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This vacancy is opened in the context of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) scheme sponsored by the Government of the USA and is addressed exclusively to candidates WITH THE US NATIONALITY ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT.

The incumbent will be part of the Protection Team and work under the direct supervision of the Senior Protection Officer. The protection team is composed by protection, community based protection and field protection, resettlement and registration staff and the incumbent will be working in close collaboration with all protection collegues and with programme staff for programmatic purposes. He/She will also liaise with and provide guidance in his/her relevant areas of expertise to partner organizations and government counterparts and to UNHCR relevant field offices staff.

Title of other international staff members in the operation: Representative, Senior Programme Officer, Senior Protection Co-ordinator, Livelihood Officer, Administrative Officer, Project Control Officer, Protection officer, Supply Officer, Associate Resettlement & Complementary Pathways Officer, Associate Field Officer, Associate Health and Nutrition Officer, Associate Program officer, Associate Registration officer, Associate Community Services officer, Associate Protection officer (Child protection and education) and Associate Liasion and Interagency Coordination officer, three Heads of field Offices, and currently 2 resettlement deployees as well as the team at the field office Kawambwa.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

UNHCR in Zambia has a Representation Office in Lusaka. Mayukwayukwa refugee settlement in Western Province is managed through the Field Office Solwezi (and through permanent presence of UNHCR affiliated workforce in Mayukayukwa settlements itself), and Meheba settlement, in the North Western Province, is also administered through the Field Office in Solwezi. Mantapala settlement, established in early 2018, is administered through the field office Kawambwa, in Luapula province.

The political situation in Zambia was stable in 2019 and the stability is anticipated to continue during the coming years. A new Refugee Act was enacted and passed by the parliament in 2017, the new Act contains some positive elements  as compared to the previous Act. Generally the Government commitment towards protection of refugees is positive and UNHCR enjoys good working relationship with the Government of Zambia.

The Zambia operation caters for three types of populations of concerns: asylum seekers, refugees of various nationalities but predominantly from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Somalia on the one hand and former refugees from Angola and Rwanda who refugee status ceased in 2012 and 2013 and who have been offered local integration in Zambia on the other hand.  The majority of refugees and former refugees (72,184 persons) in Zambia continue to reside in designated refugee settlements (Meheba, Mantapala and Mayukwayukwa) and over 14,000 individuals are allowed to stay in urban areas mostly in Lusaka and Ndola for medical, education and self-employment reasons. An additional estimated 12,404 ¿self-settled¿ refugees and former refugees reside in various urban areas across the country and are not in regular touch with UNHCR or with the office of the Commissioner for Refugees. In 2019, Zambia continued to receive a number of new arrivals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and few from Burundi. Those from the DRC are mainly  from the Haut Katanga, Tangyanaka and Kivu region.

Zambia is party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol but has entered reservations in regard to the right to employment (Art. 17.2), education (Art. 22.1), freedom of movement (Art. 26) and travel documents (Art. 28). However the new refugee Act shows some shifting in the reservations in the sense that the Act provides for right to self-employment and primary education. Zambia is also party to the 1969 OAU Convention Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, and it is under this Convention the majority of recognized refugees have been granted status.

The protection situation of recognized refugees in Zambia continues to be stable and favourable. UNHCR provides assistance to new arrivals and vulnerable refugees in the settlements to be self-reliant through  livelihood ventures tailored to their skills, capacities and specific needs. the livelihood ventures have increased the purchasing power of refugee households. Furthermore, UNHCR has introduced cash-based-interventions, instead of food distribution, in the two settlements targeting the very vulnerable refugees and new arrivals, and rolled this out in Mantapala in 2019.

UNHCR supports the RSD procedure conducted by the government, by participation in the RSDC (Refugee Status determination Committee in Lusaka), and through trainings and legal advice. Challenges relate to a high turn-over of staff on the committee, and the fact that (perceived) security concerns override legal analysis of claims. UNHCR with partners provides legal and material support for SGBV victims, safe havens as well as livelihood activities (the latter especially in case the perpetrator is member of the household/ breadwinner). Challenges remain in that victims are reluctant to report cases (in particular of SGBV within the family) and as a consequence a preference for settlements outside the legal system.  UNHCR and partners try to explore alternatives to the detention of refugees, in particular children, vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, building on some good practices already present in the country. UNHCR monitors the situation of detainees and brings their situation to the attention of the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees in the Ministry of Home Affairs  to ensure a speedy release and transfer to the settlements.

Zambia is a CRRF roll out country and the Mantapala settlement was established with this spirit in mind. It is an integrated settlement where refugees and local communities live side by side and benefit equaly from infrastructures put in place through humanitarian and development efforts (heatlth facilities, schools,¿). As Luapula is one of the least developped provinces of Zambia, these initiatives are welcomed by local authrothies and communities, however work needs to continue in areas of peaceful coexistence and development of self reliance of refugees, to facilitate better integration.

Resettlement of eligible refugees will continue in 2020 and beyond and the quotas are expected to rise from 200 (2020) to 1000 (2021). Resettlement countries (in particular the US) continue to provide the biggest resettlement quotas. Candidates for voluntary repatriation are very few, given that the countries they originate from are still encountering instability and sporadic clashes or insurgency.

