Associate Registration Officer

This vacancy is advertised in the frame of the US JPO Programme and is only open to candidates with US nationality. ROPAN and the offices it covers in Northern Central America (NCA) are implementing a complex emergency resettlement operation directly from country of origin, for cases at high risk, called the Protection Transfer Arrangement. The management of this programme requires that cases identified by partners are registered and referred to UNHCR for consideration and possible interview, before being cleared by the regional office and proposed to resettlement countries, mainly the USA. In order to reduce processing times and speed up the referrals, as well as in to be able to better evaluate the programme and fine tune it, it is imperative that proper registration of all cases occurs in harmonized fashion across all three countries, preferable using ProGres. To date, this has not been possible, and a dedicated human resource would be fundamental to push this forward. In addition, a dedicated registration capacity will be able to centralize information on all of our individual case management work in NCA, include our counselling and support to internally displaced persons, and other persons with protection needs.

The Associate Registration Officer assists in the management and oversight of UNHCR¿s registration procedures as well as related activities in the operation. The Associate Registration Officer is normally supervised by the Registration Officer. The Associate Registration Officer assists with the development and implementation of an operation-specific registration strategy in compliance with the overall protection objectives of the office, to ensure that registration is effectively used for the identification of specific protection needs, for the management of operations, and for the achievement of durable solutions.

The Associate Registration Officer may provide day-to-day supervision, direction and support to UNHCR staff engaged in Registration and related activities (including Reception, Filing and Data Management staff), and monitors the efficiency and quality of registration processes, identity and entitlement documentation activities and population data management.
The Associate Registration Officer collaborates closely with Protection, Programme, Operational Data Management and Information Management colleagues as well as with Government authorities and partners on the provision of quality population data for the delivery of targeted protection or assistance interventions and programming and planning.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT.

Accountability

- The operation has sufficient support to ensure a clear and coherent Registration strategy which reflects UNHCR's country, regional and global priorities and objectives.
- UNHCR's Registration Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are implemented in accordance with relevant UNHCR standards and policies.
- Persons of concern have fair and transparent access to registration procedures.
- The integrity of UNHCR's registration procedures is ensured and refugee identities are secured over time through the implementation of case management and identity management tools.
UNHCR's population database (proGres) is maintained to a high standard and remains a reliable, trusted source of personal information and protection needs of persons of concern to UNHCR.

Responsibility


- Assist in the development of appropriate registration strategies and methodologies for populations of concern in compliance with the protection strategy of the operation and ensuring that registration standards are met.
- Assist in the design, implementation and revision, as required, of operation-specific SOPs for all aspects of registration in accordance with applicable standards and policies, including provisions for the protection of individual data and prevention and identification of fraud.
- Contribute to the design and implement appropriate procedures and systems for the assurance of quality registration data through continuous registration and verification exercises, including in the securing and distribution of identity and entitlement documents.
- Conduct regular data quality and audit checks to monitor the accuracy of data collected as well as a tool for identification and prevention of fraud.
- Develop and maintain information campaigns and processes to ensure that persons of concern, Government authorities and partners have accurate information on registration procedures, including UNHCR standards, policy and practice.
- In cooperation with Protection staff, contribute to the design, implementation and monitoring of procedures for the identification and referral of persons of concern with specific needs who may require follow up protection interventions.
- Liaise with Government authorities and partners as necessary for the delivery of material and cash-based assistance and other programming and protection needs.
- In cooperation with Operational Data Management and Information Management staff, ensure the standardized and timely dissemination of reports and statistics on persons of concern.
- Contribute to training and internal capacity building of UNHCR staff in registration methodologies, technologies and standards.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Authority

- Enforce compliance by UNHCR staff engaged in registration and related activities with UNHCR standards, policies and operation-specific SOPs for all aspects of the registration operation.
- Represent UNHCR with relevant external partners in-country, as applicable.
- Draft and submit reports and statistics related to registration.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED. 

EDUCATION/QUALIFICATION:
Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master's) obtained in a recognised institution (listed under www.whed.net), plus minimum 2 years of relevant professional work experience. An undergradute degree (equivalent of a Bachelor's) plus 3 years or a Doctorate degree (equivalent to a PhD) plus 1 year may also be accepted.

Fields: Information Technology or Social Sciences, International Relations, Law or or other clearly related fields.

WORK EXPERIENCE:
- Prior experience in registration or individual case management,  in refugee and internal displacement situations.
- Strong understanding of the principles of and concepts of international protection and UNHCR.

SKILLS: Excellent computer skills, particularly in data management.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES. 

- Training in registration, operational data management or information management desirable.
- Familiarity with planning, programming and implementation of registration operations at the field level an asset. Managerial Competencies

M001: Empowering and Building Trust
M003: Judgement and Decision Making

Cross-Functional Competencies

X001: Analytical Thinking
X003: Technological Awareness
X005: Planning and Organzing LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE

- Essential: English, Spanish
- Desirable: Working knowledge of any other UN language ( French, Chinese, Russian or Arabic) SUPERVISION: The JPO will be under the direct supervision of the manager indicated under `Supervisor title and position number¿.  The supervisor will be responsible for the performance evaluation of the JPO. The manager will also ensure that the JPO is provided a thorough induction and orientation briefing, followed by on-the-job training as well as continuous guidance for training/learning opportunities throughout the assignment. In support to the manager, the JPO Unit provides the Supervisory Guidelines upon recruitment/reassignment of the JPO. TRAINING COMPONENTS AND LEARNING ELEMENTS

TRAINING COMPONENTS:
- Mandatory training courses:
1. Basic Security in the Field (NB: needs to be retaken every 3 years)
2. Advanced Security in the Field  (NB: needs to be retaken every 3 years)
3. Protection Induction Programme (PIP)
4. UN Course on Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority
5.    Orientation to IPSAS

- Recommended training courses

ODM Module 7 ¿ Registration
ODM Module 8 - Principles of proGres
ODM Module 9 ¿Profiling Populations
Operational Data Management Learning Programme (ODMLP)


LEARNING ELEMENTS

During the assignment, the incumbent will learn how to implement Standard Operational procedures for the registration field of work under the guidance of the protection officer. The incumbent will also learn to coordinate the inputs from different offices and present them in an appropriate format. The JPO will learn the office dynamics of a multi country office and will be able to put in practice the principles of a population profiling in the context of the Central American Emergency. Quality of data will also be key and during the assignment, the JPO will develop enhanced skills in its monitoring, will learn how to combat fraud and how to prepare accurate statistics with the proper tools and methods. LIVING CONDITIONS AT THE DUTY STATION

Housing/accommodation: Available

Health care: Available

Educational facilities: Available

Security:Low risk

Other (transports, banks, etc): Available Please note that the closing date for applications for this position is Sunday 7 April (midnight Geneva time).