Senior Protection Advisor Job Vacancy at UNDOPS Congo

Job Title :Senior Protection Advisor

Vacancy code VA/2012/B5301/657
Department/office AFO, Democratic Republic of Congo
Duty station KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Contract type Temporary Appointment
Contract level TA - P5
Duration 12
Application period 29-Jun-2012 to 20-Jul-2012


Background information - DR Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo
The UNOPS office in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) delivers services from its head office in Kinshasa and project offices in Goma, Kisangani and Lubumbashi. UNOPS in DRC serves the needs of the Government with funding from bilateral donors, the EU, International Financial Institutions and UN agencies.  UNOPS in DRC provides a wide range of project management and related services including procurement, contracts management, logistics, HR and financial management. UNOPS helps partners to achieve their project goals in sectors which include physical and social infrastructure, elections and the environment.
Background Information - Job-specific

Security Council resolution 1925 (2010) established the mandate of the United Nations StabilizationMission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and reiterated protection of civilians as the main priority of the Mission.

While MONUSCO has already designed and implemented, to the extent allowed by available resources, awide range of mechanisms to effectively implement its mandate to protect civilians, the Mission’s capacityin this context could be further strengthened.

The Office of the DSRG-RoL serves as the focal point for two of the main Mission-wide protection mechanisms, namely the Protection Working Group (PWG) and the Senior Management Group –Protection (SMG-P).

Both mechanisms were created to strengthen the mission’s responsiveness to protection threats and to enable the senior management to make quick and informed decisions on protection priorities and actions.

MONUSCO also developed a conditionality policy in connection with its mandate to provide support to the FARDC in dismantling remaining armed groups operating in the DRC territory, which continue to represent a major source of insecurity and threat to the civilian population. The objective of this policy is twofold: to minimize risk of the Mission’s association with human rights violations perpetrated by elements of the national army during the conduct of joint military operations; and to positively influence the behavior of the FARDC by encouraging and promoting respect for international human rights,humanitarian and refugee law.
UNOPS is seeking qualified candidates to take on the role of Senior Protection Advisor to play a key role in the processes described above. The incumbent will be seconded to the Office of the DSRSG RoL of MONUSCO for the duration of his/her assignment.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision and guidance of MONUSCO DSRSG-RoL and of the SMG-P, the Senior Protection Advisor will perform the following functions:

·Coordinate the work of the PWG and ensure timely gathering and analysis of information on protection issues generated by the Mission’s civilian and military components, in particular through the provincial protection mechanisms (SMG-P at provincial level);
·Liaise closely with the SMG-P at the provincial level to ensure a uniform methodology vis-à-vis the Mission’s protection strategy, as well as an effective application of MONUSCO’s policy on protection of civilians and of the conditionality policy;
·Liaise with other protection actors, including those part of the UN protection cluster, to promote a coordinated response and timely exchange of information and analysis to better protect civilians, especially children and women;
·Ensure complementarities of PWG activities with the Mission’s Comprehensive Strategy on Sexual Violence;
·Ensure follow-up and implementation of the SMG-P decisions;
Coordinate data consolidation, analysis and reporting through the PWG, Joint Protection Teams and other mechanisms;
·Ensure timely and accurate reporting by the PWG to the SMG-P, as well as the elaboration of actionable recommendations to the SMG-P at the national level;
·Ensure regular analysis of gaps and challenges to the protection of civilians and coordinate the Mission’s activities for reviewing and strengthening its protective practice, including the Mission’s military component;
·Coordinate Mission’s activities in reviewing and strengthening its protective practice (e.g.: ensuring continuity in training of COB, TOB commanders in protection measures;
·strengthen CLIs activities including through additional recruitment and training, etc..);
·Lead the implementation of the Mission’s conditionality policy with a view to promoting international humanitarian, refugee and human rights law within the FARDC, as well as minimizing the risk of the Mission’s associations with human rights violations perpetrated by elements within the FARDC during joint operations;
·Coordinate the delivery of training to the Mission’s military components, as well as within the Joint Protection Teams, as part of strengthening the Mission’s protective practice;
·Conduct frequent field visits to regularly assess the overall implementation of the conditionality policy and MONUSCO’s activities for the protection of civilians, to identify gaps and challenges and elaborate recommendations to the SMG-P at the national level.
·Other duties as assigned by the DSRSG-RoL

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education :

An advanced university degree (Masters Degree or equivalent) in Social Sciences. A first level university
degree with relevant combination of academic qualification and extensive experience would also be
considered.

Experience :

10 years of experience in protection, with at least 5 years in conflict or post-conflict environments
with international organizations;
Previous experience in an advisory role;
Previous experience providing training to colleagues and/or counterparts;
Demonstrated experience in reporting and analysis;
Experience in Africa and DR Congo in particular is an asset.


Langue :

Fluency in spoken and written English or French is required. Fluency in both would be an asset.
Additional Considerations

    Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
    Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
    Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
    Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
    UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post
    The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS
How to Apply;
https://gprs.unops.org/pages/viewvacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=657