Associate RSD Officer – Level 2

Volunteering Legal

Overview

Conduct RSD interviews and guide asylum-seekers.

You have:

• Minimum 2 years of experience in the area of refugee protection, human rights or international humanitarian law with a postgraduate degree.
• Minimum 4 years of experience in the area of refugee protection, human rights or international humanitarian law with an undergraduate degree.
• Minimum 1 year of experience working directly with procedures and principles related to RSD.
• Strong knowledge of International Refugee Law and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) awareness and demonstrated ability to perform effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
• The ability to work effectively under stress and in crisis situations.

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to pro-tect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safe-guard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exer-cise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to re-turn home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).

The Associate RSD Officer is a member of the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) team. Under the direct supervision of the RSD Officer (RSD Supervisor), s/he is responsible for con-ducting RSD interviews to determine eligibility for refugee status, undertaking country of origin (COI) and other research related to the claim, as required, and drafting RSD assessments, in-cluding for complex cases. The Associate RSD Officer provides counselling to asylum-seekers and refugees on UNHCR's RSD procedures and on their status, rights and obligations in the country of asylum. The Associate RSD Officer may review RSD assessments of members of the RSD team and provide legal and procedural guidance and coaching, as required. The As-sociate RSD Officer may assist in developing and implementing RSD training, including for Government authorities and other partners, as well as other measures to enhance the quality and efficiency of RSD decision-making, and provide technical advice to strengthen national asylum procedures. The Associate RSD Officer assists in compiling and analysing information related to the RSD activities of the operation, and participates in decisions regarding appropri-ate case management strategies. The incumbent provides advice and guidance on legal and procedural matters related to RSD and RST whether in the context of mandate RSD and/or national asylum/RSD systems as ap-plicable (asylum in South Sudan is a State-led process), is responsible for conducting RSD/RST interviews, reviewing and providing advice on individual cases (where required) in line with requirements under the RSD/RST Procedural Standards. The incumbent is also re-sponsible for contributing to the development of an RSD strategy and, where required, meth-odologies to promote the effectiveness of RSD as a protection tool and implementing broader organizational objectives and priorities, in compliance with relevant UNHCR standards and policies, as well as national laws. The incumbent provides advice and support to staff engaged in RSD/RST and related activities, monitors trends of RSD decision-making, and conducts training and other capacity-development/strengthening activities to promote consistency in RSD procedures and decision-making. S/he contributes to developing and enhancing regional and global RSD standards and policies, as necessary.

Under the direct supervision of the Protection Officer the UN Volunteer will undertake the fol-lowing tasks:

Strategic Direction and Coordination: • Stay abreast of legal, political, security and other developments which impact on the pro-tection environment, and in particular, on protection delivery through RSD. • Assist in the development of the RSD strategy of the operation and in the annual planning exercise. • Contribute to the development and enhancement of regional and global RSD standards and policies.

Response and Advice: • Review RSD decisions and provide appropriate feedback and guidance to RSD staff.
• Conduct RSD interviews and draft RSD Assessments in accordance with applicable standards and guidelines. • Maintain accurate and up-to date records and data related to all work on individual cases. • Provide counselling to asylum seekers and refugees. • Assist in designing, implementing and revising, as required, operation-specific SOPs for all aspects of the RSD operation in accordance with applicable standards and policies. • Systematically apply an age, gender and diversity (AGD) perspective in the performance of assigned functions.
• Assist in monitoring RSD trends and in compiling and analysing RSD statistics related to RSD case processing to identify and respond to developments or issues impacting on the efficiency or quality of RSD decision-making, and to propose remedial measures.

Advocacy, Information Management and Research: • Conduct research on country of origin information (COI) and legal issues related to RSD and assist in maintaining a local repository of relevant information, guidelines and stand-ards accessible to RSD staff in the operation. • Ensure that persons of concern, Government authorities and legal partners have accurate information on the RSD procedures, including UNHCR standards, policy and practice. • Assist in developing and maintaining processes to ensure that persons of concern, Gov-ernment authorities and partners have accurate information on the RSD procedures, in-cluding UNHCR standards, policy and practice. • Assist in initiatives to advocate with and support Government authorities and legal part-ners to establish and strengthen fair and efficient RSD procedures and RSD decision-making.

