Employment Opportunity in Maro, Chad

Associate Field Officer (Protection) – Maro, Chad

February 27, 2015

Application Deadline: March 20th 2015

Applications must be emailed to JPOCoordinator@state.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time on the date indicated in order to be considered. Thank you.

How to Apply:

Please note that PRM-sponsored JPO positions are open to U.S. Citizens only.

Applicants must submit a completed United Nations Personal History form (UN P-11) via email to JPOCoordinator@state.gov by the deadline noted above. The UN P-11 form is available for download from the UNHCR website at http://www.unhcr.org/recruit/p11new.doc. PRM will accept the UN P-11 form without a signature. If desired, you may also submit a resume or curriculum vitae and letter of interest. Please specify the position for which you are applying in the Subject line of the email (i.e. Associate Protection Officer – Kabul, AFGHANISTAN). You must send a separate email and application for each position for which you are qualified and wish to be considered. For more information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions on the PRM website.

PRM Notes:

• For more information about UNHCR’s operations at this post, please visit the UNHCR website at www.unhcr.org.
• University degree in Law, International Law, international relations or related field. Advanced degree strongly preferred for participation in the JPO program.
• Minimum 4 years (2 years with advanced University degree) of relevant professional experience. Experience in refugee work or humanitarian work is desirable.
• Excellent knowledge of French and English is essential as French is a working language in Chad. Knowledge of Arabic is highly desirable.
• JPO contracts are initially issued for one (1) year and then renewed. American JPOs are expected to serve a complete (2) two-year JPO term.
• NOTE: this is a non-family duty station.
• The JPO job description and related information below are provided by UNHCR.

Associate Field Officer (Protection)
Maro, Chad
Job Description (JPO)

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Title: Associate Field Officer (Protection)

Sector: Field/Protection

Location: UNHCR-FO-Mara/Southern Chad

Duration of the assignment: 1 Year renewable (total of 2 years)

SUPERVISION:

Supervisor: Head of Field Office/ Mr. Alpha Oumar Barry

Title of other international staff members in same duty station:
Ms. Tepka Kameh Ama (Associate Field Officer)
Mr. Mamadou Fofana (Community Services Associate)
Ms. Oksana Olifirovych (Associate Resettlement Officer)
Ms. Elsa Laffite (Associate Resettlement Officer)

Content and methodology of the supervision:

The incumbent will perform his/her duties under the direct supervision of the Head of the Field Office with whom he shall define and agree his/her work objectives as well as his/her development and improvement objectives in line with UNHCR’s Performance Management Appraisal System (PAMS). The Head of Field Office will provide the incumbent with necessary guidance and advice on any matters related to the discharge of his/her functional responsibilities and adequate support will also be provided by the Snr Protection Officer who is based at the Sub-Office level in Gore especially with regard to the way in which should be handled highly sensitive and complex protection issues.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment;
- Lead a consultative process with local government counterparts, partners and persons of concern for an effective needs assessment and develop and implement a protection strategy which derives from the country-level comprehensive protection strategy;
- Ensure through direct action and advocacy with the Head of Office that necessary resources are made available, if possible, to address protection and operational gaps;
- Maintain protection presence both in Belom refugee camp through daily field visits as well as in major border crossing points by means of regular border monitoring missions and reports, making direct contact with persons of concern, host communities local authorities and partners;
- Monitor and report on the protection, well-being, security and safety situation of persons of concern. Timely identify, document and report on human rights violations, including SGBV incidents, to the Head of Office making sound recommendations for appropriate follow-up actions;
- Monitor and oversee the integrity of UNHCR’s protection and operations management standards and procedures, including resettlement activities, in the AOR ensuring respect for the deadlines;
- Design, deliver and monitor protection and assistance programmes on an age, gender and diversity basis to meet identified needs;
- Ensure that the established minimum set of common performance and impact indicators for the implementation of each of the UNHCR’s three thematic strategies (Child Protection, Education and SGBV) are effectively used to measure progress made in these areas;
- Support refugees in enhancing representation and coordination structures and promote confidence building and peaceful conflict resolution initiatives among populations of concerns and between the latter and members of the local population;
- Oversee the management of individual protection cases including those related to SGBV and child protection;
- Provide advice and guidance on protection issues to internal and external interlocutors; ensure legal assistance is accessible to persons of concern and work closely with the National Refugee Commission on issues related to documentation, camp security and access to livelihood opportunities;
- Build the capacity of local partners and civil society through training and other initiatives to protect persons of concern;
- Develop and coordinate capacity-building initiatives for communities and persons of concern to assert their rights.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

- Integrity in the delivery of protection services is assured by all protection staff;
- Protection concerns and humanitarian needs of persons of concern are timely identified and addressed;
- Active involvement of persons of concern throughout the programme cycle is ensured through continuous monitoring and evaluation using participatory, rights and community-based approaches;
- The protection needs of persons of concerns are met in accordance with the applicable international standards while taking due account of relevant local legislation;
- Ensure that the AOR has a clear and coherent protection strategy which is built upon a thorough age, gender and diversity (AGD) analysis and reflects the Organization’s global, regional and country level operational priorities.

