H (no hardship)

Family

Family

GS6

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

No

2024-03-01

January 23, 2024

Protection Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Protection Associate normally reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. 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 Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC) and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor.

The Protection Associate 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
– 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 advice on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
– Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination for PoC.
– 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.
– 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.
– Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through 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.
– Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on PoC and their problems.
– Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
– Assist the supervisor in prioritizing PoC for interview, counselling and propose protection support for individual cases.
– Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance of local implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
– Assit the supervisor with enforcing compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
– Submit individual payments request for PoC for approval.

– 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
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
International Law, Political Science
or other related field
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified

Desirable
Protection Learning Programme

Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
(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.

The Protection Associate will work under the leadership of the UNHCR Representative in Bulgaria and the supervision of the Senior Protection Officer of the Bulgaria operation. The protection Associate will support the Operational Protection Unit by handling protection interventions in the following thematic areas: identification and referral of persons with specific needs, child protection, prevention and response to Gender Based Violence, monitoring border, detention and reception conditions, conducting protection gap analysis and preparing reports.

The ideal candidate should have a legal background and previous experience/ knowledge working with refugees and mixed populations.

In addition to the functional skills listed in the job description, it would be desirable for the incumbent to have excellent drafting skills in English.

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Operational context

Background Information:

Bulgaria’s State Agency for Refugees (SAR) registered 17,378 asylum seekers from January to October 2022, most from Syria and Afghanistan. Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022 and until the end of October, Bulgaria has granted Temporary Protection (TP) to approximately 143,670 Ukrainian refugees, of whom 50 per cent are women, and 36 per cent are children. As of the end of October 2022, 54,968 Ukrainian refugees remain within the country.

UNHCR, as a refugee-led organization, coordinates UN-Inter Agency for the Ukrainian Refugee Response. UNHCR supports refugees and asylum seekers with legal information and legal aid, including through a one-stop protection shop – Safe Space, Protection, and Support Hubs, commonly known as Blue Dots, a dedicated legal hotline and other outreach mechanisms, and communication with community channels.

The UNHCR’s priority protection interventions include GBV response, Child Protection, identification of persons with specific needs, and mitigation of the risks relating to trafficking and other forms of abuse and exploitation – while addressing any gaps in the government-led response to their urgent humanitarian needs mostly through the provision of one-off targeted cash assistance for people at heightened protection risks.

Nature of Position:

The Protection Associate works in the Protection Unit, operating under the supervision of the Senior Protection Officer and overall leadership of the UNHCR Representative in Bulgaria. The Protection Unit is responsible for implementing the UNHCR Protection and Solutions Strategy, aiming at improving the situation of the asylum-seekers and refugees in Bulgaria and ensuring their access to the territory, asylum procedures and services.

The Protection Associate is responsible for monitoring and analysing the protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international and EU standards and provides functional protection support to other units responsible for advocacy, information management, programme, communication with communities and external relations.

The Protection Associate will be working in close collaboration with the governmental and local authorities, including the State Agency for Refugees, Directorate Migration, Border Police, municipalities and other state entities, as well as operational partners of UNHCR to ensure information exchange, coordination, and capacity building for the improvement of the protection situation of refugees and asylum seekers in Bulgaria.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

Certifications

International Law – Other, Political Science – Other

Working with Persons of Concern: Refugees

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Additional Information

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance