Senior Protection Officer

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the Recruitment and Assignments Policy (RAP, UNHCR/HCP/2017/2 and the Recruitment and Assignments Administrative Instruction (RAAI), UNHCR/AI/2017/7 OF 15 August 2017.

Senior Protection Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Senior Protection Officer (SPO) is Head of the Protection Unit in a Country or Sub-Office and reports to the Assistant or Deputy Representative for Protection, directly to the Representative or as appropriate, to the Head of Sub-Office. The incumbent has direct supervisory responsibility for protection staff who may include community services, registration, resettlement and education. He/she provides functional protection oversight to information management and programme staff and supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery at the country level. The incumbent also acts as an advisor to senior management in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the organization to authorities, UN sister agencies, partners and other stakeholders on protection policy and doctrine.

The Senior Protection Officer is normally a member of the Office senior management team and is relied upon by the Office to plan, lead and coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern. This includes ensuring that operational responses in all sectors are shaped in a protection optic, mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. Another important element of the SPO's functions is to ensure that persons of concern are involved with the Office in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT

Accountability

- The protection needs of populations of concern are met through the application of International and National Law, relevant UN/UNHCR protection standards and IASC principles governing humanitarian coordination.
- The operation has a clear and coherent comprehensive protection strategy which incorporates a thorough age, gender and diversity (AGD) analysis and reflects the Organization's global, regional and country level priorities.
- The Participation of persons of concern is assured through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community based approaches.
- National protection capacities are improved through direct engagement, research and advocacy with all relevant external interlocutors.
- Instances of refoulement of refugees, forced return of IDPs, arbitrary deprivation of nationality resulting in statelessness and other protection incidents are immediately identified and addressed through direct intervention and advocacy.

Responsibility

- Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
- Manage a consultative process with government counterparts, partners and persons of concern to develop and implement a comprehensive protection strategy addressing the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, minority groups such as sexual minorities and persons living with HIV/AIDS; and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) priorities with regard to these persons.
- In operations applying the Cluster Approach, ensure the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded in a strategy which covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations.
- Ensure that the protection strategy is fully integrated into the Country Operations Plan, the UN Development and Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and the Humanitarian Country Team's common humanitarian action plan.
- Promote International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct and ensure that all sectors and /or in clusters in applicable operations fulfil their responsibilities mainstreaming protection.
- Design, deliver and monitor programmes on an AGD basis to address identified protection needs.
- Provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners on all protection related issues.
- Oversee the management of individual protection cases including those on SGBV and child protection.
- Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internal and external interlocutors; ensure legal assistance is accessible to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documents to persons of concern (women and civil documentation in particular birth certificates).
- Oversee eligibility and status determination in the country ensuring compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.
- Promote and implement measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
- Develop and implement a country-level education plan as part of the protection strategy and ensure partnerships are forged with the Ministry for Education, UNICEF and other partners.
- Develop and implement a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy ensuring programmes use a child protection systems approach.
- Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners.
- Implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Ensure that durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement are sought and provided to the largest possible number of persons of concern.
- Coordinate the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Develop and implement a programme of results-based advocacy through a consultative process with sectorial and/or cluster partners.
- Ensure that the Protection Sector or Cluster has an effective information management component which: provides disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems; researches, collects and disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection delivery.
- Build the protection capacity of national and local government, partners and civil society to assume their responsibilities vis-à-vis all persons of concern through protection training, mainstreaming and related activities.
- Coordinate capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Advise and capacitate national authorities, relevant institutions and civil society to strengthen legislation and status determination procedures and mechanisms.

Authority

- Approve the protection strategy for endorsement by the Deputy / Representative and Regional Office or Headquarters.
- Chair protection coordination meetings, including Protection Cluster meetings in applicable operations and represent the protection sector/cluster in inter-agency mechanisms.
- Issue advocacy statements on behalf of UNHCR in protection sectoral meetings and/or on behalf of the Protection Cluster in applicable operations.
- Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
- Negotiate locally and as appropriate with resettlement countries and countries of return on behalf of UNHCR.
- Take review decisions on individual cases.
- Enforce compliance of staff and partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- Approve expenditures under the UNHCR protection budget and direct transparent and accountable financial and other resource allocation within the Protection Cluster in applicable operations. 

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

- Education: Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master's) in Law, International Law, political Sciences or related field with good knowledge of International Refugee, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.
- Job Experience: Minimum 8 years (9 years with undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS)) relevant professional experience of which 3 years in the field and 5 years in an international capacity.
- Excellent knowledge of English and working knowledge of another UN language.

(In offices where the working language is not English, excellent knowledge of UN 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

- Diverse field experience desirable.
- Good IT skills including database management skills.
- Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD-Resettlement Learning Programme and Management Learning Programme desirable. C001L3 - Accountability Level 3
C002L3 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
C003L3 - Communication Level 3
C004L3 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C005L3 - Client & Result Orientation Level 3
C006L3 - Organizational Awareness Level 3
M001L3 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M006L3 - Managing Resources Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3
X004L3 - Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Level 3
X007L3 - Political Awareness Level 3 The Senior Protection Officer is a key member, and de facto deputy, of the protection team in the CO Office Kabul.  He/she reports to the Deputy Representative.  The incumbent has direct supervisory responsibility for an Assistant Protection Officer dealing with IDPs issues and a senior associate working on child protection and SGBV.  There has been considerable fluidity in the staffing structure within the unit in the past two years, so the incumbent should be well-versed in all aspects of UNHCR¿s protection mandate and ready/willing to assume new tasks and/or supervisory responsibilities as required. He/she supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery at country levels for matters relating to IDPs, returnees, and refugees. The incumbent also acts as an advisor to senior management in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the organization to authorities, UN sister agencies, partners and other stakeholders on protection doctrine and policy on matters related to IDPs. The incumbent will provide assistance to the data management unit sharing information and data related to IDPs, returnees and others of concern. The Senior Protection Officer is relied upon by the Office to plan, lead and coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses in an increasingly complex operational context, in which returnees, new and protracted IDPs, and secondarily displaced returnees are often residing the same areas with similar protection and assistance needs. Responsibilities will include ensuring that operational responses in all sectors are shaped in a protection optic, mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. Another important function of the position is to ensure that all POC are involved with the Office in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems through ongoing assessments and protection monitoring. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with the Sub and field Offices that are in contact with communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection in this area. The Senior Protection Officer will work closely with the Protection Cluster Coordinator, as well as external interlocutors¿including government and NGO counterparts to ensure a cohesive, consistent protection presence in the overall humanitarian response to a worsening displacement situation. Despite a fragile security situation and significant socio-economic and political challenges, Afghanistan has seen the highest number of voluntary returns in UNHCR¿s 67-year history, with over six million Afghans recorded to have returned to the country since 2002. UNHCR has assisted over 5.2 million with cash and other assistance to meet immediate humanitarian needs.  In 2016, more than 600,000 refugees and undocumented Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran marking a renewed surge despite adverse conditions for return in Afghanistan. 372,577 were registered refugees assisted by UNHCR with USD150m in cash assistance to cover transport costs and meet immediate humanitarian needs including shelter, food and medical care.  As at June 2017, over 2 million registered Afghans hosted in Pakistan and Iran are potential beneficiaries of the voluntary repatriation programme in the coming years. In the past decade, Afghanistan has seen increased internal displacement due to conflict. In 2016 OCHA reported over 660,672 new conflict-induced IDPs. This remains the highest on record, and a 40% increase on the 470,000 displaced in 2015. While it is projected that displacement figures for 2017 may also exceed 600,000 individuals, the trends in 2018 and beyond will depend on the evolving security situation. Meanwhile, a significant number of IDPs remain in a protracted situation, in need of humanitarian assistance and durable solutions. Afghanistan continues to host a large population of Pakistani refugees, estimated at 125,000 individuals, who fled North Waziristan Agency in 2014. UNHCR also leads coordination with humanitarian partners to provide essential services in one refugee camp established in Khost Province, accommodating some 16,000 individuals. The prospects of return for the majority of refugees has not materialised.  Although a small number of refugee families have returned spontaneously, there have been few positive signs of successful reintegration.  In addition, Afghanistan currently hosts 350 asylum-seekers and refugees of various nationalities, registered under the UNHCR mandate, in Kabul and other urban centres. Despite continued advocacy by UNHCR with the Government to pass a Refugee Law, this is yet to be finalised. In 2017, UNHCR Afghanistan has been revising its operational strategy in consultation with its partners at HQ and Field level. In the worsening security situation, the new strategy requires agile human resource management, staff welfare and security measures. The existing tools such as Security Risk Assessments and Programme Criticality are being utilized.  The Afghanistan operation is challenged to attract suitable candidates for advertised positions, even when positions are advertised externally. The implementation of the strategy, coupled with political importance of the operation, requires new skill sets (e.g. partnership/networking building) as well as staff with track records of performance and creative thinking in key areas such as protection and information management. In order to attract and retain staff with appropriate profile, the operation is working to implement a range of measures to support the strategy going forward. The re-aligned strategy focuses on key areas of engagement including: (a) emphasize the centrality of protection (b) protection monitoring and analysis with reinforced information management (b) addressing protection risks through humanitarian programming for protection (c) strategic support and advocacy with Government and development stakeholders to strengthen the humanitarian-development nexus in order to realize durable solutions for returning refugees and IDPs. A key element of this is to expand partnerships and networks.
The operation¿s strategic protection goals are closely aligned with the UNHCR Global Strategic Directions for 2017-2021 http://www.unhcr.org/5894558d4.pdf and are designed to achieve four concrete protection outcomes through effective coordination with both humanitarian and development partners: - Protection of civilians in high intensity conflict areas is promoted and protection risks mitigated.
- Protection risks among newly displaced IDPs and returnees are mitigated through reduction of vulnerability and enhanced community capacity.
- Access to basic services in areas of high displacement and return is promoted.
- The rights of asylum-seekers and refugees are protected. (NB: Given the extremely fluid situation in Afghanistan, this section may require adjustments as it evolves.)

Afghanistan is a high risk country with a very complex operational environment, characterized by uncertainty and frequent security incidents. 
Movement by all personnel is restricted and closely coordinated and monitored by the security officers.
All international staff are accommodated in MOSS/MORSS compliant UNHCR Guesthouse. 
Visits to restaurants, other social venues or in friend¿s houses are prohibited except in UN compounds and Embassies. The situation is frustrating and increase stress making it difficult to some colleagues to cope with this type of life.
Staff interested in the position should be mentally, psychologically and physically fit and ready to face situations when required to be locked down in the compounds and the bunkers for the extended period of time due to incidents.
All international staff benefit from R & R (Rest and Recuperation) that is currently on a 6-week cycle for the entire country.
Apart from the UNAMA clinic which does not have proper medical facilities, there is very little medical back up like German Clinic, therefore staff assigned must be in good health.   Candidates with conditions requiring regular treatment or medical supervision should be appropriately advised. (NB: Given the extremely fluid situation in Afghanistan, this section may require adjustments as it evolves.)

While security began to decline in 2015, in 2016 Afghanistan recorded the highest levels of security incidents since 2002, with over 23,000 incidents (the first quarter of the year indicates that 2017 will surpass 2016). In the remainder of 2017 it is anticipated that the insurgency will continue to conduct operations country wide at a pace at least similar to or higher than 2016. Spectacular attacks are an efficient means to attract media attention. Therefore they are anticipated to continue in major city centers (especially in Kabul).  The security situation continues to be unstable, volatile and indeed unpredictable in the entire Afghanistan. The overall operational context for 2017 will remain heavily dependent on a series of uncertain developments in the current year, including outcome of planned parliamentary elections in 2016, the ongoing consolidation (or fragmentation) of political authority within the Taliban, uncertain regional interests/developments in fostering peace among increasingly fragmented armed elements within Afghanistan and in the border region of Pakistan, and the continued interest among key international stakeholders in promoting a negotiated peace settlement.   Formal peace talks, assuming they formally commence in 2016, may take years to reach a political settlement among disparate groups.  Any progress in peace negotiations will be accompanied by continued displays of force, terrorist-type incidents, increasing spread-out of confrontation between the Security Forces and Anti-Government elements, with a renewed involvement of international military forces. As evident in the first part of the year, the daily situation in Afghanistan continues to witness a considerable number of security incidents including armed clashes, IED and suicide attacks. Recently reported security incidents highlighted that International Community has been among the targets of the AGE.  AGE groups including Taliban and Haqqani Network continue to display increased intent and capability to plan and conduct attacks across the country, increasing pressure on urban centers including Kabul Capital City.

Although UN is not the prime target, individuals can be affected as part of the international community. For this reason, UNDSS continue to impose movement restrictions resulting in further shrinking of areas of our operation.  Although mitigation measures are in place to ensure staff safety and security the humanitarian space can be expected to further shrink and limit access to beneficiaries and the implementation of programmatic activities. Insecurity and political instability in certain areas continue to hinder UNHCR's protection and relief operations, resulting in unreliable and insecure access to persons of concern to the Office. The candidates for this position should be psychologically ready to work in a challenging and at times frustrating environment in view of the prevailing situation in the country.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the September 2017 Compendium is Monday 6 November 2017 (midnight Geneva time).