivor-centred approaches, safeguarding, gender equality, and accountability.
Eligibility Criteria
- Experience supervising community volunteers, paralegals, or outreach workers is an added advantage.
Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
Educational Qualification & Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Gender Studies, Development Studies, or a related field.
- At least one (1) year of relevant experience in protection, GBV, WGSS, community outreach, or humanitarian programming.
- Strong understanding of donor regulations.
- Excellent communication and analytical skills.
- Ability to work under pressure and in multicultural settings.
- Female candidates and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Language required:
Fluency in oral and written English is required. Hausa and Native Language of the area would be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
22ndJanuary 2026.
Method of Application:
Interested and qualified candidates should kindly forward their Cover letter and CV in a single PDF format via an email to [email protected] stating the position and location of the position as the subject of their mail.
Additional Information
COWACDI is an equal –opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, gender, religion, etc. Kindly ensure that you can work in this location when applying.
COWACDI regrets that, due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to reply to every applicant. If you are being considered for the role, a recruiter will contact you. If you are not contacted within 2 weeks, you should consider your application not successful on this occasion.
Note:
- Never pay for any training, certificate, assessment, or testing fee.
- Qualified females are strongly encouraged to apply.
- No application after the closing date will be considered.
