Associate Field Officer

Hardship LevelA (least hardship)

Family TypeFamily

Family TypeFamily

Residential location (if applicable)

GradeNOB

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeNational Professional Officer

ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment

Remote work acceptedNo

Target Start Date2023-12-04

Job Posting End DateOctober 30, 2023

Standard Job Description

Associate Field Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Associate Field Officer is normally supervised by the Senior Field Coordinator or Field Officer or Head of Sub-Office/Field Office depending on the structure of the Office. S/he may receive indirect guidance from other sections and units relevant to the country/regional programme(s). UNHCR Manual, programme and protection objectives, Operations Plans, UN and UNHCR financial/budgetary rules and regulations will guide the work of the incumbent.
The incumbent may supervise some support staff. S/he has daily contacts with staff in the various field offices and with the functional units at the Country/Regional Office. S/he also has close liaison with a range of local civilian and military authorities and counterparts in NGOs and UN agencies to discuss matters of common interest.

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
- Identify vulnerable groups or individuals who may need special attention or special arrangements and make recommendations on the needs of different groups of refugees.
- Assess protection and assistance needs of refugees and asylum-seekers in the region and monitor implementation of refugee assistance programmes.
- In co-ordination with implementing partners, handle the reception, registration and provision of assistance to persons of concern to UNHCR.
- Provide inputs for project submissions and periodic narrative and financial reports for the annual programme.
- Develop and maintain relations with local authorities ensuring smooth negotiations in all aspects of UNHCR's mandate for the benefit of refugees.
- Monitor the security situation in the area and intervene as appropriate with the local authorities.
- Submit recommendation for protection interventions to the designated officer.
- Negotiate with local authority counterparts, partners and populations of concern.
- Approve expenditures within the DOAP.

- 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
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P2/NOB - 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law, Political Sciences or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
UNHCR Protection Learning Programme.
UNHCR Operations Management Learning Programme.
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Field experience.

Desirable
Knowledge of refugee law.
Good knowledge of UNHCR's programmes.

Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
PG-UNHCR's Programmes
(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 • Master Degree in International Law/ Refugee Law/ Human Rights or related subjects;
• Minimum 3 years of previous experience in working on refugee issues in a national or international organization and/ or in academia.
• Proven capacity to proactively engage in team building and in teamwork;
• Experience in supervision and management of teams;
• Ability to work in a diverse working environment;
• Ability to engage in internal and external communication and ability to engage other stakeholders on the matters relevant to the work of UNHCR;
• Ability to proactively engage in discussions and provide input that will help shaping the priorities and activities on the ground.
• Experience in working with diverse national authorities, including but not limited to PDMM, PDFSS, AFAD, Governorates, and municipalities, among others;
• Proven skills in advocacy on refugee related matters and negotiation with local counterparts;
• Experience in working on refugee protection, field protection, case management and coordination;
• Knowledge of national legal framework, particularly on refugee and asylum-seekers;
• Experience of working in regions of SET and/or experience working in the relevant contexts of Adana and/or Hatay;
• Demonstrated drafting skills and ability to analyse information received from multiple sources;
• Ability to work in a challenging context manifesting considerable level of stress and trauma among the population following the earthquakes in the region.

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

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Nature of Position

The Associate Field Officer works under the supervision and in coordination with the Senior Protection Officer’s/Head of Field Unit and provides support to the UNHCR Field Unit’s understanding and implementation of the legal frameworks related to refugee protection.

S/he will supervise the collection of comprehensive data on the border and registration situation by networking and engagement with local authorities, civil society, and refugees, as well as legal actors.

S/he will follow up individual cases and report on the trends of the cases, with the concerned staff members.

S/he is expected to contribute to the design of the strategies, including proposals for legal interventions/activities in line with the strategic protection priorities.

S/he will be liaising with implementing and operational partners, refugees, Bar Associations, Removal Centres, Civil Registries and other state actors for advocacy on legal and protection matters.

S/he 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 environment.

While the Incumbent will report to the Head of Field Unit (Senior Protection Officer), s/he will have supervisory role and in coordination with the Head of Field Unit, the incumbent will receive regular guidance and advice and s/he is expected to work closely with other teams within the Field unit.

