RSD Officer

Only candidates who are not nationals of the country of assignment are eligible to apply to this position

A (least hardship)Family PR3Professional

* Staff members will not normally serve in International Professional positions in the country of their nationality. In addition, in case of a first appointment upon recruitment, the assignment must be outside the staff member’s country of nationality.

In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of.

Reason

Regular > Regular AssignmentNo2023-11-07November 28, 2023

RSD Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The RSD Officer provides legal, operational and strategic support on mandate or national RSD at global, regional or country operations level. The position may be located at Headquarters (within the Division of International Protection), in a Regional Bureau or in a Country Office and reports to the Senior RSD Officer or Senior Protection Officer or Head of Protection Service, as appropriate.

The incumbent provides advice and guidance on legal and procedural matters related to RSD whether in the context of mandate RSD and/or national asylum/RSD systems (as applicable), is responsible for review, endorsement and clearance of recommendations on individual cases in line with requirements under the RSD Procedural Standards or as directed by Senior Management. The incumbent is also responsible for contributing to the development of or, depending on the context, develop an RSD strategy and, where required, methodologies to promote the effectiveness of RSD as a protection tool and implementing broader organizational objectives and priorities, in compliance with relevant UNHCR standards and policies. Whether in the context of national or mandate RSD, the incumbent provides advice and support to staff engaged in RSD and related activities, monitors trends of RSD decision-making, and conducts training and other capacity-building/strengthening activities to promote consistency in RSD procedures and decision-making. S/he contributes to developing and enhancing regional and global RSD standards and policies, as necessary.

If based in a country operation, the RSD Officer advocates with and supports Government authorities and legal partners in further developing their capacities in line with the GCR and other key UNHCR planning considerations.

The RSD Officer works closely with senior managers, RSD staff as well as staff responsible for registration, resettlement and training activities. S/he also liaises with relevant focal points in DIP, in particular within the RSD and PNSS Sections and other HQ Divisions as required. The incumbent normally supervises National Officers or support staff at lower grade levels.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
- Provide legal/procedural advice and support on RSD adjudication issues within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- Stay abreast of legal, political, security and other developments relevant to mandate RSD, the protection environment, including developments in relation to national asylum/RSD systems, as applicable.
- Engage relevant national authorities and structures in identifying and expanding opportunities in view of developing or strengthening national asylum/RSD systems.
- Undertake quality review of RSD Assessments in line with UNHCR policies/guidelines related to mandate RSD and endorse RSD decisions as required.
- Conduct interviews and draft RSD Assessments in complex/sensitive cases per relevant standards and guidelines.
- Provide ongoing coaching as well as specialized training on the inclusion criteria; principles/procedures related to exclusion; cancellation/revocation; international humanitarian law; human rights law; interviewing techniques and credibility assessment/establishing the facts; and legal drafting.
- Provide specialized training to other UNHCR units on the refugee criteria and related issues as needed. Contribute to the development of the RSD strategy and support senior management to ensure its full and effective integration into the protection and solution strategy of the Country Operations Plan.
- Contribute to developing/enhancing regional and global RSD standards and policies, as required.
- Support the design and implementation of operation-specific SOPs for all aspects of RSD operations in line with relevant standards/policies, including UNHCR's AGD policy and Forward Plan, ensuring the prioritisation of persons with specific needs if based in a Regional Bureau, provide support to operations on the above.
- Monitor trends and systematically compile statistics related to RSD case processing.
- Analyze key indicators of the quality and efficiency of decision-making in RSD processing to assess capacity and resource requirements of operations in the region or the operation to which the RSD Officer is assigned.
- Contribute to the evaluation and projection of RSD staffing and financial needs using the RSD Staffing Benchmarks, and support allocation of appropriate human, material and financial resources.
- Contribute to identifying and preventing fraud in RSD through oversight, advice and guidance to UNHCR personnel, partners and persons of concern.

If based in DIP or a Regional Bureau:
- Conduct support missions, as required.
- Assess training needs in UNHCR RSD operations and assist RSD Supervisors to provide coaching/capacity building for UNHCR personnel and deployees under their supervision, in coordination with the GLC as appropriate.
- Maintain and manage a consultative process with operations and other stakeholders in the region.

If based in a country operation, together with competent host authorities and partners, develop processes aiming at developing national institutional capacities and the timely identification of international protection needs in line with the GCR and other key planning considerations.

- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
International Refugee Law; International Human Rights Law; International Humanitarian Law;
International Criminal Law; Social Sciences; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
RSD Learning Programme
Management Learning Programme
Protection Learning Programme

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
3 years of experience working directly with procedues and principles related to adjudicating individual asylum claims in RSD procedures. In-depth knowledge of International Refugee Law, International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law and ability to apply relevant legal principles in the RSD context, including exclusion decision-making. Thorough knowledge of the "Procedural Standards for RSD under UNHCR's Mandate" and other guidelines and standards governing UNHCR's mandate RSD activities. Experience in counselling asylum-seekers and individual case management. Experience in refugee law training.
Desirable
Experience as a decision-maker in UNHCR or Government SD procedures is highly desirable. Experience in providing legal representation to asylum seekers in UNHCR or Government SD procedurest. Experience in supervising a team. Completion of other UNHCR Learning Programmes relevant to RSD.Training and coaching experience. Experience in working with vulnerable or traumatized individuals. Knowledge of additional UN languages.

