Hardship LevelA (least hardship)
Family TypeFamily
Family TypeFamily
Residential location (if applicable)
GradeNOA
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeNational Professional Officer
ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment
Remote work acceptedNo
Target Start Date2024-01-01
Job Posting End DateNovember 6, 2023
Standard Job DescriptionAssistant 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. - 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. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified; (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential) 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 The Assistant Protection Officer leads the Legal Protection Unit and is responsible for managing a unit of approximately 13 staff members. The incumbent reports directly to the Deputy Representative and is responsible for ensuring that operations meet the highest standard of accountability and integrity. In addition to these supervisory and management responsibilities, s/he is responsible for ensuring that the Unitโs operations support the legal and physical protection needs of refugees and asylum seekers as well as effective protection responses that are well-coordinated and delivered in a timely manner.
The Unit focuses on four main pillars: Namely, detention work, conducting protection assessments and verification, judicial and legal interventions, and advocacy and outreach with refugee communities as well as authorities and external partners. Excellent leadership qualities, the ability to work collaboratively within the team as well as with external stakeholders is therefore required.
S/he is required to intervene at various operational levels to reduce arrest and arbitrary detention, and prevent deportation, and exploitation of refugees and asylum-seekers, ensuring a safer and more secure environment, including through supporting their access to protection and justice through the Malaysian legal framework. S/he is required to provide legal advice, guidance, and interventions on protection issues with regard to asylum-seekers and refugees, including liaising with the Government of Malaysia and law enforcement officials to ensure protection-sensitive responses in line with the Office's protection mandate.
The Assistant Protection Officer is also responsible for monitoring, analysing and identifying situational protection trends affecting the rights and conditions of asylum-seekers and refugees; developing protection advocacy strategies and activities to improve the protection environment. S/he will be involved in promoting law reform efforts through preparing and/or contributing to proposals, conducting training and outreach with Government officials, policy makers, professional associations and the public, and providing comments on existing and drafted legislation.
The incumbent must possess strong drafting, communication, advocacy and legal skills, with the ability to work independently and make sound and balanced decisions and interventions. The incumbent should also demonstrate the ability to work in a multifunctional team to achieve shared goals and optimize results. A legal background with solid experience in protection principles and Malaysian law, the ability to pro-actively address problems and propose solutions is required.
S/he contributes to comprehensive protection and solutions strategies and needs to ensure that the unit works strategically and is responsive to the needs of refugees. Experience with external stakeholder management is therefore key, as is familiarity with the workings of law enforcement structures. It is also essential to possess the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, deal with emergency cases outside of office hours and coordinate interventions with various units. The ability to be flexible, innovative, have excellent coordination and facilitation skills as well as negotiation skills is therefore also essential, as is the proven ability to engage with government, non-governmental, statutory and legal networks. Extensive awareness of the wider socio-political and economic operational context is critical to this position.
The incumbent should also have the ability and experience to manage large teams as the post requires leading a diverse team. As the incumbent will also interact with external partners, including the diplomatic community, protection networks, local government and law enforcement authorities, and other to ensure effective protection interventions, a record of successful partnerships with external stakeholders, extensive knowledge of detention issues, and competencies in analyzing the protection environment as well as organizational awareness is required.
The ability to write effective reports and appropriately share information will be an integral part of the incumbentโs role as he/she will work in close coordination with the Regional Bureau and other Operations in the region.
Given the Officeโs extensive government engagement in moving toward a national asylum system and refugee policy, the incumbent is also expected to be actively involved in this activity and will require experience in capacity development activities for government officials and the legal profession. As such, excellent organisational, presentation and facilitation skills are also required. Finally, given the Officeโs emphasis on community engagement, the ability to provide succinct and understandable information on legal, detention, and protection matters to communities is needed.
The registered population of concern currently stands at approximately 182000, with asylum seekers and refugees who mostly reside in urban areas; 87% of the population originates from Myanmar. As Malaysia has not adhered to international refugee instruments, refugees face a challenging protection environment and are subject to arrest and detention. Within this context, the Office has also been in discussions with government on the establishment of a predictable refugee management system in line with international standards and has been promoting alternatives to detention for refugees and asylum-seekers.
Additional Information:
Candidates must be Malaysian nationals.
The minimum educational requirement for NPO positions is a completed university degree. UNHCR only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/.
The position requires fluency in English and Malay languages.
Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19.
Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The recruitment process might include a written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.
UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).
Remuneration:
A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. The monthly net salary is between MYR 7,729.11 and MYR 9,738.34 depending on relevant experience. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the Office of HR Management of United Nations.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
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Desired languages
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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:
Malaysia is not party to the 1951 Convention or 1967 Protocol nor Statelessness Conventions, and it lacks legislative and policy framework for refugees. It is party to CEDAW and CRC. UNHCR therefore, is the primary provider of protection and assistance to approximately 180,000 refugees and other persons of concern in the country. The Government is well disposed to human rights and the plight of marginalized communities and has taken steps to address some issues, including the situation of foreign workers and refugees. It also has made commitments under the SDG framework and is supportive of the GCR. It is expected that the Government will engage on a progressive road map to implement a refugee protection framework to regularize temporary stay of persons registered with UNHCR and afford them with access to work. This could be achieved in the current immigration law in the short term while a dialogue for an enhanced refugee protection framework should continue to gain sustainable results. UNHCR current protection activities provided to refugees and PoCs include Registration, Refugee Status Determination, Resettlement and Durable Solutions while assistance is primarily focusing on life-saving activities such as health, education, livelihoods and community development/empowerment. An expansion of the UNHCR services and activities to areas outside Kuala Lumpur is an area of focus from 2019 onwards in order to move closer to the refugee communities, local government and civil society partners.
Living and Working Conditions:
Kuala Lumpur is a modern and developed urban working environment. It is a category A duty station. Infrastructure, entertainment, medical and schooling services are of a good quality and readily available, albeit schooling is very expensive (given currently inadequate education grant support).
A seasonal environmental concern is severe air pollution caused by burning palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia. The severity of some months has resulted in schools being closed and WHO putting out a health warning for individuals who have respiratory and related health challenges.
Security Considerations:
The current UNDSS security classification for Kuala Lumpur is level '2'. Under UNDSS threat assessment, there are no major issues of concern to the UN system, although theft, robbery and the incidence of home invasions are on the increase.
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
UNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Compendium
Additional Information
Functional clearanceThis position doesn't require a functional clearance