Protection Field Associate, LICA-6. La Cruz

- CANDIDATES MUST BE LEGALLY PRESENT IN COSTA RICA AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION, RECRUITMENT, AND HIRING.
- ONLY CANDIDATES WHO HAVE A PERMANENT RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMIT IN COSTA RICA WILL BE CONSIDERED ELIGIBLE.
- POSITION BASED ON LA CRUZ, GUANACASTE.
- Candidadtes must be able of undertake border monitoring missions to unofficial border crossing points, the two official entry points from Nicaragua (Peñas Blancas and Las Tablillas), the Migration Offices, the Migrant Transit Centre (CATEM) and transit centre including the Protocol Zones. Qualifications and Experience:

a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)
Completion of secondary school. Additional certificate/training in Law, Political Science or related field is required.


b. Work Experience (List number of years and area of required work experience. Clearly distinguish between required experience and experience which could be an asset.)
For Level 6 - 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher


c. Key Competencies
- Intermediate level in English and excellent working knowledge of local language. (Spanish, level C2)

Required Competencies:
- Judgement and Decision Making

Desirable Qualifications & Competencies:
- Good computer skills.
- Completed Protection Learning Programme. Purpose and Scope of Assignment:

- 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, reported and addressed including follow up actions with stakeholders
- 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.
- 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.
- Support in the implementation of UNHCR¿s protection strategy, including through capacity building initiatives with regards to key aspects of refugee protection, such access to territory and RSD process and access to basic services.
- Monitor, analyze and provide reports on the protection conditions for asylum seekers and other persons of concerns.
- Undertake border monitoring missions to unofficial border crossing points, the two official entry points from Nicaragua (Peñas Blancas and Las Tablillas), the Migration Offices, the Migrant Transit Centre (CATEM) and transit centre including the Protocol Zones.
- Enhance Protection for refugees by mainstreaming protection at local institutional networks.
- Draft, provide inputs and apply Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Manage individual protection cases including those on SGBV and child protection, persons of concern with specific needs. 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 local integration.
- 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.
- Identify protection gaps and implement the appropriate UNHCR response to protection concerns of asylum seekers and other persons of concerns.
- Assess the protection needs of populations of concern through individual interviews and participatory assessments.
- Support emergency response capacity by playing an active role in the CME¿s meetings and providing protection-sensitive guidance to the Government in its emergency preparedness and response plans and promoting inclusion of PoC in the local emergency response, under the responsibility of the Local Emergency Committee (CME).Play an active role in the CCCI, promote and ensure the inclusion of PoCs in all programs in communities
- Provide inputs for reports, including weekly, monthly, NCA, Key Situational/Operational Updates, SitRep, Facsheet, project proposals (if needed) and gather data and statistics.
- Liaise ( work and communicate) frequently with San Jose Protection colleagues.
- 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.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Monitoring and Progress Controls:

The protection associate will deliver a monitoring report every week. He/She will support all activities related to RSD and the UNHCR registry conducted on a daily basis and should send a weekly report of the number of PoC registered.
The Protection Associate should performed informative session and/or trainings to communities (PoCs/Host Communities) and authorities according with the 2022 work plan. He/She should send to program in timely manner support of activities conducted during the week and other documents (List of participants, NFF,etc) conducted to the protection unit in SJO/Upala and HoFo: photography, methods used during the activities (PowerPoint or others and it contents). She has to take part and conduct biweekly assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community-based approaches, and should deliver a report every two months.
He/she has to use a data collection of vulnerable profile cases identified and referred either to Fo Upala colleagues or partners. This report with disaggregated data on PoCs and their needs should be send every month and ensure its follow up. For cases of risk of refoulment it must be informed to both protection Units (SJO/Upala) during the day it was identified.
He/She will attend weekly meeting with Protection Unit in Upala to get/give relevant information to ensure the implementation of UNHCR¿s protection strategy including on livelihood to identify jointly opportunities on durable solutions in La Cruz; country-level child protection and education plan. And he/she will have a biweekly meeting with Protection Unit in SJO/Upala to inform on challenges, results and protection gap.
He/She should support emergency response capacity every CME1 session by providing protection-sensitive guidance to the Government in its emergency preparedness and response plans and promoting inclusion of PoC in the local emergency response, under the responsibility of the Local Emergency Committee (CME). Share the report of every meeting with to Protection Unit Upala.
All the above can change depending on the context. Adjustment will depend on Protection Unit Upala with Protection Unit SJO approval.
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== The Protection Associate normally reports to the FO Upala Associate Protection Officer and/or the Head of Field Officer. He/she 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 Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. 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.

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. HOW TO APPLY

External candidates:
- Candidates must submit their application through UNHCR's official application site:
- www.unhcr.org/careers.html
- click on Vacancies
- Look for Costa Rica
- Click on position you are interested  and follow the instructions
- To apply you must register in the upper right part of the page

- (In case of technical problems, please login with a different browser).

For any technical problems encountered during the online application, please contact the Global Service Desk (hqussd@unhcr.org) prior to the deadline to allow sufficient time to resolve the issues. For any questions regarding the selection process, please contact Human Resources (cossarrhh@unhcr.org).

CVs will not be accepted by email. ONLY THOSE APPLICATIONS SENT THROUGH THE SYSTEM WILL BE CONSIDERED.

We are committed to maintaining diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity and culture.  Persons belonging to minority groups, persons with special abilities, men and women, are encouraged to apply for vacancies. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

We do not confirm receipt of applications or report on the status of the process. Only qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview and possibly a written test.

Closing Date
Closing date for submissions or applications is 27 JANUARY, 2022;  17:00 hours (Costa Rica time).

No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees).