Careers opportunities - UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - Douala, Cameroun : Protection Officer

locations
Douala, Cameroon
time type
Full time
job requisition id
JR2332269
Only candidates who are not nationals of the country of assignment are eligible to apply to this position
Hardship Level

A (least hardship)
Family Type

Family
Residential location (if applicable)

Grade

PR3
Staff Member / Affiliate Type

Professional
* Staff members will not normally serve in International Professional positions in the country of their nationality. In addition, in case of a first appointment upon recruitment, the assignment must be outside the staff member’s country of nationality.
In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of.
Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment
Remote work accepted

No
Target Start Date

2024-04-01
Job Posting End Date

December 21, 2023
Standard Job Description

Protection Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
In the Bureaux, the Protection Officer works under the direct supervision of the Senior Protection Coordinator or Senior Protection Officer. In the Field, the incumbent normally reports to the Representative, Deputy or Assistant Representative (Protection), Head of Sub Office or Senior Protection Officer as appropriate. The incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for protection staff whose work may include RSD, community-based protection, registration, resettlement, complementary pathways, internal displacement and education, among other areas. In HQ, the incumbent may report to a Senior Protection Officer, Chief of Section or Deputy Director and may supervise other protection staff.

The incumbent acts as an advisor to senior management in, when not responsible for, designing a comprehensive protection strategy under the area of responsibility (AoR). S/he represents the Organization 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 populations of concern under the AoR. 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 or the Bureau (including programme; PI and external relations; IM) and with DIP, communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection and achieving solutions.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
- Provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners on all protection related issues.
- Stay abreast of and report as relevant on legal political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
- Engage relevant national authorities and structures in identifying and expanding opportunities in view of developing or strengthening national asylum/RSD systems.
- Facilitate a consultative process with government counterparts, partners and persons of concern to develop and implement a comprehensive protection and solutions strategy addressing the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientation and/or gender identities (LGBTI persons), persons living with HIV/AIDS; gender equality and Gender Based Violence (GBV) 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 response plan where applicable, as well as with the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees and the Three Year Strategy on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways.
- Promote relevant International, Regional 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 in mainstreaming protection.
- Promote the implementation of the AGD policy, including UNHCR's updated commitments to women and girls, and, design, deliver I and monitor programmes on an AGD basis to address identified protection needs.
- Develop, implement and monitor community-based protection strategies and ensure systematic application and integration of participatory and community-based approaches in protection and solutions planning, programming and strategies.
- Support the establishment of feedback and response systems and the incorporation of feedback received from persons of concern into programme design and adaptation.
- Support the operation to develop and implement robust prevention, identification, and responses to fraud within protection processes and procedures, including registration, RSD, resettlement and complementary pathways, ensuring the integrity of interventions across all protection activities.
- Assist UNHCR management at country level to comply with polices and commitment on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse measures.
- Oversee and manage individual protection cases including those on GBV 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 (including women and others in need of civil documentation, in particular birth certificates).
- As designated Data Protection Focal Point, assist the data controller in carrying out his or her responsibilities regarding the Data Protection Policy (7.2 DPP).
- Oversee and undertake eligibility and status determination within the AoR ensuring compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.
- Promote and implement effective strategies and measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness within the AoR.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of an education plan as part of protection strategy within the AoR as relevant.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of a child protection plan as part of the protection strategy within the AoR 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.
- Work to safeguard the rights of persons of concern in the context of mixed movements as relevant.
- Coordinate the preparation of, 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 and complementary pathways are sought and provided to the largest possible number of persons of concern, including undertaking and/or overseeing resettlement and complementary pathways activities.
- Contribute to the coordination of 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.

- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.

For positions in Bureaux

- Support the Regional Bureau and Country Operations to reflect the protection and solution angle in support of persons of concern within regional processes.
- Support Country Operations in the development of strategies to build and further develop national asylum/RSD systems with a view to ensuring their fairness, efficiency, adaptability and integrity, favourable protection environment and solutions.
- Assist UNHCR management at regional and country level to comply with polices and commitment on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse measures.
- Support Country Operations and ensure they meet their complementary pathways objectives and resettlement quotas.
- In close collaboration with DIP, (a) contribute to the development of background and general normative, policy, and legal positions, in compliance with UNHCR's global protection policies and standards; (b) contribute to the development of strategies at the regional and country level on the usage of law and policy approaches, including legislative and judicial engagement and UN human rights mechanisms - and/or regional ones - and other protection frameworks, and integrated human rights standards in protection strategies and advocacy; and (c) support coordination and review of UNHCR's country reports to the UN human rights mechanisms.
- Engage in relevant international and regional fora and contribute to forging regional partnerships to advocate for key protection and mandate issues, and engage in cross-cutting protection-related matters, including mixed movement, internal displacement and climate change/disaster-related displacement responses, as well as Statelessness, in cooperation with DIP and where relevant RSD.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law; International Law; International Refugee Law;
International Human Rights Law; International Humanitarian Law;
Refugee and Forced Migration Studies; Political Sciences
or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Protection Learning Programme
RSD- Resettlement Learning Programme
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Minimum 4 years of relevant professional experience in the area of refugee protection, internal displacement, human rights or international humanitarian law, including experience in working directly with Field Offices. Good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles. Excellent legal research, analytical skills and drafting.

Desirable
Diverse field experience. Good IT skills including database management skills.

