Protection Associate At UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Operational Context:

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is an international organization with the mandate to assist persons in need of international protection; asylum seekers; refugees; statelessness; and internally displaced persons. The UNHCR operation in Mozambique has its main office in Maputo and field offices in Nampula and Pemba. The working language in the UNHCR offices in Mozambique is English.

The Protection Associate reports to the Assistant 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 contribute to the delivery of 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.

The Protection Associate assists in the design and implementation of protection surveys, assessments and profiling exercices, in protection reporting, minutes taking, record keeping and in protection coordination (protection cluster and protection-related working groups). Experience working in refugee/IDP emergency responses in similar functions, in case management, experience with government/NGOs social protection programmes and experience in conducting academic researches will be an asset.

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 SGBV 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.
• Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
• Submit individual payments request for PoC for approval.
• 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.

(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

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

CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness

PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements:

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

Competency requirements:

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies:

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies:

Judgement and Decision Making

Cross-Functional Competencies:

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Political Awareness

Stakeholder Management

Eligibility:

Interested staff members should consult the Administrative Instruction on Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS, UNHCR/AI/2020/1/Rev.2). If you have questions regarding your eligibility, you may also contact the HR Unit.

In line with the RALS, the below category of candidates are eligible to apply for internally/externally advertised vacancies.

Group 1 candidates: Group 1 comprises current GS staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment who, at the date of the deadline for application, are serving in the country of the vacancy at the grade of the position or one grade below or above. However, current GS staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment in the country of the vacancy who apply for a position two grades above their current position are considered as Group 2.

Group 2 candidates: Group 2 comprises candidates from the below categories after completion of one cumulative or continuous year of service in the country of the vacancy.

I. Currently employed locally recruited UNHCR staff members holding a Temporary Appointment up to a maximum of two grades above their current positions;

II. Former locally recruited UNHCR staff members who held an indefinite or fixed-term appointment (within 2 years of separation for males and 5 years for females) up to a maximum of two grades above the last position at UNHCR;

III. National United Nations Volunteers currently working for UNHCR;

IV. National UNOPS and individual contractors currently working for UNHCR;

V. Current GS staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying to a position in the same category two grades above the staff member’s personal grade;

VI. Current UNHCR staff members in the International Professional category holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying to a GS post;

VII. Current UNHCR staff members in the NPO category holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying to a GS post;

VIII. Current locally recruited female staff members from other UN system Organizations holding the equivalent of an indefinite or fixed-term appointment.

External candidates: External candidates are candidates who are not in Group 1 or Group 2. They must meet the essential minimum requirements of the position and candidates not citizens of the country must comply with all eligibility requirements for employment in line with the prevailing legislative prerequisites in the country.

Remuneration:

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the International Civil Service Commission at: http://icsc.un.org