Job Description

Title: Senior Protection Assistant LICA-5

Company Name: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representation in Bangladesh

Vacancy: 1

Job Location: Cox's Bazar

Employment Status: Contractual

Educational Requirements:
∎ Completion of secondary school. Additional Training courses in protection related issues.

Experience Requirements:
∎ At least 4 year(s)

Job Context:
∎ Vacancy Notice No. VA/BGDCO/UNOPS/020/2019
∎ Category/grade: LICA-5
∎ Type of contract: UNOPS Local Individual Contractor - initially for 6 months with possibility of extension
∎ Location: Cox`s Bazar, Bangladesh
∎ Date of Issue: 22 October 2019
∎ The effective date of assignment: As soon as possible
∎ The Senior Protection Assistant is part of the Protection Unit in the Cox`s Bazar Sub-Office and reports to the Protection Officer. The incumbent monitors and supports the application of protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards.
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∎ The Senior Protection Assistant 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. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy, in particular by ensuring that it is based on consultations and actual needs of persons of concern and liaises externally with authorities and partners on the delivery of the protection strategy and programmes at the field level as guided by the supervisor. S/he will monitor projects of the partners and provide technical support to the staff of partner agencies.
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∎ The Senior Protection Assistant 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.
∎ Through protection monitoring, s/he provides timely analysis on the protection situation in the field, highlighting important political, social, and legal developments affecting the protection of persons of concern. The incumbent is thus relied upon by the Sub-Office to plan and undertake quality, timely and effective responses to the needs of populations of concern. To achieve this, the incumbent will build daily contacts with persons of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection. This includes ensuring that operational responses in all sectors are shaped in a protection optic, mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards.
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∎ The Senior Protection Assistant will be expected to coordinate and oversee field level protection activities and act as protection focal point of UNHCR in the camps, participate in key meetings and discussions in the field with authorities, partners and refugees, identify intervention priorities as well as coach and build capacity of staff of partner agency. Thus, he/she will need to have demonstrated field protection experience, preferably in a refugee camp setting; good interpersonal/ communication and coordination skills to work in a highly complex inter-agency context; decision making ability; and, excellent drafting skills in English. Due to the complexity and fast-pace of the operation including daily challenges, the candidate must be highly flexible and adaptable. He/she should be an advocate of protection and gender mainstreaming.
∎ Previous work experience with refugees or other voulnerable group in the field of legal service, protection monitoring, child protection, SGBV, and/or counter-trafficking would be an asset. Educational background in law, international relations and social science will be an advantage.

Job 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 UNHCR country protection strategy.
∎ The participation of persons of concern is facilitated through supporting participatory, rights and community based approaches.
∎ Support is provided to identify and report protection incidents.
∎ Responsibility (process and functions undertaken to achieve results)
∎ Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
∎ Provide counselling on protection issues to persons of concern; 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 persons of concern 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 SGBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
∎ Assist in identifying durable solutions for persons of concern 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.
∎ Assist in drafting reports, routine correspondence, updating relevant databases and compiling statistics for the protection unit / section.
∎ Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities.
∎ Authority (decisions made in executing responsibilities and to achieve results)
∎ Select persons of concern for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share.
∎ Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.

Additional Requirements:
∎ Job experience: relevant to the function: 4 years.
∎ Fluency in English and local language.
∎ Desirable Qualifications & Competencies:
∎ Good computer skills.
∎ Completed Protection Learning Programme.
∎ Required Competencies:
∎ Core Competencies:
∎ Accountability
∎ Communication
∎ Organizational Awareness
∎ Teamwork & Collaboration
∎ Commitment to Continuous Learning
∎ Client & Result Orientation
∎ Managerial Competencies:
∎ Empowering and Building Trust
∎ Managing Resources
∎ Cross-Functional Competencies
∎ Analytical Thinking
∎ Political Awareness
∎ Stakeholder Management
∎ Eligibility:
∎ External candidates: External 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. Completed and relevant university education can count as maximum 50% of the required years of work experience.

Compensation & Other Benefits:

Application Deadline: November 5, 2019

Company Information:
∎ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representation in Bangladesh
∎ Business : International UN Refugee Agency
Humanitarian assistance


Category: NGO/Development