Country Of Origin Information Specialist at Church World Service

Grade: 6 (I)

Level: Specialist

Division: Programs Section: Africa Regional Deployment Unit (ARDU)

CWS RSC Africa

The Resettlement Support Center (CWS RSC Africa) operates a US refugee resettlement program in sub-Saharan Africa through a Cooperative Agreement with the Department of State/ Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. CWS RSC Africa is responsible for the preparation of refugee case files for adjudication by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers, as well as the out-processing and cultural orientation of all approved cases. CWS RSC Africa is administered by the Church World Service Immigration Refugee Program (CWS/IRP) and is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Primary Purpose

This is a full time position within ARDU which strategically utilizes CWS RSC deployments to UNHCR with the goal of increasing referrals to the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) in Africa. The primary function of the Country of Origin Information Specialist is to support the goals of ARDU by collecting and analyzing relevant information on refugees’ countries of origin for the purpose of training ARDU staff and assisting ARDU deployees to complete refugee status related assessments, Resettlement Registration Form (RRF) writing and profiling. Country of Origin Information (COI) refers to information that is used in procedures for the individual assessment of applications for international
protection. COI aims to answer questions about countries of origin, habitual residence and transit or return countries relating to, for example, the socioeconomic, legal, political, human rights, security and humanitarian situation or conflict at a given time.

Supervision

This position reports primarily to the ARDU Manager.

Qualifications

Education:

1. Bachelor’s degree in social work, social sciences, law (or a related field of study), or four (4) years of related work experience in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree is required. Master’s degree in a related field of study is preferred.

Experience:

Four (4) years relevant work experience is preferred.

• Eighteen months of related experience in social research and/or research on third country conditions (human rights, political, socio-economic situation). Supervisory experience is preferred.
• Previous experience in refugee status determination/adjudication is desired.
• Experience working in a refugee protection framework required. USRAP casework experience desirable.

Knowledge/Skills:

1. Thorough and demonstrated knowledge of international refugee law, international refugee protection frameworks, COI research standards and methodology, and UNHCR’s Refugee Status Determination.
2. Excellent training and capacity building skills.
3. Demonstrated knowledge of UNHCR Refugee Status Determination and resettlement processes.
4. Demonstrated knowledge of USRAP resettlement processes.
5. Excellent drafting, writing and analytical skills.
6. Excellent spoken and written English; secondary language skills in Kiswahili, French or any other African regional language preferred.
7. Previous assessment/ monitoring and evaluation skills preferred.
8. Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills.
9. Strong computer skills, in particular with Microsoft Office applications.
10. Excellent organizational and time management skills.