Snr Prot Officer (Comm Based)

Senior Protection Officer (Community-Based)

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The Senior Protection Officer (Community-based) is a senior member of the protection team in a Country or Sub-Office and may, depending on the size and structure of the Office, be the Head of the Protection Unit and/or Community-based Protection Unit. He/she may report to the Representative, Assistant Representative, or Head of Sub-Office. The incumbent has direct supervisory responsibility for protection staff who may include community-based protection, registration, resettlement and other protection staff, such as education, child protection, staff. He/she may also provide functional protection oversight to information management and programme staff. The incumbent ensures the operation works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The Senior Protection Officer (Community-based) and her/his team are required to spend a substantial percentage of time working outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of persons of concern. The Senior Protection Officer (Community-based) must ensure the development and maintenance of constructive relationships with persons of concern that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results. The Senior Protection Officer (Community-based) guides  the development of a community-based protection strategy, ensuring that it is based on consultation with persons of concern, and reflects the broader protection and solutions strategy in the operation. S/he provides timely analysis on the protection situation in the field, highlighting important political, social, military and economic developments affecting the protection of persons of concern and the identification of solutions, based upon information obtained through direct communication with persons of concern and a network of local partners. The incumbent oversees quality, timely and effective responses to the needs of all segments of populations of concern, in an age, gender and diversity inclusive manner.

The incumbent takes the lead in guidance, coordination and advocacy in respect of community-based approaches to protection with government, implementing and operational partners and other key stakeholders at the country level.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability
- The operation has a coherent community-based protection strategy reflecting the Organization¿s global, regional and country level protection priorities, including in the key areas of education, child protection and SGBV prevention and response.
- Participatory and community-based structures and systems are in place in both camp and urban settings at the country level.
- The Age, Gender and Diversity approach is applied in all aspects of protection and solutions work on behalf of persons of concern.
- Participatory and community-based approaches are integral to the operation¿s protection strategy and are appropriately resourced.
- The participation of persons of concern is assured through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community based approaches, which inform protection and assistance programming and ensure that UNHCR meets its commitments to accountability to persons of concern.

Responsibility
- Through relationships with persons of concern and network of partners, stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that impact on the protection environment.
- Coordinate and guide a consultative process with government counterparts, partners and persons of concern to develop and implement a community-based protection strategy.
- Establish systems, including those managed by communities, to ensure that individual cases identified at the field level are assessed, referred as appropriate, and followed up using ProGres or other established case management systems.
- Establish and maintain network of contacts in all communities of concern, as well as government, national and international NGO partners and other stakeholders.
- Work with protection teams to ensure that the work plans of field-based Protection staff reflect the need for regular presence in the field working directly with communities of concern.
- Establish links with inter-agency capacity building initiatives which promote participatory, community-based and AGD approaches.
- Provide technical guidance and support to programme/protection units, country offices, protection teams and partners, in order to integrate participatory, community-based and AGD approaches in the overall protection strategy and ensure that programme formulation is based on the results of participatory assessments.
- Oversee mapping and analysis of protection risks to communities of concern as well as their capacities and resources for community-based protection and self-protection initiatives. 
- Liaise with implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned strategies to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to SGBV.
- Ensure regular participatory assessments and maintain on-going consultation with persons of concern using multifunctional teams.
- Undertake regular field missions to monitor and evaluate participatory, community-based and AGD protection approaches.
- Build capacity for community-based protection through training and establishing systems for community mobilization and participation of persons of concern.
- Ensure that community-based protection priorities are incorporated in UN and NGO training and learning programmes.
- Contribute to UNHCR communication strategies, including mass communication campaigns, by emphasizing participatory, community-based and AGD approaches.
- Mobilize financial resources for community-based protection and inform the country level resources (re)allocation process through reporting, advice and advocacy to senior country and regional management in line with the regional strategy priorities.
- In partnership with the Global Learning Centre, address the learning needs for UNHCR and partner staff to develop and implement participatory and community-based approaches.

Authority
- Enforce the systematic application of participatory, community and rights-based protection approaches, ensuring that appropriate human and financial resources are made available to support such approaches. 
- Enforce participatory, AGD sensitive analysis to form the essential basis for UNHCR¿s work.
- Endorse country-level community-based protection strategies, project submissions and budgets and approve/submit expenditures.
- Represent UNHCR¿s community-based protection perspectives in national and local fora.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Advanced university degree in the field of Human Rights, Social Anthropology, Law, International Development, Cultural Studies, Social Sciences, or other clearly related disciplines.
- Minimum 10 years (12 years with University degree) of previous job experience relevant to the function.
- Demonstrated expertise in field protection, community development, social surveys/ assessment, counselling, or related areas.
- Excellent knowledge of English and working knowledge of another UN language.

(In offices where the working language is not English, excellent knowledge of working language of duty station and working knowledge of English.)

***For National Officer positions, very good knowledge of local language and local institutions is essential.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Very good understanding of and demonstrated competencies in forced displacement and protection, particularly SGBV prevention and response, child protection, education, gender equality, and the application of the Age, Gender and Diversity Policy.
- Very good understanding of human rights and the rights-based approach to programming.
- Demonstrated knowledge of community communication and engagement approaches
- Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of position such as: PLP (Protection Learning Programme), OMLP (Operations Management Learning Programme), MMLP (Middle Management Learning Programme), ARC (Action for the Rights of Children)/Child Rights, POP (People Oriented Planning)/Gender Studies, SGBV training.
- Training and coaching skills/Facilitation of Learning.
- Team building/Development Training. C004L3 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C003L3 - Communication Level 3
C002L3 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
C001L3 - Accountability Level 3
C005L3 - Client & Result Orientation Level 3
C006L3 - Organizational Awareness Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M001L3 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
M006L3 - Managing Resources Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X002L3 - Innovation and Creativity Level 3
X003L3 - Technological Awareness Level 3
X004L3 - Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Level 3
X009L3 - Change Capability and Adaptability Level 3
X006L3 - Policy Development & Research Level 3
X007L3 - Political Awareness Level 3
X008L3 - Stakeholder Management Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the Add. 1 to March 2017 Compendium is Wednesday, 3 May 2017 (midnight Geneva time).