Associate RSD Officer (Capacity Development) at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Duties

•  Provide legal/procedural advice and support on RSD adjudication issues within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
•  Stay abreast of legal, political, security and other developments relevant to mandate RSD, the protection environment, including developments in relation to national asylum/RSD systems, as applicable.
•  Support engagemnt with relevant national authorities and structures in identifying and expanding opportunities in view of developing or strengthening national asylum/RSD systems.  
•  Support the quality review of RSD Assessments in line with UNHCR policies/guidelines related to mandate RSD and endorse RSD decisions as required.
•  Conduct interviews and draft RSD Assessments including for complex/sensitive cases per relevant standards and guidelines.
•  Provide ongoing coaching as well as training on the inclusion criteria; principles/procedures related to exclusion; cancellation/revocation; international humanitarian law; human rights law; interviewing techniques and credibility assessment/establishing the facts; and legal drafting.
•  Provide training to other UNHCR units on the refugee criteria and related issues as needed.
•  Assist with the development of a RSD strategy and support senior management to ensure its full and effective integration into the protection and solution strategy of the Country Operations Plan.
•  Assist with developing/enhancing regional and global RSD standards and policies, as required.
•  Assist with the design and implementation of operationspecific SOPs for all aspects of RSD operations in line with relevant standards/policies, including UNHCR's AGD policy and Forward Plan, ensuring the prioritisation of persons with specific needs, or, if based in a Regional Bureau, provide support to operations on the above.
•  Monitor trends and systematically compile statistics related to RSD case processing.
•  Analyze key indicators of the quality and efficiency of decisionmaking in RSD processing to assess capacity and resource requirements of operations in the region or the operation to which the RSD Officer is assigned.
•  Evaluate and contribute to projecting RSD staffing and financial needs using the RSD Staffing Benchmarks, and support allocation of appropriate human, material and financial resources.
•  Contribute to identifying and preventing fraud in RSD through oversight, advice and guidance to UNHCR personnel, partners and persons of concern.

If based in DIP or a Regional Bureau:

•  Conduct support missions, as required.
•  Assess training needs in UNHCR RSD operations and assist RSD Supervisors to provide coaching/capacity building for UNHCR personnel and deployees under their supervision, in coordination with the GLC as appropriate.
•  Maintain and manage a consultative process with operations and other stakeholders in the region.
• If based in a country operation, together with competent host authorities and partners, contribute to developing processes aiming at developing national institutional capacities and the timely identification of international protection needs in line with the GCR and other key planning considerations.
•  Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level

• For P2/NOB  3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education 

• International Refugee Law  International Human Rights Law;   International Humanitarian Law; 
• International Criminal Law; Social Sciences; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses 

• RSD Learning Programme   Management Learning Programme  Protection Learning Programme

Relevant Job Experience
Essential

• 3 years of experience working directly with procedures and principles related to adjudicating individual asylum claims in RSD procedures. Indepth knowledge of International Refugee Law, International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law and ability to apply relevant legal principles in the RSD context, including exclusion decisionmaking. Thorough knowledge of the "Procedural Standards for RSD under UNHCR's Mandate" and other guidelines and standards governing UNHCR's mandate RSD activities. Experience in counselling asylumseekers and individual case management. Experience and demonstrated skills in refugee law training. 

Desirable

• Experience as a decisionmaker in UNHCR or Government SD procedures is highly desirable. Experience in providing legal representation to asylum seekers in UNHCR or Government SD procedures. Experience in supervising a team. Completion of the RSD Learning Programme and other UNHCR Learning Programmes relevant to RSD. Training and coaching experience. Experience in working with vulnerable or traumatized individuals. 

Functional Skills 

• MGPolitical Decision Making
• PRIndividual Case Management
• PRProtectionrelated guidelines, standards and indicators
• PRGovernment Refugee Status Determination (RSD) procedures
• PRRSD  Principles and Procedures, operational arrangements/assistance
• PRHuman Rights Doctrine/Standards
• PRInternational Humanitarian Law
• LEDraft legal settlement agreements
• COCrosscultural communication

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.