Snr. Protection Assistant UNHCR/UNOPS LICA 5 At UN High Commissioner for Refugees

JOB OPENING: 30294

Operational Context:

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has an international mandate on protection of refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, statelessness and returnees. The Country Office in Tegucigalpa is located in the region of Francisco Morazan and requires support in the protection area to analyze the protection needs and risks of the displaced population and strategies for their protection. The Protection Associate will support the work of the unit to strengthen response capacities of governmental institutions and resilience capacities of communities, through the 3 priority strategies: 1) Enhancement of national protection systems, 2) developing comprehensive measures to improve durable solutions, and 3) strengthen strategies with partners and coordination with other humanitarian and Human Rights agencies working in the area.

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.

Functional Statement:

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.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Essential Minimum Qualifications and Experience

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

G5 – 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1-year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher International Law; Political Science;

Field(s) of Education

Functional Skills

IT-Computer Literacy

CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness

PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

Language Requirements

Fluency in Spanish and working knowledge of 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.

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

Cross-Functional Competencies

• Analytical Thinking
• Political Awareness
• Stakeholder Management

Eligibility: Internal & External candidates:

This position is advertised open to internal and external applicants.

Candidates 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.

Must be legally present in Honduras at the time of application, recruitment, and hire.