H (no hardship)
Family
Family
Residential location (if applicable)
GS6
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
General Service
Reason
Regular > Regular Assignment
Yes
2023-01-01-08:00
December 21, 2022
Protection Associate
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Protection Associate normally reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. 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 Protection Associate 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 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 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
- 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 advice on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination for PoC.
- 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.
- 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.
- Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through 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.
- Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on PoC and their problems.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
- Assist the supervisor in prioritizing PoC for interview, counselling and propose protection support for individual cases.
- Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance of local implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- Assit the supervisor with enforcing compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
- Submit individual payments request for PoC for approval.
- Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G6 - 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher
Field(s) of Education
Not applicable
Certificates and/or Licenses
International Law, Political Science
or other related field
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified
Desirable
Protection Learning Programme
Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
(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.
Desired Candidate Profile
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
Italian
,
,
Operational context
Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:
To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel
Nature of Position:
UNHCR’s disengagement from decision-making in the national refugee status determination system will be completed by the end of 2022, while the organization will maintain a strategic role in enhancing State capacity through training, judicial engagement and quality monitoring activities. While UNHCR has been supporting national authorities in quality assurance activities since 2015, in the last year an institutional monitoring system of the first instance procedure was built through the formal establishment of a tripartite Quality Unit, composed by National Asylum Commission (NAC), UNHCR and EUAA quality experts, and chaired by a NAC coordinator.
The Protection Associate is part of the Quality Monitoring project within the RSD team, and reports to the Protection Associate managing the project. His/her activities include the development of quality monitoring methodologies and tools, monitoring visits to the Territorial Commissions, quality assessment of the RSD process and decisions-drafting, preparation of reports that include analysis and concrete recommendations for the improvement of the system, development of quality support tools, participatory monitoring activities, while liaising with NAC and EUAA Quality Unit members. Finally, the Protection Associate will contribute to quality assurance activities directly carried out by UNHCR, in order to implement its supervisory role of the Geneva Convention implementation.
Experience in RSD, especially in a government procedure, a strong legal background, familiarity with data collection and analysis tool, as well as expertise with regard to quality monitoring and support activities are an asset.
Living and Working Conditions:
Rome is a HQ Duty Station. Italy has a strong UN presence (more than 10 Agencies Programmes and Funds totaling more than 6'000 staff) and is offering high standard of living conditions and relatively high cost of living.
There is no RC System hence no formal inter-agency coordination system other than the DO for Security related matters. FAO leads the UN team and collaborates closely with Rome based WFP and IFAD HQ.
The Italian authorities will issue a visa and residence permit to UNHCR international staff members. Before arriving at a new duty station, finding an accommodation will be a priority. There are some limited facilities to access Duty Free privileges. Buying a new vehicle is a lengthy process while buying second hand is even more complex. The public transport system is relatively reliable, and most colleagues have elected to reside in the office neighborhood.
A valid driving license issued by a European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) member state is automatically accepted in all other member states. People with EU/EEA-issued driver's license who take up residence in Italy are not required to exchange it for an Italian license.
Holders of a standard driving license issued from a non-EU/EEA country may drive in Italy using the foreign license for up to one year after obtaining residency.
Medical care is up to international standards.
UN International expatriates are covered by the medical insurance provided from their workplace. No additional medical coverage is required. A list of English-speaking doctors can be provided, upon request, by the FAO Medical Services.
There are several international schools in Rome. The academic year for schools in Italy is from September to June. Generally, schools have long waiting lists and it is advisable to register your child at school as soon as possible. You should also find out about the specific admission requirements at the school. Transfer certificates from previous schools and academic records are usually required. Contracts are made between the school and private individuals regarding payments of school fees.
This means any deposits and commitments to pay fees are your responsibility and not the UN's.
Spouse employment can be challenging, particularly in a post Covid-19 situation where the economy was affected.
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Certifications
International Law - Other, Political Science - Other
Competencies
Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Compendium
This position doesn't require a functional clearance
