Senior Protection Assistant

Grade

GS5

General Service

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

D

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2024-08-01

2025-01-31

August 12, 2024

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.

As of 31 December 2021, approximately 900,000 Rohingya refugees reside in 34 camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazilas of Cox’s Bazar District. With the support from various actors including the Government of Bangladesh, donors, NGOs, INGOs, UNHCR provides humanitarian assistance in 16 camps and support to the neighbouring host community. In this regard, UNHCR implements comprehensive protection strategies including registration, legal assistance, child protection, prevention of and response to GBV, education, health & nutrition, water & sanitation, shelter, environmental management, energy access and other assistance programmes, including support to authorities in site management. UNHCR applies a participatory approach to engage refugees through community groups and volunteerism in the design and implementation of its interventions.

From November 2021, UNHCR in collaboration with other UN agencies and NGO has begun activities to support the Government of Bangladesh in providing protection and assistance to approximately 30,000 refugees currently residing on Bhasan Char Island. The incumbent of the position will be stationed in Cox’s Bazar with regular and frequent missions to Bhasan Char that can take several weeks. The position will be eventually transferred to Bhasan Char as a permanent duty station.
The Senior Protection Assistant reports to the Protection Officer or to another snr protection colleague in the team. In coordination and close technical guidance from relevant functional units in Cox’s Bazar, the incumbent will be engaged in all protection activities, with focal responsibilities under Child Protection, and must demonstrate team spirit, proactiveness and good communication skills both orally and in written. The incumbent will monitor child protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and be responsible for implementation of Best Interests Procedures for children at risk, under the guidance of the supervisor, the Protection Sector and the Child Protection Working Group. S/he will identify opportunities to mainstream Child Protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor and support the office in following up cases referred by partners and through the CFM/CAIPP. Furthermore, the incumbent will work closely with partner staff and UNHCR team to support overall implementation of UNHCR and Protection Sector programs on Bhasan Char.

A result based and client-oriented approach is key for this position, which requires daily interaction with the Rohingya refugees and multiple stakeholders. S/he also will ensure the engagement of Rohingya refugees in decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. Dedication to UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity is indispensable. Knowledge of Bangla language and of the Chittagonian dialect will be considered a strong advantage. Due to the nature of the position, female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

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Rohingya

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Skills

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

Education

Certifications

International Law – Other, Political Science – Other

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

Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the Assessment Exercises for the recruitment of the position, which may include Written/Technical tests and/or Interviews, as applicable for recruitment of the position.