Assistant Protection Officer

Interested applicants should consult the Administrative Instruction on Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS).

Applicants must be nationals of, and be locally recruited within the country of their employment.

Assistant Protection Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Assistant Protection Officer reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. Depending on the size and structure of the Office, the incumbent may have supervisory responsibility for protection staff including community-based protection, registration, resettlement and education. S/he provides functional protection guidance to information management and programme staff on all protection/legal matters and accountabilities. These include: statelessness (in line with the campaign to End Statelessness by 2024),  Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) commitments, age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP) through community-based protection, Child protection, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response, gender equality, disability inclusion, youth empowerment, psycho-social support  and PSEA, registration, asylum/refugee status determination, resettlement, local integration, voluntary repatriation, human rights standards integration, national legislation, judicial engagement, predictable and decisive engagement in situations of internal displacement and engagement in wider mixed movement and climate change/disaster-related displacement responses. S/he supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards.

The Assistant Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC), ensuring that operational responses in all sectors mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. The incumbent contributes to the design of a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the Organization externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. S/he also ensures that PoC are meaningfully engaged in the decisions that affect them and support programme design and adaptations that are influenced by the concerns, priorities and capacities of them. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection.


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
- 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 PoC.  
- Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Conduct eligibility and status determination for PoC in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles. 
- Promote and 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.
- Provide inputs for the development of protection policies and standards within the AoR.
- Implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
- Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
- Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for the resettlement of individuals and groups of refugees and other PoC.
- Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy with sectorial and/or cluster partners.
- Contribute to and facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems. 
- Assist capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
- Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
- Assist the supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
- Assist the supervisor in enforcing compliance of staff and 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.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law, International Law, Political Sciences 
or other relevant field.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified;
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles

Desirable
Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD- Resettlement Learning Programme.

Functional Skills
*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
MG-Project Management
PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards
PR-International Humanitarian Law
PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation
PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement
CO-Drafting and Documentation
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.



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. All shortlisted applicants will be required to sit for a test for this Job Opening
========================================================================================================
See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== Operational context Assistant Protection Officer - Jamjang

The Assistant Protection Officer will directly report to the Protection Officer (Community-based) in Sub-Office Jamjang. The incumbent will be a member of Protection Unit.  The Assistant Protection Officer duties will include implementation of UNHCR¿s protection and solutions strategy for persons of concern, including GBV and child protection. S/he will support activities in the area of risk management related to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and data protection, and facilitate inter-sectoral linkages with education, livelihoods/economic inclusion, WASH and public health, among others. The incumbent also ensures that persons of concern 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.

The candidate should have:
¿ Good knowledge on Protection including Best Interests Procedures, GBV, Community- based protection and AGDM.
¿ Organization/planning skills,
¿ Demonstrated ability to find gaps to come up with practical solutions,
¿ Good drafting and reporting skills
¿ Negotiation and communication skills
¿ Teamwork and coordination, good training skills and be conversant with RBM approach.

Desirable:
Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of position such as PLP, CBP, GBV and BIP.

Current Situation:
Since 15 December 2013, more than 1.5 million people were displaced in South Sudan due to growing violence between government and opposition forces. The UN declared the crisis a Level 3 Emergency, leading the humanitarian community, including UNHCR, to ramp up the aid response.  The conflict that broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People¿s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in Sudan¿s South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in June and September 2011 led to widespread displacement of civilians, most of whom fled to Unity State in South Sudan.

Despite the extended unilateral ceasefire declarations by the Sudanese Government and SPLM-N, Sub-Office Jamjang continues to receive new arrivals from Sudan. Most refugees claim to have left South Kordofan for mixed reasons including food insecurity, lack of health facilities and education opportunities in South Sudan. As of 30 April 2022, UNHCR SO Jamjang is assisting 125,364 refugees of which, 32277 are in Yida Settlement, 47340 in Ajuong Thok and 47528 in Pamir camps. Children represent 61% of the total population.

Living conditions:
Jamjang is located in Ruweng Administrative Area, in South Sudan and located around 1,000 km north from Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The climate of Jamjang is relatively hot (December to March) with heavy rains during rainy season (April to November). There are Primary Health Care Centres in the two refugee camps as well as state hospital in Panrieng serving both refugees and host community where basic medical attention could be obtained in case of emergency. Medical travel to Juba may be required and authorized upon the referral in case of serious illness.
Zain mobile telephone network and VSAT/internet-based voice calls e.g. WhatsApp (within the office compound) are available. Limited choice of foods, vegetables and fruits are mostly not available, no operational banks available. All staff members at the Jamjang Sub Office reside in the office/ Guesthouse compound, in self-contained accommodation at a cost sharing basis. A relatively well-equipped gym and TV are in accommodation compound. UNHAS flights (three times per week) are available between Jamjang and Juba.

Security situation:
In Jamjang, current UN Security Level is assessed as Level-4 (Substantial), while armed conflicts and crime assessed as High, civil unrest-substantial, Hazards-Medium and Terrorism remains Low. UN Curfew is in force from 09:00 PM to 06:00 AM in Jamjang. International staff must request and receive security clearance for official and non-official travel. BSAFE- UN online course and SSAFE Training are mandatory. Wearing PPE may be required in some field locations occasionally.
During rainy season, road movements are difficult and at the same time UNHAS flights may have difficulty in landing at the airstrip.  There may be last-minute cancellations due to poor weather conditions or for any other reasons.  Staff member may, therefore, wish to plan outward journeys out of Juba with this in mind.
Rubber boots or covered shoes are advisable to wear, especially during rainy season. It is advisable to bring a good medical kit with medicines, pain killers, mosquito or insect repellent, shampoo, bath soap/gel and personal toiletries. The closing date for receipt of applications is 31 May 2022.