Protection 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 incumbent of this position, Protection Officer (Mixed Migration), should be fully aware of the West African pattern of population movements both at the intra¿regional level and beyond - with a substantial number of people moving beyond the region, to North Africa and Europe. The incumbent should be familiar with the overall refugee and other persons of concern to UNHCR main protection issues in West Africa and particularly in Burkina Faso. He should as well as be familiar with the complexity and the root causes of mixed migration flows in most West Africa countries. The incumbent should be able to understand the challenges that countries of origin and countries of transit of migrants such as Burkina Faso are currently facing and the necessity to bridge alliance with all stakeholders with the view to build strong partnership in order to ease the way to solutions for refugees and migrants on the move. The incumbent should therefore possess a strong experience of interagency and multi-partners coordination as well as a good political awareness and analysis and a good experience of working with government partner on asylum issues in a context of mixed migration movements. The operation is stabilized with 24,394 refugees as of August 31, 2018. The majority is installed in two camps in the Sahel region (Mentao and Goudoubo camps) and the rest in border areas and in the two biggest cities of Burkina. Due to global financial challenges, the operation is gradually downsizing. 
Focus is put on livelihoods and self-reliance of refugees, as well as the Mixed Migration Project, including the installation of an Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM). Given the protracted situation of most refugees, one of the biggest challenges of the operation is to find appropriate durable solutions and progressively phase out while making refugees self-reliant and resilient enough to stop depending on UNHCR¿s assistance. 
Transition from emergency (2012/2013) to protracted refugee situation combined with the low level of financial resources, has resulted as well in the gradual reduction of the number of implementing partners. Burkina Faso has very basic infrastructures, including in the health sector.  In Ouagadougou, there are more than 20 health clinics, but only four recommended by the UN System.
Epidemics and other disease outbreaks are common in the operational area.
Ouagadougou is a family duty station and education is generally in French, however there is also  a US English school. Banking services available include more than five international banks among which two are recommended by the UN System (United Bank of Africa and Ecobank);
 
Hot and dry desert environment with high daylight temperature fluctuations.
In the field, due to security-borne restrictions, the office has built two well organized guest houses where all staff are advised to reside during field missions (in FU  Djibo and FO  Dori).
Housing in Ouagadougou is mainly individual houses and are easily available.  But most buildings are not well maintained and need repair.  Electricity is very expensive and a backup generator is recommended. The security situation in Burkina Faso has been continuously deteriorating with sporadic incursions and attacks in the northern part of the country, as well as the east and the south west. Sensitive security context could put certain nationalities, like white skin people (European, American or Asiatic) at risk. The Sahel region (Northern part of Burkina Faso, bordering Mali), our main operational area, is permanently facing terrorist activities, resulting to casualties and kidnappings. 
Although a C category family duty station, there is general criminality and banditry due to the prevailing security situation. French is the official working language.  Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.
Geographical diversity is most welcome.  Female candidates are encouraged, as it will be a good balance to the current staffing of the office.
The incumbent will be supervising one staff member at G6 level in Ouagadougou and another at NA level based in Bobo-Dioulasso.

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