Protection Officer (Child)

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 (Child)

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Protection Officer (Child) will be supervised by a Senior Legal or Protection Officer. The incumbent will be working closely with the different protection teams and Child Protection staff in the office to establish multi-sectorial Child Protection prevention and response mechanisms. This will require overseeing and setting a strategic direction for UNHCR's overall child protection response in the region as part of UNHCR's broader protection programme. It entails provision of technical support and guidance to ensure that the programmatic content of the Child Protection response is sound, based on evidence and results-oriented.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT

Accountability

- UNHCR Country Office and staff are provided with appropriate technical advice regarding programme design and implementation, in line with the UNHCR Framework for the Protection of Children.
- UNHCR Country Office is supported in their aim to ensure refugee and IDP children have access to relevant national child protection services and programmes.
- Key organizational child protection priorities such as birth registration, best interest process and participation and empowerment of adolescents promoted.
- Coordination mechanisms with other relevant UN agencies and implementing partners as well as line ministries on Child Protection are established and advanced.

Responsibility

- Ensure that UNHCR's policy and operational interests in the area of child protection are actively represented.
- Oversee implementation of child protection programmes in the office, as articulated in the Response Plan and other relevant strategy documents, and when such documents are updated, review draft documents to ensure quality and coherence.
- Monitor child protection programme implementation in the office and provide technical guidance and support.
- Compile updates and analysis on child protection which highlight trends, programming gaps, in particular in relation to global strategic priorities.
- Assess capacity building needs in the area of the Child Protection, identify training opportunities and design and deliver trainings/workshops as required.
- Facilitate learning and identification of good practices and information sharing on the Child Protection, including on strengthening linkages with education, SGBV, gender, community-based protection, livelihood and shelter, among others.
- Support dissemination and implementation of the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action and other child protection tools and resources.
- Undertake missions to the field for guidance and support with a particular focus on child protection mainstreaming in the overall protection response.
- Ensure that operation has access to and is aware of latest child protection tools.
- Participate in existing relevant networks, working groups and initiatives, and where applicable seek to new partnerships which will strengthen the refugee and IDP Child Protection response, including the interagency Child Protection sub working group.
- Perform other relevant duties as required.

Authority

- Represent UNHCR with external counterparts including implementing partners, on issues relating to refugee and IDP Child Protection.
- Make recommendations with respect to programme orientation in the office and recommendations with respect to resource allocation and prioritization.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

- Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in in International Law, Human Rights, International Development, International Relations, Anthropology, Political or Social Science or related fields plus  minimum 6 years of job experience relevant to the function of which at least 2 in an international context. Experience working in emergency settings is an asset. 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.
- Minimum 2 years previous experience managing Protection related projects including managing Child Protection projects. Experience working on Child Protection in refugee and IDP emergencies is an asset.
- Thorough understanding of Child Protection prevention and response in displacement context.
- Training design and facilitation skills.
- Demonstrated capacities in RBM, including linking protection programs and budgets, and M&E as well as database management.
- Excellent knowledge English including excellent drafting skills in English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

- Another UN language an asset (Arabic preferable).
- Inter-agency coordination experience an asset.
- Experience using CPIMS or other protection data management systems an asset. 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
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X006L3 - Policy Development & Research 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.

 

Under the supervision of the Senior Community-Based Protection Officer and in close collaboration with the Senior Legal Officer and the SGBV focal point, the incumbent will supervise the different aspects of child protection activities and interventions in Syria. S/he will ensure that child protection is mainstreamed in all areas of support to IDPs and refugees taking into consideration age, gender and diversity principles. Sh/he will be expected to supervise approximately six staff.

In particular, the incumbent is expected to possess knowledge of international protection concepts for IDPs and refugees as well as related international legal frameworks as well as particular strong knowledge of operational child protection work (including case management, community-based child protection, BIA/BID processes) and international law on child protection. As capacity-building will be a major component of the incumbent¿s work in Syria, knowledge in training methodologies and delivery will be essential as well as good analytical, planning and drafting skills.

