Senior Protection Associate

E (most hardship)Non Family with Residential LocationNon Family with Residential LocationDanger PayNairobi (CO), KenyaGS7General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular AssignmentNo2025-01-01November 23, 2024

Senior Protection Associate

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 (PoC) 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 PoC 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 PoC.
- Provide advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination for PoC 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 (SOPs) 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 PoC 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 PoC 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.

- 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 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

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
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 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 incumbent should have experience working in a conflict-affected or volatile context and implementing protection activities in emergencies serving both refugees and IDPs. The incumbent should also have demonstrated capacity to undertake protection monitoring, including remotely, and to build and maintain community-based networks of key contacts able to inform protection monitoring activities. S/he must also have knowledge of key protection standards related to refugee law, internal displacement and international humanitarian law.

The incumbent should have capacity to apply key protection and protection mainstreaming principles including Do No Harm, AGDM, PSEA, AAP, conflict sensitivity and community-based approaches in the implementation of routine tasks, as well as to apply those principles in novel and emergency situations. S/he should also have demonstrated ability to build the capacity of junior colleagues, partners and community members on core protection principles (including PSEA and AAP), protection monitoring, safe identification and referral of sensitive cases.

In addition, s/he should have demonstrated ability to coordinate effectively with a diverse team, as well as authorities, partners, community leaders and people we serve, and to negotiate with local stakeholders in the interests of people we serve. The incumbent must have flexibility to take on different tasks, and to multi-task, in response to contextual changes and shifting organizational priorities. Solid written and verbal communication skills in English and Arabic are required.

Additional Assets:
• Familiarity with IASC and RCF coordination architecture.
• Familiarity with UNHCR’s operations in Darfur.
• Team working ability with a range of actors

Nature of the Position:

The incumbent of this position reports to the Head of Office, El Dean and has a functional reporting line to the Protection Officer based in Zalengei, and is expected to provide ongoing support for matters related to refugee and IDP protection. In particular, this position includes a focus on the 13 refugee settlements in Al Lait for which UNHCR provides a multi-sectoral response as well as IDP populations in other accessible areas of North Darfur.

The incumbent is expected to build and maintain relationships with the refugee communities living in each of the settlements in Al Lait, as well as key stakeholders among the host community, COR and other service providers, and accessible IDP populations. Community-based protection outreach and protection monitoring are key components of the role, together with community mobilization to enable strengthened refugee protection, and provision of ongoing support to Refugee-Led and IDP-Led Organizations (RLOs and IDPLOs).

In addition, the incumbent is expected to liaise with COR in Al Lait and with other agencies and organizations providing services to refugees in order to advocate for refugees’ interests and facilitate smooth coordination. S/he will facilitate the Refugee Working Group in North Darfur (either as a standalone coordination platform or in combination with the Protection Cluster). The incumbent will be based in Ed Dalein and undertake regular field missions to refugee settlements in Al Lait, and other accessible locations in North Darfur as needed from East Darfur.

The incumbent is expected to join the duty station upon their appointment.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Nature of Position:

Living and Working Conditions:

 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

Certifications

International Law - Other, Political Science - Other

Competencies

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

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

Female candidates are encouraged to apply.This position doesn't require a functional clearance