Senior Protection Assistant - CBP

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)C

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeUNOPS LICA5

Target Start Date2024-04-01

Job Posting End DateApril 14, 2024

Terms of ReferenceOrganizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant is a member of the Protection Unit and may report to the Protection Officer, Community-Based Protection Officer, or another more senior staff member in the Protection Unit. Under the overall direction of the Protection Unit, and in coordination with other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners and other stakeholders, the Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities.
The incumbent supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role, the Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within Communities of persons of concern (PoC). The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with PoC that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results, form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with PoC.

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
- Assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy.
- Through relationships with PoC and network of partners, stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
- Assist in initiatives with host communities to involve national civil society groups in the protection of PoC.
- Support implementing and operational partners as well as displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to GBV.
- Assist in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
- Support participatory assessments by multifunctional teams and ongoing consultation with PoC.
- Support efforts to build the office capacity for community-based protection.
- Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
- Ensure community understanding of UNHCR's commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
- Collect data for monitoring of programmes and budgets from an AGD perspective.
- Draft and type routine correspondence, documents and reports and maintain up-to-date filing systems.
- Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
- Assist in the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR’s work.
- Initiate AGD sensitive interventions at the appropriate level on community-based protection issues and to respond to protection concerns and incidents within the office and with persons and communities of concern based on agreed parameters.
- Identify and recommend which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling and field visits based on agreed criteria.
- Enforce compliance of implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G5 - 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year 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
Development Studies, Human Rights Community Development /Social Work
Social Science, Political Science International Law
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified.
Desirable
Not specified.

Functional Skills
*IT-MS Office Applications
*IT-Computer Literacy
IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
UN-UN/UNHCR Financial Rules and Regulations and Procedures
PR-Community-based Protection
PR-Community-based Protection - Principles and methodologies
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
(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.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
English and Portuguese
Knowledge in Spanish will be considered an asset.

Competency Requirements
All jobs at UNHCR require six corteam,mpetencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies.

The six core competencies are listed below.
Core Competencies
Accountability
Communication
Organizational Awareness
Teamwork & Collaboration
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies
Not specified.

Cross-Functional Competencies
Stakeholder Management
Planning and Organizing
Political Awareness

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.

Nature of Position
The position is based in the UNHCR field unit in Pacaraima and provides support to all protection activities implemented by partners or directly by the Area of Responsibility of the Office. Therefore, the incumbent should have excellent written and oral communication skills in English in addition to being fluent in Portuguese language. The activities include voluminous coordination work for which strong analytical skills and attention to detail is required as well as capacity to work independently with tight deadlines. Demonstrated ability to communicate successfully within a team and with external stakeholders, will be considered essential.

Under the supervision of the Protection Associate, the Senior Protection Assistant will undertake the following tasks:
- Support the development of the Community-Based Protection strategy and the monitoring of age-, gender- and diversity-sensitive (AGD) interventions on community issues by assisting and responding to protection concerns and incidents within Pacaraima field unit, and by engaging with the persons and communities UNHCR serves on agreed parameters. This should include staying abreast and updated on existing community structures, as well as on the protection and security situation, including political, social, economic, and cultural developments, which may have an impact on the protection environment of the persons UNHCR serves, while strengthening relationships
and links with a range of members of the refugee and asylum-seekers communities, using an AGD approach.
- Advise the protection team and senior management on the perspectives, capacities, needs, resources and concerns of the persons UNHCR serves, to ensure that these are reflected in the Community-Based Protection strategy, as well as in the planning processes and in the Operation’s plan, thus ensuring that the necessary resources are allocated to enable community work to further identify and address protection and assistance gaps, as well as respond simultaneously to the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and the elderly, people with disabilities and minority groups, including LGBTIQ+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS. To this end, he/she
should contribute to the design of the Community-Based Protection strategy, project submissions and budgets for endorsement by the supervisor.
- Support the Pacaraima Field Unit in initiatives with the persons UNHCR serves and host communities to engage civil society groups in refugee protection and develop community activities to address, where applicable, social, educational, psychosocial, cultural, health, organizational and livelihood concerns, as well as child protection and GBV prevention and response.
- Responsible for leading the Outreach Volunteers project implemented in the 4 indigenous host communities (Tarau Paru, Sakau´Motá, Bananal and Sorocaima I).
- Assist in supporting consultative processes with local government counterparts, partners and UNHCR staff to develop and implement integrated strategies that address key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education and gender-based violence, as well as solutions approaches.
- Lead participatory assessments on a regular basis and ensure the promotion of open dialogues with communities throughout the year; with a calendar of consultations promoted to cover different topics of interest. Ensure that the information gathered is considered in the Protection strategy and programming, and feedback is provided to the community.
- Lead the implementation of projects aimed at peaceful coexistence, in coordination with other units, notably Durable Solutions and Programmes units, while promoting trust-building and conflict resolution among the populations of concern, the authorities and the host communities.
- Identify and support existing community structures, including refugee-led organizations and leadership structures, building on their capacities, and/or support in setting up, developing, and organizing new representation and coordination structures that enhance their participation and protection.
- Support the design, implementation, and evaluation of protection-focused and solution-oriented programming, in collaboration with operational and implementing partners, ensuring the integration of community-owned activities.
- Provide guidance and technical support to UNHCR and partners, as well as implement and oversee standard operating procedures (SOPs) in all matters related to the CBP. To this end, he/she should liaise and coordinate with local counterparts, partners and POCs on Community-Based Protection-related activities.
- Ensure that communication with the community (CwC) is done regularly and effectively, through the most accessible channels, thus ensuring that everyone has access to relevant and accurate information that has an impact on their lives, in order to mitigate increased protection risks.
- Contribute to the information management component of the protection team, which provides disaggregated data on the populations of concern and their problems; research, collect and disseminate relevant information on protection and good practices to improve the provision of protection and provide technical advice if necessary. Therefore, ensure that all relevant information is recorded into proGres database.
- Maintain an assiduous protection presence through regular visits to communities inside and outside shelters, reporting on their situation, thus establishing direct contacts with the persons of concern, host communities, local authorities, and partners.
To fulfil this task, the Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within the communities and persons UNHCR serves.

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

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Desired Languages

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Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance

Home-BasedNo