İŞ İLANI

Protection Program Manager

REF: PPMİST2609

 

Support to Life:  We are an internationally recognised humanitarian organisation that aims to ensure that disaster-affected communities have access to their basic rights and needs. Founded in 2005 by humanitarian professionals, our association works in the fields of Emergency Response, Refugee Support, Child Protection, and Capacity Building in Civil Society. We focus on improving the lives of people affected by natural or human-made disasters in Türkiye and the surrounding regions.

We support those in need to access their basic rights and needs and to stand on their own feet. We aim to eliminate the risks faced by children living in challenging conditions, particularly in seasonal agricultural areas. We conduct emergency relief operations in times of disasters. We are also working to contribute to a civil society prepared for disasters and to the strengthening of localisation Through our brand ‘destekar,’ which we define as a social design market, we transform the everyday shopping practice for daily needs into an opportunity to support a fairer and more equal world.

We carry out our activities in coordination with our headquarters in Kadıköy, Istanbul in Türkiye. With our field offices and mobile teams, we provide services in 5 provinces across the country, including Adıyaman, Hatay, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, and Şanlıurfa.

We design and implement our work in line with the global principles of humanitarian assistance, including neutrality, independence, humanity, impartiality, and accountability.

To learn more about our work, please visit our website www.supporttolife.org or follow our social media accounts.

 

• Role Purpose

Provide strategic direction and overall oversight of Support to Life’s Protection and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) programs. Lead the team, ensure quality and accountability across projects, represent the organisation at senior level, and strengthen partnerships and local actors’ capacities to support an effective, locally led humanitarian ecosystem.

 

Key Responsibilities

1. Standard Setting and Strategic Planning
   • Lead the development, implementation and regular review of the Protection and MHPSS program strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and evolving community needs.
   • Ensure consistent program approaches and technical standards across projects, including access to rights and services, gender-based violence prevention and response, child protection, prevention of child labour, and MHPSS.
   • Oversee the timely development and updating of guidance, tools and training materials for specialised, integrated and mainstreamed programming
   • Ensure program approaches and tools reflect humanitarian principles, organisational policies, safeguarding requirements, data confidentiality and donor obligations.
   • Follow relevant humanitarian developments and emerging practices, and promote their appropriate use across the organisation.

2. Project Cycle Management and Quality Assurance

• Oversee the design, implementation, monitoring, adaptation and closure of Protection and MHPSS projects, ensuring programmatic, administrative and financial quality in coordination with relevant support functions.
• Provide managerial oversight and ensure technical supervision for project managers and program staff, setting priorities and securing timely guidance and specialist support.
• Oversee programmatic input into proposals and project revisions, support field strategies, and guide program setup in new locations.
• Ensure program standards, tools and training are available on time and consistently applied across locations; use field visits and regular reviews to identify gaps and guide improvements.
• Monitor delivery, budgets, results and risks with project managers and relevant teams, and ensure timely action on implementation challenges.
• Work with MEAL to develop and apply appropriate monitoring and evaluation tools, strengthen feedback mechanisms, and capture lessons through project reviews, start-up and closure processes.
• Ensure timely preparation, consolidation and quality review of donor reports and assessments; serve as the focal point for programmatic donor discussions and contribute to audits and follow-up actions.

3. Partnership Management

• Lead the design and delivery of partner-led Protection projects, coordinating with MEAL, technical and Localisation and Capacity teams.
• Ensure partners’ technical and organisational capacity needs are jointly assessed and addressed through tailored training, mentoring, peer learning and on-site support.
• Oversee partner support needs, ensuring timely consolidation and review of programmatic and financial reports in coordination with relevant teams.
• Ensure effective partner reporting schedules, feedback processes and tools for capacity assessment, monitoring and reporting.
• Strengthen relationships among local organisations, community groups, public institutions and relevant networks to improve coordination, referral pathways and shared learning.
• Support partners’ ability to engage in coordination platforms and contribute to humanitarian priorities, strengthening the wider ecosystem alongside project delivery.

4. External Relations and Coordination

• Represent Support to Life at senior level with donors, public authorities, UN agencies, embassies, national and international NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships, identify new stakeholders and partnership opportunities, and contribute to program development and resource mobilisation.
• Ensure effective participation in relevant coordination meetings, working groups and workshops, and share key developments with teams and organisational leadership.
• Support advocacy through program evidence, analysis and key messages, in coordination with relevant colleagues.
• Support field teams in engagement with ministries, local authorities and other stakeholders, including joint visits where needed.

5. Team Leadership and Management

• Lead and manage the assigned Protection and MHPSS teams, ensuring clear responsibilities, priorities and accountability in line with program strategy, field needs and project cycles.
• Provide supervision and coaching to managers and team members, ensuring access to appropriate technical expertise and supporting professional development.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, handovers, performance management, learning and other personnel processes in accordance with organisational procedures.
• Promote inclusive leadership, staff wellbeing, constructive feedback and effective delegation.
• Ensure regular planning and coordination across headquarters and field teams, including cross-location exchanges, training and learning activities.
• Foster effective collaboration within the Program Department and with support functions to ensure coherent and timely delivery.

Required experience and competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as social sciences, psychology, social work, international relations, development studies or public administration. A postgraduate degree is an asset.
• Minimum 8 years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian/early recovery programming, project management and grant management.
• At least 4 years of experience in a managerial position,
• Substantial, progressively responsible experience in the humanitarian sector, including senior program or portfolio management and oversight of multiple projects or locations.
• Demonstrated experience in protection programming, with knowledge of key areas such as access to rights and services, gender-based violence, child protection and prevention of child labour.
• Broad familiarity with humanitarian sectors and their interconnections, and the ability to integrate protection into wider humanitarian responses.
• Proven experience leading teams and managing managers, including delegation, coaching, performance management and leading through change.
• Strong command of project cycle management, budget oversight, risk management, donor compliance and results-based program monitoring and reporting.
• Experience managing local partnerships and supporting partner-led programming, capacity strengthening and locally led humanitarian action.
• Demonstrated ability to represent an organisation at senior level, manage donor and stakeholder relationships, negotiate and contribute to resource development.
• Advanced written and spoken English; commitment to humanitarian principles, safeguarding, accountability to communities and inclusive leadership.
• Strong strategic judgement, analytical and communication skills, with the ability to prioritise and make sound decisions in complex and changing contexts.

 

Application Process:

At Support to Life, we are committed to equal opportunity and conduct our recruitment processes accordingly. In all our administrative and operational activities, we adhere to our Child Safeguarding Policy and Gender Equality Policy.

Candidates who wish to apply for this position may submit their applications via  https://cv.inoportal.com/HayataDestek/ilanlar no later than 2 October 2026.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

In accordance with the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698, published in the Official Gazette dated 7 April 2016 (No. 29677), by submitting your application for this position, you consent to the sharing of the personal information contained in your CV with Support to Life and to the processing and retention of such information.

Working Conditions

Contract Duration: 11 months

Working Hours: 08:30 – 17:30