Functional Skills
CO-Cross-cultural communication
PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards
PR-Individual Case Management
LE-International Criminal Law
LE-International Refugee Law
PR-RSD - Principles and Procedures, operational arrangements/assistance
PR-International Humanitarian Law
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
PR-Government Refugee Status Determination (RSD) procedures
PR-Interviewing and counselling refugees/asylum seekers
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

The desired candidate profile should have strong substantive RSD expertise from working in mandate RSD operations and/or engaging in national asylum capacity development and working collaboratively with government authorities; have demonstrated experience in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of RSD; have a deep understanding of, and will be able to apply RSD concepts, standards and guidance to novel situations; have experience working on refugee policy and law and be able to advocate, using good written and oral advocacy skills, for international standards to be upheld in national contexts – not only in topics relating to RSD but to wider protection issues. In the context of working with different governments and partners in the 9 countries, the candidate should have demonstrated technical qualities, cultural sensitivity, tact, and pro-activeness in engaging with different stakeholders. Experience as a legal professional and/or having worked with legal actors in the asylum space will be an asset to perform this function. French language skills are desired as a number of the countries under the operation’s remit are francophone. Excellent written and spoken English language knowledge is a requirement.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The general situation in South Africa remains stable despite growing tensions mainly with regard to a wave of violence against foreigners, social and economic challenges and good governance concerns. The Office is embarking on operationalizing the Global Compact on Refugees; with a focus on applying comprehensive refugee responses using a regional approach. Asylum seekers moving from other parts of Africa and Asia to South Africa continue to raise concerns of the authorities, prompting governments in the region to restrict access to the territory and asylum procedures. In response to the increasing pressure on asylum space significant backlogs in refugee status determination have emerged, which is also a result of migratory flows. UNHCR is currently providing technical support to the Government with regard to advice on how to reduce its appeal backlog. South Africa is party to both the refugee OAU 1969 Convention and the 1951 Convention; UNHCR is robustly promoting accession to international statelessness Conventions as well. S/he should be prepared to travel to countries covered by the MCO (Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles) to strengthen protection support, as required.

The RSD Officer leads the Asylum, Law and Policy Team and is one of four technical heads of subunits within the wider Protection Team, reporting to the Senior Protection Officer.  The Asylum, Law and Policy Team leads on all matters relating to the operation’s priorities in the areas of: status determination (state and mandate), policy and law, access to justice, human rights engagement, and judicial engagement.  The team prioritizes providing capacity support to governments seeking to introduce or strengthen policies and laws relating to refugee management and the processes that implement those policies and laws.  Where protection assessments identify resettlement as a durable solution for individuals, the team manages any necessary casework for refugee status determination towards that solution.  The team leads in supporting governments with policy and legal reform and monitoring any caselaw that impacts these frameworks.  The team is the focal point for human rights engagement in the operation, acting as the primary coordinator with input from other protection subunits. The team leads the operation’s engagement with judicial and legal actors, seeking to strengthen their capacity, understanding and implementation of refugee law. The incumbent will be the protection technical focal point for the operation’s partnerships with legal actors. The RSD Officer should be prepared to travel to countries covered by the SAMCO (Botswana, Comoro, eSwatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles) to strengthen protection support, as required.

Living and Working Conditions:

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province in South Africa. It is one of the country's two capital cities serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital. The other is Cape Town, the legislative capital. The Central Business District (CBD) of Pretoria has been the traditional centre of government and commerce, although today many corporate offices, small businesses, shops and government departments are situated in the sprawling suburbs of the city rather than the CBD. The city has a population of approximately 1,985,997 with an influx of foreign nationals. Pretoria has over the years had very diverse cultural influences and this is reflected in the architectural styles that can be found in the city. The main languages spoken in Pretoria are Pedi, Afrikaans, Tswana, Tsonga, Zulu and English. Ndebele and Sotho are also widely spoken. The living class in Pretoria can be classified as middle to high income earners.

The living conditions in South Africa are generally very good. Housing and basic commodities are readily available. The country has an abundance of health providers of all sectors. The country's infrastructure and communication facilities are of international standard and are amongst the best in the African continent. Crime continues to be of concern. Burglaries (house break-ins) and car-jacking are common. ATM fraud is also rampant as well as cyber-crime - financial related.

Even though the position is based in Pretoria, s/he is expected to travel on missions to remote locations in the field, where the quality of life and working conditions would be challenged alongside with security concerns.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Relations, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science

Certifications

HCR Management Learning Program - UNHCR, HCR Protection Learning Program - UNHCR, HCR RSD Learning Program - UNHCR

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Leadership, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Policy research & development, Strategic planning & visions, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Add. 1 to Bi-annual Compendium 2023 - Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance