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Senior Protection Officer

Gaziantep

  • Organization: UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  • Location: Gaziantep
  • Grade: Mid level - P-4, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Protection Officer (Refugee)
  • Closing Date: Closed

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

Before applying to this position, we strongly encourage colleagues to read the country specific FAQs information leaflets which can be found  on the Intranet under Staff Resources > Duty of Care. The information leaflets are specifically designed to answer some of the key questions potential applicants might have before deciding to apply. 

Proven diplomatic and negotiation skills, political acumen  and the maturity and authority to liaise with government officials at the local and provincial levels as well as with a range of other relevant stakeholders, ability to build collaborative working relationships, monitoring and evaluating projects; and the ability to come up with innovative solutions to operational challenges. Solid experience in a broad range of protection issues, including protection monitoring and community-based protection. Demonstrated leadership and management skills, including performance management, conflict negotiation, strategic planning.  Experience in UNHCR operations, especially field and protection, including in an emergency context is highly desirable, as well as experience at HQ Knowledge of the region and operational context in Turkey and northern Syria is an asset.  Given the cultural, political, ethnical sensitivities on the ground, the incumbent should also possess strong interpersonal, leadership and managerial skills .  Adaptability, flexibility and good communication skills are essential. In the context of the 3RP, UNHCR is coordinating the Refugee Response and UNDP is coordinating the Resilience Response. The 3RP coordination is also evolving from field-based response to an increased focus on the national level coordination to resonate with the shift in the government coordination structure.

For non-Syrian persons of concern, UNHCR will remain the lead agency, working closely with concerned authorities to further strengthen the national asylum framework and advocate for increased participation of UN and NGO partners to this population group.

Southeast Turkey hosts the majority of refugees in the country, with 90 percent in urban or peri-urban locations. UNHCR, along with WFP and Unicef, supports AFAD in its management of some 23 camps in the 10 provinces. The Senior Protection Officer, under the supervision of the Head of Sub-Office in Gaziantep, in consultation and coordination with Branch Office protection team headed by the Deputy Representative (Protection), ensures that UNHCR maintains predictable and effective protection and assistance in related sectors.  The aim is to ensure a more coherent and accountable response by enhanced coordination with government partners and UN agencies, organizations and NGOs to respond in a strategic manner across all key areas of activity. In line with the BO¿s directions, the SPO will develop a protection strategy for the AOR, closely oversee its implementation and ensure regular protection-related reporting to the BO, in close collaboration with colleagues and partners.

The SPO directly supervises the sub office protection unit. This includes the Community-based Protection team that is tasked with outreach to the non-camp population; other staff are tasked with core protection duties including child protection, capacity building, monitoring, etc.

The SPO, in coordination with the Senior Field Coordinator, indirectly guides the field protection staff assigned to three field units in Hatay and Sanliurfa Provinces; one field unit is embedded in sub office Gaziantep. Turkey continues to host the largest refugee population in the world, providing protection to nearly three million refugees and asylum-seekers. By the end of 2015, the Government of Turkey hosted 2,750,000 refugees.  Syrians constitute the largest refugee group with approximately 2.5 million individuals. Turkey also hosts over 260,000 non-Syrians persons of concern to UNHCR. 

The Government of Turkey undertakes the leadership in the protection of and assistance to all persons of concern in Turkey. UNHCR's overall strategy is to support Turkey in developing and implementing its national refugee response strategy as well as coordinate the response of various humanitarian actors.
UNHCR Turkey co-leads two major appeals: the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) and the Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RRMRP). Gaziantep is a city of over 1.7 million people with a fairly high level of infrastructure.  Health facilities, including hospitals with relatively high level of care are available locally although most medical staff and practitioners only communicate in Turkish and do not speak English, which can present barriers for international staff in accessing services. Although the operation is a family duty station, education is only in Turkish as there is no international school.  Gaziantep is a (B) category duty station with a SAL of 4 years, with no R&R entitlements.
The access to accommodation, supply and transport facilities is relatively good. Apartments and flats are available and generally in good condition with working services as water, gas and electricity. In the recent period due to increasing numbers in the humanitarian community the related rental costs have increased but are still relatively inexpensive.  Leisure and recreational facilities are also available and accessible for expatriates.  In general terms, in Turkey and particularly in Gaziantep, it is very difficult to find Turkish people that can communicate in English therefore, communication remains challenging.
The current situation may require late working hours and weekend work. Proximity to the Syrian border has led to a sensitive security in South-eastern Turkey since the Syrian conflict began.  However, the level of general criminality is low.  During the recent period the security situation in Southeast Turkey and in Gaziantep has deteriorated due to a worsening of the security situation along the border with Syria and increased engagement in the Syrian conflict by the Turkish Government that could have further repercussions.  The current security levels in all of Turkey were raised in early 2016, of Gaziantep duty station is Level 3, with some parts of the AoR at Level 4. There are no known direct threats towards the United Nations and its staff in the area but it is a rapidly changing security environment.  However, due to the recent developments at the border areas, the UN staff in Gaziantep are advised to increase their precaution measures in general.  Area Security plans and Security levels are being updated.  As a result good security awareness is needed by individual staff members. Although English is the only essential language, knowledge of Arabic is desirable; Turkish would be an added asset.
Very good English writing skills are essential.

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

This vacancy is now closed.
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