Job Title: Senior Protection Assistant
Location: Tumbes, Peru (with the note that the position is based in Lima, Peru, which might indicate a reporting or administrative base, or potentially a relocation requirement. This is a point to clarify.)
Employment Type: Full-time
Application Details
- End Date: May 8, 2025
- Deadline for Applications: May 7, 2025 (Note the slight discrepancy between the end date and the deadline – the deadline is the more crucial date for submission).
- Job Requisition ID: JR2554565
Contract Details:
- Staff Member / Affiliate Type: UNOPS LICA5 (Local Individual Contractor Agreement)
- Target Start Date: 2025-06-01
- Duration: Extension is subject to operational needs, budget, and performance.
- Local Recruitment: This is a local recruitment, requiring proof of permanent residency in Peru at the time of application.
Working Environment/Hardship:
- Hardship Level: B (Indicates a moderate level of hardship)
- Family Type: Family (Suggests the location is suitable for families)
- Work Environment: Requires adaptability and flexibility due to a very dynamic work environment.
Reporting Structure:
- Normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague.
Overall Role and Responsibilities:
The Senior Protection Assistant plays a crucial role in supporting the protection of persons of concern (PoC) in Peru, specifically within a humanitarian context. They are responsible for monitoring protection standards, providing direct protection support, and contributing to the development and implementation of protection strategies. Key aspects of the role include:
- Direct Protection Support: Providing counselling to PoC, assisting with documentation, and participating in individual case management, including sensitive cases like GBV and child protection.
- Programmatic Support: Supporting the integration of protection principles into programming, particularly focusing on age, gender, and diversity (AGD) considerations.
- Data and Reporting: Gathering information, conducting interviews, drafting reports, updating databases, and compiling statistics.
- Coordination and Partnerships: Liaising with local authorities and partners on protection issues and contributing to interagency and interinstitutional coordination.
- Strategy and Planning: Contributing to the design of protection strategies, including plans for child protection and education for PoC.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitoring protection incidents, the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and contributing to monitoring and evaluation efforts.
- Capacity Building: Contributing to initiatives aimed at enhancing national and local protection capacities.
- Risk Management: Supporting the identification and management of risks and opportunities within their area of responsibility.
- Integrity Enforcement: Ensuring integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.
- PoC Engagement: Ensuring PoC are involved in decision-making processes that affect them.
Key Responsibilities (from Standard Job Description):
- Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Provide counselling on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Support activities in protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Conduct preliminary information gathering and interviews in support of eligibility, status determination, durable solutions and social needs assessment.
- Contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
- Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy.
- Contribute to a country-level education plan for PoC as part of the protection strategy.
- Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Participate in individual protection case management including cases of GBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
- Assist in identifying durable solutions for PoC in voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
- Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Draft reports, routine correspondence, update relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities.
- Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share.
- Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.
- 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.
Essential Experience and Skills (from Specific Posting and Standard Job Description):
- Demonstrated experience in protection interventions in humanitarian environments.
- Proven knowledge of and demonstrated experience in case management, gender-based violence, child protection, international protection.
- Knowledge of community-based protection.
- Demonstrated experience in Interagency and interinstitutional coordination.
- Knowledge of governmental protection services.
- Experience in monitoring and evaluation.
- Strong adaptability and flexibility skills.
- IT-Computer Literacy*
- PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators*
- PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework*
Minimum Qualifications:
- Education: High School Diploma with 2 years of relevant experience OR Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent or higher) with 1 year of relevant work experience.
- Field(s) of Education: Not applicable (but relevant certificates/licenses are mentioned below).
Certificates and/or Licenses:
- International Law*
- Political Science*
Language Requirements:
- Required: English
- Desired: Spanish (Given the location, fluency in Spanish is likely highly beneficial for communication with PoC and local partners).
Recruitment Process and Important Notes:
- Local Recruitment: Requires proof of permanent residency in Peru.
- Contract Type: Local individual contractor agreement through UNOPS.
- Selection Process: Only short-listed candidates will be notified and may be requested to sit a test.
- Application Accuracy: Applicants must provide complete and accurate information. No amendments after submission.
- Reference Checks: Candidates under serious consideration will be subject to reference checks.
- No Fees: UNHCR does not charge fees at any stage of the recruitment process.
- Diversity and Inclusion: UNHCR is committed to diversity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates without distinction.
- Confidentiality: All applications are treated with the strictest confidentiality.
- Covid-19 Vaccination: Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member (note: this position is UNOPS LICA5, so this might apply differently, but it’s mentioned) is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19.
Additional Information:
- This position doesn’t require a functional clearance.
- This is not a remote position.
In summary, the Senior Protection Assistant role in Tumbes, Peru, is a demanding but crucial position requiring a strong background in protection work within humanitarian settings, particularly with vulnerable populations. The ability to manage cases, coordinate with partners, and adapt to a dynamic environment are key. The local recruitment requirement and the UNOPS LICA5 contract structure are important details for potential applicants.
