UNHCR is looking for an Assistant Protection Officer to join our team in Nairobi, Kenya. Reporting to the Protection Officer or Senior Protection Officer, you will provide functional protection guidance on legal matters, coordinate protection responses, and ensure meaningful engagement of populations of concern. The incumbent supervises protection standards and operational procedures in line with international standards.
What You'll Do
- Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that impact the protection environment.
- Apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Provide comments on existing and draft legislation related to populations of concern (PoC).
- Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with authorities for documentation issuance.
- Conduct eligibility and status determination for PoC.
- Promote and contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
- Contribute to country-level child protection and education plans as part of the protection strategy.
- Provide inputs for the development of protection policies and standards.
- Implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Manage individual protection cases including GBV and child protection. Monitor and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
- Recommend durable solutions (voluntary repatriation, local integration, resettlement) for PoC.
- Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for resettlement.
- Contribute to design, implementation and evaluation of protection related Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) based programming.
- Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy with partners.
- Contribute to effective information management through provision of disaggregated data on PoC.
- Assist capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, institutions and NGOs on national protection legislation.
- Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
- Assist supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling.
- Assist supervisor in enforcing compliance with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity.
- Enforce compliance with all protection standard operating procedures.
- Support identification and management of risks.
- Perform other related duties as required.
What We're Looking For
- 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree.
- Field of Education: Law, International Law, Political Sciences or other relevant field.
- Knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.
- Essential Functional Skills: PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators; PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD); PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards; PR-International Humanitarian Law; PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation; PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement; CO-Drafting and Documentation; PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination.
- For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
Nice to Have
- Desired language: French.
Team & Environment
You will report to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. You may have supervisory responsibility for protection staff including community-based protection, registration, resettlement and education.
Work Mode
This is an onsite role based in Nairobi (CO), Kenya.
All UNHCR workforce members must 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, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.
