Job Title:      Senior Protection Assistant (Community-based)

Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Position No.: 10026818

Vacancy Notice: 33/2016

Reports to: Protection Officer

Duty Station: Arua, Uganda

Post Grade: GL5

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.

Job Summary: The Senior Protection Assistant will work in close coordination with other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners and other stakeholders to work directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The incumbent will have direct supervisory responsibility for part of the protection and/or support staff and supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role the Protection Associate (Community-Based) will be required to spend a substantial percentage of her/his time working outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of persons of concern. The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with persons of concern that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results forms the core of the work of the Protection Associate (Community-Based). The incumbent will also support the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with persons of concern.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:  

• Assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection delivery strategy and operational procedures.
• Through relationships with persons of concern and network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the persons of concern and advise the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
• Work closely with host communities to identify opportunities for national civil society involvement in improving the protection of persons of concern.
• Work with implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to SGBV.
• Offer support in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
• Support participatory assessments by multifunctional teams and ongoing consultation with persons of concern.
• Offer support in planning and monitoring of programmes and budgets, with an AGD perspective.
• Build office capacity for community-based protection through training and establishing systems for community mobilization and participation of persons of concern.
• Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
• Ensure community understanding of UNHCR’s commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
• Serve as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
• Perform other relevant duties as required.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Effective support and advice is provided to promote AGD sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities as the essential basis for all of UNHCR’s work.
• AGD sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities provides the essential basis for all of UNHCR’s work.
• The participation of persons of concern is assured through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community based approaches, which inform protection and assistance programming and ensure that UNHCR meets its commitments to accountability to persons of concern.
• National protection capacities are improved through direct engagement, research and advocacy with all relevant external interlocutors.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The ideal candidate for the United Nations UNHCR Senior Protection Assistant job opportunity should have completed secondary school. Additional Training courses in protection related issues.
• At least four years’ experience
• Computer skills (MS Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access).
• Fluency in English and working knowledge of another relevant UN language or local language

How to Apply:

All interested Ugandan nationals 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.

Click Here

Deadline: 8^th January, 2017