Purpose and Scope of Assignment

The Associate Protection Officer (AAP) will be a member of the Community-Based Protection Unit in Cox’s Bazar Sub-Office. S/he will report to the Protection Officer (AAP), who is the Head of the team managing the Helpline, all Complaint and Feedback Mechanism (CFM) Desks as well as Communication with the Communities (CwC). Under the supervision of the Protection Officer (AAP), the Associate Protection Officer (AAP) will:

• •  As part of the Accountability to Affected Population (AAP) team contribute to the implementation of, and reporting on, the AAP strategy in the operation.
  •  Support the AAP team in the continued development of the Centralized Automated Information Processing Platform (CAIPP) focusing specifically on all the camp CFM desks.

•  Liaise weekly with the Field and Site Management Unit as well as other Protection Section Units and Teams to ensure an integrated approach as well as accuracy and currency of the information provided by CFM Desks. Where necessary, also liaise with IOM regarding issues that would gain from a one-camp approach.
•  Oversee the daily operations of the CFM Desks in the camps, ensuring partners, their staff and volunteers have the necessary systems and tools to ensure a robust AAP.
•  Provide ongoing coaching as well as specialized training to frontline workers in the field on CFM desk management (including ticket entry and feedback).
•  Ensure the roll out of the Refugee Assistance and Information System (RAIS) fully integrates the CFM Desks, trouble shooting is done in a timely manner and partners managing the CFM Desks are supported.
•  Support the development and updating of systems (SOPs, Guidance notes) to strengthen CAIPP and the CFM desks in particular, including for the interface with the Camp-in-Charges.
•  Regularly assess CFM desks at the camps to provide feedback on quality, make recommendations for continuous improvement and follow up on implementation.
•  Contribute to the weekly CAIPP Updates and ensure quality controls are embedded in the management of the CFM Desks.
•  In close collaboration with IM, systematically compile statistics and reports related to CFM desks as well as other AAP channels for internal and external distribution.
•  Provide inputs to the Unit protection reports as required.

3. Qualifications and Experience

Experience

• •  Demonstrated up-to-date knowledge of the UNHCR’s policies and operational guidance on CBP, AGD and AAP.
  •  Experience on working with Complaints and Feedback mechanisms in a camp setting.
  •  Demonstrated ability and experience in managing diverse implementing partners with adequately tailored monitoring tools to support the timely delivery of high-quality services.
  • Experience in developing SOPs and guidance notes.
  • Experience in providing training.
  • Experience in the region and/or contexts involving encampment.

Essential requirements

•  Field experience in a camp-based setting
•  Excellent drafting skills in English.
•  Strong background in AAP specifically on CFM in camp settings.
•  Facilitation skills and ability to provide effective training internally.

Personal Characteristics

•  Due to the complexity and fast pace of the operation, the candidate must be highly flexible and adaptable, and able to work under pressure.

a. Education

•  Undergraduate degree; Graduate degree; or Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Legal Studies, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, International Relations, or another relevant field.

b. Work Experience

•  Five years of relevant working experiences.
•  Previous experience in a similar position in the UN and/or humanitarian work is an asset.
•  Experiences in project management and coordination.
•  Experience on AAP in camp setting specifically on CFM desks is desirable.
•  Knowledge of Bangladesh’s unique inter-sector coordination environment is desirable.

c. Key Competencies

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•  The position requires strong planning, strategy development and implementation as well as advocacy skills.
•  Strong strategic thinking, planning and prioritization skills, and an ability to carry out tasks independently with minimal supervision are required.
•  Multi-tasking skills, attention to detail, and an ability to find necessary information from various sources with minimal support by others.
•  Experience in project implementation at humanitarian setting and knowledge of UNHCR programming and donors’ funding schemes are an asset.
•  Strong coordination skills and an ability to work as a team.

Standard Job Description: Associate Protection Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Associate Protection Officer reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. Depending on the size and structure of the Office, the incumbent may have supervisory responsibility for protection staff including community-based protection registration, resettlement and education. S/he provides functional protection guidance to information management and programme staff on all protection/legal matters and accountabilities. These include: statelessness (in line with the campaign to End Statelessness by 2024), Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) commitments, age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP) through community-based protection, Child protection, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response, gender equality, disability inclusion, youth empowerment, psycho-social support and PSEA, registration, asylum/refugee status determination, resettlement, local integration, voluntary repatriation, human rights standards integration, national legislation, judicial engagement, predictable and decisive engagement in situations of internal displacement and engagement in wider mixed movement and climate change/disaster-related displacement responses. S/he supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards.

The Associate Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern, ensuring that operational responses in all sectors mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. The incumbent contributes to the design of a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the organization externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. S/he also ensures that persons of concern are meaningfully engaged in the decisions that affect them and support programme design and adaptations that are influenced by the concerns, priorities and capacities of persons of concern. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection.

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

•  Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
•  Promote International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
•  Foster their consistent and coherent interpretation and application through mainstreaming in all sectors and /or in clusters in applicable operations.
•  Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to persons of concern.
•  Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
•  Conduct eligibility and status determination for persons of concern in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.
•  Promote and contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
•  Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy to ensure programmes use a child protection systems approach.
•  Contribute to a country-level education plan.
•  Implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities which integrate AGD sensitive procedures.
•  Oversee and manage individual protection cases, including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners.
•  Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of persons of concern through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
•  Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for the resettlement of individuals and groups of refugees and other persons of concern.
•  Participate in the organisation and implementation of participatory assessments and methodologies throughout the operations management cycle and promote AGD sensitive programming with implementing and operational partners.
•  Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy through a consultative process with sectorial and/or cluster partners.
•  Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
•  Promote and integrate community-based approaches to protection and contribute to capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
•  Support activities in the area of risk management related to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, fraud, case-processing, data protection, and human rights due diligence at country level.
•  Participate in initiatives to capacitate national authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
•  Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
•  Negotiate locally on behalf of UNHCR.
•  Decide priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
•  Enforce compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
•  Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
•  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 P2/NOB – 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Law, International Law, Political Sciences or other relevant field

Certificates and/or Licenses

Not specified.

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

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Professional experience in the area of refugee protection, internal displacement, human rights or international humanitarian law. Good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.

Desirable

Field experience, including in working directly with communities. Good IT skills including database management skills.

Functional Skills

*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)

PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination

MG-Project Management

PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards

PR-International Humanitarian Law

PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation

PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement

CO-Drafting and Documentation

(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.