Hardship LevelE (most hardship)
Family TypeNon Family with Residential Location
Family TypeNon Family with Residential Location
Residential location (if applicable)
Yaounde, Cameroon
GradeGS5
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeGeneral Service
ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment
Target Start Date2024-01-01
Job Posting End DateDecember 25, 2023
Standard Job Description
Senior 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.
- 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
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 Desirable
Experience with child protection case management. Knowledge of UNHCR child protection policies and tools including the UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines, and interagency child protection Minimum Standards, Guiding Principles and GBV case management standards. Knowledge of local child protection laws, policies and services. Knowledge and experience of participatory approaches to engage with and mobilize communities. Understanding of displacement and protection issues including GBV, education and the application of the Age, Gender and Diversity approach. Completed Protection Learning Programme. Experience working with marginalized groups. Knowledge of protection information management tools, including but not limited to proGres and/or CPIMS. Knowledge and experience of implementation of multi-sectorial response to GBV (including health, psychosocial support, case management, legal, and security).
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on GBV and Child Protection
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level): French
,
,
Desired languages
,
,
Operational context
To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel
The Far North Region of Cameroon hosts more than 500,000 people of concern to UNHCR, including 130,000 refugees from Nigeria and 370,000 internally displaced persons. Most were displaced due to the Boko Haram crisis, which started in 2013 and affected all Lake Chad Basin countries, including Cameroon. This instability continues to provoke population movements within Cameroon, including the secondary displacement of out-of-camp refugees in Cameroon and the outflows of Cameroonians to Nigeria.
The protection situation became more complex following two other significant events in the region. Firstly, clashes over water resources broke out between herders, farmers, and fishermen in the Logon Birni region in December 2021. This led to a wave of violence that displaced thousands, including 40,000 people to Chad. And secondly, more than 150,000 people were affected by flooding in October and November 2022, including an estimated 60,000 persons forced from their homes due to rising water.
The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in the Far North continues to rise while funding for humanitarian assistance decreases. In partnership with other humanitarian actors, UNHCR continues to work closely with the Government of Cameroon to safeguard forcibly displaced people’s rights and ensure durable solutions for people through returns to communities in Cameroon, voluntary repatriation to Nigeria, and third-country resettlement. UNHCR’s overall objectives, in addition to ensuring the protection of refugees and IDPs, are to promote the independence of refugees and IDPs through access to livelihood opportunities and their integration into national development and assistance programmes while continuing to promote and pursue durable solutions.
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Assistant Community Base Officer, 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. Specifically, the Senior Protection Assistant, contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy and participate in individual protection case management including cases of GBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases and assist for durable solution search.
Based on the hardship living and Security conditions, Maroua were classified as Category E, No family duty station for international staff.
Medical facilities: basic medical facilities exist in Maroua to manage/stabilize urgent cases (for 24h) before evacuation to Yaoundé and then to outside of country as needed. Capacity, infrastructure, and equipment to treat and take in-patient in appropriate medical and sanitation conditions is not sufficient.
Physical isolation and Change of Scene. Maroua is located about 1 314,6 km) via N1 from the capital city Yaoundé. Maroua has an airport for local flights. There are 3 humanitarian and 3 commercial flights per week departing and to Maroua. Maroua to Yaoundé is 1hours 30mn by flight without stop over.
The local staff in Maroua benefit, the Special 10 in 9 arrangements of Compressed Work Schedule are special.
mitigation measures. The special 10 in 9 Compressed Work Schedule of 10 working weeks compressed into 9 weeks does not create additional entitlements, but rather provides offices with greater flexibility in allowing locally recruited staff, time-off.
Additional Qualifications
Skills
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
UNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Additional Information
Functional clearanceThis position doesn't require a functional clearance