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Assistant Protection Officer

Amman

  • Organization: UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  • Location: Amman
  • Grade: Administrative support - Administrative Services and Support - Generally no need for Higher Education
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Administrative support
    • Protection Officer (Refugee)
  • Closing Date: Closed

Candidates must meet the essential minimum requirements of the position and must be nationals of the country. 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.
- 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
*LE-International Refugee Law
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination
MG-Projects management
PR-PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards
PR-International Humanitarian Law
PR-Protection and mixed-movements
PR-Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Operations & IDPs Status/Rights/Obligation
PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement
PR-Community-based Protection
MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.


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. All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies 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:
Judgement and Decision Making

Cross-Functional Competencies:
Stakeholder Management
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Political Awareness CONSENT
The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term "sexual exploitation" means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term "sexual abuse" means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term "sexual harassment" means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator's working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.
========================================================================================================
See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== Jordan has a strong tradition of generosity towards refugees, from neighbouring countries and beyond and is currently hosting 748,000 refugees. The large majority refugees are Syrians, followed by Iraqi, Yemenis, Sudanese, Somali, and other nationalities; 80 percent live outside refugee camps in urban areas. Since the onset of the Syria crisis, the pressure on Jordan¿s resources and infrastructure has been mounting; this has the potential to undermine the harmonious coexistence between refugees and hosting communities. While Jordan is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, an MoU covers cooperation between UNHCR and the Government of Jordan on refugee and asylum-seeker issues.
Key priority areas for the country programme refugee response in Jordan focus on protection, cash assistance, livelihoods, health care, camp management and community mobilization, with an emphasis on vulnerability-based targeting. UNHCR¿s multipurpose cash assistance strategy is a key component of the comprehensive protection response for those living in urban areas, many of whom do have access to basic services such as health, education, water and sanitation. In the camps of Zaatari and Azraq, UNHCR also leads a range of activities and services, including camp coordination, protection and outreach, community services, livelihoods, shelter and energy. 
With its 500 staff, UNHCR coordinates the refugee response under the leadership of the Government of Jordan, with a budget of $426m in 2020 and works with 16 NGO and GoJ partners. UNHCR Jordan operates a one-refugee policy for all persons of concern, Syrian and non-Syrian alike seeking to reduce and ultimately eliminate differences in rights and services based on nationality in Government, UNHCR, and NGO approaches to protection and assistance.
In 2021, UNHCR will continue to support the Government as it works to achieve the objectives set out by the Jordan Compact in February 2016, focusing on education and coordinating stakeholders¿ efforts in the livelihood sector, advocating increased flexibility when issuing work permits and providing space for refugees of all nationalities to be economically active. UNHCR will also facilitate durable solutions through traditional resettlement opportunities and expanding complementary pathways where possible, despite challenges in the global environment.

Child Protection is an integral area of protection focus in UNHCR, which entails multi-facetted attention to individual cases and coordination on national level as well as on bi-lateral basis. The national officer is expected to take the lead in all coordination efforts as well as planning and outreach activities including identification of existing gaps and planning for their response.
In addition to the standard duties listed in the Job description, the Assistant Protection Officer is also expected to:
- Participate and lead activities related to child protection issues.
- Co-lead the Child Protection sub working group in terms of planning and strategy.
- Contribute to drafting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Support the Protection Officer in the drafting of guidance documents, situational analysis, gap and need assessments and other documentation for child protection activities and sector.
- Draft substantive report and minutes of meetings as well as update notes and any standard or ad hoc documentation request.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen child protection related activities and procedures.
- Assist the supervisor with any required follow-ups and activities.

Essential
- Strong understanding and preferably practical experience in child protection issues. 
- Coordination experience and interaction with government entities is required.
- Strong command of English and Arabic languages in order to be able to communicate in both language mediums with the various counterparts and lead bi-lingual meetings. 
- Strong interpersonal skills to enable communication and follow-up with various key interlockers.
- Coordination skills to assist in setting up meetings and all related follow-up and attention to the meeting action points and recommendations.
- Ability to undertake missions to various locations within the country as part of protection monitoring activities

Desirable
- Strong interpersonal skills, tactfulness, and ability to interact with different stakeholders from various backgrounds. The closing date for the above job opening is 25 July 2021.
This vacancy is now closed.
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