Organization: UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Location: Bhasan Char
Grade: Administrative support – GS-5/GS-6, General Service – No need for Higher Education – Locally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Administrative support
Protection Officer (Refugee)
Closing Date: 2024-11-26
Hardship Level
D
Family Type
Family
Family Type
Family
Residential location (if applicable)
Grade
GS5
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
General Service
Reason
Regular > Regular Assignment
Remote work accepted
No
Target Start Date
2024-12-01
Deadline for Applications
November 26, 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.
Desired Candidate Profile
The incumbent should have knowledge of resettlement case processing, excellent communication and negotiation skills, ability to work in a team and with minimal supervision. They should have good drafting and analytical skills, and good interpersonal and relationship management skills. Familiarity with the UNHCR proGres database is required. Exposure to complementary pathways is desirable.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
Rohingya
,
Bengali
,
English
Desired languages
,
,
Operational context
Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:
To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.
Nature of Position:
As of 31 August 2024, Bangladesh hosts a total of 994,124 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar residing in 33 extremely congested camps in Cox’s Bazar District and on Bhasan Char, an island located 60km from the Bangladesh mainland. Of these, over 40,000 are from the protracted registered population who arrived in the early 1990s or are immediate family members. Since August 2017, under the leadership of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), rapid and effective humanitarian action has saved thousands of lives, met critical needs, and protected these Rohingya refugees, while also responding to the impact on host communities in Cox’s Bazar District. Six years after the most extensive flight to Bangladesh, the Rohingya refugee response transitions from an emergency to a protracted situation. UNHCR plays a leading role in supporting the Government’s response involving currently 117 humanitarian organizations – UN agencies, international and national NGOs.
The international community continues its engagement with the Rohingya refugee response as it transitions from an emergency to a protracted refugee situation, and efforts to find comprehensive solutions for the refugees. A cornerstone of the effort to find solutions for Rohingya refugees is the development of a multi-year large-scale resettlement programme, (mainly to the United States of America under the Group P2 modality for those refugees who arrived in the early 1990s, as well as for a limited number of refugees with heightened vulnerabilities/high protection risks), coupled with complementary pathways (education schemes, labor mobility, enhanced family reunion). As the conditions in Myanmar are currently not conducive for voluntary return in safety and dignity and local integration in Bangladesh is not feasible, third country solutions through resettlement and complementary pathways will remain a priority.
The Senior Protection Assistant reports to the Assistant Durable Solutions Officer. The incumbent is relied upon to contribute to the implementation of a durable solutions strategy. The incumbent’s primary role will be to support resettlement case processing including conducting of preliminary assessments and carrying out deferral work, in accordance with the SOPs and guidelines for the Durable Solutions Unit. The incumbent will assist in communicating with communities through responding to; acting on or referring queries received through the CAIIP platform; updating of refugee data on the ProGres database and electronic filing through SharePoint.
Living and Working Conditions:
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Certifications
International Law – Other, Political Science – Other
Work Experience
Competencies
Accountability, 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
Compendium
Additional Information
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.
Functional clearance
This position doesn’t require a functional clearance