Senior Protection Assistant - UNOPS - G5 - ZAH024 - Zahle, Lebanon

There are currently over one million Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR in Lebanon, which makes Lebanon the highest refugee-hosting country per capita in the world.

There are no approved camps in the country, and refugees are spread over 2,125 communities and locations across the country.

The refugee response is led by the Government and local actors, supported by the international community. As the designated lead agency in the refugee response, UNHCR has established a sector-based structure. The structure brings together over 100 UN agencies, national and international NGO partners in identifying and agreeing on the strategic priorities to address the needs of Syrian refugees and other affected populations.

The Lebanon national response falls under the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), whereby UNHCR guides the refugee response and UNDP facilitates the resilience and stabilization component.

Moving forward, UNHCR and partners are making significant efforts to ensure that available resources reach the most vulnerable including through the targeting of assistance across all sectors. UNHCR is also integrating direct support to government institutions and communities most impacted by the refugee influx into programming to ensure continued social cohesion and receptivity towards refugees.

The Senior Protection Assistant will be based in UNHCR Sub-Office Zahle, one of the largest field operations with a significant refugee population. S/he will report to Associate Protection Officer / Protection Officer. He/she will monitor the protection environment, including local policy and legal developments that impact refugee. S/he will provide technical protection support to supervisor, programme and information management sections, as well as will work in close collaboration with other units and sectors as well as national and international partner organizations.

The incumbent will build and maintain cooperation with local municipal and government counterparts in specific areas of intervention. S/he is expected to extensively work in the field, outreaching to refugee and local communities, and maintaining a dialogue with other local counterparts. S/he will be expected to provide quality, timely and effective protection support to persons of concern to UNHCR, including direct advocacy and linking them to specialized services as necessary.

The Senior Protection Assistant will contribute to the design and implementation of a comprehensive protection and solutions strategy and will advise the supervisor on issues relating to it and pertaining to his/her local area of intervention.

The incumbent will provide assistance to office-wide protection and assistance projects, where necessary and as assigned by the supervisor. It is expected that s/he possesses sound skills of data handling, and/or ability to learn essential information management procedures and tools quickly. S/he is expected to be a fast learner and display solid commitment, initiative, and ownership as regards entrusted protection projects and/or activities.

The Senior Protection Assistant will ideally need to possess political acumen and advanced communication skills and will to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners in the local area of intervention.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

(Concise and detailed description of activities, tasks and responsibilities to be undertaken, including expected travel, if applicable)

• Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
• Provide counseling on protection issues to persons of concern.
• Liaise with competent authorities on issues pertaining to protection.
• Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities in the entrusted area of intervention.
• Participate in individual protection case management including cases of legal and physical protection needs.
• Monitor, identify and report on protection incidents, advise on response and remedies for identified protection cases.
• Assist in identifying durable solutions for persons of concern.
• Contribute to and support the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of protection programmes with implementing and operational partners.
• Assist in drafting reports, routine correspondence, updating relevant databases and compiling statistics for the protection unit/section.
• Contribute to the implementation of initiatives/projects to enhance national and local protection capacities.
• Provide protection training to government counterparts and partner organizations.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

(Clear description of measurable outputs, milestones, key performance indicators and/or reporting requirements which will enable performance monitoring)

• Protection is delivered to populations of concern with the application of International and National Law relevant UN/UNHCR protection standards and IASC principles.
• Effective dialogue, communication, and cooperation are maintained with protection stakeholders, including authorities, civil society, and humanitarian organizations, in the area of intervention.
• Protection developments and incidents are timely identified and reported in a systematic manner.
• Persons of concern are consulted and take an active part in the attainment of protection remedies as well as the design of protection programme.