Community-Based Protection Assistant

B

Family Type

Family

Family Type

Family

Residential location (if applicable)

Grade

GS4

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

Remote work accepted

No

Target Start Date

2024-04-01

Job Posting End Date

December 22, 2023

Standard Job Description

Community-Based Protection Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The 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 incumbent works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. S/he 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 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

• 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.
• 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 working with host communities to involve national civil society groups in improving the protection of PoC.
• Assist in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
• Support participatory assessments and ongoing consultation with PoC.
• 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.
• 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.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For G4 – 1 year relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 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-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

• IT-Computer Literacy

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.

Desired Candidate Profile

The community Based protection Assistant must be used in working with people under the UNHCR mandate (right, Age Gender Diversity and community) and have relevant experience in communication with communities. He/She should be aware of relevant international and Cameroonian laws and have collaborated with administration services (deconcentrated and decentralized), civil society organizations dealing with communities working with many partners and communities. He/she is intended to support child protection activities whenever needed, by enhancing community-based mechanisms dealing with child protection related issues as well as by supporting best interests’ procedure (best interest assessments (BIA) and best interests’ determination (BID)) for children at risk, including to help identify a durable solution for and with them, whether being voluntary repatriation, local integration, or resettlement to a third country. The candidate should also he strong communication skills.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

,

,

Desired languages

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Nature of Position:

Living and Working Conditions:

Skills

Additional Qualifications

CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community, IT-Computer Literacy, IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies, UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures

Education

Certifications

Development Studies – Other, HCR Learning Program – UNHCR, Human Rights – Other, International Law – Other, Political Science – Other, Social Sciences – Other

Work Experience

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

Functional clearance

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance