Prot Officer (Comm Based)

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.

Protection Officer (Community-Based)

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The Protection Officer (Community-based) is a 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. He/she may report to the Senior Protection Officer, Senior Protection Officer (Community-based), Head of Sub-Office or to the Assistant Representative for Protection. In smaller Offices, the post may report directly to the Representative. 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 or SGBV staff. He/she provides functional protection oversight to information management and programme staff. The incumbent works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. To fulfil this role the Protection Officer (Community-based) is required to spend a substantial percentage of her/his time working outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of persons of concern. The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with persons of concern that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results forms the core of the work of the Protection Officer (Community-based). The incumbent also acts as an advisor to senior management in designing a comprehensive community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with persons of concern. 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 plans and undertakes quality, timely and effective responses to the needs of all segments of populations of concern, in an age, gender and diversity inclusive manner.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability
- Effective and timely support is provided to the formulation of a clear and coherent protection strategy, which incorporates a thorough age, gender and diversity analysis, identifies the needs and capacities of persons of concern and reflects the Organization¿s global, regional and country level priorities.
- AGD sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities provides the essential basis for all of UNHCR¿s work.
- The country operation has systems and programmes in place to promote and undertake community-based protection actions that address the protection and assistance needs of populations of concern, including community development and cohesion.
- 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.
- National protection capacities are improved through direct engagement, research and advocacy with all relevant external interlocutors.
- Protection incidents and needs are immediately identified and addressed through direct intervention, advocacy and public exposure.

Responsibility
- Be fully informed about community structures and the protection and security situation of the population of concern and develop strong links with a cross-section of members of refugee/IDP/stateless communities, using an AGD approach.
- Through relationships with persons of concern and network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to senior management
- Ensure that the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the persons of concerns are reflected in the protection strategy, planning processes and operations plan 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.
- Ensure through direct action and advocacy with senior management that the necessary resources are allocated to enable community work to identify and address protection and assistance gaps.
- Facilitate a consultative process with government counterparts, partners and persons of concern to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education and SGBV.
- Provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners and implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on all community-based protection related issues.
- Coordinate the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related programming with implementing and operational partners guaranteeing that community-owned activities are integrated. 
- Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures
- Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among populations of concern, authorities and host communities.
- Maintain protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with persons of concern, host communities, local authorities and partners. In operations applying the humanitarian cluster system, ensure the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded in an AGD-compliant strategy which covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations. 
- Support senior management to ensure the protection strategy is fully integrated into the Country Operations Plan, the UN Development and Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the Humanitarian Country Team¿s common humanitarian action plan where applicable.
- Contribute to ensuring that the Protection team 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 and provide technical advice if necessary. 
- Ensure participatory, community-based protection and AGD approaches are included in, strategies and plans  in the country operation.
- Ensure community understanding of UNHCR's commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
- Support persons of concern to develop structures that enhance their participation and protection.

Authority
- Intervene with authorities on community-based protection issues. Negotiate locally and as appropriate with resettlement countries and countries of return on behalf of UNHCR.
- 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.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in International Development, Cultural Studies, Human Rights, International Social Work, Social Science, Political Science, Anthropology,  International Law or other clearly related disciplines plus minimum 6 years of  relevant professional experience of which 2 years in the field and 3 years in an international capacity. Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master¿s) plus 5 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 4 years of previous relevant work experience may also be accepted.
- Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Diverse field operational experience.
- Good IT skills including database management skills.
- Proven communication skills, both oral and written.
- Demonstrated knowledge of community communication and engagement approaches
- 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.
- Knowledge of additional UN languages.


This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR Protection Officer (Community-Based) 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. 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
M006L3 - Managing Resources Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X007L3 - Political Awareness Level 3
X008L3 - Stakeholder Management Level 3 <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 them – before deciding to apply- to read the country specific security and welfare country 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). Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care.

