Standard Job Description

Senior Community-Based Protection Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Senior Community-Based Protection Officer is a member of the Protection Team in a Regional Bureau or a country office.
In the Bureaux, the Senior Protection Officer works under the direct supervision of the Bureau Deputy Director or Head of Bureau Protection Service or Senior Protection Coordinator. In the Field, the incumbent normally reports to the Representative, Deputy or Assistant Representative (Protection) or Head of Sub Office as appropriate.

For a regional position, the incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for Protection and Community-Based Protection staff in the regional office, and technical supervisory responsibility for Community-Based Protection staff in the region. For a country level position the incumbent has direct supervisory responsibility for Community-Based Protection staff and other protection staff who carry out CBP work in the operation.

S/he supervises protection standards and provides advice on community-based protection to senior management and Country operation(s), in close collaboration with the Division of International Protection (DIP).

The incumbent is relied upon by senior management to lead, plan and coordinate UNHCR’s rights-based and community-based engagement with all persons of concern, and contributes to the achievement of UNHCR’s commitments to accountability to affected people.

S/he maintains close working relationships and supports Protection and Community-Based Protection staff in the field, who act as the critical interface between UNHCR and communities of concern, enabling them to provide the AGD-sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities that form the essential foundations of national and regional programmes. S/he maintains close working relations with UN sister entities, other intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and academic institutions that can contribute to enhancing protection and achieving solutions through people centred, community based, and gender responsive approaches.

The incumbent takes the lead in providing guidance, coordination and advocacy in respect of community-based and gender responsive approaches to protection with governments, partners and other key stakeholders.

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

Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of a community-based protection strategy reflecting the organization’s global, regional and country level protection priorities, and ensures systematic application and integration of participatory, rights, community-based, and gender responsive approaches in protection and solutions planning, programming and strategies.
Promote compliance with the UNHCR Age, Gender and Diversity Policy, including ensuring AGD inclusive programming, advocating for gender equality and strengthening accountability to affected populations (AAP).
Promote the implementation and integration of community-based corporate policies in multi-year and multi-partner protection and solutions strategies and operations plans.
Enforce the systematic application of participatory, community, rights based, and gender responsive protection approaches throughout the phases of the operations management cycle and across the work of the organisation and implement community-based GBV prevention and response as well as community-based child protection programmes.
Provide advice on appropriate adaptations of programmes as a result of the analysis of feedback received from persons of concern, as well as other political, social, economic and cultural developments that impact the protection environment.
Participate in country level planning exercises and advocates for the mobilization and (re)allocation of funds to the implementation of community-based and gender responsive approaches across programmes and sectors in line with global, regional and country community-based protection strategies.
Support the establishment and management of a feedback and response system (including on PSEA) and participate in the analysis of feedback gathered through formal and informal feedback and response systems.
Develop capacity through training and coaching of staff in the domain of AGD, Accountability to Affected People (AAP), CBP, Gender Equality, Youth, Disability and inclusion of other Diversity elements, and mainstreaming of the CBP approach in other sectors.
Provide technical and contextually adapted guidance and tools to support units, country/field offices and partners to integrate participatory, AGD, community-based, and gender-responsive approaches in protection strategies and programme formulations.
Provide technical guidance and support to ensure data relevant to assess and monitor progress on the implementation and impact of community-based and age, gender and diversity approaches is collected and AGD-sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities is undertaken.
Consolidate reporting on community-based protection and contribute to reporting on the protection of different AGD groups, including identification of trends and collection and dissemination of good practices.
Provide support to UNHCR staff and partners on the application of the Regional Protection Monitoring Tool and ensures its integration on the community based protection approach. Ensure the interface of protection monitoring with other activities, including identification of persons with specific needs, referral, registration, case management, delivery of cash based on protection targeting and communication with communities.
Develop and fosters partnerships with a variety of stakeholders including government institutions, UN, civil society actors, and the private sector inclusive of youth, disability, LGBTI, women rights stakeholders and other diverse groups; for the purpose of advocating for community-based approaches for the protection of displaced persons, including implementation of Outreach and communication with diverse groups.
Develop and fosters partnership within UNHCR, in the context of the multifunctional team and with particular focus on functions such as Registration, Information Management, Program Management and Monitoring and Evaluation colleagues to ensure mainstreaming of the community based protection and AGD approaches in all UNHCR interventions.
For functions at a regional level, ensure harmonization of CBP strategies in the region and their alignment with global policies. Identifies and disseminates good practices, supports exchange of expertise in the region and provides a regional level analysis of trends as well as aggregated reporting on implementation of community-based and AGD approaches.
Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P4/NOD 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Human rights;
Anthropology;
Social Science;
Community Development;
Gender Studies; or other relevant field.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses

Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

4-5 years experience of working in the field with direct engagement with persons of concern. Very good understanding of displacement and protection issues, particularly GBV prevention and response, child protection, education, gender equality, and the application of the Age, Gender and Diversity Policy. Demonstrated expertise in field protection, community development, social surveys/ assessment, counselling, or related areas.

Desirable

Very good understanding of human rights and the rights-based approach to programming. Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of position such as: PLP (Protection Learning Programme), OMLP (Operations Management Learning Programme), MMLP (Middle Management Learning Programme), ARC (Action for the Rights of Children)/Child Rights, POP (People Oriented Planning)/Gender Studies, GBV training.

Functional Skills

TR-Training Virtual and face to face
MG-Team building (development/facilitation)
PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
PR-Community-based Protection Planning, implementing and analysing surveys/assessments
PR-Community-based Protection Community engagement and capacity building
PR-Community-based Protection Coordination and project management
PR-Community-based Protection Principles and methodologies
PR-Accountability to Affected People Principles and Framework
(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.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

French