Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

U (unclassified)

No designation

UNOPS LICA5

2025-01-01

November 22, 2024

1. General Background

The UNHCR Representation in Venezuela is comprised of the Country Office in Caracas, two Field Offices located on the border with Colombia (San Cristobal and Maracaibo), as well as three Field Units, one in Caracas, the capital district; Carupano (Sucre) in the border with Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana; and Santa Elena de Uairen in the border with Brazil.

UNHCR’s Santa Elena de Uairén Field Unit covers the municipality of Gran Sabana and occasionally they will cover other municipalities in Bolivar State. This Field Unit supports essential services and community-based interventions to strengthen self-management of protection risks. It also implements, directly and with partners, community mobilization activities with community leaders and volunteers, focusing on awareness-raising, prevention/mitigation, and response pathways. It also supports community spaces and infrastructure as complementary interventions to facilitate community-based activities, including solidarity initiatives, and the use of sport as a protection tool in vulnerable communities.

The operational context in Venezuela remains challenging, affecting both refugees and asylum seekers and the Venezuelan population in humanitarian crisis, including displaced persons, returnees, and people on-the-move. Since the first quarter of 2022, an increase in returns and a high need for protection has been observed.

The Senior Protection Assistant normally reports to a more Senior Protection colleague. The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures, and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff.

The Senior Protection Assistant provides quality, timely and effective protection support to persons of concern (PoC) and identifies opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and safeguards in operational responses. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on protection issues 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.

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.

2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment

i. Conduct general protection monitoring within the Area of Responsibility (AoR) and collect relevant data and information for UNHCR, reporting key findings to the supervisor.
ii. Conduct regular field visits to assess the needs of the people we serve and represent UNHCR in on-site project monitoring, when its necessary.
iii. Maintain regular contact with funded partners and act as the focal point for specific components within partnership agreements, facilitating communication and collaboration and enforcing integrity standards in the delivery of protection services by local partners.
iv. In coordination with partners, assist in the reception, registration, and provision of assistance to the people we serve.
v. Facilitate capacity-building and resilience activities in consultation with the supervisor and Head of Field Unit, and in coordination with the Information Management (IM) team and the Multifunctional Team. Oversee the development of baselines for community resilience interventions.
vi. Provide guidance to NGOs, communities, and volunteer groups to enhance services and strengthen community resilience initiatives.
vii. Contribute to the preparation of status and progress reports by gathering information, preparing tables, and assisting with miscellaneous tasks as needed.
viii. Monitoring the legal, social, and protection aspects of the people we serve, ensuring accurate reporting on activities.
ix. Implementing the national protection strategy and its appendixes, verifying compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in all protection activities and ensuring the centrality of protection in all activities related to the position.
x. Represent the UNHCR Field Unit in the Local Coordination Group and in the Gran Sabana Sub-national Protection Cluster meetings in Santa Elena de Uairen, as required.
xi. Participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of AGD-based protection programming with operational partners.
xii. Assist in administrative tasks as required such as preparation of reports and meeting authorized personnel and assisting them during field missions.
xiii. Support efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Field Unit for protection and communities’ resilience initiatives.
xiv. Perform other related duties as required.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls

i. At the beginning of the contract, a work plan will be developed between the incumbent, the supervisor, and the Head of Field Unit to define objectives, key activities, and timelines of the project to ensure the efficient delivery of expected results and outputs, in line with the multiyear strategy of the operation.
ii. The incumbent will be required to regularly visit priority communities within the Area of Responsibility (AoR), including Indigenous populations, to fulfil their responsibilities. It is essential for the incumbent to stay informed about the contextual and operational challenges affecting communities as well as the cultural particularities and specific needs of Indigenous communities, to ensure that interventions are culturally appropriate and effective.
iii. The incumbent will receive guidance from the Associate Protection and the Head of the Field Unit. They may also receive indirect guidance from other relevant departments and units within the country program. The incumbent is expected to stay informed about the challenges posed by the operational context, including Indigenous communities.

4. Qualifications and Experience

a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)
A university degree in Development Studies, Human Rights, Community Development, Social Work, Sociology, Social Science, Political Science, International Law, or a related field.

b. Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level

At least 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1-year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher.

Essential:

i. Demonstrated experience in protection activities, and related processes, and proven experience working in field.
ii. Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills, and excellent interpersonal abilities; culturally and socially sensitive. Capable of working collaboratively with diverse partners, including grassroots community members, organizations, and authorities.
iii. Experience in implementing needs and/or participatory assessments at the community level and design and implementation of community capacity-building projects.
iv. Adaptability and willingness to work in remote communities and navigate precarious routes with appropriate safety measures.
v. Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously, while respecting deadlines.
vi. Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (excellent in Word; good in Excel and PowerPoint) and internet browsing. Experience in project management, database, and information management.

Desirable:

i. Knowledge of UN policies and procedures.
ii. Familiarity with UNHCR Protection Learning Programs (PLP) and administrative systems.
iii. Experience with NGOs is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization.
iv. Experience of working with indigenous communities and an understanding of indigenous history, culture and cosmovision is highly recommended.

c. Key Competencies
Core Competencies
Accountability
Communication
Organizational Awareness
Teamwork & Collaboration
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Client & Result Orientation
Respect for diversity
Integrity and professionalism

Cross-Functional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
Political Awareness
Stakeholder Management
Planning and Organizing
d. Language requirements
Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English is desirable.

e. Functional Skills

*IT-MS Office Applications
*IT-Computer Literacy
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
UN-UN/UNHCR Financial Rules and Regulations and Procedures
CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards, and indicators
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

f. Travel requirements
Contractor may be required to travel 20% of the time to locations other than their assigned work location.

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

Spanish

,

,

Desired Languages

English

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

Home-Based

No