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Associate Protection Officer

Multiple locations

  • Organization: UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  • Location: Multiple locations
  • Grade: Junior level - P-2, 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.

Associate Protection Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The Associate Protection Officer reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. Depending on the size and structure of the Office, the incumbent may have supervisory responsibility for protection staff including community services, registration, resettlement and education. He/she provides functional protection guidance to information management and programme staff; and supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards.

The Associate Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern, ensuring that operational responses in all sectors mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. He/she contributes in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and in representing the organization externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. He/she also ensures 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 of populations of concern is met through the application of International and National Law, relevant UN/UNHCR protection standards and IASC principles.  
- The protection strategy 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.
- Protection incidents are immediately identified and addressed.

Responsibility
- Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
- Promote International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Foster their consistent and coherent interpretation and application through mainstreaming in all sectors and /or in clusters in applicable operations.
- Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to persons of concern.  
- Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Conduct eligibility and status determination for persons of concern in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles. 
- Promote and contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
- Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy to ensure programmes use a child protection systems approach.
- Contribute to a country-level education plan.
- Implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Oversee and manage individual protection cases including those on SGBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners.
- Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of persons of concern through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
- Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for the resettlement of individuals and groups of refugees and other persons of concern.
- Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy through a consultative process with sectorial and/or cluster partners.
- Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems. 
- Contribute to capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate national authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.

Authority
- Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
- Negotiate locally on behalf of UNHCR.
- Decide priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
- Enforce compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in Law, International Law, political Sciences or related field plus minimum 3 years of previous work experience relevant to the function. Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master's) plus 2 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 1 year of previous relevant work experience may also be accepted.
- Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not 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.
- Knowledge of additional UN languages.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR Associate Protection Officer positions. 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. C001L2 - Accountability Level 2
C002L2 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 2
C003L2 - Communication Level 2
C004L2 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 2
C005L2 - Client & Result Orientation Level 2
C006L2 - Organizational Awareness Level 2
M003L2 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 2
X001L2 - Analytical Thinking Level 2
X004L2 - Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Level 2
X007L2 - Political Awareness Level 2 <p>The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.</p>
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
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For those people applying for High Risk Duty Stations, we strongly encourage colleagues to read the country specific security and welfare profiles which can be found on the Intranet under Support Services - Duty of Care (https://intranet.unhcr.org/en/support-services/duty-of-care.html). These profiles have been specifically designed to answer some of the key questions (on security conditions, medical provisions, staff welfare, living and working conditions) potential applicants might have before deciding to apply. Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care. This project is still in the pilot phase, and as such some of the information leaflets are being produced as we speak and might not be available yet. They will be soon, so keep checking. 

Proficiency in French and English is mandatory while Arabic language is desirable.
Experience in protection and knowledge of UNHCR¿s mandate in a mixed migration and urban context is desirable;
Experience in providing legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internal and external interlocutors;
Experience in overseeing and managing individual protection cases;
Experience in providing technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners on all protection related issues;
Experience in RSD;
Experience in overseeing registration, data management and statistical reports;
Experience and skills in monitoring protection activities carried out by protection implementing partners ensuring effective and timely delivery of protection;
Experience in working with IOM on common protection issues;
Good experience and skills in coordination with government counterparts (border authorities/gendarmerie) at the field level;
Good experience and skills in coordination with partners with implementation partnerships and operational partners within the Refugee Coordination Model;
Experience in the community services is also an added value (UNHCR¿s partner is providing assistance for education, health, livelihood but limited referral mechanisms and protection response need to be strengthened and diversified especially in terms of SGBV and child protection).
Strong management skills for leading and supervising a protection team;
Strong analytical skills and ability to come up with solutions to protection challenges;
Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills;
Good planning and organizational skills to deal with multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines;
Strong drafting skills in French and English.
Knowledge of the resettlement process and previous experience submitting cases is an asset. Mauritania is a signatory to the 1951 Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention. Mauritania has adopted Decree no. 2005/022 of 3 March 2005 which established the National Consultative Commission on Refugees (CNCR) pending the approval of an asylum law. The asylum system is not functional and since 2014 a draft bill for asylum law is in process of adoption by the Mauritanian Government. In the meantime, registration and determination of the refugee status is conducted by UNHCR under its international mandate.

The Representation in Mauritania has 2 offices, one in Bassikounou, close to the border between Mali and Mauritania, protecting Malian refugees camp and one in Nouakchott which protects urban refugees. The Representation is temporarily opening a Field Unit in Nouadhibou to assess the trend of the mixed migration including asylum seekers and refugees.

In Nouakchott, UNHCR conducts registration and RSD process for urban refugees in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou pending the adoption of the refugee law. There has been an increase in registration of asylum claims especially in Nouadhibou. While numerically not significant, the reasons for this increase might merit a close review. The Office raised concerns that registration may be used by some as a means of circumventing daily round ups, arrests and deportations to the border with Senegal or Mali. Others are reported to use registration with UNHCR as a means of accessing documentation that enables them to remain in Mauritania while working/making arrangements to continue their journey to Europe through Morocco. Some only register when their entry visa (valid for three months) is about to expire. In Nouakchott, most goods and services are available, but health services are limited;
International French and English speaking schools are available.
Leisure and recreational activities are limited but nice beaches are within the vicinity of the city;
Willingness and ability to undertake support missions to Bassikounou, where working and living conditions are difficult but meet UNHCR standards for security and comfort. Nouakchott is currently security level 2. Although no terrorist act has been reported since 2011, terrorism remains the major threat in the country. No security reports mentioned for Nouadibou and it is considered the commercial city for the Mauritania. The Associate Protection officer will be reporting to the Deputy Representative.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the Add.4 to March 2018 Compendium is Wednesday 5 Septembe 2018 (midnight Geneva time).

This vacancy is now closed.
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