In the area of local integration, UNHCR facilitated the issuance of residence permits to former Angolans and Rwandan refugees through financial support to individuals for the processing fees and capacity support to COR to compile all relevant documentation (alien¿s cards, application with pictures, etc.¿) UNHCR will continue to facilitate the documentation of the former refugees in 2021.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT.

Accountability (key results that will be achieved)

-Resettlement delivery in the country is needs-based, non-discriminatory and prioritized for refugees most in need of this solution.
-UNHCR¿s resettlement policies and standards are correctly and coherently applied.
-Persons of concern are made aware of UNHCR¿s resettlement procedures and have fair and transparent access to and participation in the resettlement process.
-Fraud in the resettlement process is prevented, promptly identified and addressed

Responsibility (process and functions undertaken to achieve results)

-Stay abreast of political, legal, social and economic developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
-Assist in implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for promoting the Resettlement of persons of concern as protection tool and durable solution in the context of comprehensive solution strategies.
-Assist in the development of country Resettlement/ Complementary Pathways strategy and annual Resettlement planning exercise.
-Assist in promoting and monitoring the implementation of UNHCR¿s global Resettlement policies, procedures and guidelines.
-Propose the development and enhancement of policy and guidelines for Resettlement practices.
-Assist in guiding and capacitating the country operation to prepare consistent and quality Resettlement submissions.
-Assist in monitoring resettlement activities to ensure progress against targets, transparency and efficiency in case submissions and appropriate follow-up with resettlement countries and other key stakeholders.
-Identify, interview, assess Resettlement needs, and process persons identified for Resettlement following established procedures; undertake field missions as required; provide counselling to individuals.  
-Assist selection missions by Resettlement countries to the country.
-Systematically apply an Age, Gender and Diversity perspective in all aspects of the resettlement process; comply with UNHCR policy and guidelines on HIV/AIDS.
-Assist in mitigating resettlement fraud through oversight (including in-country travel), advice and guidance.
-Assist the country operation with group resettlement procedures, including planning, profiling, logistical arrangements, verification and post-verification follow-up.
-Maintain regular contact and close cooperation with resettlement countries and partners to ensure effective resettlement delivery and adherence to adequate protection and resettlement standards.
-Participate, where appropriate, in country-level discussions with resettlement countries and partners.
-Assist in managing a process to ensure that persons of concern and partners receive up-to-date and accurate information on UNHCR¿s resettlement policies and procedures.
-Assist in the submission of up-to-date and accurate statistics, resettlement reports and needs assessments are submitted to management as required.
-Identify and recommend relevant training activities of UNHCR staff and implementing partners.
-Contribute to a communications strategy that generates support for UNHCR¿s operations from external partners.

Authority (decisions made in executing responsibilities and to achieve results)

-Decide and prioritize Resettlement interviews of persons of concern.
-Review submissions for resettlement.
-Represent UNHCR¿s Resettlement positions.
-Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, Resettlement standard operating procedures.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED. 

EDUCATION/QUALIFICATION:
-University degree in international law, international relations, political science, social sciences or related fields of discipline.
-Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

WORK EXPERIENCE:
-3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree, or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree, or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree in the areas of refugee protection, community based protection, community services, social work, education and human rights.
-Diverse field experience desirable.
-Ability to understand and implement UNHCR¿s policy and global strategic priorities, such as AGDM, IDP, Statelessness, and HIV/AIDS, in the area of responsibility at appropriate level.
-Good IT skills including database management skills.
-Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD- Resettlement Learning Programme will be an added advantage.
-Knowledge of additional UN languages.

SKILLS:
-Good IT skills including database management skills.
-Proven communication skills, both oral and written.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES. 

-Diverse field operational experience.
-Ability to establish and maintain good working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
-Understanding of and demonstrated competencies in forced displacement and   UNHCR protection issues, particularly --RSD and Resettlement REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Code Managerial Competencies                (

M001: Empowering and Building Trust
M002: Managing Performance

Code Cross-Functional Competencies      
X001: Analytical Thinking
X005: Planning and Organizing
X007: Political Awareness LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE

- Essential: English,     
- Desirable: working knowledge of another UN language 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
-Protection Induction Program
-RSD & Resettlement learning Program
-Best Interest of  the Child-Basic Principles and Procedures
-Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)

LEARNING ELEMENTS

The JPO will gain an intimate knowledge and understanding of UNHCR¿s protection mandate and related legal principles, policies and guidelines, in particular with regards to Resettlement

He/she will furthermore learn how to interact directly, on a daily basis with refugees and other persons of concern, as well as with partners and Government officials. Report writing, ad-hoc on specific cases and issues, or as part of periodic regular reporting requirements, will be an important part of the job as well. LIVING CONDITIONS AT THE DUTY STATION

Housing/accommodation: various types of accomodations available

Health care: available (medical evacuation may be considered for specialised and advanced treatments)

Educational facilities: international schools available

Security: Available 

Other (transports, banks, etc) various banking services available.
Various transport i.e Taxi/buses available PLease note that the closing date for this JPO advertisement is Wednesday 31 March 2021 (midnight Geneva time).