Generally, good interpersonal, networking and communication skills will be required while experience in working in an emergency operation/hardship duty station will be an asset. Working knowledge of Arabic would be desirable.

The incumbent will identify training needs in the area of child protection for UNHCR staff, partners, outreach volunteers and government authorities, and conduct relevant training and capacity-building activities. In addition, the incumbent will have oversight role for programmes on prevention and response of sexual and gender based violence and psychosocial support. The overall humanitarian situation remains extremely challenging. High levels of vulnerability are found across the country, fueled by ongoing displacement, widespread poverty, limited access to basic goods and services, and severed community ties. Insecurity and access challenges compound this vulnerability, particularly in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. As of mid-2017 and through early to mid-2018, the situation on ground has been characterized by a general consolidation of areas of control by the Government as the Government continues to takeover besieged areas back to its control. This change has induced some spontaneous self-organized return of IDP from within Syria and refugee retune from neighboring countries to areas where some level of stability have emerged.
Close to eight years into the crisis, the scale, severity, and complexity of needs across Syria remain deep. Over half of the country¿s population have fled their homes: 5.5 million people have sought refuge in the in neighboring countries in the region and beyond, and 6.2 million people are internally displaced, as of June 2018. The crisis has caused devastating loss of human lives and massive internal and external displacements. Basic infrastructure has been damaged/destroyed, public services have been disrupted, economic recession has accelerated while humanitarian space has shrunk and access to basic services/relief aid for significant portions of the population has become a serious challenge.  In addition, Syria continues to host refugees and asylum-seekers (46, 000 as of August 2018), mostly Iraqis whose situation has been severely impacted by the crisis. In general, all children in Syria including IDPs and refugees are exposed to different forms of protection risks ranging from separation from families and caregivers, child labour, lack of birth registration/legal documentation, abuse and exploitation (including SGBV), lack of access to education (with 1.75 million Syrian children are out of school and another 1.35 at risk of drop-out), forced recruitment to domestic violence and neglect. The absence of a well-structured national child protection system impedes on the delivery of protection and assistance to these children at risk. The incumbent will lead UNHCR¿s child protection programme for IDPs and refugees, which encompasses prevention and response interventions as well as capacity-building activities for partners, government actors and UNHCR staff. This programme forms part of the inter-agency response to IDPs with UNICEF leading the Child Protection Sub-Sector under the overall Protection and Community Services Sector led by UNHCR. In coordination with UNICEF and other partners, the incumbent will be responsible for the implementation of the child protection strategy under the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and to guide protection staff in the five field offices on the implementation of this strategy and UNHCR¿s related programme. The incumbent will further ensure that child protection activities are well integrated into UNHCR¿s overall protection, operations and solutions strategies. S/he will ensure that a system approach and community-based approach to protecting children of concern is adopted within the Syria operation, assess the risks and protection factors affecting girls and boys of concern to UNHCR and actively promote the participation of children and adolescents in participatory assessments carried in line with AGD principles S/he will also ensure that effective case management is in place for children at risk, including identification, best interest processes (BIA and BID), referral systems, follow-up and monitoring. In addition, the incumbent will contribute to Sector Child Protection Strategy and update SOPs and existing guidelines as necessary The present unstable security situation in Syria creates on-going pressures at work and in daily life as priorities are frequently upended for other urgent ad-hoc tasks. The incumbent should be prepared to work under such conditions and be able to manage stressful situations.

The position is based at the UNHCR Representation in Damascus. In view of the volatile security situation, international staff are accommodated in a designated hotel from which free movement is at times restricted. Travel of international staff in Syria is permitted only with armoured vehicles. While basic health facilities are available locally, more serious conditions will require treatment outside the country. Banking facilities are not available to international staff. UNHCR Syria operates in a very challenging security situation. As such, Damascus is classified as an E-category, non-family duty station with a UN security level 5 (high) and (currently) a four-week R&R cycle (to Amman).

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