Senior Protection Officer

Job Description

Job Title: Senior Protection Officer

Job ID:6887

Location:El Geneina, Sudan

APA Location:Nairobi, Kenya

Salary Grade:

Hardship Level:E

P4

Family Type Location:Non-Family

Eligible Applicants

UNHCR staff members who meet the eligibility criteria in accordance with the Policy and Procedures on Assignments may apply for this position.  In addition, for positions at the P-2 and P-3 levels, candidates who have been accepted on the UNHCR International Professional Roster may express their interest by submitting an application.

Procedures and Eligibility

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the IOM-FOM issued for this Compendium / Fast Track exercise, as well as the Policy and Procedures on Assignments (IOM/FOM/33/2010 refers).

Duties and Qualifications

Senior Protection Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:


To act as adviser or representative of the Organization with authority to discuss problems and seek common ground on which to recommend solutions based on predetermined guidelines provided by higher authority.

Contacts are predominantly with persons on subject matters of importance to Organization's programmes (e.g. counterparts in other organizations or at working level in national Governments).

Proposals may directly affect the design or operation of systems, programmes or equipment. Decisions may directly affect the accuracy, reliability and acceptability of further processes or services. Errors normally would cause some damage to Organization's programmes in terms of time, quality or money.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT:

1. Ensures protection of refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs and returnees by developing and maintaining close working relations with governments, legislators, NGOs and other interested entities;
2. Promotes the understanding of protection issues ensuring the observance of internationally accepted or legally binding standards;
3. Plans and supervises the development, coordination, implementation and monitoring of protection activities;
4. Provides legal advice and guidance on protection issues to all staff and ensures implementation of policy objectives, timely and appropriate response to reporting requirements;
5. Drafts official UNHCR comments on draft laws, existing legislation or on Government policy documents; subsequently negotiates with state authorities and relevant experts about protection issues to safeguard international legal standards and secure appropriate and effective influence of UNHCR on legislation and state policies with regards to refugees and other persons of concern;
6. Undertakes other duties as required  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES:

Advanced university degree in Law, International Law or related field
Minimum 10 years of previous relevant job experience;
Minimum 5 years in an International capacity;
English is essential and knowledge of another UN language;
Communication skills

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES:

UNHCR Protection Learning Programme
UNHCR Management Learning Programme

Position Competencies

C001L3 - Accountability Level 3
C002L3 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
C003L3 - Communication Level 3
C004L3 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C006L3 - Organizational Awareness Level 3
C005L3 - Client & Result Orientation Level 3
M001L3 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3

Operational Context

1. The protection context in North Darfur is complex, arising inter alia from ongoing displacement, spontaneous returns, occupation of villages and land, absence of functioning rule of law, and inadequate and poorly performing institutions, and last but not least, active presence of rebel groups, who control parts of the territory. As a result, the displacement situation is highly politicized with a multitude of actors, including a highly complex UN and peacekeeping mission (UNAMID). The relations with the authorities are often delicate, with the authorities not necessarily appreciating UNHCR's protection role and our findings, and negative support on the politically driven agenda of the Government, one of the parties to the conflict. This position of Senior Protection Officer, based within Sub Office El Geneina, is one of the most crucial positions in the Darfur operation, as the incumbent will assist and provide support to the UNHCR field offices and its operational partners in the design and delivery of overall humanitarian protection strategy within Darfur.

2. UNHCR has significant operational responsibilities, involved with the protection, including assistance of IDPs and other affected populations, while also having a separate refugee mandate/programme and this requires a Senior Protection Officer who will dedicate sufficient time to this. The incumbent will need to inter-act on a regular basis with a variety of partners including NGOs, other UN Agencies as well as authorities at different levels, which can be a highly sensitive matter. The complex and

Operational Context for position of Senior Protection Officer El Geneina
challenging IDP operational environment with conflicting interests of the many parties and communities, with UNHCR being the protection lead and with much external pressure, does not allow the operation to be considered as a learning experience for more junior and/or inexperienced staff.
3. In line with the above responsibilities, the Senior Protection Officer should possess previous working experience in a complex IDP operation with a multitude of actors, including a Peace Keeping Force, strong coordination and communication skills, as well as managerial, policy, legal and practical skills with solid/sound field/protection background. The incumbent will be required to take the lead and work closely with Protection Working Groups (PWGs), to articulate issues in support of persons of concern, as well as establish and maintain good relations with other agencies. She/he should also have demonstrated competencies and skills in the effective management of resources at her/his disposal in such a continuously evolving situation. Although English is the language of the duty station, knowledge of Arabic will be a desirable asset. This will facilitate direct communication with the concerned local authorities especially on usually contentious protection related issues; as well as with persons of concern rather than through interpreters, which can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. The incumbent, who will coach and guide staff her/his supervision is expected to have a pro-active mature attitude and be able to perform well under stress both on the job as well as security-wise.
4. The security situation continues to be a challenge in many locations and the Senior Protection Officer needs to have undergone some security training for a complex operation such as Darfur.

No Fee

AJS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS AND AJS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.

SOME EMPLOYERS MAY ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF YOUR APPLICATION.