Hardship LevelD
Family TypeNon Family with Residential Location
Family TypeNon Family with Residential Location
Residential location (if applicable)
Accra, Ghana
GradeNOA
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeNational Professional Officer
ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment
Target Start Date2024-04-01
Job Posting End DateDecember 14, 2023
Standard Job Description
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.
- 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
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.
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified;
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
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
MG-Project Management
PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards
PR-International Humanitarian Law
PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation
PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement
CO-Drafting and Documentation
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination
(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 applicant should have a bachelor's or a higher degree in Law.
S/He should demonstrate ability to work with community-based organizations including refugee led organizations.
Operational experience and familiarity with working in multi-functional teams would be helpful.
Community engagement approaches with the different community members as well as networking skills with government counterparts within the area of operation, to ensure peaceful co-existence among refugees and nationals is crucial.
Excellent oral and written communication skills including good drafting and reporting skills.
S/He should possess strong political awareness, analytical and diplomatic skills, as well as exhibit good judgment and protection aptitude. S/he should have strong interpersonal and team skills to work harmoniously in a difficult living and working environment. S/he exercise a high degree of flexibility, creativity, patience, and adaptability.
The applicant should have previous UN and/or UNHCR previous working experience.
A written test may be conducted for this position
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level): English
,
,
Desired languagesHausa
,
,
Operational context
The Assistant Protection Officer reports to the Head of Field Office - Takum.
The incumbent will have supervisory role for some of the national protection staff and should have management skills, to be able to provide guidance and coaching to staff as well as be able to provide guidance to partners.
The Assistant Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of people that we serve, 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 (in Taraba State) on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. S/he also ensures that people that we serve, are meaningfully engaged in the decisions that affect them and support programme design and adaptations that are influenced by the concerns, priorities, and their capacities. 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.
Living and Working Conditions:
Takum Field Office is in Taraba State of Nigeria, 4 hours’ drive from Ogoja town where the UNHCR Sub-Office is located. The other nearest towns are Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State (4.5 hrs journey).
Average annual temperature in Takum is around 30 degrees Celsius. The weather is generally hot at about 2 degrees Celsius above the Nigeria average. The warmest month being March and the coldest January.
Takum is a relatively small and remote town and lacks advanced medical facilities and social amenities. Malaria and water-borne diseases such as typhoid are common. Staff are required to observe preventive measures and health guidelines from both the government of Nigeria and the UN medical services. The medical facilities are not adequate and hence staff are referred to Ogoja and/or Calabar for Periodic Medical Examination and may have to be evacuated out of town in case of any serious medical issue.
Security risks may be classified as medium to high. There have been reports of kidnaps for ransom, killings, armed robberies, and general banditry. Therefore, movement without necessary security clearances and measures is discouraged. UNHCR international staff stay in a furnished guest house in a secure setting guarded by the relevant security personnel. Some of the basic requirements such as food and clothing can be found within the area. However, some essential commodities can be accessed from Jalingo which is a bigger city with a variety of goods and services. Living conditions can be summed-up as follows: Very basic infrastructure as well as leisure and recreational facilities; Limited health facilities available locally; Malaria & typhoid diseases are common in the region; Due to the security restrictions, the office has established well organized guest house facilities where all international professional staff are required to reside; Movement of international staff is restricted to minimize risk of kidnapping; Frequent mission travel to the deep Field locations; high stressful work context, therefore capacity for self-care is critical.
Due to limited resources, there are serious risks of GBV. Over 90% of the GBV survivors lack socio economic assistance with very limited multi-sectoral response services. Safety and security response continue to be challenging due to logistical constraints. Health response is inadequate due to lack of professional health care providers and insufficient drugs in health facilities.
Additional Qualifications
SkillsAccountability, Legal Practices, PR-International Humanitarian Law, PR-International protection concepts and principles, Respect Diversity
EducationBachelor of Arts (BA): International Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science
CertificationsLaw - Other
Work ExperienceProtection
CompetenciesAccountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, 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