Duties And Qualifications
Assistant Protection Officer
Background
The Assistant Protection Officer reports to the Senior Protection Officer. He/She is expected to: coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern; and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. He/she contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the organization externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor.
He/she also ensures that persons of concern are involved with the Office 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.

Duties and Responsibilities

Accountability (key results that will be achieved)

• The protection of populations of concern is met through the application of International and National Law, relevant UN/UNHCR protection standards and IASC principles.
• Protection activities are guided by the protection strategy and respect the policy of UNHCR on age, gender and diversity (AGD).
• The participation of persons of concern is assured through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community-based approaches.
• Protection incidents are immediately identified and addressed.

Responsibility (process and functions undertaken to achieve results)

• 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 persons of concern.
• Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
• Conduct eligibility and status determination for persons of concern in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.
• Promote and contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
• Contribute to the Sub Office child protection plan as part of the protection strategy.
• Contribute to the Sub Office education plan as part of the protection strategy.
• Implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
• Manage individual protection cases including those on SGBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
• Assess needs for Promote and find durable solutions for the largest possible number of persons of concern 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 persons of concern.
• 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.
• Contribute to 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.

Authority (decisions made in executing responsibilities and to achieve results)

• Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
• Decide priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
• Enforce 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.

Minimum Qualifications
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For 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.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified;
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
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 National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
Position Competencies
Competencies as defined in Job Profile
Additional Information
Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, training or any other fees).
An eliminatory or complementary written test for shortlisted candidates may be concluded which will be followed by competency-based interview.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Applications must be nationals of the country and be locally recruited within the country of their employment.