Associate Community - Based Protection Officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) works to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge, having fled violence, persecution, war or disaster at home. Since 1950, we have faced multiple crises on multiple continents, and provided vital assistance to refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced and stateless people, many of whom have nobody left to turn to. We help to save lives and build better futures for millions forced from home

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Associate Community - Based Protection Officer

Job Requisition ID: JR2330074
Location: Ogoja, Cross River
Job Type: Full time
Hardship Level: D
Family Type: Non Family with Residential Location
Grade: PR2

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

• The Associate Community-Based Protection Officer is a member of the Protection Team in a Regional Bureau or a Country Office and normally reports to the Senior Community-Based Protection Officer, the Senior Protection Officer, Head of Sub-Office or the Assistant Representative for protection.
• For a regional position, the incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for Protection and Community-Based Protection staff in the regional office, and a technical support role for Community-Based Protection staff in the region. For a country level position the incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for Community-based Protection staff and other protection staff in the operation.
• S/he supports the implementation of protection standards and provides advice on community-based protection to senior management and Country Operation(s) in close collaboration with the Division of International Protection (DIP).
• The incumbent is relied upon by senior management to support a coordinated approach in the implementation of UNHCR's rights-based and community-based engagement with all persons of concern (PoC) and contributes to the achievement of UNHCR's commitments to accountability to affected people.
• S/he maintains close working relationships and supports Protection and Community-Based Protection staff in the field, who act as the critical interface between UNHCR and communities of concern, enabling them to provide the AGD-sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities that form the essential foundations of national and regional programmes.
• The incumbent maintains close working relations with sister UN entities, governmental entities, non-governmental organisations and academic institutions that can contribute to enhancing protection and achieving solutions through people centred, community-based and gender responsive approaches.
• The incumbent provides guidance to country operations to strengthen their coordination and advocacy on community-based approaches to protection with governments, partners and other key stakeholders.

Duties

• Be fully informed about community structures and the protection and security situation of the population of concern and develop strong links with a cross-section of members of refugee/IDP/stateless communities, using an AGD approach.
• Through relationships with PoC 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 senior management.
• Ensure that the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC are reflected in the protection strategy, planning processes and operations plan 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.
• Ensure through direct action and advocacy with more senior protection staff that the necessary resources are allocated to enable community work to identify and address protection and assistance gaps.
• Support a consultative process with government counterparts at local levels, partners and PoC to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education and GBV, and solutions approaches.
• Provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners and implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on all community-based protection related issues.
• Support the design, implementation and evaluation of protection centred and solutions oriented programming with implementing and operational partners guaranteeing that community-owned activities are integrated.
• Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures
• Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among PoC, authorities and host communities.
• Maintain protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with PoC, host communities, local authorities and partners. In operations applying the humanitarian cluster system, contribute to the development of an AGD-compliant strategy on which the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded in and covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations.
• Support the Operation's work to fully integrate the protection strategy into the Country Operations Plan, the UN Development and Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the Humanitarian Country Team's common humanitarian action plan where applicable.
• Contribute to the Protection team's information management component which: provides disaggregated data on PoC and their problems; researches, collects and disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection delivery and provide technical advice if necessary.
• Support the inclusion of participatory, community-based protection and AGD approaches in strategies and plans within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
• Support community understanding of UNHCR's commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
• Support PoC to develop structures that enhance their participation and protection.
• Contribute to the design of the community-based protection strategy, project submissions and budgets for endorsement by the supervisor.
• Intervene with authorities on community-based protection issues.
• Negotiate with local counterparts, partners and PoC.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications
Years of Experience / Degree Level:

• For P2/NOB - 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate Degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate Degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate Degree.

Field(s) of Education:

• International Development, Cultural Studies, Human Rights, International Social Work, Social Science, Political Science, Anthropology, International Law or other relevant field. 

Relevant Job Experience
Essential:

• Relevant professional experience, including in the areas of community based protection, community services, social work, and human rights.

Desirable:

• Proven communication skills, both oral and written.
• Demonstrated knowledge of community communication and engagement approaches.
• Understanding of and demonstrated competencies in forced displacement and protection, particularly GBV prevention and response, child protection, education, gender equality, and the application of the Age, Gender and Diversity Policy.

Functional Skills:

• DM-Database Management
• IT-Computer Literacy
• PR-Coordination in Forced Displacement situations
• PR-Convention on the Rights of the Child / International Legal Framework
• PR-Gender Equality
• PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
• CO-Drafting and Documentation
• ED-Technical support to education programmes and proposals
• PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention programming
• PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) response programming
• (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Application Closing Date
28th November, 2023.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online