Re-advertisement: Protection Associate

This Job Opening is available to eligible UNHCR staff members and external applicants. Protection Associate

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Protection Associate reports to the Assistant Protection Officer or the Associate Protection Officer.  He/she monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to different sectors at the Field Office. .

The Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern through outreach visits and coordination meetings at the district level. He/she is expected to identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors, including through organizing and delivering trainings to build the capacity of UNHCR and partner staff and other entities as applicable.  He/she contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. In this regard, he/she is expected to provide guidance and support to partners, particularly in relation to protection monitoring, in coordination with the Programme staff.

The Protection Associate also ensures 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, local authorities and protection and assistance partners. He/she is expected to work closely with Outreach Volunteers to improve the identification of and response to the needs of refugees while taking part in the effort to ensure the dissemination of information and updates within the community.


FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT

Accountability

- The protection of populations of concern is met through the application of International and National Law, relevant UN/UNHCR protection standards and IASC principles.
- Protection activities are guided by the UNHCR country protection strategy.
- The participation of persons of concern is facilitated through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community based approaches.
- Protection incidents are immediately identified and reported.

Responsibility

- Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
- Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to persons of concern.
- Provide advice on protection issues to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination for persons of concern.
- Contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
- Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy.
- Contribute to a country-level education plan as part of the protection strategy.
- Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Manage individual protection cases including those on SGBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
- Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of persons of concern through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
- Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Contribute to effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.

Authority

- Prioritize persons of concern for interview, counselling and propose protection support for individual cases.
- Enforce compliance of local implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
- Submit individual payments request for persons of concern for approval. 

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

- Education: Completion of secondary school.  Additional certificate/training in International Law, Political Science or related field is required.
- Job experience: Relevant to the function: 6 years.
- Fluency in English and working knowledge of another relevant UN language or local language.

(In offices where the working language is not English, excellent knowledge of UN working language of duty station and working knowledge of English).

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

- Good computer skills.
- Completed Protection Learning Programme. Please also note that Arabic & English are essential for this Job Opening. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.  Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for written test and/or oral interview.

UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. UNHCR has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and sexual harassment. Successful candidates will be subject to mandatory UN Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment clearance check prior to receiving an offer. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees). All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. Interested qualified internal and external candidates meeting the requirements of the Job Descriptions posted online can apply as follows no later than 27 February 2020 Midnight Geneva Time.