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Protection Officer

Monterrey

  • Organization: UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  • Location: Monterrey
  • Grade: Mid level - P-3, 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.

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.

 

¿ Knowledge of and capacity to apply International and National Law and relevant UNHCR protection standards.  
¿ Capacity to incorporate age, gender and diversity (AGD) analysis in the protection strategy, reflecting also Organization¿s global, regional and country level priorities.
¿ Ability to stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
¿ Sensitive political context requires ability to work collaboratively with government counterparts.
¿ Experience in implementing field protection at the point of delivery.
¿ Experience in protection monitoring and in situations of mixed migratory movements and management of protection-sensitive borders.
¿ Consensus teambuilding and cultural sensitivity needed as the team is diverse.
¿ Ability to devise with innovative and creative solutions to operational challenges.
¿ Excellent command of Spanish and English, written and spoken is essential.
¿ Previous experience in Latin America is highly desirable. UNHCR estimates that violence against PoC is underreported, and generally goes unpunished. An increasing number of PoC have required relocation due to security risks in the southern states, especially transgender women. Comprehensive protection services to PoC such as legal assistance, referrals in a dignified and confidential manner, prevention and response to SGBV, child protection, and psychosocial support, medical and psychiatric services are lacking in many locations. Although UNHCR has funded positions to provide legal and psychosocial support and is working closely with partners such as DIF, COMAR and UNICEF, this does not cover the overall needs. Mexico offers a favourable legal framework for the inclusion of refugees in public services and their local integration, both in socio-economic and legal terms. Refugees are issued a permanent residence card and a social security number and a population registration number (CURP), which permits access to public services. Refugees have access to the national education and health system and enjoy the right to work. Applications for naturalisation can be made by people from Latin America after two years of permanent residence. The procedure takes six months, is affordable and has simplified criteria applicable to refugees. A dynamic economy in central and northern states such as Coahuila, Jalisco, and Baja California complements this favourable legal framework. Chambers of commerce report thousands of vacancies in these States and are willing to cooperate with UNHCR and with partners in order to organize the relocation of refugees and facilitate job placement. While the legal framework and current economic conditions create the potential for successful local integration, careful planning, coordination and case support is essential. As a result, UNHCR is reinforcing efforts for local integration, offering vocational training and job placement programs in cooperation with the private sector. MONTERREY is the capital of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, a border state to the United States. Monterrey is an important industrial and commercial center, and the base of many international corporations.  It is one of the wealthiest cities in Mexico. Being this way, it has a high-level infrastructure:
Health ¿ Monterrey has a highly ranked medical infrastructure with some internationally acclaimed hospitals.
Education ¿ There are private schools. All private schools are bilingual (English-Spanish), and there are American, British and French schools.
Housing ¿ Apartments can be rented both furnished and unfurnished.
Entertainment ¿ Monterrey is the third most populous metropolitan area in Mexico. Therefore, it has a high demand and a high offer of entertainment: popular, classical, modern, etc.
Weather ¿ Monterrey frequently experiences extreme weather changes. It can be very hot during summer and cold during winter. The coldest months are January and February, and the hottest, April and May, although it is not always like that. Monterrey, too, is affected by the climate change.
For the rest of the information, Monterrey is a Mexican city and has the same status as the rest of the country.
Currency and exchange ¿ Mexican Peso. Dollars, Euros and traveler¿s checks can be exchanged at currency exchange offices.
Communications ¿ Internet is available almost everywhere, but in houses and offices, a contract has to be made in order to access to this service.
Transportation ¿ There are public buses. If taxis are to be taken, it is recommended to call an Uber. Monterrey belongs to Security Risk Management area 10, North West with the current General Threat Level 3, Moderate. There are no known direct threats to UNHCR, yet the UNHCR personnel may be affected by crime, to include: homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, highway robbery. Violent crime (kidnappings, extortions, homicides, sexual assaults, personal robberies, residential break-ins) and non-violent crimes (financial scams, vehicle thefts, petty drug crimes) continue to be a serious concern. Organized criminal elements (Cartels) contribute to the high level of criminal violence in the state. The UNHCR personnel must remain security aware at all times, apply personal security measures and avoid movement after darkness. There is no curfew in Monterrey, yet the incidence at night hours is high.  While on road missions, exercise caution and always obtain Security Clearance through UNDSS COSNU, road travel at night is restricted. Large-scale public demonstrations or strikes are uncommon in Monterrey, but occasional, nationally-organized protests do happen. UNHCR personnel should avoid areas of civil unrest.

Please note that the closing date for vacancies in the Addendum 4 is Thursday 28 February 2019 (midnight Geneva time)

This vacancy is now closed.
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