UNHCR 's structure in SE Turkey includes a Sub-Office located in Gaziantep and three field units located in Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Hatay (Antakya) respectively. The Associate Field Officer will be leading the field team based in Adana (the seat of the Field Unit) and Hatay, under the supervision of the Head of Field Unit (SPO). The Field Unit Adana (Hatay) is covering an area which hosts over 520,000 refugees and asylum seekers as of 14 Sep 2023 and it includes 4 temporary accommodation centres (TAC).

On 6 February, two major earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.5 magnitude in Kahramanmaraş Province impacted eleven provinces in Türkiye’s southeast region and neighbouring Syria. Numerous aftershocks, including deadly ones, have continuously impacted the situation in the region. Earthquake resulted with a very high number of casualties, and has triggered population movement, including refugees, to other areas in Turkiye that were not affected by this disaster. In Hatay, where the FU was operating from for years, the level of destruction was enormous, and due to the loss of housing stock, hundreds of thousands of affected people are forced to live in emergency and as of lately transitional accommodation. Multiple tented sites are transitioning to Container sites that have been established across the province. Since the disaster, FU Adana (Hatay) is directly engaged both operationally and within the coordination for a in provision of support to EQ affected population, while continuing to monitor the protection needs of the refugee population.

Proximity to the Syrian border has led to a sensitive security in South-eastern Turkey since the Syrian conflict began. However, the level of general criminality is low. The current security levels in Southeast Turkiye is Level 2, with some parts of the AoR (10 Km distance from the border area, plus Reyhanli and Mardin in the east) at Level 4. There are no known direct threats towards the United Nations and its staff in the area but vigilance and awareness is required in the changing security environment. Due to the relatively recent developments at the border areas, the UN staff in Gaziantep are advised to increase their precaution measures in general. Area Security plans and Security levels are being updated.

FU Adana operates in two provinces (Hatay and Adana) with the plan to extend the area of coverage through inclusion of Mersin province by 01 Jan 2024.

Living and Working Conditions

Following the EQ in southeast Turkiye, FU earlier based in Hatay has changed the modalities of operations, by ensuring daily presence in Hatay but gradually establishing a fixed presence in Adana. The mid-term planning includes the establishment of a joint UN compound in Hatay which will include working space for UNHCR team, while overnight accommodation is being identified as per developing situation on the ground.
The overall access to accommodation, supply and transport facilities in Hatay is currently poor, with plans for quick early recovery. Apartments and flats that were available and generally in good condition with working services as water, gas and electricity are not any longer available, as many physical structures in the town have either collapsed or have been heavily damaged.

With the transfer of the FU from Hatay to Adana, better access to services and daily needs has been established. FU Adana staff have established themselves and their families in Adana, where the availability of housing exists, as well as proper access to Health and other services.

The current situation may require late working hours and weekend work.

Additional Qualifications

SkillsIT-Computer Literacy, PG-UNHCR's Programmes

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

CertificationsHCR Protection Learning Program - UNHCR, Programme Management (PM) 1 - UNHCR

Work Experience

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

UNHCR Salary Calculator

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Compendium

Additional InformationRecruitment 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, successful reference checks, and integrity clearance.

The English version is considered original and authoritative, translation to other language(s) serve the purpose of advertisement of local positions where applicable but are not considered as official translations

PLEASE DO NOT USE TURKISH CHARACTERS IN YOUR NAME & SURNAME INFORMATION.
Staff members should serve for a minimum of one year following assignment before being considered eligible to apply for another position within the same category. This requirement is waived in respect of staff members whose position is being changed or whose assignment/appointment through the joint staff/management review body is in a replacement capacity.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The recruitment process might include written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.
Candidates should be primarily Turkish nationals. The minimum educational requirement for this position is a completed university degree.
For further information on how to apply, please visit the ‘UNHCR - Application and Selection’ page, at https://www.unhcr.org/how-to-apply.html.

Functional clearanceThis position doesn't require a functional clearance