VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Position: PROTECTION OFFICER
Category: National Officer / NOC
Duty Station: Brasilia, BRAZIL
Start Date: 2nd January 2017
Est. Monthly Base Salary: BRL 19,700 per month
1. ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
The Protection Officer is a senior member of the protection team in a Country or Sub-Office and may,
depending of the size and structure of the Office, be Head of the Protection Unit. He/she may report to the
Senior Protection Officer, Head of Sub-Office or to the Assistant Representative for Protection. In smaller
Offices, the post may report directly to the Representative. The incumbent has direct supervisory
responsibility for protection staff who may include community services, registration, resettlement and
education. He/she provides functional protection oversight to information management and programme
staff; and supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery at
local or country level. The incumbent also acts as an advisor to senior management in designing a
comprehensive protection strategy and represents the organization to authorities, UN sister agencies,
partners and other stakeholders on protection doctrine and policy.
The Protection Officer is relied upon by the Office to plan, lead and coordinate quality, timely and effective
protection responses to the needs of populations of concern. This includes ensuring that operational
responses in all sectors are shaped in a protection optic, mainstream protection methodologies and integrate
protection safeguards. Another important function of the position is to ensure 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, authorities, protection and assistance partners as
well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection.
2. FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability:
The protection needs of populations of concern are met through the application of International
and National Law, relevant UN/UNHCR protection standards and IASC principles governing
humanitarian coordination.
The operation has a clear and coherent comprehensive protection strategy, which incorporates a
thorough age, gender and diversity (AGD) analysis and reflects the Organization’s global, regional
and country level priorities.
The Participation of persons of concern is assured through continuous assessment and evaluation
using participatory, rights and community based approaches.
National protection capacities are improved through direct engagement, research and advocacy
with all relevant external interlocutors.
Protection incidents are immediately identified and addressed through direct intervention,
advocacy and public exposure.
Responsibility:
Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the
protection environment.
Facilitate a consultative process with government counterparts, partners and persons of concern to
develop and implement a comprehensive protection strategy addressing the specific protection
needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons; Persons with disabilities; Minority
groups such as sexual minorities and persons living with HIV/AIDS; Sexual and Gender Based
Violence (SGBV) priorities with regard to these persons.
In operations applying the Cluster Approach, seek to ensure the response of the Protection Cluster
is grounded in a strategy, which covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected
populations.
Support senior management to ensure the protection strategy is fully integrated into the Country
Operations Plan, the UN Development and Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the Humanitarian
Country Team’s common humanitarian action plan where applicable.
Promote International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards
and codes of conduct and ensure that all sectors and /or in clusters in applicable operations fulfil
their responsibilities mainstreaming protection.
Implement and monitor programmes on an AGD basis to address identified protection needs.
Provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners on all protection related issues.
Oversee and manage individual protection cases including those on SGBV and child protection.
Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internal and external interlocutors;
ensure legal assistance is accessible to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to
ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documents to persons of concern (civil
documentation, in particular birth certificates).
Oversee and undertake eligibility and status determination ensuring compliance with UNHCR
procedural standards and international protection principles.
Promote and implement effective measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
Develop and implement a country-level education plan and ensure partnerships are forged with the
Ministry for Education, UNICEF and other partners as appropriate.
Develop and implement a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy
ensuring programmes use a child protection systems approach.
Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through
working relations with governments and other partners.
Implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions
activities.
Ensure that durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where
appropriate, resettlement are sought and provided to the largest possible number of persons of
concern.
Coordinate the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related programming with
implementing and operational partners.
Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy through a consultative process
with sectorial and/or cluster partners.
Ensure that the Protection Sector or Cluster has an effective information management component
which: provides disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems; researches,
collects and disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection
delivery.
Build the protection capacity of national and local government, partners and civil society to
assume their responsibilities vis-à-vis all persons of concern through protection training,
mainstreaming and related activities.
Coordinate capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
Advise and capacitate national authorities, relevant institutions and civil society to strengthen
legislation and status determination procedures and mechanisms.
Authority:
Approve the protection strategy for endorsement by the Senior Protection Officer, Assistant
Representative Protection or the Representative.
Chair protection coordination meetings, including Protection Cluster meetings in applicable
operations.
Intervene with authorities on protection issues. Negotiate locally and as appropriate with
resettlement countries and countries of return on behalf of UNHCR.
Take review decisions on individual cases.
Enforce compliance of staff and partners with global protection policies and standards of
professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
Approve expenditures under the UNHCR protection budget.
3. REQUIRED COMPETENCIES
a) Cross-functional:
Managing Performance
Strategic Planning and Vision
Managing Resources
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Planning and Organizing
Political Awareness
4. ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
REQUIRED
Education: Advanced university degree in Law, International Law, political Sciences or related
field with good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law.
Job Experience: Minimum 6 years (8 years with University degree) relevant professional
experience of which 2 years in the field and 3 years in an international capacity.
Excellent knowledge of English and working knowledge of another UN language.
5. DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
Diverse field experience.
Good IT skills including database management skills.
Completion of the Protection Learning Programme, RSD- Resettlement Learning Programme.
______________________________________________________________________________________
All applications must be submitted in English and include signed P.11 entry form and Motivation
Letter.
Complete application package must be sent to brabrhr@unhcr.org by 10th November 2016, with the
subject line “Protection Officer”. Both P11 and Motivation Letter files must be named with your
name, i.e., “Your Name – P11; Your Name – Motivation Letter”.
Applications that do not meet the above specifications will be automatically disqualified.
Kindly note that UNHCR-Brazil does not issue receipt of applications, only shortlisted candidates
will be contacted for the next phases of the selection process.
