Protection Officer

Description

and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Desired Candidate Profile

The desirable candidate should have excellent leadership, communication, drafting skills and a team player specifically experience in managing large teams.
He/she have extensive experience in protection and solutions with demonstrable experience in protection programming, government relations, and advocacy.
He/she should have strong coordination skills and demonstrated capacities to conduct capacity building activities of local government counterparts, law enforcement officials, judiciaries, and partners. He/she should have experience in addressing child protection, GBV, registration, PSEA, fraud committed by refugees and dealing with complex protection issues as well as using proGres as a case management tool.
The desired candidate should have field experience, willing to work in remote location and be conversant with UNHCR guidelines and policies on international protection and legal frameworks on refugee issues and nationality.
He/ she should have strong political awareness, representational, as well as excellent analytical, innovation and negotiation skills.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

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Desired languages

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

Nature of Position:

The Government of Uganda (GoU) is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Uganda adopts a settlement approach to refugee management and protection, whereby, upon receiving refugee status, new arrivals are provided with plots of land in refugee-hosting villages on which to build new homes and grow agricultural crops. Refugees can freely access public services such as health and education and are granted a range of rights and freedoms, including freedom of movement, to seek employment and to start their own business. Uganda hosts the largest number of refugees in Africa with multiple emergencies unfolding around its borders with majority of the refugees ' origination from South Sudan and the DRC Congo.

Bidibidi settlement host the largest refugee in Uganda and as of 31st October 2023, the active population of concern registered is 197,296 individuals (93,778M, 103,518F). Out of the total population, 84% are women, and children while 25% of the population are youth aged between 15 and 24 years.

The settlement is 240 sqkm and population is scattered in five zones that geographically are separated with the farthest being 45 kilometers out of Yumbe. Refugees have settled within the Ugandan communities and sharing scarce resources, make peaceful coexistence as an important element of coordination. With the lack of resources within UNHCR and in general within humanitarian organizations, there should be a great emphasis on the refugee resilience as well as the need for innovative and creative ideas to manage the great need vis-à-vis the limited resources.

The incumbent reports to the Senior Protection Officer and is responsible for designing a comprehensive protection strategy, and represents the UNHCR to authorities, UN sister agencies, partners and other stakeholders on protection policy and doctrine. The Protection Officer coordinates quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of forcibly displaced persons in the area. S/he ensures that persons of concern of all age, gender and diversity groups are involved with the Office in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying and implementing appropriate solutions to their problems. To undertake this role effectively, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with other relevant teams within the operation as well as forcibly displaced persons, authorities, protection, and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection and achieving solutions.

Living and Working Conditions:

Yumbe Town has no commercial bank. There is small local market where basic commodities and fresh produce are sold. Yumbe is classified family duty station with a three-month R&R cycle for international staff. Rental (housing), Clinic, entertainment, leisure, education facilities are not available at duty station. The nearest City of West Nile, Arua, is located at 94 Km of road drive; the office offers a vehicle to staff members for shopping and banking transactions in weekends.

The office is located at Kuru Sub-County, 4 km to Yumbe Town; Yumbe District is situated in northern Uganda approximately 600 km by road from Kampala. Yumbe District shares a border with South Sudan to the North, Moyo and Obongi Districts to the East, Koboko and Terego Districts to the South- west. The refugees are hosted in 5 Zones (camps) in Bidibidi Settlement, where humanitarian actors provide protection and other relief services.

Yumbe is generally hot throughout the year averaging at 30 degrees centigrade with a pick of 36 degrees centigrade during the dry season (December to February). Physical infrastructure is characterized by poor roads, unstable and unreliable power supply, and telephone network coverage provided by GSM service providers (3G-4G GSM).

Additional Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Humanitarian Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Human Rights Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Refugee Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Refugee and Forced Migration StudiesHCR Protection Learning Program - UNHCR, HCR Resettlement Learning Program - UNHCR

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Political awareness, Teamwork & collaboration

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Compendium

Add. 1 to Bi-annual Compendium 2023 - Part B

Additional Information

Functional clearance

This position doesn't require a functional clearance