AUTHORITY:

- Negotiate with local authorities, partners and populations of concern on protection-related issues such as access to land, admission into the territory, freedom of movement and respect for other fundamental human rights and freedoms;
- Approve the field/AOR protection strategy for endorsement by the Senior Management;
- Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, all protection and assistance standard operating procedures;
- Ensure effective implementation of UNHCR’s thematic strategies for education, child protection, and prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence;
- Decide on indicators to measure impact and performance of partners on protection delivery;
- Chair protection meetings with relevant implementing partners;
- Approve expenditures under the UNHCR field protection budget.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Languages: Excellent knowledge of French is essential as this is a working language in Chad. Knowledge of English and Arabic are highly desirable.

Qualifications: University degree in law, international relations or related fields.

Experience: Minimum 4 years (2 years with advanced University degree) of relevant professional experience.

Skills: Good knowledge of refugee law, UNHCR’s programmes and computer skills.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES, which illustrate behaviors that are essential to achieving deliverables described above, and that are critical to successful performance. All jobs require the staff to abide to the Values and Core competencies of UNHCR.
- Empowering and Building Trust (M001)
- Managing Performance (M002)
- Judgement and Decision Making (M003)
- Strategic Planning and Vision (M004)
- Leadership (M005)
- Managing Resources (M006)
- Analytical Thinking (X001)
- Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (X004)
- Planning and Organizing (X005)
- Political Awareness (X007)
- Stakeholder Management (X008)
- Change Capability and Adaptability (X009)

TRAINING COMPONENTS AND LEARNING ELEMENTS:

Training components:

Ongoing coaching and delegation will be used as an essential training tool in order to help the incumbent to further develop his/her knowledge of and experience with a wide range of key protection activities such as registration, monitoring, prevention and response to SGBV, legal assistance, advocacy, to mention just a few. The incumbent will also have the possibility to enroll in protection-related training programs including those which are available online through UNHCR’s learning platform.

Learning elements:

- A better understating of operational protection in camps and settlements;
- Design, implementation and evaluation of appropriate protection interventions;
- Advocacy with national authorities and other stakeholders for the respect of refugees fundamental rights and freedoms;
- Ability to develop protection partnerships and to work with multi-functional teams;
- Accurate understanding of UNHCR’s result-based management framework as well as the key underlying approaches to protection programming (Rights-based approach, Community-based approach and age, gender and diversity mainstreaming).

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The Protection Section in FO Maro is currently (in 2014) comprised of 2 Protection Associates, 1 Snr Protection Assistant, 1 Associate Field Officer (dealing with issues related to shelter assistance and the profiling of Chadian returnees whose number is estimated at around 30,000 persons), 1 Community Services Associate, 1 Data Management Assistant, 1 Associate Community Services officer (IUNV). Besides, there is a resettlement team which is comprised of 1 Resettlement Expert (ICMC) and 1 Associate Resettlement Officer (UNV) and 1 Resettlement Assistant in addition to a varying number of temporary interpreters. The Maro Protection Section works essentially with three NGO implementing partners: “Centre de Support en Santé Internationale (CSSI)”, in charge of the medical and psychosocial SGBV programmes, “Association de Promotion des Libertés Fondamentales au Tchad (APLFT)” intervening in the context of legal SGBV programmes, child protection and access to legal remedies and CARE International dealing community services. The Protection Section works closely with the government counterpart, CNARR in a number of key areas such as registration and profiling, documentation; camp management and community-based protection. Last but not least, the Protection Section also works closely with the “Detachement pour la protection des Humanitaire et des Réfugiés (DPHR) as a national security force which has been deployed to ensure the security of the refugees settled in the Belom camp and that of the humanitarian partners undertaking activities therein.

While resettlement opportunities are rather very limited being made available only to persons with specific needs that have no prospects local integration nor for voluntary repatriation, the main focus of the protection and assistance interventions on behalf of the 28,000 CAR refugees is made on the promotion of their socio-economic integration through the facilitation of access to farming land and other income-generating activities intended to help them become self-sufficient and thus prevent them from becoming chronically dependent on humanitarian assistance. For the purposes of improving the quality of personal data available about the refugees in Chad, it is envisaged that biometric registration will be undertaken in 2015 for both Sudanese refugees in the East and the CAR refugees in the South.

LIVING CONDITIONS:
Maro is classified as a non-family duty station with limited infrastructure and leisure facilities. International staff members are hosted in the UNHCR guest house and private accommodations not far from the office. Even though there are no adequate health facilities, basic health care may be provided by UNHCR’s medical partner running a health centre covering both refugees and local population. The security situation in Maro is calm though some limitations to the movement of staff have been imposed due to security concerns resulting from banditry and common crimes. Movement is highly constrained and typically staff members are advised to not stay out between 18.00 pm to 5.00 am. Very limited food stuff may be found locally in Maro and staff members make use instead of the airport shuttle organized twice a week by UNHCR for them to buy whatever food items needed from Sahr, the capital city of the Moyen Shari region, which is one and a half hour from the Office.