ThaiNGO

UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)

INTERNAL / EXTERNAL VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Vacancy Notice No. 27/2020

1. Operational Context

The Senior Protection Assistant will act as the child protection, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) focal person within the Office. S/he will inter alia, be responsible for undertaking individual/family/group protection response/referral activities and interventions in close cooperation with the, RSD, and durable solutions units. S/he will be expected to highlight the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities and marginalized groups amongst UNHCR persons of concern.  S/he will contribute to the implementation of activities and advocacy to strengthen and ensure protection of asylum-seeker and refugee children, especially unaccompanied/separated children and children/families in detention, in cooperation with the concerned authorities, NGOs and refugee communities. The incumbent will also be required to conduct Best Interests Assessment (BIA) and Best Interest Determination (BID) for individual children and ensure that the child’s best interests are the foremost consideration.   S/he will undertake regular site/field visits and outreach activities to verify social needs of children, evaluate their living conditions and prepare recommendations accordingly.

Excellent inter-personal and drafting skills are essential. Prior experience in addressing issues of overall social/legal protection, Child Protection, SGBV, LGBTI, human rights, legal and related activities/functions would be an advantage.

2. Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

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 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.

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.

3. Duties

• Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. 
• Provide counselling on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
• Support activities in protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
• Conduct preliminary information gathering and interviews in support of eligibility, status determination, durable solutions and social needs assessment.
• Contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
• Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy.
• Contribute to a country-level education plan for PoC as part of the protection strategy. 
• 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.
• Assist in identifying durable solutions for PoC in voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
• Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational 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.
• Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share.
• Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.

• Perform other related duties as required.

4. Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Certificates and/or Licenses (desirable)

International Law, or Political Science;

Functional Skills (desirable)

IT-Computer Literacy

CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness

PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

Language Requirements

For General Service jobs: Fluency in English and Thai

5. Competency Requirements

Core Competencies

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

Not specified.

Cross-Functional Competencies

Analytical Thinking

Political Awareness

Stakeholder Management

Remuneration:

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the International Civil Service Commission at: http://icsc.un.org

Submission of Applications:

If you wish to be considered for this vacancy, please submit your letter of motivation, updated factsheet (for internals), signed Personal History Form (for externals) by e-mail clearly stating the position title, vacancy notice number and your Last Name in the subject line to THABAHR@unhcr.org by the closing date.

The Personal History Form and its supplementary sheet can be downloaded from: https://www.unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/u11/P11_UNHCR.docm and

https://www.unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/u11/P11SUP_UNHCR.docm

No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees).

UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicants for this position. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. UNHCR is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

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