Protection Assistant

Provide protection assistance and support to refugees and asylum seekers.

This opening expired 1 year ago. Do not try to apply for this job.

UNHCR - UN High Commissioner for Refugees

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Friday 29 Nov 2024 at 23:59 UTC

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Overview

Provide protection assistance and support to refugees and asylum seekers.

You have:

  • Experience in providing counselling and safe referrals required.
  • Working knowledge of English and Spanish is required.
  • Experience in working with refugees and migrants is an asset.
  • Knowledge of Papiamento and/or Dutch would be an asset.
  • Proof of residency and/or work permit for Aruba and/or Curacao required.

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

A (least hardship)Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

FamilyStaff Member / Affiliate Type

UNOPS LICA4Target Start Date

2025-01-01Deadline for Applications

December 12, 2024Terms of Reference

The candidate will be part of the protection team based in Aruba, covering Aruba and Curacao. As such the team responds to the need of refugees, asylum seekers in coordination with partner NGO's, other UN agencies and government counterparts to find protection solutions for the displaced population in these two countries.

The candidate will provide counselling and conduct protection assessments of individual cases. For that reason, experience in providing counselling and safe referrals will be required. Experience in working with refugees and migrants, or other populations in a vulnerable situation will be an asset. Experience with UNHCR systems and communication with communities materials will be also an asset.

Working knowledge of English and Spanish is required for the position. Working knowledge of Papiamento and/or Dutch would be an asset.

Please note that this position is offered under UNOPS LICA contract at LICA-4 for a period of 6 months, with possibility, but no guarantee, of extension depending on the availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

Persons interested in applying to this position must comply with all eligibility requirements for employment in line with the prevailing legislative prerequisites in Aruba and/or Curacao and demonstrate proof of residency and/or work permit either for one of the two countries at the time of application.

The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

Levels of language knowledge: A1-beginner A2-elementary B1-lower intermediate B2-upper intermediate C1-advanced/proficient

C2-fluentStandard Job Description

Protection Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. The incumbent provides functional and administrative support to the protection unit on protection related liaison, correspondence, monitoring, case management and reporting activities.

The Protection Assistant also supports the protection unit in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and in providing quality, timely and effective protection responses to persons of concern (PoC). S/he may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on correspondence and/or protection issues as guided by the supervisor.

The Protection Assistant also facilitates the involvement of PoC in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties - Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. - Observe and respect protection related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). - Provide functional and administrative support in all protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners. - Provide functional and administrative support in implementing participatory approaches, needs assessments, monitoring, reporting and case management. - Support assessments on durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement. - Facilitate liaison with competent authorities for the issuance of personal and other relevant documents. - Assist in drafting reports, routine correspondence, updating relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR). - Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share. - Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.

- 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 G4 - 1 year relevant experience with High School Diploma; or Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education Not applicable

Certificates and/or Licenses Protection (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience Essential: Not specified. Desirable: Not specified.

Functional Skills PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework IT-Computer Literacy (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Required Languages

Spanish,

English,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Case Management, Communication, IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Accountability to Affected People - Principles and Framework, PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD), PR-Community based assessment methodologies, PR-Community-based Protection - Planning, implementing and analysing surveys/assessments, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework, Referrals, Respect DiversityEducation

Bachelor of Arts (BA)Certifications

HCR Learning Program - UNHCR, HCR Protection Induction Prog - UNHCRWork Experience

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance Home-Based

No

Potential interview questions

Can you describe a time when you had to support someone in a challenging situation? This question seeks to evaluate your ability to demonstrate empathy and effective support in high-pressure scenarios. Share a specific instance where you helped someone, detailing the actions you took and the impact it had on the person.
How do you prioritize tasks when managing multiple cases? Interviewers want to understand your approach to case management and decision-making under pressure. Pro members can see the explanation.
What strategies would you use to engage with local communities on protection issues? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unhcr.org