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-Comprehensive Solutions Framework
LE-Judicial Engagement
PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation
PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement
PR-Accountability to Affected People - Principles and Framework
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Desired Candidate Profile

The candidate needs to have experience in a diversity of operational contexts ; emergency refugee and IDPs, IDP displacement (conflict and flood) and camp and non-camp responses. Also, s/he should have experience working with all persons of concern to UNHCR asylum seekers, refugees, IDPs, statelessness and returnees with RSD, GBV, child protection activities as well as community engagement and diversity of solutions (Volrep, integration and reintegration, RST and complementary pathway. He shall be well acquainted with the Global Compact for Refugees, and its implications and implementation in complex refugee situations.

Knowledge of the Global Compact of Migration and its relation to displacement issues is also needed. S/he should have interpersonal skills to work with the government and multi stakeholders and have training capacities.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

,

,

Desired languages

French
,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:
To view occupational health and safety considerations for this duty station, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:
The Douala office is the 3rd sub-office of the MCO Cameroon operation and has become so since July 1, 2023 following the restructuring of the Cameroon operation; This new entity has 2 offices, one in Douala and one in Bamenda. In addition to managing refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPS) in the Littoral and West regions, this new sub-office also cover the North-West and South-West regions, which have been plagued by separatist violence since 2016 and which have already caused more than 700,000 internally displaced persons (IDPS). The North West and South West regions (NWSW) crisis started in 2016 as a protest by teachers and lawyers has now turned into a full-fledged armed conflict. Seven years of continuous armed confrontations between Government Defense and Security Forces (GDSF) and Non-State Armed Groups (NSAG), in the NWSW regions has rendered the region extremely volatile and precarious. Armed confrontations, terrorism and criminality are major causes of insecurity which are marred by sporadic civil unrest incidents. In 2020 many NSAG camps were destroyed and senior leaders were neutralized by GDSF. In the beginning of 2021, the operations continued and some positive results through the Military Operation “Clean Bamenda” were observed. 2021 is also witnessing an important shift in the conflict through extensive use of IEDs. The NSAGs have increased the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) which are more and more sophisticated and the most used against the GDSF.

As the political dialogue between the parties is facing an impasse, the armed conflict will likely continue to affect the two concerned regions in the future. While the GDSF have had partial success in urban areas, rural areas will continue to remain a challenge.

Despite many humanitarian NGO staffs and operation being targeted by NSAGs on several occasions, UNHCR have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy relatively good acceptance amongst all key stakeholders.  Although UNHCR is not directly targeted by the armed groups, its personnel and operations can be exposed to collateral damage (wrong place wrong time), roadside IEDs, kidnapping and hostage taking, carjacking, armed robbery, destruction or looting of property, humanitarian access denials, etc.

To this end, the former sub-office of Bamenda has been closed and its staff and offices have been integrated into the sub-office of Douala; This is why the Buea office closer to Douala has been closed and its staff redeployed to the new sub-office, also some heads of unit such as the Administration and Programme have been redeployed from the former sub-office of Bamenda to the new sub-office of Douala in order to fully ensure their role of coordination.

It is in view of all these developments and because of the mandate for the protection of refugees and IDPs held by UNHCR that the position of P3 Protection Officer is very crucial within the Douala sub-Office in order to coordinate the protection unit in the 4 regions of coverage. In other words, he will have to coordinate all the protection activities of the Douala sub-office, covering the North-West, South-West, West and Littoral regions. The incumbent will supervise the protection and field staffs in Douala and will have technical supervision of the protection and field staff in Bamenda.

Living and Working Conditions:
The city of Douala is the economic capital of Cameroon and is the capital of the Littoral Region located 240 km from Yaoundé the political capital, 68 km from Buea capital of the South-West region and 306 km from Bamenda capital of the North-West region. Dry and rainy seasons alternate with temperature picks from November to February and high rainfall from June to September. The electricity and water supply network is average and despite occasional untimely outages. Four mobile phone operators are installed: Camtel, MTN, Orange and Nextel. Douala has a highly developed banking network with more than twenty banks and several micro-finance companies (SGC, BICEC, ECOBANK, Afriland First Bank, UBA BANK, Crédit Foncier, SCB, Banque Atlantique, BGFI, CCA BANK, la Régional, Express Union, ACEP Cameroon...). Schools, colleagues and universities are fully established and some even have international standards. The residential areas: Bonanjo, Bonapriso, Bali, Bonamoussadi, Makepe, Cité KOTTO and Akwa meet the standards of UNDSS and the quality of housing here is a function of the standard of living of each person. Douala has a variety of housing, those built by the state through the SIC and those built by the private sector which make up about 85% of the housing. The hotels, restaurants, markets and supermarkets are very nice. The roads are also more affordable than in the interior of the country. The hospitals' technical platforms are next to those in Yaounde, the best in the country and in the CEMAC sub-region. In terms of security, the city is relatively quiet, but there are occasional cases of mugging and robberies. Security is provided by all law enforcement agencies present in Cameroon (Police, Gendarmerie, Fire Brigade, Land, Sea and Air Forces). Security services are offered mainly by the DAK company which is recommended by the UNDSS

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

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 Studies
Certifications

HCR Protection Learning Program - UNHCR, HCR Resettlement Learning Program - UNHCR
Work Experience

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
UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium
Add. 2 to Bi-annual Compendium 2023 - Part B
Additional Information

Functional clearance

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

All applications must be submitted ONLINE at : https://unhcr.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/fr-FR/External?locationCountry=b579d21545a140c49418f0a3451a3160