Hardship LevelE (most hardship)
Family TypeFamily
Family TypeFamily
Residential location (if applicable)
GradeGS5
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeGeneral Service
ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment
Target Start Date2023-09-25
Job Posting End DateAugust 25, 2023
Standard Job DescriptionSenior Protection Assistant Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Senior Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. 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 Assistant provides quality, timely and effective protection support to persons of concern (PoC) and identifies opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and safeguards in operational responses. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on protection issues as guided by the supervisor. The Senior Protection Assistant 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 - Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. - Provide counselling on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation. - Support activities in protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners. - Conduct preliminary information gathering and interviews in support of eligibility, status determination, durable solutions and social needs assessment. - 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 for PoC as part of the protection strategy. - Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities. - Participate in individual protection case management including cases of GBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents. - Assist in identifying durable solutions for PoC in 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. - Draft reports, routine correspondence, update relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR). - Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities. - Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share. - Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level 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 Certificates and/or Licenses International Law; Political Science; (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential) Relevant Job Experience Essential: Not specified. Desirable: Not specified. 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 Languages: English and Turkish language proficiency is essential, and fluency in one of the languages including Arabic, Kurdish and/or Farsi will be considered a strong advantage.
Additional Qualifications: Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, as well as child protection and GBV related learning programmes will be considered an advantage.
Desirable functional skills:
PR - Age, Gender, Diversity (AGD)
PR-Interviewing and counselling refugees/asylum seekers and in individual case management;
MS-Reporting and drafting skills;
MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation.
Competencies: Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Organizational awareness, Teamwork & collaboration
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:
https://www.cdc.gov/travel
Nature of Position:
The post of Senior Protection Assistant, is within Gaziantep Field Unit and the incumbent will be supervised by the Assistant Field Officer (NOA) under the Head of Gaziantep Field Unit. Gaziantep Field Unit covers five provinces namely Gaziantep, Kilis, Kahramanmaras, Osmaniye and Malatya where about 700,000 individuals are registered under Temporary Protection. The incumbent will:
Observe the Voluntary Return Interviews of Syrians at PDMMs and two border gates (Oncupinar and Karkamis), ensure voluntariness of applicants' return decision, and provide counselling on the consequences of voluntary return. If/when encountered any specific protection cases, take appropriate action, counsel, and refer the individual. Prepare daily and weekly reports and statistics on voluntary return interviews and record in database.
In consultation and coordination with relevant internal and external stakeholders, conduct systematic protection monitoring to assess and report the needs including in the EQ affected areas, through site visits, key informant interviews and group discussions with affected refugee and host community members, as well as with authorities and partners.
Regularly report protection observations on registration/ documentation, access to basic needs and assistance, child protection, GBV and SEA risks, community engagement and social cohesion. Contribute to provincial strategies and thematic analysis when needed.
Monitor partner activities in the field with a view of ensuring efficient implementation of priority UNHCR programmes.
Regularly engage with (I)NGO partners and state institutions to advocate for protection space for refugees, their access to services and to government-sanctioned assistance.
Conduct relevant referrals to humanitarian actors or government counterparts for identified individual or group needs in specific locations.
Any other duties as required.
To perform and fulfil their duties, the incumbent will spend a substantial percentage of time working outside the office on a daily basis engaging with refugees and staff of various counterparts; (I) NGOs and public institutions including but not limited to Provincial Directorate of Migration Management (PDMM) and Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services (PdFSS), other relevant state institutions, Municipalities, muhtars etc. The incumbent will be expected to interact directly with persons under Temporary and International protection as well as asylum seekers, within the Field Unit's area of responsibility, especially during voluntary return interviews.
Living and Working Conditions:
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. The infrastructure and utilities in Gaziantep are largely preserved, and the city continues to benefit from efficient public transport system and smooth delivery of gas, water and electricity. Gaziantep is a regional industrial and trade hub, with thousands of businesses that have continued operating after the earthquake.
Gaziantep has a good network of health facilities, including both public and private hospitals, some of which offer more sophisticated services. Housing in Gaziantep is widely available, but due to economic downfall in most of 2022 and following the earthquake, rental prices have significantly increased.
Gaziantep also has a well-developed network of schools and is home to one of the largest universities in Turkiye. There are several private universities as well. However, education with international curricula is very limited and it may be challenging for families with younger children in need of adequate educational facilities in foreign language. English is not widely spoken, which may be challenging at times. However, people in Gaziantep are hospitable.
Current operational circumstances may require long working hours due to ongoing emergency mode.
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. During the recent period the security situation in Southeast Turkey has been largely stable, with isolated incidents of deteriorated situation due to evolving security situation along the border with Syria. Following an increased engagement in the Syrian conflict by the Turkish Government the number of incidents targeting Turkish security forces has somewhat increased, but number of cross border incidents is rather limited in scale and frequency of occurrence.
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.
Gaziantep is a base for three UNHCR separate facilities- the SO Gaziantep (refugee operations), Resettlement Hub inaugurated in Dec 2022, and the Cross Border Operation that is engaged in the humanitarian interventions in Northwest Syria. SO Gaziantep provides support to Resettlement and Cross Border Operations through Admin and logistics functions, with occasional expansion to other types of support from various units in the office.
Additional Qualifications
SkillsIT-Computer Literacy, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
Education
CertificationsInternational Law - Other, Political Science - Other
Work Experience
CompetenciesAccountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration
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Additional InformationOther information
Recruitment 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 a written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.
External candidates should be legally present in Türkiye at the time of application, recruitment, and hire.
Non-Turkish citizens are required to upload their residence permits or relevant documents under the ‘Certifications’ section, by selecting the type ‘Personnel Administration – Other’, to be considered for this job opening. Applications by non-Turkish citizens will NOT be considered if a valid residence permit is not attached to the application.
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