Associate Field Officer (Protection)

Volunteering Legal Security

Overview

Support protection interventions and strategies in the field.

You have:

• Three years of work experience with refugees and/or other people of concern in a protection capacity required
• Knowledge of UN policies and procedures will be considered as an asset
• Field experience
• Knowledge of relevant UNHCR policies and guidelines is desirable
• Computer skills: Office Package (excellent knowledge of Word, good knowledge of Excel and Power Point) and Internet browsing
• The incumbent is expected to be flexible and ready to adapt to eventual new tasks as the situation evolves

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

The UN Volunteer will be embedded within the Protection Unit of the National Office and will support the overall delivery and strengthening of protection interventions at field level, under the supervision of the Head of National Office. The assignment is situated within a dynamic operational context, where effective protection responses require close alignment with international and national legal frameworks, as well as UNHCR’s protection standards, policies, and priorities. The Volunteer will contribute to ensuring that protection delivery is consistent, timely, and responsive to the evolving needs of persons of concern.

A central component of the assignment is to support the design, implementation, and continuous refinement of the Office’s protection strategy. This includes contributing to evidence-based planning processes by ensuring that strategies are informed by participatory assessments and grounded in the actual needs, risks, and capacities of affected populations. The Volunteer will help integrate a strong Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) perspective across all aspects of the response, ensuring that protection interventions are inclusive, equitable, and tailored to different groups, including women, children, older persons, and persons with specific needs.

Building and maintaining strong working relationships will be a key aspect of the assignment. The Volunteer will engage regularly with persons of concern, government authorities, implementing and operational partners, and other relevant stakeholders. Through these interactions, the Volunteer will support the coordinated implementation of protection programmes and contribute to strengthening partnerships that enhance protection outcomes. Daily contact with communities will also help ensure that their voices are heard and reflected in programme design and implementation.

The assignment further includes supporting the application of community-based and rights-based approaches to protection, promoting the meaningful participation of persons of concern in decisions that affect their lives. This will reinforce accountability to affected populations and ensure that UNHCR’s interventions remain people-centred and responsive. The Volunteer will also contribute to capacity development efforts by providing on-the-job support, coaching, and mentoring to national staff and partners, including implementing partners, thereby strengthening local ownership and sustainability of protection responses.

Throughout the assignment, the Volunteer will ensure that AGD principles are systematically applied, integrated, and documented across all activities. In addition, the Volunteer will contribute to reporting and documentation, including capturing achievements related to the assignment and promoting the value of volunteerism in development and humanitarian contexts. This includes reflecting on contributions made, capacities strengthened, and community engagement supported during the course of the assignment.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of National Office, the Associate Field Officer (Protection) will undertake the following tasks:: • Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to senior management; • Support UNHCR’s consultative process with local government counterparts, partners and persons of concern for effective needs assessment and planning; • Facilitate UNHCR’s responses in addressing Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) priorities and other specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups such as persons with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities; • Manage individual protection cases including those on SGBV and child protection; • Monitor the integrity of UNHCR operations management standards and procedures in the Area of Responsibility (AoR) and facilitate the respect of deadlines • Maintain protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with persons of concern, host communities, local authorities and partners; • Monitor and report on the protection, security and safety situation of persons of concern; • Facilitate and monitor programmes on an Age, Gender, Diversity (AGD) basis to address identified protection needs; • Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures. Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among populations of concern, authorities and host communities; • Provide 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 and services to persons of concern; • Contribute in developing and implementing an education plan for the AoR as part of the protection strategy; • Intervene in cases of expulsion, arbitrary deprivation of nationality, and other protection incidents through close working relations with governments and other partners. • Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for the resettlement of individuals and groups of refugees and other persons of concern;
• Support the effective systematization and management of data to enhance monitoring, response and evaluation mechanisms; • Contribute to initiatives to build the capacity of local partners and civil society through training and other initiatives to protect persons of concern.

☒ Accountability ☒ Adaptability and Flexibility ☒ Commitment to Continuous Learning ☒ Communication ☒ Integrity ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Professionalism ☒ Respect for Diversity ☒ Working in Teams

• Three years of work experience with refugees and/or other people of concern in a protection capacity required
• Knowledge of UN policies and procedures will be considered as an asset;
• Field experience;
• In addition to the qualifications and requirements stated above, the incumbent is expected to be flexible and ready to adapt to eventual new tasks as the situation evolves, great autonomy, dynamism and creativity; good sense of responsibility and initiative;
• Knowledge of relevant UNHCR policies and guidelines is desirable; including knowledge of the mandate, the objectives and the operations and functioning of UNHCR.
• Computer skills: Office Package (excellent knowledge of Word, good knowledge of Excel and Power Point) and Internet browsing.

The Republic of Serbia is located in the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The situation in Serbia is generally quiet; all international agencies consider threats to their staff to be low. Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is classified as "A" family duty station. It has good health, education, and transportation facilities. The city lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. With a population of around 1.667 million it is one of the largest cities in Southeastern Europe. Its name in Serbian translates to White City.

Serbia has a continental climate with four seasons and uniformly spread precipitation. The official language is Serbian. Serbian is written in both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets.

Belgrade is in the Central European Time (CET) zone (GMT+1 hour). Summer time (GMT+2 hours) lasts from the end of March until the end of October.

Health care system is available at all levels. No specific immunization is required from travelers entering the country. Visa to enter Serbia is not required for holders of UNLPs and citizens of all EU countries, USA, Canada and some other countries. The nationals of countries for which visa is required need to submit the application at the nearest embassy prior to travel. There is a variety of sport and cultural activities offered (e.g. sightseeing, theatres, cinemas, exhibitions), and restaurants that offer typical local as well as international cuisine. The local currency is dinar (RSD).

For more details, please visit: http://www.serbia.com/ https://www.beograd.rs/en/living-in-belgrade/

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Added 1 month ago - Updated 6 days ago - Source: unv.org