Prot 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.

Protection Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The Protection Officer is a senior member of the protection team in a Country or Sub-Office and may, depending of the size and structure of the Office, be Head of the Protection Unit. He/she may report to the Senior Protection Officer, 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 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 local or 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 doctrine and policy.

The Protection Officer 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 function of the position 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.
- Protection incidents are immediately identified and addressed through direct intervention, advocacy and public exposure.

Responsibility
- Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
- Facilitate 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; Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) priorities with regard to these persons.
- In operations applying the Cluster Approach, seek to ensure the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded in a 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.
- 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.
- Implement 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 and manage 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 (civil documentation, in particular birth certificates).
- Oversee and undertake eligibility and status determination ensuring compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.
- Promote and implement effective measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
-  Develop and implement a country-level education plan and ensure partnerships are forged with the Ministry for Education, UNICEF and other partners as appropriate.
- 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.
- Contribute to and facilitate 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 Senior Protection Officer, Assistant Representative Protection or the Representative. 
- Chair protection coordination meetings, including Protection Cluster meetings 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.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in Law, International Law, political Sciences or related field with good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law plus minimum 6 years relevant professional experience of which 2 years in the field. 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 experience desirable.
- Good IT skills including database management skills.
- Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD- esettlement Learning Programme.
- Knowledge of additional UN languages.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR 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. 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
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
M006L3 - Managing Resources Level 3
X004L3 - Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3
X007L3 - Political Awareness 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.

 

