Back Protection Assistant (UNOPS, LICA-4), Athens, Greece

Job Title: Job ID: Protection Assistant (UNOPS, LICA-4)

25688

Location: Athens, Greece

Salary Grade: Hardship Level: H

Family Location Type: Family

Eligible Applicants

This position is open to all applicants.

Non-EU applicants can apply provided they have the required documents to work in Greece.

Interested applicants are invited to apply on-line either through MSRP self-service (candidates with MSRP access) or using the external Careers pages www.unhcr.org/careers and https://www.unhcr.org/gr-jobs/ (External candidates).

Kindly note that only electronic applications submitted through the website mentioned above will be considered.

Duties and Qualifications

Operational Context

There are over 119,000 asylum-seekers and refugees currently hosted in Greece who arrived and remained since the 2015 Â' 2016 humanitarian emergency. In 2020, until mid-December, 15,400 people had arrived either by sea or by land, mostly from Afghanistan and Syria. UNHCR supports the Government who coordinates the refugee and migrant response in the development of policy, capacity building and targeted interventions in the areas of reception, asylum procedures, and for finding durable solutions. UNHCR has multiple interventions in core areas of Child Protection, GBV, and other areas addressing specific needs of persons of concern. The Office also retains a readiness to respond to emergencies and new arrivals, with particular focus on immediate support to the most vulnerable.

In 2021, UNHCR is working with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum to finalize transition of the large scale ESTIA accommodation programme by Q1 and will thereafter provide training and capacity support to Government ESTIA partners on protection, reception and asylum standards. The large-scale ESTIA cash assistance programme is to be transitioned to the Greek authorities by end-June 2021. UNHCR also supports the GovernmentÂ's prevention and response to COVID-19 through CWC, technical interventions, increased coordination and protecting asylum-seekers at high-risk of COVID-19 complications.

While the situation on mainland Greece is better overall, most of the roughly 19,500 asylum-seekers at the reception and identification centres on the Greek Aegean Islands must cope with difficult living conditions and are exposed to various security risks. UNHCR has long warned of the urgent need to address the situation and conditions for asylum-seekers on the Aegean Islands. Continued support is also needed from European countries and European Union institutions in providing immediate protection to those most at-risk through sufficient resources, ensuring capacity in the country and responsibility-sharing through expedited relocations of unaccompanied children and other vulnerable people. UNHCR, along with other actors, fully supports the ongoing relocation process, led by the Greek government and supported by the European Commission, of unaccompanied children, asylum-seeking families with children with severe medical conditions and beneficiaries of international protection. As of mid-December 2020, almost 2,000 people had been relocated from Greece to ten European countries. UNHCR will continue to assist Greek authorities in responding to both short-term and long-term challenges.

Duties and Qualifications

The incumbent will be part of the Country Office Community-Based Protection team, contributing in the response to incoming individual communications (Helpdesk), as well as supporting the operation with CwC related activities. In this regard, the Protection Assistant will need to be fluent in Arabic and English language.

The incumbent will report to the Senior Community-based Protection Assistant who defines work processes and provides regular advice and guidance. The incumbent will also work closely with other protection staff members and may receive indirect guidance from more Senior protection staff at the premises of UNHCR Country Office in Athens. The Protection Assistant has frequent contacts involving the exchange of a wide range of information, some of which may be complex and sensitive. The role of the Protection Assistant requires high ethical standards, discretion, and the ability to handle highly confidential information in a professional manner. In exercising his/her duties, the Protection Assistant will abide by the principles set out in the UNHCR Code of Conduct.

The incumbent shall perform the following duties:

• Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
• Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection and solutions activities.
• Provide counselling on protection issues to persons of concern, especially through contribution to the Country Office Protection Helpdesk (incoming communications).
• Assist in drafting reports, routine correspondence, updating relevant databases and compiling statistics for the Protection Unit / Section.
• Contribute to monitoring trends regarding access of persons of concern to UNHCR to relevant socio-economic and legal services, with particular focus to access to asylum.
• Assist, when necessary, with interpretation of oral conversations, discussions and counselling communications with refugees and asylum-seekers, including with vulnerable and/or traumatized individuals.
• Assist, when necessary, with the translation of written communications, certificates, documents, newspapers, magazines etc.
• Assist in drafting reports, routine correspondence, data and statistics as necessary.
• Respond to queries relating to the area of responsibility (AoR).
• Carry out his/her responsibilities in a manner that is consistent with UNHCR standards for cultural, gender, age and diversity sensitivity in UNHCR procedures.
• Complete mandatory training courses as required.
• Perform other related duties as required.

  Essential Minimum Qualifications and Professional Experience required

• Fluency in Arabic and English language (both verbal and written) is required for this position as well as knowledge of the local language (Greek). Fluency in Sorani, Kurmanji, French would be an advantage.
• Completion of Secondary Education. Higher qualification or valid certificate in Protection-related fields is an asset.
• Minimum 2 years of relevant professional job experience (working with refugees or humanitarian work) or 1-year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher qualification.

  Required Qualifications and Competencies

• Ability to work with people from different cultural backgrounds
• Professional conduct and ethics in the course of performing protection services
• Strong Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Outstanding listening, retention and note-taking skills
• Computer literacy
• Ability to work in a team

  Desirable Competencies

• Completed Protection Learning Programme; Additional Training courses in protection related issues would be an asset.

Additional Information

The duration of the assignment is until 30 June 2021.

The closing date for submission is 2 April 2021 (Midnight, Geneva).

• No late applications will be accepted.
• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
• Shortlisted candidates might be required to sit for a written test and will have to undergo an oral interview.

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

  UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.

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