Assistant Protection Officer

Hardship LevelE (most hardship)

Family TypeNon Family

Family TypeNon FamilyDanger Pay

Residential location (if applicable)

GradeNOA

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeNational Professional Officer

ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment

Remote work acceptedNo

Target Start Date2024-04-01

Job Posting End DateJanuary 24, 2024

Standard Job Description

Assistant Protection Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Assistant Protection Officer reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. Depending on the size and structure of the Office, the incumbent may have supervisory responsibility for protection staff including community-based protection, registration, resettlement and education. S/he provides functional protection guidance to information management and programme staff on all protection/legal matters and accountabilities. These include: statelessness (in line with the campaign to End Statelessness by 2024), Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) commitments, age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP) through community-based protection, Child protection, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response, gender equality, disability inclusion, youth empowerment, psycho-social support and PSEA, registration, asylum/refugee status determination, resettlement, local integration, voluntary repatriation, human rights standards integration, national legislation, judicial engagement, predictable and decisive engagement in situations of internal displacement and engagement in wider mixed movement and climate change/disaster-related displacement responses. S/he supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards.

The Assistant Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC), ensuring that operational responses in all sectors mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. The incumbent contributes to the design of a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the Organization externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. S/he also ensures that PoC are meaningfully engaged in the decisions that affect them and support programme design and adaptations that are influenced by the concerns, priorities and capacities of them. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection.

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 legal advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Conduct eligibility and status determination for PoC in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.
- Promote and 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.
- Provide inputs for the development of protection policies and standards within the AoR.
- Implement and 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.
- Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
- Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for the resettlement of individuals and groups of refugees and other PoC.
- 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.
- Contribute to and facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
- Assist capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
- Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
- Assist the supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
- Assist the supervisor in enforcing compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.

- 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 P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law,

International Law,

Political Sciences
or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified;

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles

Desirable
Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD- Resettlement Learning Programme.

Functional Skills
*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
MG-Project Management
PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards
PR-International Humanitarian Law
PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation
PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement
CO-Drafting and Documentation
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination
(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  Completion of the Protection Learning Program (PLP).
 Completion of Community-Based Learning Program.
 Proven communication skills both oral and written.
 Knowledge of the local context in Northeast Syria including Hassakeh, Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, including the political and socio-economic situation.
 One year of relevant experience in working closely with community centers and response programmes.
 Experience managing programs with UN agencies and/or NGOs.
 The position demands community-based protection-related knowledge/skills and work experience, in diverse circumstances and complex operational contexts. Experience managing teams.
 Solid protection background, previous work experience with the UN and partners in the humanitarian field focused on internally displaced persons/returnees.
 Experience in coordination/managing relations with multiple stakeholders.
 Very Good experience in CBP Programs (Community centers, MHPSS, Education, CBOs, CP, and GBV).
 Excellent liaison skills with partners to ensure standardization of provided protection services.
 Managerial Supervising skills while working with community centers.
 Support more sustainability through meaningful community engagement and in line with the principles of AGD.
 Very good negotiation skills in coordinating with local authorities.
 Preferable Degrees (equivalent of a BA/BS) in, International Relations, International Law, Political Sciences, Developmental studies and social work.
 When completing the application, candidates are required to list all their language skills – including their mother tongue. The three broad levels are A1/A2 (\"Basic User\"), B1/B2 (\"Independent User\"), and C1/C2 (\"Proficient User\").
 Shortlisted candidates will be required to sit for an eliminatory written test, the passing threshold will be 50%, and only the passing candidates will be given a chance to sit for an oral interview.
 The scores of the written test and interview could later be combined with those of the interview to arrive at the final scores.
 The written test and oral interview weight will be ( 40 / 60 ) % of the overall process.

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

,

,

Desired languages

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

There are four hospitals in Qamishli (National hospital, Al-Salam hospital, Al-Kalemah hospital, and Dar Al-Shifa’a hospital).

The primary means of transportation for the staff is by road using UN armored vehicles, and it is also possible to travel by air through UNHAS flights which fly to/from Damascus twice a week. The UNHAS and commercial flights are prone to frequent cancellations.

Nature of Position:

SO Qamishli in Northeast Syria is operating in a very complex context in three governorates, Hassakeh, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. While based in Qamishli, the SO has a field unit based in Deir ez-Zor in the GoS-controlled area. A large part of the three governorates is currently under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a non-state actor - with GoS presence/control in several areas. UNHCR is coordinating the response in 10 camps hosting over 130,000 persons, including the largest camp Al Hol hosting 57,000 Syrians, Iraqis, and third-country nationals. Al Hol expanded from 8,000 to 70,000 individuals in the first months of 2019 to accommodate civilians transported from the last ISIS-held territory in Syria as it came under the control of SDF supported by the international coalition. The camp presents a particularly complex protection and assistance challenge due to the mixed profile of its population. UNHCR is the lead for Protection and Shelter/NFI and the CCCM sectors despite the fact that the cluster system is not activated. UNHCR is directly responsible for providing protection services, CRIs, and shelter, supporting the camp management and camp coordination and delivery of humanitarian assistance in close coordination with UN agencies and NGOs. UNHCR also coordinates assistance in all collective centers, informal sites, and out-pf-camp populations in need. Outside camps, UNHCR provides humanitarian assistance to IDPs and Iraqi asylum-seekers as well as returnees living among the local communities and in informal settlements and implements interventions aimed at building resilience as well as a limited early recovery activities.

Under the direct supervision of the Protection Officer, the incumbent will lead the Community-Based Protection team to carry out a wide range of protection activities, including through partners. Such protection activities include but are not limited to reaching out to people in need and vulnerable populations in camps and urban and rural areas. The incumbent should be ready to deal with a myriad of protracted protection and community issues in an environment where logistics, poor partner capacity, poor internet and mobile coverage, communication challenges, and extreme weather are testing. Furthermore, the operational environment is highly competitive, hence, UNHCR leadership in the areas of responsibility needs to be constantly reasserted with impeccable service delivery and flawless coordination drive. In this regard, the incumbent should combine strong leadership/coaching attributes, experience in Community Mobilization.

Living and Working Conditions:

The present situation in North-East Syria is unpredictable. This creates ongoing pressures at work and in daily life as priorities are frequently upended for other urgent ad-hoc tasks. The incumbent should be prepared to work under very challenging conditions and be able to manage stressful situations.

National staff in Qamishli rent their own accommodation. Frequent power and internet cuts are common and water supply at domestic level is limited and at times interrupted. Qamishli city enjoys relative security, and staff is able to move around town with minimal restrictions.

Additional Qualifications

SkillsCO-Drafting and Documentation, MG-Project Management, PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD), PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation, PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement, PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination, PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards, PR-International Humanitarian Law, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

EducationBachelor of Arts (BA): International Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science

Certifications

Work Experience

CompetenciesAccountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

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Compendium

Additional Information

Functional clearanceThis position doesn't require a functional clearance