Snr Community-Based Prot Asst (TA)

This position is advertised open to Group 1, Group 2, if applicable,  and external applicants.

Title of Position: Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant
Position Number: 10033987
Category & Level: General Services, G5
UNHCR Solanda, Ecuador
Effective date: 1 September 2022
Duration: 2 months, with possibility of extension
(upon medical clearance, references and vaccinations check)

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

A) English is desirable.
B) A technical test may be administered to shortlisted candidates.
C) Foreign candidates, to be considered eligible for this position, must have a temporary or permanent residence in Ecuador that allows them to carry out work activities in the country.
D) Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or
as an intern is subject to proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, independently of contract type and duration. The recommended candidate(s) will be required to provide the proof of vaccination prior to recruitment.
E) If you wish to be considered for this EXTERNAL vacancy, please submit your application according to the following instructions:

- Candidates with access to the MSRP system, please submit your application through:
MSRP ¿ Self-Service ¿ Recruiting ¿ Careers ¿ Ecuador ¿ Snr Community-Based Protection Assistant G5 TA Quito


- External candidates (candidates who do NOT have access to the MSRP system), please submit your application through UNHCR's official site for applications:
www.unhcr.org - Careers ¿ Vacancies ¿ Ecuador ¿ Snr Community-Based Protection Assistant G5 TA Quito Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant is a member of the Protection Unit and may report to the Protection Officer, Community-Based Protection Officer, or another more senior staff member in the Protection Unit. Under the overall direction of the Protection Unit, and in coordination with other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners and other stakeholders, the Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The incumbent supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role, the Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of persons of concern (PoC). The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with PoC that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results, form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with PoC.


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
- Assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy. 
- Through relationships with PoC and network of partners, stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
- Assist in initiatives with host communities to involve national civil society groups in the protection of PoC.
- Support implementing and operational partners as well as displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to GBV.
- Assist in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
- Support participatory assessments by multifunctional teams and ongoing consultation with PoC.
- Support efforts to build the office capacity for community-based protection.
- Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
- Ensure community understanding of UNHCR's commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
- Collect data for monitoring of programmes and budgets from an AGD perspective.
- Draft and type routine correspondence, documents and reports and maintain up-to-date filing systems.
- Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
- Assist in the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR's work.
- Initiate AGD sensitive interventions at the appropriate level on community-based protection issues and to respond to protection concerns and incidents within the office and with persons and communities of concern based on agreed parameters.
- Identify and recommend which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling and field visits based on agreed criteria.
- Enforce compliance of implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For 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
Development,         Human Rights,                        International Law
Social Work, Social Science, Political Science,
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified

Desirable
UNHCR learning programmes (PLP).
Knowledge of MSRP.

Functional Skills
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
*IT-Computer Literacy
IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
PR-Community-based Protection - Principles and methodologies
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
(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. Working level of English is desirable
========================================================================================================
See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== UNHCR has been in Ecuador since 2000. The operation in Ecuador is fundamentally driven to deliver protection and solutions to a variety of persons of UNHCR¿s concern such as asylum-seekers, refugees, and stateless in partnership and close collaboration with national authorities as well as non-governmental organizations and communities. Particular attention and specific multi-faceted protection and assistance is often provided within short timeframes and at times little resources in demanding operational environment. 

The operation is coordinated at the national level by the country office in Quito. In addition, UNHCR has Sub-Offices in Quito (Solanda), Ibarra and Guayaquil; Field Offices in Esmeraldas, Huaquillas, Tulcán, Lago Agrio, and Field Units in Manta, Cuenca and Ambato.

Ecuador is a destination and transit country for persons in need of international protection. Over the past two decades, Ecuador has been hosting more than 70.527 recognized refugees (mainly Colombians) and has become a main destination and transit country for Venezuelan refugees and migrants. Over 2.2 million have arrived in Ecuador since 2016. In 2019 Venezuelans have been arriving in Ecuador at an average of 1,950 people per day, almost all through the border crossings with Colombia. While 80% of Venezuelans arriving in Ecuador are in transit to third countries, official estimates are that more than 400,000 are residing in Ecuador. A large percentage of Venezuelans in transit by foot or public transport to another country or city in Ecuador pass through the area of responsibility.
 
The field office Quito (Solanda) is responsible for the operation in the center of Ecuador (Pichincha, Santo Domingo, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Bolivar, Pastaza and the north of los Rios). The Area of responsibility hosts approximately 40 - 50% of all Venezuelan and Colombian persons of interest residing in the country. The field office provide assistance to people from other continents such as Africa and the Middle East who they don¿t always speak Spanish. In the field office, UNHCR works with a total of 12 implementing partners, and coordinates with a large number of operational partners, both from the government and civil society. The interventions mostly focus on urban refugees facilitating their local integration, strengthening local protection mechanisms and its accessibility, the promotion of livelihoods and peaceful coexistence. Moreover, a considerable number of persons in transit to third countries staying few days until they gather resources to continue their journey. Age, ethnicity, gender and other diversities approach has a determining role in this strategy.

The field unit Ambato falls under the Field Office in Quito. The field unit Ambato focuses work mostly on Tungurahua, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo, but also map the situation in Bolivar and Pastaza. The small field unit led by the assistant field officer will coordinate actions with the government, partners, as well as search solutions for people with specific needs. The new presence of both UNHCR and a few partner organizations, will focus on improving access to rights of PoC, as well as working with community-based protection and working to reduce growing xenophobia in the region. If the needs of the mapping so require; the unit will also lobby towards an increased presence of actors in the locality. 

Therefore, UNHCR seeks to recruit persons devoted to the purposes of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees who have commitment to humanitarian principles and functionally relevant work experience with different stakeholders. The candidates should have flexibility/adaptability i.e. analyzing, adapting to, and working effectively in a variety of situations, often under demanding conditions, and coping with the unforeseen or unexpected. Team spirit as well as result orientated performance is also required. The candidates should have strong communication skills (written and spoken) principally in Spanish language. A high level of mobility and adaptability is required of the candidates as they may be requested to take up field mission in and out of the country at short notice. Previous working experience in the sierra centro region, preferably in terms of human mobility, is highly recommended for this position.  The Snr CBP Assistant will report to the Head of Sub-Office 21 August 2022 17h00 Ecuador Time - (22 August 2022 00h00 Geneva Time)