Grade

GS6

General Service

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

H (no hardship)

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No

2024-02-01

2024-07-31

January 23, 2024

Standard Job Description

Community-Based Protection Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Community-Based Protection Associate is a member of the Protection Unit and may report to the Protection Officer, Community-Based Protection Officer, or another more senior staff member in the Protection Unit. Under the overall direction of the Protection Unit, and in coordination with other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners and other stakeholders, the Community-Based Protection Associate works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for part of the protection and/or support staff and supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role, the Community-Based Protection Associate is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of PoC. The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with PoC that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results, form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with PoC.

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
– Assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy and operational procedures.
– Through relationships with PoC and network of partners, stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
– Work with host communities to identify opportunities for national civil society involvement in improving the protection of PoC.
– Work with implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to GBV.
– Assist in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
– Support participatory assessments by multifunctional teams and ongoing consultation with PoC.
– Assist in planning and monitoring of programmes and budgets, with an AGD perspective
– Build office capacity for community-based protection through training and establishing systems for community mobilization and participation of PoC.
– Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
– Ensure community understanding of UNHCR’s commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
– Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
– Contribute to the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR’s work.
– Initiate AGD sensitive interventions at the appropriate level on community-based protection issues and to respond to protection concerns and incidents within the office, with external interlocutors, groups and individuals based on agreed parameters.
– Identify and select which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling and field visits based on agreed criteria.
– Intervene with authorities on protection.
– Enforce compliance of implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
– Recommend and prepare payments to individual cases.

– 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 G6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
Not applicable.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Development, Human Rights, International Law
International Social Work, Social Science, Political Science,
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified.

Desirable
UNHCR learning programmes (PLP). Knowledge of MSRP.

Functional Skills
IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
*IT-Computer Literacy
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate)
TR-Capacity Buidling
(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.

Operational Context

The UNHCR Country Office in Cyprus is striving to provide support to refugee communities in Cyprus. The asylum system is relatively young, with the first Refugee Law adopted in 2000 and the authorities taking over responsibilities from UNHCR in 2002. Asylum seekers and refugees often lack adequate awareness of their rights and of ways to facilitate their meaningful access to services while the number of refugee-assisting organizations is still small and cannot address everyone’s needs. The incumbent shall undertake and coordinate UNHCR’s outreach activities, in an effort to identify the needs of asylum seekers and refugees, the risks they face as well as their wishes and communicate them to the appropriate authorities. In addition, the incumbent is expected to assist asylum seekers and refugees to identify and leverage their capacities in order to protect themselves, their families and their communities. In this regard, the incumbent shall work with implementing and operational partners as well as the communities themselves to develop community-owned activities to address any social, educational, psychosocial, and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence. The above will require the incumbent to spend a substantial percentage of time working outside the office, building and maintaining networks, including through the Refugee Outreach Volunteers.

Desirable Candidate Profile

• Academic background in law, international relations/political science, social science, community development/social work, cultural studies, anthropology or other clearly related disciplines
• Experience with humanitarian actors (UNHCR, UN agencies or national/international NGOs)
• Professional experience in refugee protection in Cyprus;
• Experience with working directly with asylum seekers and refugees, familiarity with UNCHR community-based, AGD and participatory approaches
• Technical training: courses certifications on refugee protection topics;
• Solid knowledge of the humanitarian context and key stakeholders in Cyprus
• Familiarity with UNHCR admin, finance, HR, supply and programme procedures is desirable

Language Requirements

Fluency in Greek and in English (C1 level) required and working knowledge of French (B2 level) or Arabic (B2 level) would be desirable

Functional Clearance

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

Additional Information

Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a test. No late applications will be accepted. 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. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

Candidates must be legally present in Cyprus at the time of the application, recruitment and hire.

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

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Skills

CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community, IT-Computer Literacy, IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate), PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies, TR-Capacity Buidling, UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures

Education

Certifications

Community Development/Social Work – Other, Development Studies – Other, Human Rights – Other, International Law – Other, Political Science – Other, Social Sciences – Other

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a test.