Promotion and Capacity Building: • Assess training needs of UNHCR staff engaged in RSD and related activities and provide on-going training and coaching on legal and procedural RSD issues. • Support the development and implementation of RSD training initiatives for Government authorities and legal partners.

Human resources: • Assist in evaluating and projecting RSD staffing needs using the RSD Staffing Bench-marks. • Support UNHCR staff engaged in RSD and related activities and exercise effective over-sight.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for in-stance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publica-tions/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

11. Results/Expected Outputs:

• The incumbent processes 4 first instance RSD cases or 6 second instance RSD cases per week (RSD Interview and RSD Assessment completed).
• UNHCR’s RSD procedures are implemented in accordance with relevant UNHCR stand-ards and policies, including policies related to age, gender, and diversity mainstreaming (AGDM).
• Persons of concern have fair and transparent access to the RSD procedures. • Persons of concern are treated with dignity, respect and professionalism. • The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counter-parts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); • Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the as-signment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed

• Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in area of specialty and ability to apply good judgment; high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take own-ership; willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, impartiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confi-dentially; responsive and client-oriented. • Accountability: mature and responsible; ability to operate in compliance with organizational rules and regulations. • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work envi-ronment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priori-ties and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities. • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious work-ing • relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diver-sity and gender; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presenta-tions, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommenda-tions; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse back-grounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility, adaptability, and ability and willingness to operate independently in austere, re-mote and potentially hazardous environments for protracted periods, involving physical hardship and little comfort, and including possible extensive travel within the area of opera-tions; willingness to transfer to other duty stations within area of operations as may be necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes sol-idarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

the area of refugee protection, human rights or international humanitarian law: 2 years (with a postgraduate degree) or 4 years (with an undergraduate degree) Computer skills: Strong knowledge of Microsoft Softwares, as well as UNHCR Data-base softwares (proGres v.4).

• Minimum 1 year of experience working directly with procedures and principles related to RSD. • Knowledge of International Refugee Law and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles. • Strong research and analytical skills. • Excellent oral and written communication skills. • Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills. • Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) awareness and demonstrated ability to perform effec-tively in a multi-cultural environment. • The ability to work effectively under stress and in crisis situations.

Desirable qualifications and competencies:

• Experience as a decision-maker in UNHCR or Government RSD procedures is highly de-sirable. • Experience in counselling asylum seekers or refugees. • Experience in working with vulnerable or traumatized individuals. • Completion of UNHCR's RSD Learning Programme, COI Learning Programme, Protec-tion Learning Programme. • Experience in supervising and in providing training or coaching, guidance or advice to staff.

Juba is classified as an E, non-family duty station. R&R cycle for all duty stations in South Sudan is 6 weeks and all international staff resides at UNHCR provided accommodation. UN curfew is from 20:00 to 05:00. There are limited medical facilities in Juba. In all UNHCR compounds, regardless of the location, accommodations are equipped with all the necessary furniture. All rooms are provided with in-house services. In addition, most locations are equipped with a gym or some sports equipment. In Juba, all basic foods are available in the marketplace ranging from meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables, in addition to a few restaurants located in town.

The current security situation in South Sudan as of March 2022, though generally stable, re-mains fragile and fluid in a complex and unpredictable political environment – particularly with the planned elections for December 2024. It is characterized by general stability in most areas, small scale, low intensity and localized armed conflict, high levels of crime across the country, inter/intra communal conflict over a diverse range of issues including cattle raids, competition for resources and revenge attacks in several areas and sporadic incidents of civil unrest in refugee and IDP locations.

Since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the conflict in South Sudan in September 2018 and the formation of the Transitional Government of Unity in March 2020, the security situation has significantly improved in most areas, but big chal-lenges remain ahead to maintain the current peaceful environment. The security level in South Sudan is assessed as substantial (security level 4) in most areas.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org