Protection Assistant (UNOPS, LICA-4), Elias Piña, Dominican Republic

Title: Protection Assistant, Individual Contractor (UNOPS)
Contract type: Local ICA
Contract level: LICA-4 (GS 4)

IMPORTANT NOTE: This position is advertised to internal and external applicants. Candidates must be legally present in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at the time of application, recruitment and hire. Only Dominican candidates and candidates holding a valid work permit and valid residence in Dominican Republic will be considered eligible..

General Background
UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 125 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions. Under the supervision of the Protection Officer, the Protection Assistant will perform the following functions:
1. Conduct border monitoring activities, actively participating in the identification of PoCs at the Elias Piña  border point;
2. Provide legal and humanitarian assistance to PoCs at the Elias Piña border point;
3. Manage individual cases, monitor and intervene in cases of detention and other protection incidents.
4. Improve referral channels to state institutions and other UN Agencies and support immediate responses to urgent protection needs identified in the field when required;
5. Contribute to providing support and technical advice to the authorities and counterparts to ensure an effective implementation of Law 169-14 and the national legislation on asylum, and prevent deportations/¿refoulement¿ of PoCs to Haiti;
6. Carry out field missions aimed at gathering and verifying information on PoCs needs and vulnerabilities;
7. Conduct capacity development workshops and formative meetings for other UN Agencies, relevant authorities, institutions and NGOs, to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures;
8. Support the interventions made by the UNHCR office in Santo Domingo aimed at the identification, registration and legal/humanitarian assistance of PoCs in the field;
9. Keep abreast of political, social, economic and cultural events that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team and management;
10. Collect disaggregated data on PoCs and their needs and draft qualitative and statistical reports as well as routine correspondence, while maintaining UNHCR data bases up to date;
11. Keep a detailed control of activities and the results obtained in line with the established work plan;
12. Assist in the organization of participatory assessments, guaranteeing an AGD (Age, Gender and Diversity) approach;
13. Perform other related duties as required.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls

The performance of the Protection Assistant will be monitored and periodically evaluated according to the quality of the tasks carried out, in line with the assignments described in the previous section and the approved individual work plan, and in agreement with global protection policies and UNHCR standards.

In this sense, it will also be evaluated:
(i) Respect of the UNHCR Code of Conduct,
(ii) Adherence to the security protocols of UNHCR and United Nations, and
(iii) Participation in training activities provided by UNHCR, particularly through the Learn and Connect platform.

Qualifications and Experience
a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)
- Bachelor¿s Degree in Law, Political Science or similar studies;
- Fluency in Spanish. Knowledge of English, French and/or Creole is considered an advantage;

b. Work Experience
- Minimum 2 years of previous work experience with state institutions, UN Agencies or civil society organizations.
- Experience dealing with persons affected by the Constitutional Court Ruling 168-13 and/or beneficiaries of Law 169-14 is considered an advantage;

c. Key Competencies
¿ Computer knowledge: Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
¿ Availability to travel to the field including rural areas within the Dominican Republic;
¿ Analytical and creative thinking skills to quickly identify problems, find and implement solutions;
¿ Ability to work independently and proactively in situations that require flexibility;
¿ Leadership and teamwork skills;
¿ Strong interpersonal and effective communication skills;
¿ Ability to work in an international and multicultural environments;
¿ Ability to work with vulnerable populations;
¿ Ability to execute UNHCR's mandate in accordance with the principles of respect, neutrality, impartiality and transparency in front of the authorities and other actors. IMPORTANT NOTE:
Persons interested in applying for this position must be legally present in the Dominican Republic at the time of application, recruitment and hire.
candidates must have legal residence with valid work permission in the Dominican Republic or the duration of the contract.

Applications will be accepted only via the online portals. Please do not send application via email. Incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For any technical problems during the submission of application or any further information, please send an email to domsaadm@unhcr.org

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).
UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicants to apply. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities.
UNHCR is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms gender, disability, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, UNHCR reopened its office in the Dominican Republic to provide coordination and humanitarian response to the thousands of people who came seeking International Protection. Since 2014, UNHCR has also been accompanying the Dominican authorities to achieve the effective implementation of Law 169-14, finding document and nationality solutions for people of concern in line with our mandate, as well as strengthening the national Asylum System.

The Protection Assistant reports to the Associate Protection Officer. The Protection Assistant is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC) and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. S/he contributes to the comprehensive protection strategy and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection, guided by the supervisor. The 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. The closing date for submission of application is Thursday, 2 June 2022 (Midnight Geneva time).