• This position is advertised to internal and external applicants. Candidates must be legally present in México at the time of application, recruitment, and hire. Only Mexicans or candidates holding a permanent residency or valid work permit in México will be considered eligible.

• Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern, is subject to proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, independently of contract type and duration. The selected candidate(s) will be required to provide proof of vaccination prior to recruitment.

• Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on the grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

• Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The recruitment process might/could include a written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.

• UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training, or any other fees).

• This position is offered under UNOPS Local ICA contract until 31/12/2024 with possibility of extension.

• Remuneration: A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For more information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the Office of HR Management of United Nations. UNHCR also offers comprehensive medical insurance and pension plans.

General Background

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 6,600 people in more than 110 countries continues to help about 60 million persons. To help and protect some of the world’s most vulnerable people in so many places and types of environment, UNHCR must purchase goods and services worldwide. For further information on UNHCR, its mandate and operations, please see http://www.unhcr.org.

The current drivers of forced displacement in North of Central America (NCA) remain in place. Mexico registered some 70,000 asylum seekers in 2019 and, despite the sharp decrease in new applications as a result of COVID 19, we expect some 40,000 in 2020 and an increase in 2021. In Mexico, UNHCR is working with and supporting the Government and other actors to build a stronger asylum system that allows refugees to fully exercise their human rights, from the moment of entry into Mexico, to when a durable solution is found. There are promising options for local integration and tangible results have been achieved in this respect.

UNHCR current operational interventions in Mexico are concentrated at southern locations (Chiapas, Tabasco, and Veracruz; the first two states bordering Guatemala), central locations (CDMX), and northern locations (Jalisco, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas).

The Senior Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff.

The Senior Protection Assistant provides quality, timely and effective protection and legal support to persons of concern (PoC) and identifies opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and safeguards in operational responses. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on protection issues as guided by the supervisor.

The Senior Protection Assistant also ensures that PoC are involved 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.

The Senior Protection Assistant supports the legal review of the Mexican legal system to enable the design of strategies to address the problems and find solutions for the forcibly displaced population.

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.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

• Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. • Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities. • Participate in individual protection case management including cases of SGBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents. • Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of the projects of legal partners. • Draft reports, routine correspondence, update relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR). • Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities. • Coordination of legal Working Groups, within the legal assistance program, namely, climate change working group, family reunification working, non-refoulement working group, action against detention working group, migratory revisions working group, T8 working group, preservation of the asylum procedure integrity working group, and financial inclusion working group. • Support on the year-by-year design of new legal strategies in relation to the asylum procedure system, the Mexican migratory system and the effective access to human rights for refugees, asylum seekers, and people with international protection needs. • Following up legal projects with UNHCR’s legal network, working within the legal assistance program. • Support to protection Unit to the follow-up of the National Protection Working Group. • Monitoring and analysis of changes in U.S. immigration policy. • Support in the follow-up and design of strategies concerning enforced disappearance and human trafficking. • Perform other related duties as required.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Weekly/Bi-Weekly analysis/discussion of cases • Application of UNHCR rules and regulations • Deliver reports related to the family reunification program and other relevant matters.

Qualifications and Experience

• Technical knowledge of asylum legislation in Mexico. • Technical knowledge of the legislation applicable to persons in need of international protection, for access to their human rights. • Knowledge of the legal system in Mexico, particularly the asylum system. • Skills for the legal analysis of complex legal problems related to the situation of people with international protection needs and mixed movements in Mexico.

a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)

• Completed high school or its equivalent with certificate / training in International Law, Political Science, International relations, or other related area. • Management of MS Office technology. • Advanced command of the spoken and written English language (Writing skills in Spanish and English)

b. Work Experience

• Minimum 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1-year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher. Bachelor's degree in law or social sciences preferred.

c. Key Competencies

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

Core Competencies • Accountability • Communication • Organizational Awareness • Teamwork & Collaboration • Commitment to Continuous Learning •Client & Result Orientation

Cross-Functional Competencies • Analytical Thinking • Political Awareness