Associate RSD Officer, UNOPS IICA-1, Hargeisa at UN High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering an Associate RSD Officer position within Hargeisa, UNHCR Somalia in our Protection Unit. The Associate RSD Officer will be conducting Refugee Status Determination case processing, include, where needed, appeals, and case review and capacity building training and activities.

UNHCR is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 125 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.

• Title: Associate RSD Officer
• Duty Station: Hargeisa
• Duration: 01/03/2022 to 31/12/2022 (with possibility of extension)
• Contract Type: UNOPS International ICA Level 1
• Closing date: 14^th February 2022
• Start date: 1^st March 2022

Organisational context

The Protection Unit in Sub Office Hargeisa, Somaliland is headed by a Protection Officer and provides operational support, policy guidance and advice to the field throughout Somaliland. In addition, the Unit maintains close cooperation with other Units in UNHCR Mogadishu, works together with Executive Office and Programme Unit in design, review and implementation of projects, as well as participates in Protection Cluster meetings, representing UNHCR Somaliland position and strategy regarding protection of persons of concern (PoCs). The Associate RSD Officer is a member of the Protection Unit with specific responsibilities related to Refugee Status Determination procedures (RSD).

As of 26 January 2022, Somaliland hosts approximately 16,000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria and other nationalities. Access to asylum is generally respected in Somaliland. Yemenis, Syrians and Palestinians in Somaliland are accorded refugee status on prima facie basis while all other nationalities (Ethiopian and Eritreans) are required to undergo individual RSD. Somaliland authorities recognize refugee status accorded by UNHCR, which conducts mandate RSD – First Instance and Appeals. There is a significant number of asylum seekers in Somaliland that are pending mandate RSD and the existing operational staffing capacity to clear current backlog is extremely limited. This backlog has an impact on the resource allocation for the program given that asylum seekers constitute 50% of the population and most vulnerable asylum seekers receive cash assistance. As per the UNHCR Somalia 2020-2022 Multi-Year Multi Partner Protection and Solutions Strategy and 2020 RSD Backlog Reduction Strategy, those in need of RSD to achieve solutions and protection benefits will be prioritized for RSD processing based on clearly defined prioritization criteria.

The position

We are seeking a dynamic and proactive team player, who will ensure that the above explained strategic approach is effectively implemented towards backlog reduction. The Associate RSD Officer will also provide operational, case processing and strategic support on mandate RSD in Somaliland and provide advice and guidance on legal and procedural matters related to RSD in line with UNHCR’s RSD Procedural Standards (2020) and other relevant protection policies and guidelines. Under the supervision of the Protection Officer based in Hargeisa, s/he will work closely with the RSD Officer in Nairobi, senior managers, as well as staff responsible for registration, resettlement and training activities and will ensure that weekly RSD case targets are effectively tracked. S/he will also liaise with relevant focal points working at RO and Regional Bureau.

Duties and responsibilities

• Conduct First Instance RSD case processing, including for cases that may be reviewed, and returned to caseworker for updates and additional clarifications
• Where possible, and based on a capacity assessment provide support with review of pending RSD cases
• Maintain accurate and up-to date records and data related to all work on individual cases
• Provide counselling to asylum seekers and refugees with pending RSD cases, as and when required.
• Systematically apply an age, gender and diversity (AGD) perspective in the performance of assigned functions.
• Assist in monitoring RSD trends and in compiling and analyzing RSD statistics to identify and respond to developments or issues impacting on the efficiency or quality of RSD decision-making, and to propose remedial measures
• RSD scheduling
• Participating in RSD meetings with Somalia Representation Office, and Regional Bureau, as required
• Undertake training and capacity building activities for UNHCR national staff engaged in RSD, as well as government partners, as required
• Conduct research on country-of-origin information (COI) and legal issues related to RSD and assist in maintaining a local repository of relevant information, guidelines and standards accessible to all staff involved in RSD
• Ensure that persons of concern, Government authorities and legal partners have accurate information on the RSD procedures, including UNHCR standards, policy and practice.
• Assist in developing and maintaining processes to ensure that persons of concern, Government authorities and partners have accurate information on the RSD procedures, including UNHCR standards, policy and practice.

Essential minimum qualifications and professional experience required

The ideal candidate will/have:

• Possess a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field – International Refugee Law International Human Rights Law; International Humanitarian Law; International Criminal Law; Social Sciences; or another relevant field
• Minimum 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree
• Minimum six months experience working with RSD module on proGres v4 is required
• Knowledge and experience working with RSD on proGres v3 is desirable
• Be knowledgeable of and/or preparedness to become familiar with and abide by UNHCR’s principles, code of conduct and humanitarian goals;
• Knowledge of the international legal framework governing refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and statelessness;
• Knowledge of UNHCR guidelines on refugee status determination including application of Exclusion article 1F of the 1951 Convention, preventing and Mitigating of Fraud in the Resettlement processes.
• Excellent interviewing and counselling skills as demonstrated in previous assignments.
• Excellent drafting and written skills in English, very strong attention to detail, very strong analytical skills, as demonstrated in previous assignments’
• Experience giving advice on RSD guidelines and policy is desirable.
• Excellent communication skills with strong interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Be fluent in English, with advanced writing and editing skills. Additional languages are desirable, but not essential.
• Be capable of building and maintaining simple databases and filing systems for project management.
• Have good experience using the Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Demonstrate a genuine desire to learn and develop.
• Be highly organized and have good attention to detail.
• Be able to multi-task and to prioritize workload.
• Be a flexible, team-player.

Location

The successful candidate will be based with the team in Hargeisa.

Conditions

The assignment is from March 2022 to December 2022 with possibility of further extension. It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 8.00am to 5:00pm Sunday to Thursday (40 hours per week).