The Senior Protection Associate reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. He/she 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 Associate 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 Office 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 UNHCR’s policy on age, gender and diversity (AGD) and Gender Equality.
The participation of persons of concern is facilitated through continuous assessment and evaluation using participatory, rights and community based approaches, throughout the entire Programme Cycle.
Protection incidents are immediately identified and addressed.
Responsibility
Assist the Protection Unit, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and Senior Management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy. In this connection, to contribute to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
Through relationships with persons of concern and network of partners, stay abreast of political, legal, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide timely advice to the protection team.
Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the persons of concern and advice the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities and marginalized groups.
Work with host communities national, national civil society and the available national structures to identify opportunities for improving the protection of persons of concern.
Assist in relevant analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face, including supporting with the analytical reporting on the findings of participatory assessments and ongoing consultation with persons of concern using multifunctional teams.
Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
Assist in analysing and providing comments on existing and draft legislation relating to expansion of protection and solutions to persons of concern.
Provide advice and guidance on protection issues to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
Based on the Operational context, contribute to analytical and legal analysis on the measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
Manage individual protection cases including detention cases, SGBV and child protection cases and to monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents—ensuring proper reporting and files, as well as data management through proGres
Monitor implementation of and keep updated the relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
Contribute to and facilitate results-based advocacy in the inter4est of persons of concern within the urban and Kenya Borena sub working group.
Facilitate effective information management within the protection unit, through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern, their protection problems as well as proposed solutions.
Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
Prepare quality reports in a timely manner, namely those required by the office throughout the Programme Cycle, as well as protection reporting needs including Protection Referral Forms (PRFs), Best Interest Determinations (BIDs) for Children, Meeting Minutes, Notes for Files and any others required.
Authority
Intervene with authorities on protection related issues
Contribute to the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR's work.
Intervene with authorities on protection.
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 review the integrity of all protection standard operating procedures.
Review, recommend and prepare payments to individual cases based on established SOP.
Job Requirement
Essential Minimum Qualifications and Experience
Completion of secondary school. Graduate in International Law, Political Science or related field is required.
Job experience relevant to the function: 7 years.
Fluency in English and working knowledge of another relevant UN language or local language.