Senior Protection Associate

Duties and Qualifications

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Senior Protection Associate reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. The position may entail supervisory responsibilities for protection staff including community services, registration, resettlement and education depending on the structure of the Office. 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 Senior Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. The incumbent contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the Office externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. S/he also ensures that persons of concern 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 persons of concern to UNHCR. – Provide advice and guidance on protection issues to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation. – Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles. – 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. – Assist the supervisor in implementing and monitoring Standard Operating Procedures for all protection/solutions activities. – Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and assist the supervisor with intervening in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents. – Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of persons of concern 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. – Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy with sectorial and/or cluster partners. – Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on persons of concern and their problems. – Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures. – Assist the supervisor with intervening with authorities on protection issues. – Provide assistance to the supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals. – Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services. – Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures. – Recommend and prepare payments to individual cases. – Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For G7 – 4 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.

(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses

International Law, Political Science or other relevant field.

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential Not specified.

Desirable RSD-Resettlement LP and/or Protection Learning Programme

Functional Skills

IT-Computer literacy CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators PR-Refugee Protection 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 applicants must have legal residence with valid work permit in the US at the time of submitting their applications.