The Protection Officer will report directly to the Senior Protection Officer and will supervise a team of 7 staff members: one Associate RSD/RST Officer and a RSD officer under ICMC deployment, and the following national staff:
- One Protection Associate covering detention, stateless, liaison with government authorities
- One Snr. Repatriation Assistant, covering refugee returnees and Rafha caseload
- One Snr. Protection Assistant, covering refugee hotline, protection counseling and referrals
- Two Snr. Registration Assistants, managing registration of refugees and asylum-seekers,  maintaining ProGres database and providing statistical reports In addtion, the Protection Officer will have the following responsibilities:
- Overseeing RSD and RST activities in South-Center including review of RSD cases and approval of RST referrals
- Intervening in individual cases with specific needs in need of referrals and follow ups
- Overseeing Registration activities to ensure continuous registration process and overseeing verification process
- Intervention in detention cases directly and through UNHCR's legal partner
- Providing updates on situation of refugees in South and Center, in particularly situation updates of Palestinian caseload
- Providing inputs for the COP, Mid-Year and End-Year reports and other relevant documents Iraq continues to face multiple humanitarian crises with longstanding tribal and religious divisions further exacerbated by recent armed conflict, which had displaced over 5.8 million people. The Government of Iraq (GoI) declared in December 2017 it had regained control of all Iraqi territory from extremists. However, the needs of the displaced population remain high with some 1.9 million displaced persons and nearly 4 million returnees, although these figures do not take into account secondary displacement or re-admittance to camps where return was not possible or sustainable.  In addressing the needs of IDPs in Iraq, UNHCR leads the Protection, Shelter/NFI (non-food items ¿ also known as Core Relief Items or CRIs), and Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) clusters. UNHCR is also co-leading, with UN Habitat, the Working Group on Sustainable Solutions for IDPs within the Recovery and Resilience Programme (RRP) for Iraq.
Many families continue to face constrained access to basic services and security and protection risks while contending with destroyed properties and critical infrastructure, and the lack of livelihood opportunities and financial resources. The security and protection environment remains volatile, marked by serious protection risks for displaced Iraqis and returnees, including unlawful and disproportionate restrictions on access to safety and freedom of movement, abduction and illegal detention, forced encampment, forced and premature returns, lack of documentation limiting the enjoyment of rights and access to services, and increased risk of sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) and child protection issues. Interventions require continued support to the displaced population and extensive reconstruction to allow for sustainable return. A comprehensive reconciliation programme led by the GoI is needed to address ongoing protection concerns, including for persons with perceived affiliations with extremists. Without timely interventions to stabilise and rehabilitate affected areas and efforts to address underlying disputes, peaceful re-integration and stability in areas of returns are likely to be jeopardized, thereby risking another cycle of violence.
Despite the political, economic and security challenges in the country, Iraq also hosts over 292,000 refugees and asylum seekers (as of 31 August). As a result of the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Syria, Iraq hosts over 248,000 Syrian refugees, with 97% living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I), of which 63% live in urban, peri-urban and rural areas and 37% live in camps. Durable solutions for the 44,000 refugees and asylum seekers of other nationalities (primarily Turkish, Iranians, Palestinians, and Sudanese) are extremely limited, many of whom are in protracted situations.
UNHCR collaborates with authorities in the Central Government and the KR-I to assist refugees and asylum-seekers, and on statelessness prevention and response. Through the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), UNHCR leads the humanitarian response for Syrian refugees in coordination with authorities. UNHCR leads the Protection, Shelter and Basic Needs/Non-Food Items sectors, and co-leads Health with WHO and WASH with UNICEF. WFP leads Food Security, UNICEF leads Education, and UNDP leads Livelihoods. The UNHCR Office and accommodation for international staff are located in the International Zone (IZ), also called the International Green Zone.  Staff cannot leave the IZ and all movements are in armored vehicles except for approved missions and travel to/from the airport.  It is a 10 square km area of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental center of the Coalition Provisional Authority and remains the center of the international presence in the city. The contrasting Red Zone refers to parts of Baghdad immediately outside this secure perimeter.
DIWAN ¿ all UN offices are located in the Green Zone ¿ the UN Compound, also known as Diwan.  The accommodation compound called D2 forms part of the larger Diwan complex, while the second compound is called Tamimi, some 4 km/10 minutes away
The Tamimi rooms are container type structures of about 16m2 with a separate toilet and shower They are small but convenient and fully equipped (TV, fridge, double bed, desk, etc).  Bedlinen and towels and are in the room.  The rooms are cleaned 6 days a week.
Food is available in the mini market in D2 or in local shops in the IZ. In both Diwan and Tamimi compound there is a cafeteria (DFAC) which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Acts of extremism and terrorism continue to be registered and will continue to be so in the immediate to short term periods (Q 2 and Q3 2018) reflecting the complex security challenges the country and humanitarian programmes continue to experience. This is being confirmed by asymmetric attacks conducted by ISIS in different Governorates.
Military skirmishes continue to be registered in several governorates and along the Disputed Inland Boundaries (DIBs) but those are limited in duration and intensity. Politically, there has been little traction and motivation at reducing the divide between Baghdad and Erbil. Although the politically driven issues remain far from being resolved there appears to be an appreciable effort by the Iraqi authorities at returning the affected areas to normalcy, a critical dynamic in assuring and enabling humanitarian responses and actions. External national interest influences will continue to manifest within country. The Islamic State (IS) continues to remain potent and has shown exceptional resilience and capacity to project force and execute attacks in areas that had previously been declared secured. Although monthly incidents have fluctuated, casualties remain consistently high in the first quarter of 2018 underlining the fluidity and unpredictability that staff have to contend with. Gains by the ISF have resulted in expanded humanitarian latitude and coverage in supporting dislocated populations. This posture will be maintained and may register positive and greater marginal shifts in in latter part of 2018. The conduct of operations will become progressively permissive as the GoI expands and consolidates its stability and recovery efforts (as law and order postures improve Key threats still remain collateral from the ongoing armed conflict, sectarian-driven violence, Improvised Explosive devices (IEDS, both body and vehicle borne), civil unrest, kidnapping and ransom and general crime. These security threat issues are anticipated to be carried through 2018. The current month is going to have some challenges in appointing a Prime Minister after approving the results of the elections and then forming the new government. The country is getting through a political crises related to continuous demonstrations due to the lateness of elections results announcement and also lack of services. This month In Basra the demonstrations turned violent and the Governorate building was ransacked. In addition, the Iranian consulate was burned, and many offices of parties were attacked and burned. At the same time the Green Zone was hit by four mortars during the second weekend of this month; no casualties were reported. However it was seen an act to deliver political message.
The country is getting through a political crises related to continuous demonstrations due to the lateness in appointing Prime Minister and also lack of services. The situation is making ISF stretching more than normal and put more burdens on them. Staff serving in Iraq operation are entitled for R&R according to ICSC approved R & R cycles. R & R cycle is 4 weeks for Baghdad.
All international staff assigned to Iraq are required to undertake a 3-day mandatory SSAFE (Safety and Security Approaches in a Field Environment) course. Except for the city of Erbil, you cannot travel anywhere in Iraq without the SSAFE certificate provided at the end of the training. In case of assignments to locations other than Erbil, initial travel is possible however SSAFE must be undertaken in the first 30 days.
If one has conducted an SSAFE course with in the last three years there is no need for attendance.  He/she is only required to attend the FSCO's briefing on arrival.

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