The Assistant Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC), 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 PoC 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 them. 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.

• 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 PoC.  
• Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
• Conduct eligibility and status determination for PoC 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 protection policies and standards within the AoR.
• 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.
• Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC 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 PoC.
• 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. 
• Assist 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.
• Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
• Assist the supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
• Assist the supervisor in enforcing 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.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Qualifications and Work Experience:

Field(s) of Education

Law, International Law, Political Sciences or other relevant field.

Years of Experience / Degree Level

Required 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree.

Essential:

Knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.

Desirable:

Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD- Resettlement Learning Programme

Functional Skills

*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

*LE-International Refugee Law

*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)

PR-Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Coordination

MG-Projects management

PR-PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards

PR-International Humanitarian Law

PR-Protection and mixed-movements

PR-Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Operations & IDPs Status/Rights/Obligation

PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement

PR-Community-based Protection

MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation

Language Requirements

Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

Competency Requirement:

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies:

Judgement and Decision Making

Cross-Functional Competencies:

Stakeholder Management

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Political Awareness

Only short listed candidates will be notified.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

Candidate Assessments may include a written examination followed by a Competency Based Interview.