Job Title: Senior Protection Officer
Organisation: United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Duty Station: Uganda
Reports to:
Assistant or Deputy Representative
Assistant or Deputy Representative
Post Grade: P4
About UNHCR:
The Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14,
1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR’s mandate under the Statute
of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to lead
and co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanent
solutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and
well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness,
as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the
Reduction of Statelessness.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14,
1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR’s mandate under the Statute
of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to lead
and co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanent
solutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and
well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness,
as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the
Reduction of Statelessness.
Job Summary: The Senior Protection Officer (SPO) has direct
supervisory responsibility for protection staff who may include community
services, registration, resettlement and education. He/she provides functional
protection oversight to information management and programme staff and
supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in
protection delivery at the country level. The incumbent also acts as an advisor
to senior management in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and
represents the organization to authorities, UN sister agencies, partners and
other stakeholders on protection policy and doctrine. The Senior Protection
Officer is normally a member of the Office senior management team and is relied
upon by the Office to plan, lead and coordinate quality, timely and effective
protection responses to the needs of populations of concern. This includes
ensuring that operational responses in all sectors are shaped in a protection
optic, mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards.
Another important element of the SPO’s functions is to ensure 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, authorities, protection and
assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can
contribute to enhancing protection.
supervisory responsibility for protection staff who may include community
services, registration, resettlement and education. He/she provides functional
protection oversight to information management and programme staff and
supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in
protection delivery at the country level. The incumbent also acts as an advisor
to senior management in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and
represents the organization to authorities, UN sister agencies, partners and
other stakeholders on protection policy and doctrine. The Senior Protection
Officer is normally a member of the Office senior management team and is relied
upon by the Office to plan, lead and coordinate quality, timely and effective
protection responses to the needs of populations of concern. This includes
ensuring that operational responses in all sectors are shaped in a protection
optic, mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards.
Another important element of the SPO’s functions is to ensure 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, authorities, protection and
assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can
contribute to enhancing protection.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural
developments that have an impact on the protection environment. - Manage a consultative process with government counterparts, partners
and persons of concern to develop and implement a comprehensive protection
strategy addressing the specific protection needs of women and men,
children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, minority
groups such as sexual minorities and persons living with HIV/AIDS; and
Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) priorities with regard to these
persons. - In operations applying the Cluster Approach, ensure the response of
the Protection Cluster is grounded in a strategy which covers all assessed
and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations. - Ensure that the protection strategy is fully integrated into the
Country Operations Plan, the UN Development and Assistance Framework
(UNDAF) and the Humanitarian Country Team’s common humanitarian action
plan. - Promote International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and
IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct and ensure that all sectors
and /or in clusters in applicable operations fulfil their responsibilities
mainstreaming protection. - Design, deliver and monitor programmes on an AGD basis to address
identified protection needs. - Provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners on all protection
related issues. - Oversee the management of individual protection cases including
those on SGBV and child protection. - Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internal
and external interlocutors; ensure legal assistance is accessible to
persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the
issuance of personal and other relevant documents to persons of concern
(women and civil documentation in particular birth certificates). - Oversee eligibility and status determination in the country ensuring
compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection
principles. - Promote and implement measures to identify, prevent and reduce
statelessness. - Develop and implement a country-level education plan as part of the protection
strategy and ensure partnerships are forged with the Ministry for
Education, UNICEF and other partners. - Develop and implement a country-level child protection plan as part
of the protection strategy ensuring programmes use a child protection systems
approach. - Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other
protection incidents through working relations with governments and other
partners. - Implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all
protection/solutions activities. - Ensure that durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local
integration and where appropriate, resettlement are sought and provided to
the largest possible number of persons of concern. - Coordinate the design, implementation and evaluation of protection
related programming with implementing and operational partners. - Develop and implement a programme of results-based advocacy through
a consultative process with sectorial and/or cluster partners. - Ensure that the Protection Sector or Cluster has an effective
information management component which: provides disaggregated data on
populations of concern and their problems; researches, collects and
disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance
protection delivery. - Build the protection capacity of national and local government,
partners and civil society to assume their responsibilities vis-à-vis all
persons of concern through protection training, mainstreaming and related
activities. - Coordinate capacity-building initiatives for communities and
individuals to assert their rights. - Advise and capacitate national authorities, relevant institutions
and civil society to strengthen legislation and status determination
procedures and mechanisms.
Key Performance Indicators:
- The protection needs of populations of concern are met through the
application of International and National Law, relevant UN/UNHCR
protection standards and IASC principles governing humanitarian
coordination. - The operation has a clear and coherent comprehensive protection
strategy which incorporates a thorough age, gender and diversity (AGD)
analysis and reflects the Organization’s global, regional and country
level priorities. - The Participation of persons of concern is assured through
continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and
community based approaches. - National protection capacities are improved through direct
engagement, research and advocacy with all relevant external
interlocutors. - Instances of refoulement of refugees, forced return of IDPs,
arbitrary deprivation of nationality resulting in statelessness and other
protection incidents are immediately identified and addressed through
direct intervention and advocacy.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate for the United Nations UNHCR Senior Protection
Officer job opportunity should hold a graduate degree (equivalent of a
Master’s) in Law, International Law, political Sciences or related field
with good knowledge of International Refugee, Human Rights and Humanitarian
Law plus minimum 8 years of previous work experience relevant to the
function of which 3 years in the field and 5 years in an international
capacity. Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) plus 9 years or
Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 7 years of previous relevant
work experience may also be accepted. - Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if
not English. - Diverse field experience desirable.
- Good IT skills including database management skills.
- Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD-Resettlement
Learning Programme and Management Learning Programme desirable. - Knowledge of additional UN languages.
- Extensive experience on emergency response and development in the
context of South Sudanese population. - Legal background and solid experience on Refugee Status
Determination especially exclusion analysis. - Conversant with UNHCR guidelines and policies on International
Protection and programming. - Experience in developing, reviewing and implementing comprehensive
Protection and solutions strategies. - Conversant with CRRF, REHOPE and STA initiatives.
- Substantive experience on inter-Agency coordination including
sectorial coordination working groups (Protection, SGBV, Child Protection
and Legal) - Solid experience in managing a large Protection team and dealing
with complex protection issues - Excellent leadership, communication, and drafting skills.
- Conversant with ProGres version 4 database, MSRP and FOCUS.
- Extensive experience in capacity building of Government
counterparts, law enforcement officials, judiciary, and other relevant
actors on Protection, legal framework, CRRF, REHOPE and STA. - Fluency in English is essential.
- Knowledge of the languages spoken by the refugees notably Kiswahili,
Maadi, Acholi, Dinka, and Juba Arabic is an added advantage. - Experience working in a hardship and remote location.
- Competencies: Accountability,
Teamwork & Collaboration, Communication, Commitment to Continuous,
Client & Result Orientation, Organizational Awareness and Building
Trust, Managing Performance, Managing Resources, Leadership, Judgement and
Decision Making, Strategic Planning and Vision, Planning and Organizing,
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Political Awareness
How to Apply:
All interested
candidates who wish to join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are encouraged to click on the link
below and follow the application instructions after reviewing the job details.
candidates who wish to join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are encouraged to click on the link
below and follow the application instructions after reviewing the job details.
Deadline: 18th October 2018
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