Field Assistant

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

Eligibility criteria

Minimum age: 22 years old. Applicants must be nationals of or legal residents in the country of assignment.

Description of task

Under the overall supervision of the Protection Officer and as a member of the Protection Unit, the incumbent will provide assistance to the UNHCR Kawambwa Field Office in the areas of protection and voluntary repatriation through the following specific actions:

• Dissemination of information to refugees residing in the settlement, particularly on voluntary repatriation;
• Disseminate information to refugees residing in the settlement on solutions including on voluntary repatriation, resettlement;
• Provide requests from refugees for voluntary repatriation and share repatriation-related data with Focal Person for updates in the ProGres registration database;
• In coordination with UNHCR partners, monitor reception, registration, transfers of refugees, provision of assistance and ensure persons of concern (POCs) are treated in a dignified manner;
• Assist in monitoring the implementation of UNHCR programmes including the delivery of all assistance items and monitoring of infrastructure as well as core relief items (CRI) distribution paying attention to the persons with specific needs (PSNs) and providing the necessary support;
• Assist in conducting quick post distribution monitoring (PDM) and focus group dicussions (FGDs) to assess the levels of satisfaction of the beneficiaries;
• Provide counseling, referral and protection services to persons of concern presenting themselves at the office, particularly those in need of help with family tracing and reunification, travel documents, legal and/or social support;
• Conduct individual case management and referrals: i.e. conduct protection assessments and counselling for individual cases as required, maintain appropriate filing records (both electronic and manual), and coordinate with community services and resettlement units for recommendations and provision of comprehensive assistance;
• Ensure the timely identification of refugees with specific needs using, inter alia, the Age, Gender and Diversity Mainstreaming Strategy, conduct assessments and refer them to relevant bodies, in consultation with the Protection Officer and other relevant staff in the Protection Unit and cooperating partners; to ensure an adequate response is made;
• Follow up, on a regular basis, the overall situation of persons of concern in the settlement and other areas where they are accommodated and report accordingly;
• Assist to monitor the cash based intervention (CBI) distribution ensuring that the POCs are accessing their monthly CBI and are accurately identified by the partners in accordance with the criteria in coordination with Programme Unit;
• Receive applications for UN Convention Travel Documents from refugees, verify the information provided and prepare requests to the Commissioner for Refugees;
• Facilitate the family reunification of refugees, by filling in reunification forms for submission to the International Commitee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Lusaka;
• Review and coordinate the implementation of child protection and the best interest determination (BID) process for children with specific protection and physical needs;
• Monitor the implementation of activities related to sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) prevention and response;
• Ensure that regular mobile court sessions are conducted and that refugees have access to legal justice system;
• Regularly follow-up on refugees incarcerated in prisons and advise on appropriate interventions to prevent arbitrary deportation and ensure that the refugees in remand/prison receive a fair trial and have access to legal representation;
• Monitor the situation in the area of resettlement (AoR), collect data and other information relevant to UNHCR and analyse in a participating manner using Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective to form a firm basis for planning;
• Participate in sectoral coordination activities and ensure timely reporting of relevant information on situation of refugees and asylum seekers;
• Monitor activities to ensure UNHCR’s policies, standards and procedures are constantly and coherently applied;
• Drafts and types routine correspondence, counseling reports, documents and reports and/or update relevant databases;
• Performs other duties as required.

Qualifications/Requirements

Required degree level:

Bachelor degree or equivalent

Education - Additional Comments:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, Psychology, Development Economics or related fields; Diploma holders with substantial work experience will also be considered.

Required experience:

24 Months

Experience remark:

• Previous experience in refugee protection, community development, or social work;
• Computer literacy (Word, Excel essential);
• Excellent drafting and communication skills in English;
• Knowledge of Swahili, French, Kinyarwanda, and/or Zambian languages is an asset.

Language skills:

• English(Mandatory), Level - Fluent

Area of expertise:

Protection of refugees, asylum seekers and IDPs

Area of expertise details:

• Demonstrated interest/experience in protection of Refugees and Asylum Seekers.

Driving license:

No

Competencies values:

Accountability, Adaptability and Flexibility, Building Trust, Client Orientation, Commitment and Motivation, Commitment to Continuous Learning, Communication, Creativity, Empowering Others, Ethics and Values, Integrity, Judgement and Decision-making, Knowledge Sharing, Leadership, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Vision, Working in Teams

Application procedure:

* Not yet registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

Please first register your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup. Important: After creating your account, complete all sections

of your profile and submit it. Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink.

Lastly, select the special call to which you would like to apply.

* Already registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

Please first update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/profile. Then go to ‘My Page’ at

https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink to select the special call to which you would like to

apply.

Application deadline: 31 May 2021