Organization: UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Location: Sherkole (Asosa), Ethiopia-Fed
Closing date: 18 November 2021
Eligible Applicants
This position is advertised open to internal and external applicants.
Duties and Qualifications
- General Background
A Resettlement Associate position is typically located at a Sub-Office. Under supervision of the Protection Officer, the incumbent is primary role is to assist in providing, in close coordination with concerned sections within UNHCR as well as external parties such as resettlement countries, IOM and partner organizations, a continuous support to resettlement operations by ensuring that resettlement polices are correctly implemented and operations are supported in establishing comprehensive protection and solutions strategies. The incumbent takes part in assessing cases for resettlement and conducting interviews as well as monitoring procedural compliance and quality of case submissions. In addition, UNHCR 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.
- Purpose and Scope of Assignment
The Resettlement Associate will process cases for the Eritrean refugees. Cases will be prepared and submitted on country specific RRFs.
Under the supervision of the RST officer, the Resettlement Associate will:
– Gather relevant information, i.e. flight history and refugee claim, and prepare RRFs for eligible refugees in accordance with UNHCR resettlement guidelines and standard operating procedures for the review/approval of the Resettlement Officer;
¿ Ensuring that relevant supporting documentation, such as refugee certificates, birth/death/marriage/divorce certificates, author certification, release of custody forms, Medical Assessment Forms (MAFs), psychological assessments, and BID/A reports, and official/unofficial English translations where required, are included in the referral;
Responding to clarifications and queries by the Resettlement Officer;
¿ In the above process, ensuring that all required information is complete, credible and consistent, that the refugees qualify for resettlement, and that the standards set forth in the UNHCR Resettlement Handbook are met, including application of consistent resettlement criteria for all countries;
Assist in the resolution of child family issues to facilitate pre and post submission processing (there are high proportion of pre and post submission cases requiring extensive investigation (BIDs, BIAs, child custody, minor marriages, polygamy issues etc.) prior to case finalization;
¿Interview unaccompanied minors and separated children, their caregivers and community, and other children in order to prepare BID/BIA reports;
¿Identify, prevent and report fraud in the resettlement and registration process;
¿Research country of origin information for support and corroboration of resettlement cases as needed;
¿ Ensure proper file management of physical and electronic case files in possession;
¿ Work with the proGres database to ensure case data and events are updated as appropriate;
¿ Counsel refugees regarding the resettlement process to ensure that they have realistic expectations; refer cases that are not qualified for resettlement to appropriate services, i.e. Protection, Community Services, for proper follow-up as needed;
¿ Assist as required in the preparation of situation reports and monthly resettlement reports;
¿ Any other task as determined by the unit.
3.Monitoring and Progress Control
The incumbent shall report regularly to the supervisor on the task accomplish. The report shall contain a description of activities and the data collected regarding:
– Number of cases assessed/counselled;
– Number of cases/persons referred.
Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
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
-University degree in relevant area (e.g. international law / refugee law, political science, social sciences and related field;
-Minimum of two years¿ work experience in relevant work area (e.g. profiling refugee populations, registration, conducting refugee status determination, preparing individual resettlement submissions and submissions for prima facie refugee populations, etc.);
-Knowledge of and/or preparedness to become familiar with and abide by UNHCR¿s principles, code of conduct and humanitarian goals.
-Knowledge of the international legal framework governing refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and statelessness.
-Knowledge of UNHCR guidelines on refugee status determination / resettlement.
-Awareness of gender issues and how to apply rights and community-based approach to identify and respond to specific needs;
-Awareness of the importance of preventing fraud and ways to mitigate risks.
-Excellent interviewing and counselling skills;
-Excellent drafting and analytical skills;
-Ability to conduct assessments and identify protection risks of individuals and groups;
-Demonstrable leadership skills in developing communication strategies, negotiating and implementing large group activities within a multicultural / refugee and multi-sectoral setting;
-Strong interpersonal skills (e.g. conflict resolution) and ability to work effectively in teams;
-Experience conducting refugee status determinations and resettlement assessments ¿ is an asset;
-Experience with large-scale resettlement and/or evacuation programmes desirable
– Experience in child protection and preparing Best Interest Determinations and Assessments ¿ is an asset ;
– Ability to work with persons from different culture and background;
– Ability to work under pressure and comply with targets within the deadline in stressful situations and in hardship location
Key Competencies
Demonstrated good analytical skills and drafting skills;
-Demonstrated skills on identification of refugees in need of resettlement, counselling refugees on the benefits, procedures, and the consequences of resettlement;
-Demonstrated skills in the completion of RRF forms;
-Skilled in use of proGres;
-Familiarity with individual and group submission methodologies;
-Fluency in English language;
– Awareness of child protection issues;
– Awareness of the importance of preventing fraud and ways to mitigate risks.
Language Requirements
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.
Position Competencies
Competencies as defined in Job Profile
Additional Information
Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, training or any other fees).
An eliminatory or complementary written test for shortlisted candidates may be conducted which will be followed by competency-based interview.
Female Candidates are encouraged to apply.
Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Applicants must be nationals of and be locally recruited within the country of their employment.
Closing Date
The Closing Date for Submission of Application is Thursday 18 November 2021 (Mid Night Ethiopia Time).