 

Staff after having applied to High Risk Duty Stations will have access to country specific information webinars with Field Safety Section (FSS) and Staff Welfare Section (SWS) colleagues and provided with a tool to test their psychological preparedness for serving in High Risk Duty Stations. Applicants who applied for a position in a High Risk country will receive, after the deadline for applications has expired, a joint invitation from the Staff Welfare Section (SWS) and the Field Safety Section (FSS) to participate in these webinars. During the Webinars, latest updates on security and well-being will be provided, and FSS and SWS will address questions raised by participants. Applicants are highly encouraged to benefit, when applicable, from all measures as they provide most up-to-date security and well-being information helpful to assess staff’s readiness to serve in a High Risk Duty Station. A Staff Welfare Officer will also be available, if and when required, to discuss with interested applicants the results of the psychological preparedness tool as well as readiness for assignment in High Risk Duty Stations.

 

In order to fulfil these responsibilities, the Protection Officer should possess diverse field experience working in a complex operation with a range of actors; knowledge and skills in International Development or related field with good knowledge of International Refugee Law.

The incumbent is expected to have proven knowledge and skills in Law, International Law and Social Sciences experience in UNHCR humanitarian operations in the field, ability to perform well under stressful conditions both in work and security related situations. High level knowledge of community communication and engagement approaches as well as good understanding of and 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. The UNHCR Dadaab Operation has experienced new developments with regard to increased politicization of the presence of refugees in Kenya, due to security concerns, and increased pressures on asylum space that has resulted in heighten repatriation of 77,764 Somalis back to Somalia since December 2014 and relocation of 4,949 non-Somali refugees to Kalobeyei, Kakuma.  The relocation is currently suspended due to the limited absorption capacity and services.

Most refugees arrived in Kenya in early 1990s due to civil war in Somalia and have since been living in the camps in a protracted situation with limited prospects for durable solutions. In addition to care and maintenance with water, shelter, healthcare, nutrition, hygiene, and food assistance through WFP, UNHCR provides protection services of legal assistance,  RSD, detention monitoring, protection against SGBV, civil documentation, birth registration, education and assistance and facilitation to voluntary repatriation. The UNHCR Dadaab Operation provides protection and assistance to approx. 208,800 refugees, in Fafi and Dadaab Districts of Garissa County, located in the remote north eastern region of Kenya bordering Somalia. The UNHCR Dadaab Operation comprises a camp complex of three refugee camps namely: Hagadera (73,936), Ifo (65,376) and Dagahaley (69,488). The profile of the registered refugee population is 96.4% Somali, 3.23% Ethiopian and the rest other nationalities. Female persons of concern represent 51% of the total population; and 58% of the population are children. Asylum seekers from Central and Southern Somalia are recognized on a prima facie basis; individual refugee status determination is undertaken for all other applicants for asylum. Currently, there are 1,264 asylum seekers awaiting refugee status determination at various stages in the adjudication process. The protection environment in Garissa County is characterized by a significant level of insecurity. As a result, humanitarian space is constrained and UNHCR¿s work is governed by stringent staff safety and security requirements. The town of Dadaab is located in the North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is in a semi-arid area and is mostly dry plus hot all year round. Staff members must be willing to visit and work in the refugee camps routinely. The UNHCR Sub-Office Dadaab is located amongst the three refugee camps (Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera), 80 km away from the Kenya-Somalia border. Due to the isolation of the duty station and ongoing security concerns, the duty station is categorized as hardship category `E¿ and ¿substantial¿ security level. The UN compound is surrounded by the Hesco fences and there is curfew in place from 6pm to 6am, when the external gate is closed. All movement outside the UN compound to and within the camps requires armed police escort. International staff has one week R&R break (Rest and Recreation) after every 6 weeks in the operational area. There are limited banking facilities at Dadaab with only one bank in which staff may open a bank account, and withdraw cash with certain debit/credit cards. 

Internet and communications networks are available at the compound. Dadaab is a security level 4 duty station.
The security situation continues to be a challenge in Dadaab and the Protection Officer (Community Based), needs to have undergone proper security training. Meanwhile, staff movements in the Dadaab Operations are restricted and all staff are obliged to adhere to security advisories.  Staying in the office compound is regulated by a curfew in effect during the night and the requirement to answer daily radio checks.

Field travel is subjected to military escort and candidates from certain nationalities may face additional constraints in regards to their movements in the field/camps, which may affect the quality of their delivery. It would be advisable to check with this office prior to applying. Remoteness, isolation and lack of entertainment in social life are the factors to be also considered prior to applying.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the September 2018 Compendium is Thursday 18 October  2018 (midnight Geneva time).