Job Title: Protection Officer

Location: Belgium (GT)

Duration: One-Year fixed-term contract (renewable subject to funding)

Starting date: 04 th January 2026

Line manager: Programmes Coordinator

About PI

Protection International (PI) is an International NGO that contributes to the improvement of the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs) throughout the world. PI provides tools to develop HRDs’ capacities to manage their own security as they struggle against impunity and work in favour of human rights and democracy in their respective countries or regions. PI seeks to contribute to a situation where HRDs are recognised as legitimate actors for social change and to an environment where they can exercise their right to defend universally accepted human rights.

Protection International has its global office in Brussels but primarily works where the protection of HRDs is needed. PI has long-term presence in several countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Join the Global Movement for Human Rights!

Protection International (PI) is looking for a mission-driven Protection Officer to join our Global Team in Brussels. If you are passionate about the protection of human rights defenders and civil society organisations and have experience in capacity building, protection and security management, we want to hear from you!

The Role

The Protection Officer will work within Protect-EU -Protecting Civic Space & Human Rights Defenders in Europe, an EU-funded project aimed at strengthening the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) across Europe.

The Protection Officer will support the implementation of PI’s activities under Work Package 3 (Protection, Capacity Building & Resilience of Civil Society Actors), with a particular focus on capacity building. The role will coordinate the preparation, logistics, facilitation and monitoring of in-person workshops, as well as the management of e-learning activities.

In collaboration with relevant team members, the Protection Officer will also contribute to Work Package 2 (Monitoring, Documentation & Early Warning), supporting civic space analysis and contributing relevant information to PI’s FOCUS Observatory.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Technical Execution of WP3: E-learning Administration & Facilitation (Deliverable D3.4)

With the support of the Programme Coordinator, identify, select and invite participants.
Manage the end-to-end administration of PI’s e-learning platform, safely processing training requests from CSOs and enrolling participants in the appropriate language modules.
Design, organize, and facilitate 10 webinars on various HRD protection topics aimed at reaching at least 50 CSOs and HRDs identified as lowrisk.
Monitor participant progress, follow up with inactive users, and verify the successful completion of mandatory modules (Risk Analysis, Protection Responses, and Security Management).
Conduct introductory and closing sessions to explain course structures, gather actionable feedback, provide first-line technical support, and issue completion certificates in compliance with PI standards.

2. Technical Execution of WP3: In-person Capacity Building (Deliverable D3.2)

With the support of the Programme Coordinator, identify, select and invite participants; to this end, review and implement the Needs Assessment Survey tool.
Lead the methodological preparation, secure logistics, and technical facilitation of 10 in-person capacity building workshops targeting at least 5 CSOs identified as high-risk across the EU.
Ensure all strengthening-capacity activities integrate participatory protection methodologies, adapting content to the intersectional vulnerabilities of the participants
Systematize training data, participant lists (strictly anonymized), and training agendas.

3. Transversal Support to WP2: FOCUS Observatory (Civic Space Monitoring)

Assist in tracking structural trends, public policies, and administrative measures affecting civic space in EU Member States, directly contributing to the FOCUS Observatory.
Safely channel qualitative findings and contextual intelligence gathered during WP3 training sessions into WP2
Work in close synergy with WP2 analysts to ensure timely policy alerts and the maintenance of a live database documenting laws and measures impacting HRDs and CSOs.

Who You Are

Relevant university degree in social sciences (political science, law, sociology, international relations, communications).
Relevant professional training courses (Human Rights Defenders, humanitarian and development sector, management, etc.) (preferred).
Minimum 3 years of similar experience and proven track record on protection and security management for CSOs and HRDs that includes aspects of physical protection, wellbeing and digital security.
Solid understanding of organisational dynamics in civil society and social movements and HRDs’ needs.
Profound knowledge on capacity building approaches with a proven track record of delivering capacity-development sessions to diverse audiences using adult learning and popular education pedagogical principles and tools.
Demonstrable knowledge of PI methodologies (preferred).
Demonstrable capacity to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing to a wide range of -expert and non-expert -audiences.
Demonstrable focus on human rights in her/his education and training is desirable.
Availability to travel to different countries on PI missions
Highly organised/time management.
Advanced skills in computer productivity applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).
Enthusiastic, self-starter who is able to work autonomously, under pressure, in decentralized teams, and think outside the box.
Demonstrated capacity to orally communicate clearly and effectively to a wide range of -expert and non-expert audiences.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, providing a positive organizational image to the public.
Fluently spoken and written English, Spanish and French.
Good command of German, Italian and/or Russian (preferred).
Other languages: Good knowledge of any EU spoken language is an asset

Please note that only candidates with a valid work permit for Belgium will be considered.

What We Offer

Salary: €3,500 -€4,000 monthly gross (depending on experience).
Generous Leave: 28 annual holidays + 2 weeks extra during the winter break.
Benefits: Private health insurance, lunch vouchers, and public transport reimbursement.
Environment: An open, friendly, and multicultural workspace that values autonomy and creativity.
Contract: One-Year fixed-term contract 38h/week, with the possibility of renewal (subject to funding).

Application process

If you meet the above skills requirements and are interested in applying for this position, please:

Send your CV and cover letter without a photo, in English, by 14th October 2026 to [email protected], mentioning ’ Protection Officer’ in the subject line.
Include your name in the file name of your application documents, e.g. Mary_Smith_CV.docx.
Submit names and contact details of two references together with your application. Do not attach any certificates or references at this stage of the recruitment process.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position might remain posted until a qualified candidate is selected. We thank all candidates for their interest and we will aim to send feedback as much as we can, however, with the high volume of responses and our internal capacities, we may only be able to contact short-listed candidates.

Protection International is an equal opportunity employer. The organization shall not discriminate and will proactively apply affirmative action principles against discrimination in advertisements for employment, recruitment and other conditions of employment, preventing discrimination against any job applicant or employee on the basis of race, colour, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, differently abled, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

Adhering to Protection International means to comply with our Code of Conduct & Ethics, Anti-Corruption Policy, Security Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, Policy for Protection from Harassment, Abuse, Exploitation & Discrimination.

PI promotes gender equality, diversity and inclusion. PI strongly encourages women applicants to apply for this position.

Further information about Protection International is available on www.protectioninternational.org