Senior Protection Assistant

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

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Senior Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff.

The Senior Protection Assistant provides quality, timely and effective protection support to persons of concern (PoC) and identifies opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and safeguards in operational responses. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on protection issues as guided by the supervisor.

The Senior Protection Assistant also ensures that PoC are involved 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.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
- Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. 
- Provide counselling on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Support activities in protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Conduct preliminary information gathering and interviews in support of eligibility, status determination, durable solutions and social needs assessment.
- 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 for PoC as part of the protection strategy. 
- Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Participate in individual protection case management including cases of GBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
- Assist in identifying durable solutions for PoC in 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.
- Draft reports, routine correspondence, update relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities.
- Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share.
- Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
G5 - 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
Not applicable

Certificates and/or Licenses
International Law;
Political Science;
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential: Not specified.
Desirable: Not specified.

Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. 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. Please also note that Arabic and 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.
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== Lebanon remain the country with the largest per capita population of persons in the world. The Mount Lebanon Sub-Office covers an area of operation with over 200,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers. The 2021 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon (VASyR 2021) found 88% of households lived below the Survival and Minimum Expenditure Basket. The 2021 VASyR also found 5% of children engage in child labor to cope, this figure has risen year over year since 2019.

The Senior Protection Assistant is a member Protection Unit in Mount Lebanon Sub-Office and reports to the Assistant Protection Officer for Child Protection and Gender-Based Violence (GBV). S/he monitors child protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to programme staff. The Senior Protection Assistant is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of specific populations of concern (e.g., children, women, marginalized groups including members of LGBTI community). The incumbent is responsible for implementation of Best Interests Procedures for children at risk in their area of responsibility, under the guidance of the supervisor. S/he identifies opportunities to mainstream Child Protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. The Senior Protection Assistant also ensures that persons of concern under area of responsibility 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. Interested qualified Group 1, Group 2 and external candidates meeting the requirements of the Job Description posted online can apply as follows no later than 24 January 2022 Midnight Geneva Time.