UN High Commissioner for Refugees
JO: 39399
Position Name: Protection Associate
Position Number: 10035396
Contract Type: Fixed-Term Appointment
Grade: G6
Duty Station: Field Unit Choluteca, Honduras
Closing Date: 21st August 2022 (midnight Geneva time)
Eligible Applicants:
This position is advertised to internal and external applicants. Candidates must be legally present in Honduras at the time of application, recruitment and hire.
Group 1 Candidates: comprises current GS staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment who, at the date of the deadline for application, are serving in the country of the vacancy at the grade of the position or one grade below or above.
Group 2 Candidates: comprises candidates from the categories listed in the RALS after completion of one cumulative or continuous year of service in the country of the vacancy. The Group 2 status should have been confirmed by the HR Unit in Honduras before the application is submitted.
External Candidates: are candidates who are not in Group 1 or Group 2.
Duties and Qualifications:
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has an international mandate to protect refugees, people who have left their countries of origin due to acts of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a certain social group. In 2021 UNHCR in Honduras opens the field unit in Choluteca to expand its direct presence in the departments of Choluteca and El Paraíso. Both departments are reception areas, as well as the transit territory for the mixed movements of refugees and migrants who enter Honduras and then reach the United States. The objective of the field unit will be to strengthen the capacity of state institutions, civil society and communities to respond to people in need of international protection and facilitate access to their rights, livelihoods and social welfare.
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
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)
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.
Additional Information:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. No late applications will be accepted.
Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a technical assessment or written test (eliminatory or complementary) and later on, invited for an oral interview.
UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees).
Duration: initially for a period of one (1) year.
Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19.
Language Requirements:
Working knowledge in English and Proficiency in Spanish is essential.
Position Competencies:
Core Competencies:
Accountability
Communication
Organizational Awareness
Teamwork & Collaboration
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Client & Result Orientation
Managerial Competencies:
Judgement and Decision Making
Cross-Functional Competencies:
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Political Awareness
Stakeholder Management.
Closing Date:
The closing date for submission of applications is 21st August 2022 (midnight Geneva time).
How to apply
Instructions to apply:
- Enter through Google Chrome to the address https://www.unhcr.org/careers.html select “Vacancies/Carreras”
- Sign in to access your account. If you have not created a user, select the link “New User/New User” to create an account.
- Access to the page and you will find the vacancies by selecting “Country / Country – Honduras”
- Review the job description of your interest and select “Apply” to begin your online application.