U (unclassified)

No designation

No designationDanger Pay

GS6

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

No

2025-05-01

March 11, 2025

Community-Based Protection Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Community-Based Protection Associate is a member of the Protection Unit and may report to the Protection Officer, Community-Based Protection Officer, or another more senior staff member in the Protection Unit. Under the overall direction of the Protection Unit, and in coordination with other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners and other stakeholders, the Community-Based Protection Associate works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for part of the protection and/or support staff and supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role, the Community-Based Protection Associate is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of PoC. The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with PoC that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming and results, form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with PoC.

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
– Assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy and operational procedures.
– Through relationships with PoC and network of partners, stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
– Work with host communities to identify opportunities for national civil society involvement in improving the protection of PoC.
– Work with implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to GBV.
– Assist in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
– Support participatory assessments by multifunctional teams and ongoing consultation with PoC.
– Assist in planning and monitoring of programmes and budgets, with an AGD perspective
– Build office capacity for community-based protection through training and establishing systems for community mobilization and participation of PoC.
– Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
– Ensure community understanding of UNHCR’s commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
– Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
– Contribute to the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR’s work.
– Initiate AGD sensitive interventions at the appropriate level on community-based protection issues and to respond to protection concerns and incidents within the office, with external interlocutors, groups and individuals based on agreed parameters.
– Identify and select which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling and field visits based on agreed criteria.
– Intervene with authorities on protection.
– Enforce compliance of implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
– Recommend and prepare payments to individual cases.

– 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.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
Not applicable.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Development, Human Rights, International Law
International Social Work, Social Science, Political Science,
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified.

Desirable
UNHCR learning programmes (PLP). Knowledge of MSRP.

Functional Skills
IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
*IT-Computer Literacy
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate)
TR-Capacity Buidling
(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.

1. Nature of the Position:

The Community Based Associate is member of the Protection Unit, based in Tunaydbah camp in order to spend a substantial percentage of his/her time with the persons we work with and for, in order to enhance their capacity and design Community-Based protection strategy premised on consultation with the Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs). The camp was opened in 2021, it is one of Gedaref camps hosting the largest number of Ethiopian refugees totaling to 23,042 (December 2024) persons residing in fourteen (14) blocks of the camp. The camp continues to receive a number of refugees and asylum seekers, secondarily displaced from various parts of Sudan mainly from Khartoum due to the war in the country that broke out in April 2023.

The incumbent of this position will report to the Assistant Field Officer in Tunaydbah (TNB) camp. S/he will as well receive technical guidance from either Assistant Protection Officer, or the Protection Officer based in Gedaref. UNHCR, in collaboration with Government of Sudan, through Commission of Refugees (COR) and other partners, the candidate will join the team to provide protection with focus on Community-Based protection and assistance to the Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs) settled in the various blocks of the camp as well as IDPs in the gathering sites as well as those/IDPs hosted by the host community.

The increase in number of FDPs in the camp due to the war led to inadequate assistance in various areas. The disparity is attributed to and exacerbated by the ever-reducing resource envelope beyond UNHCR Gedaref and Sudan operation capacity. It is against this background that the operation continues to record increasing concerns about inadequate services from the community we are working with and for. Consequently, the operation strategy is to enhance community participation in matters pertaining to their lives. The incumbent, therefore, must exhibit relevant skills for enhanced community involvement/ownership through coordination with relevant stakeholders especially refugee led organization, host community, and leaders of the community, working directly with the community to identify opportunities, risks, and capacitate the existing community mechanisms/structures in order to protection their families and the community at large.

2. Desired candidate profile

• IDP experience in the tri-cluster (protection, shelter and NFIs)
• Experience in coordination and collaboration especially with the FDPs and multiple stakeholders
• Good communication skills
• Experience of working in remote environment (deep field locations)
• Knowledge of the local context and Familiarity with East Sudan operation especially with mixed movement.
• Capacity building skills and knowledge especially of community structures, including proven competencies in preparation of and delivering presentations and training facilitation skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge/skill in quality report writing

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Nature of Position:

Living and Working Conditions:

 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community, IT-Computer Literacy, IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate), PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies, TR-Capacity Buidling, UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures

Certifications

Community Development/Social Work – Other, Development Studies – Other, Human Rights – Other, International Law – Other, Political Science – Other, Social Sciences – Other

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Managing performance, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Additional Information

This is a national position, only for the Sudanese nationals

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements