Senior Officer, Resettlement at RefugePoint

• The Senior Officer, Resettlement position requires the highest degree of professionalism and ethical commitment to assess and prioritize clients for resettlement and complementary pathways, interview clients, analyze case histories, prepare referrals and provide follow up support throughout the process.

The position is based in RefugePoint’s office in Nairobi, Kenya. When needed, the position might be requested to undertake short deployments to operations in Africa, the Middle East and/or elsewhere to undertake resettlement and related activities.
Core Responsibilities:

Resettlement Case Processing

• Assess clients’ cases, identify resettlement-related needs and conduct interviews of vulnerable clients who have been identified for resettlement in accordance with guidelines and standard operating procedures;
• Complete Resettlement Registration Forms (RRFs) and other casework documentation in accordance with the RRF guidelines for submission to resettlement countries;
• In coordination with colleagues and as required, participate actively and support in the development of the case identification framework with particular attention to integrity and compliance issues;
• Follow up on deferrals, enquiries and requests for clarifications, follow ups and any other case-related queries from resettlement countries and interlocutors and initiate necessary action in a timely manner;
• Conduct resettlement-related counseling to clients; provide regular updates on their cases with a view to managing expectations in the process;
• Be aware of/document fraud and fraud-related issues and keep abreast with current trends;
• Carry out research on various refugee-related issues such as country of asylum laws, policies, international instruments, country of origin information etc.;

Field Building

When required, the position will conduct field building activities to support building NGOs’ capacity and UNHCR’s capacity in resettlement processing.

• Within the auspices of RefugePoint’s field building initiatives, conduct missions to NGOs and or UNHCR operations to establish or strengthen their capacity to identify, refer and submit at-risk cases for resettlement;
• Conduct resettlement-related training to identified NGOs and partners through seminar-type sessions, shadowing, mentoring, feedback and other avenues on different aspects of resettlement casework including case identification, referral, submission (RRF preparation) and related topics to identified NGOs;
• Support NGOs’ capacity in building/strengthening resettlement referral and submission systems and provide ongoing support through missions to NGO locations in Kenya and beyond and when those activities are undertaken at RefugePoint offices in Kenya;
• If needed, review RRFs prepared by NGOs and provide initial feedback to NGO caseworkers with a view to building capacity and quality assurance;
• When needed, support in the development and or refinement of tools, policies and guidelines related to resettlement for field building;

Documentation and Reporting

• Systematically update the clients’ database and other records on resettlement-related activities, case status information from partners and maintain and generate statistics when required;
• Ensure clients’ files are updated and documents filed accordingly;
• Prepare monthly or quarterly reports on resettlement-related activities;
• Document best practices;

Training

• Assist in the orientation and training of newly-hired Resettlement Experts and in the training of staff from other units on the criteria for resettlement-related case identification.
• Attend any other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Familiarity with refugee law, protection, and assistance, including resettlement;
• Excellent interviewing and counseling skills, including use of age-appropriate and gender-sensitive techniques;
• Strong writing and analytical skills;
• Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills; ability to work effectively with partners and cross-cultural teams; ability to navigate administrative systems and work effectively and efficiently in a structured environment;
• Demonstrated ability to work well under pressure, maintaining flexibility and attention-to-detail under challenging circumstances;
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office; knowledge of proGres database or the ability to learn computer programs quickly;
• Ability to travel in Africa on short notice and sometimes under difficult conditions, including to refugee camps;
• Ability to adhere to RefugePoint and UNHCR Code of Conduct and conduct oneself in a professional and courteous manner at all times;
• English language fluency.

Qualifications

• Education: University Degree in a relevant field (e.g. international affairs, human rights and humanitarian affairs, public health, social work, anthropology, etc.).
• Experience: Previous experience in a related activity in the field of refugee protection.

Special Requirements

• Police clearance certificate