Senior Protection Assistant (UNOPS, LICA-5), Jimaní, Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo

Duties and Qualifications

Under the supervision of the Protection Officer, the Senior Protection Assistant will perform the following functions:
1.Conduct monitoring activities, actively participating in the identification of PoCs at the Jimaní border point;
2.Provide legal and humanitarian assistance to PoCs at the Jimaní border point;
3.Manage individual cases, monitor and intervene in cases of expulsion and other protection incidents;
4.Improve referral channels to state institutions and other UN Agencies and support immediate responses to urgent protection needs identified in the field when required;
5.Contribute to the development of mechanisms to facilitate the identification of new cases and support border authorities and partners to strengthen their ability to do so, while managing information and coordinating logistics;
6.Contribute to providing support and technical advice to the authorities and counterparts to ensure an effective implementation of Law 169-14 and prevent expulsions of PoCs to Haiti;
7.Carry out field missions aimed at gathering and verifying information on PoCs needs and vulnerabilities;
8.Conduct capacity development workshops and formative meetings for other UN Agencies, relevant authorities, institutions and NGOs, to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures;
9.Support the interventions made by the UNHCR office in Santo Domingo aimed at the identification, registration and legal/humanitarian assistance of PoCs in the field;
10.Contribute to the logistical preparation and coordination of UNHCR projects and monitor the implementation of the said projects through mapping and data collection instruments;
11.Keep abreast of political, social, economic and cultural events that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team and management;
12.Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on PoCs and their needs and draft qualitative and statistical reports as well as routine correspondence, while maintaining UNHCR data bases up to date;
13.Keep a detailed control of activities and the results obtained in line with the established work plan;
14.Assist in the organization of participatory assessments, guaranteeing an AGD (Age, Gender and Diversity) approach;
15.Perform other related duties as required.

Monitoring and Progress Control
The performance of the Senior Protection Assistant will be monitored and periodically evaluated according to the quality of the tasks carried out, in line with the assignments described in the previous section and the approved individual work plan, and in agreement with global protection policies and UNHCR standards.
In this sense, it will also be evaluated:
(i) Respect of the UNHCR Code of Conduct,
(ii)Adherence to the security protocols of UNHCR and United Nations, and
(iii)Participation in training activities provided by UNHCR, particularly through the Learn and Connect platform.

Qualifications and Experience
a.Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)
-Bachelor¿s Degree in Law, Political Science or similar studies;
-Fluency in Spanish. Knowledge of English, French and/or Creole is considered an advantage;
b.Work Experience
(List number of years and area of required work experience. Clearly distinguish between required experience and experience which could be an asset.)
-Minimum 3 years of previous work experience with state institutions, UN Agencies or civil society organizations.
-Experience dealing with persons affected by the Constitutional Court Ruling 168-13 and/or beneficiaries of Law 169-14 is considered an advantage;
c.Key Competencies
(Technical knowledge, skills, managerial competencies or other personal competencies relevant to the performance of the assignment. Clearly distinguish between required and desired competencies)
¿Computer knowledge: Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
¿Availability to travel to the field including rural areas within the Dominican Republic;
¿Analytical and creative thinking skills to quickly identify problems, find and implement solutions;
¿Ability to work independently and proactively in situations that require flexibility;
¿Leadership and teamwork skills;
¿Strong interpersonal and effective communication skills;
¿Ability to work in an international and multicultural environments;
¿Ability to work with vulnerable populations;
¿Ability to execute UNHCR's mandate in accordance with the principles of respect, neutrality, impartiality and transparency in front of the authorities and other actors. Additional Information IMPORTANT NOTE:
Persons interested in applying for this position must be legally present in the Dominican Republic at the time of application, recruitment and hire.
candidates must have legal residence with valid work permission in the Dominican Republic or the duration of the contract.

Applications will be accepted only via the online portals. Please do not send application via email.
Incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For any technical problems during the submission of application or any further information, please send an email to domsaadm@unhcr.org

Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview.
UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees).
UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicants to apply. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities.
UNHCR is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms gender, disability, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, UNHCR reopened its office in the Dominican Republic to provide coordination and humanitarian response to the thousands of people who came seeking International Protection. Since 2014, UNHCR has also been accompanying the Dominican authorities to achieve the effective implementation of Law 169-14, as well as finding document and nationality solutions for people of concern in line with our mandate.
The Senior Protection Assistant reports to the Associate Protection Officer. The Senior Protection Assistant 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 policy as guided by the supervisor. The Senior Protection Assistant 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.