UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
Family Type
Family
Residential location (if applicable)
Grade
PR3
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
Professional
- Staff members will not normally serve in International Professional positions in the country of their nationality. In addition, in case of a first appointment upon recruitment, the assignment must be outside the staff member’s country of nationality.
In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of.
Reason
Regular > Regular Assignment
Remote work accepted
No
Target Start Date
2024-01-01
Job Posting End Date
December 21, 2023
Standard Job Description
Community-Based Protection Officer
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Community-Based Protection Officer is a member of the Protection Team in a Regional Bureau or a Country Office and normally reports to the Senior Community-Based Protection Officer, the Senior Protection Officer, Head of Sub-Office or the Assistant Representative for protection.
For a regional position, the incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for Protection and Community-Based Protection staff in the regional office, and a technical support role for Community-Based Protection staff in the region. For a country level position the incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for Community-based Protection staff and other protection staff in the operation.
H/he supports the implementation of protection standards and provides advice on community-based protection to senior management and Country Operation(s) in close collaboration with the Division of International Protection (DIP).
The incumbent is relied upon by senior management to support a coordinated approach in the implementation of UNHCR’s rights-based and community-based engagement with all persons of concern and contributes to the achievement of UNHCR’s commitments to accountability to affected people.
S/he maintains close working relationships and supports Protection and Community-Based Protection staff in the field, who act as the critical interface between UNHCR and communities of concern, enabling them to provide the AGD-sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities that form the essential foundations of national and regional programmes. The incumbent maintains close working relations with sister UN entities, governmental entities, non-governmental organisations and academic institutions that can contribute to enhancing protection and achieving solutions through people centred, community-based and gender responsive approaches.
The incumbent provides guidance to country operations to strengthen their coordination and advocacy on community-based approaches to protection with governments, partners and other key stakeholders.
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 in the development, implementation and monitoring of a community-based protection strategy reflecting the organization’s global, regional and country level protection priorities, and ensuring systematic application of participatory, rights- , community-based, and gender responsive approaches in protection and solutions planning, programming and strategies.
- Support compliance with UNHCR Age, Gender and Diversity Policy, including ensuring AGD inclusive programming, advocating for gender equality and strengthening accountability to affected populations (AAP).
- Assist with the implementation and integration of community-based corporate policies in multi-year and multi-partner protection and solutions strategies and operations plans.
- Support the systematic application of participatory, community, rights based, and gender responsive protection approaches throughout the phases of the operations management cycle and across the work of the organisation and implement community-based GBV prevention and response as well as community-based child protection programmes.
- Contribute to the appropriate adaptations of programmes as a result of the analysis of feedback received from persons of concern, as well as other political, social, economic and cultural developments that impact the protection environment.
- Participate in country level planning exercises and advocates for the mobilization and (re)allocation of funds to the implementation of community-based and gender responsive approaches across programmes and sectors in line with regional and country community-based protection strategies.
- Support the establishment and management of a feedback and response system (including on PSEA) and participate in the analysis of feedback gathered through formal and informal feedback and response systems.
- Support capacity development through training and coaching of staff in the domain of AGD, Accountability to Affected People (AAP), CBP, Gender Equality, Youth, Disability and inclusion of other Diversity elements, and mainstreaming of the CBP approach in other sectors.
- Provide technical guidance and support to ensure data relevant to assess and monitor progress on the implementation and impact of community-based and age, gender and diversity approaches is collected and AGD-sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities is undertaken.
- Support the consolidation of reporting on community-based protection and contributes to reporting on the protection of different AGD groups, including identification of trends and collection and dissemination of good practices.
- Contribute to the development of partnerships with a variety of stakeholders including government institutions, UN, civil society actors, and the private sector inclusive of youth, disability, LGBTI, women rights stakeholders and other diverse groups; for the purpose of advocating for community-based approaches for the protection of displaced persons, including implementation of Outreach and communication with diverse groups.
- For functions at a regional level, support harmonization of CBP strategies in the region and their alignment with global policies, identifies and disseminates good practices, supports exchange of expertise in the region and provides a regional level analysis of trends as well as aggregated reporting on implementation of Community-based and AGD approaches.
- 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
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC – 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree
Field(s) of Education
Community Development;
Human Rights;
Cultural Studies;
Social Science;
Anthropology;
or other relevant field.
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
2-3 years experience of working in the field with direct engagement with persons of concern. Demonstrated expertise in field protection, community development, social surveys/ assessment, counselling, or related areas
Desirable
Very good understanding of displacement and protection issues, particularly GBV prevention and response, child protection, education, gender equality, and the application of the age, gender and diversity approach. Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of position such as: PLP (Protection Learning Programme), OMLP (Operations Management Learning Programme), MMLP (Middle Management Learning Programme), CBPLP (Community-based Protection Learning Programme), CBP e-Learning, and Gender Equality e-learning. Experience in project management, and strategy development and implementation.
