Protection Associate

Hardship Level: (not applicable for home-based) D Family Type: (not applicable for home-based) Family Staff Member / Affiliate Type: UNOPS LICA6 Target Start Date: 2025-01-01 Deadline for Applications: November 15, 2024 Terms of Reference1. General Background:UNHCR Representation in Venezuela is comprised of the Country Office in Caracas, two Field Offices located on the border with Colombia (San Cristobal and Maracaibo), as well as three Field Units, one in Caracas, the capital district; Carupano (Sucre) in the border with Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana; and Santa Elena de Uairen in the border with Brazil. San Cristobal Field Office covers Táchira, Mérida, Apure and Barinas states.The operational context in Venezuela remains challenging, affecting both refugees and asylum seekers and the Venezuelan population in humanitarian crisis, including displaced persons, returnees, and people on-the-move. Since the first quarter of 2022, an increase in returns and a high need for protection has been observed.The Protection Associate normally reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. 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 Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC) and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor.The Protection Associate 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 workforce members must individually and collectively contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment:Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.Contribute to the design, implementation, and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on PoC and their problems.Lead the transformation of existing mobility information and orientation waystations into community protection desks.Ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the multiannual protection and solutions strategy.Support the supervisor in training authorities, relevant institutions, and NGOs and promote International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards, and codes of conduct.Assist the supervisor in training relevant institutions and NGOs on interviewing, counselling for groups or individuals, and managing individual protection cases, including those on GBV and child protection.Monitor the community spaces to identify protection trends and vulnerable groups or individuals who may need special assistance or international protection advice.Refer and coordinate with relevant partners and local authorities on assistance of persons with protection needs or submit individual assistance request for PoC for approval.Support the protection team in monitoring and analyzing indicators regarding project implementation.Support orientation and response to protection concerns of individuals in mixed flows.Act as local focal point for the partners involved in the community protection desks.Provide operational data management support to Protection Team including data related to IDPs, asylum seekers, refugees, and persons of concern to UNHCR in agencies' database, updating and maintaining existing databases and generating various statistical reports, drafting templates for data collection and analysis, if requested.Contribute to the preparation of reports and project documents by providing information and drafting routine correspondence and reports.Perform other related duties as required.3. Monitoring and Progress Controls:A workplan will be prepared at the beginning of the contract between the incumbent and the supervisor to define key activities and project timelines to ensure an efficient delivery of expected outputs and products. Weekly meetings will be organized between the supervisor and the consultant to discuss advances, track progress, and discuss how to overcome potential challenges.Additionally, the contractor will be requested to draft a strategy to transform existing mobility information and orientation waystations into community protection desks within the first three months of the contract. The contractor will design the strategy and lead its implementation and monitoring throughout the year. The contractor is expected to maintain a continuous presence at the community protection desks.In achieving this task, the contractor will lead meetings, create a training plan, produce reports, map and update available services, coordinate between different desks, and actively participate in AAP mechanisms.4. Qualifications and Experience:a. Education: Preferred education: Bachelor's degree in Law, International Law, Political Science, Social Science, or other related fields.b. Work Experience:Essential: 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher. Since the protection desks will gather data on protection trends, it is essential that the incumbent manages the database and provides analysis and reports. Additionally, the incumbent will gather data from colleagues and include it in the relevant database for further analysis and reporting.Desirable: Training in core protection topics: Age, gender, and diversity approach, GBV, Child protection and project management. Work experience in data management and/or information systems.c. Key Competencies:Core Competencies:AccountabilityCommunicationOrganizational AwarenessTeamwork & CollaborationCommitment to Continuous LearningClient & Result OrientationManagerial Competencies:Judgement and Decision MakingCross-Functional Competencies:Negotiation and Conflict ResolutionPolitical AwarenessStakeholder Managementd. Travel requirements:Contractor may be required to travel 20% of the time to locations other than their assigned work location.Standard Job DescriptionRequired Languages: SpanishDesired Languages: EnglishAdditional Qualifications:Skills:Education:Certifications:Work Experience:Other Information: This position doesn't require a functional clearance. Home-Based: No
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