UNHCR Job Vacancy: Assistant Protection Officer - Cotabato, Philippines

Assistant Protection Officer:

Organizational Context:

The Assistant Protection Officer reports to the Head of Office. The incumbent may have supervisory responsibility for protection staff including community services, registration, resettlement and education. He/she provides functional protection guidance to information management and programme staff; and monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards.

The Assistant Protection Officer is expected to: coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern; and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. He/she contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the organization externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor.

He/she also ensures that persons of concern are involved with the Office 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.

Accountability:

• The protection of populations of concern is met through the application of International and National Law, relevant UN/UNHCR protection standards and IASC principles. 
• Protection activities are guided by the protection strategy and respect the policy of UNHCR on age, gender and diversity (AGD). 
• The participation of persons of concern is assured through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community based approaches. 
• Protection incidents are immediately identified and addressed.
  

Responsibility:

• Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment. 
• Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable
  

UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.

• 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.
• Contribute to a country-level education plan as part of the protection strategy. 
• Provide inputs for the development of global / regional international protection policies and standards. 
• Implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
• Manage individual protection cases including those on SGBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents. 
• Assess needs for Promote and find 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. 
• Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners. 
• Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy with sectorial and/or cluster partners. 
• Contribute to and facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems. 
• Contribute to capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
• Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and
  

NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.

Authority:

• Intervene with authorities on protection issues. 
• 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.
• Recommend and prepare payments to individual cases.
  

Required Competencies:Managerial Competency: Judgement and decision making Cross Functional Competencies: Analytical thinking, Negotiation and conflict resolution.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• Education: University degree in Law, International Law, political Sciences or related field. 
• Job Experience: Minimum 2years relevant professional experience.
  
• Excellent knowledge of English and working knowledge of another UN language.
• Very good knowledge of local language and local institutions is essential.
  

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES:

• Diverse field experience desirable. 
• Good IT skills including database management skills.
• Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD- Resettlement
  

Learning Programme

Application invited to Filipino Nationals only. 

How to apply:

Please submit your Motivation Letter, Curriculum Vitae and P.11 in a confidential cover marked “Application for the post of Assistant Protection Officer”, to:

Administration Unit, UNHCR
150- Corporate Plaza Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village
Makati City
or send by E-mail to: PHIMAVAC@unhcr.org 

Only applicants meeting minimum requirement will be short-listed for written test & interviews.

Applications will not be acknowledged. Only the successful candidate will be notified of the outcome of the selection process.

P.11 form can be downloaded from: HERE

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