Functional Skills
PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
TR-Training – Virtual and face to face
MG-Team building (development/facilitation)
PR-Community-based Protection – Planning, implementing and analysing surveys/assessments
PR-Community-based Protection – Coordination and project management
PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies
PR-Community-based Protection – Community engagement and capacity building
PR-Accountability to Affected People – Principles and Framework
(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 incumbent will be required to oversee Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Child Protection, Disability Inclusion, Accountability to Affected People (AAP), LGBTIQ+ protection and strengthening of community-based protection in the region.
The incumbent is required to have extensive experience in working with UNHCR in community-based protection activities in diverse refugee and/or IDP contexts, in emergencies and protracted situations, demonstrated experience in working through age/gender/diversity approaches as well as on accountability to affected people (AAP). Good experience in programming for protection and working with partners, including grass-root organizations. The incumbent should have excellent managerial, communication and interpersonal skills.
Expertise and experience in implementing and coordinating substantive GBV specialized programming (i.e. prevention and response) as well as in providing technical guidance on GBV risk mitigation is essential. Experience in coordinating GBV working groups or similar at different levels is important.
Previous experiences in drafting strategies and providing technical guidance and oversight in the above thematic areas is a requirement.
As the Regional Bureau covers the Democratic Republic of Congo and republic of Congo knowledge of French is important.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
,
,
Desired languages
French
,
,
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:
The Regional Bureau for Southern Africa covers 16 countries hosting 8.7 million forcibly displaced persons including 776,000 refugees and 198,000 asylum seekers pending adjudication of their claims. Persons with LGBTQI+ profiles are among the persons we serve, and they are mainly hosted in Malawi, Zambia and South Africa. Except for few countries such as South Africa, LGBTIQ+ rights in Africa are limited by laws and policies criminalizing homosexuality, where consensual same-sex sexual acts between adults in private are legal in only ten countries. Conversely, consensual same-sex sexual acts between adults in private are illegal in Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Comoros, and Eswatini.
The general situation in Southern Africa remains stable, except the protracted humanitarian crisis in DRC and Mozambique which generate forced displacement for millions of IDPs and refugees. Moreover, the prospect of tensions over upcoming elections may result in conflict, human rights violations and governance concerns. The region is embarking on operationalizing the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR); with a focus on using a regional approach. Asylum seekers coming to Southern Africa continue to raise concerns with receiving States, prompting governments in the region to restrict access to territory and asylum procedures. In response to the increasing pressure on asylum space, significant backlogs in refugee status determination have emerged. Asylum seeking refugees do not have their status recognized for a long duration of time making it very difficult for them to become self-reliant or participate in socio-economic activities in their host communities. In several southern Africa countries, asylum seekers and recognized refugees are also subjected to strict encampment policies or have their freedom of movement constrained to settlements. This general protection environment compels many to be wholly dependent on humanitarian assistance and poses risks to SEA. To address these challenges, UNHCR is increasing efforts to apply comprehensive refugee responses focusing on promotion of self-reliance and solutions and ensure more accountability to affected populations.
Living and Working Conditions:
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province in South Africa. It is one of the country’s two capital cities serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital. The other is Cape Town, the legislative capital. The Central Business District (CBD) of Pretoria has been the traditional centre of government and commerce, although today many corporate offices, small businesses, shops, and government departments are situated in the sprawling suburbs of the city rather than the CBD or in Johannesburg. The city has a population of approximately 1,985,997 as well as large number of foreign nationals.
Pretoria has over the years had very diverse cultural influences and this is reflected in the architectural styles that can be found in the city. The main languages spoken in Pretoria are Pedi, Afrikaans, Tswana, Tsonga, Zulu and English. Ndebele and Sotho are also widely spoken. The living class in Pretoria can be classified as middle to high income earners. The living conditions in South Africa are generally very good. Housing and basic commodities are readily available. The country has an abundance of health providers of all sectors. The country’s infrastructure and communication facilities are of international standard and are amongst the best in the African continent. However, in the last couple of years, the electricity generation has been facing challenges and there are scheduled power cuts on a regular basis.
Depending on schooling needs some staff opt to live in Johannesburg (approx. 40 min one way from Pretoria). Crime continues to be of concern and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and power cuts. Burglaries (house break-ins) and carjacking are common and those involved are often armed. ATM fraud is also rampant as well as financial related cyber-crime. Even though the position is based in Pretoria, the incumbent is expected to travel on missions to remote locations in the field, where the quality of life and working conditions would be challenged alongside with security concerns.
Skills
Additional Qualifications
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA): Anthropology, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Cultural Studies, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Human Rights, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Development, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Social Work, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Social Science
Certifications
Work Experience
Competencies
Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration
UNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Compendium
Add. 2 to Bi-annual Compendium 2023 – Part B
Additional Information
Functional clearance
This position doesn’t require a functional clearance
To apply for this job please visit unhcr.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com.