Country: Thailand
Closing date: 06 Apr 2016
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Representation in Thailand
Vacancy Announcement No. 15/2016
Internal/External Circulation
Position Title: Associate RSD Officer
Post Level: Equivalent to P-2
Post No.: -
Report To: RSD Officer
Section: Protection Unit
Duty Station: Bangkok, Thailand
Contractual Status: International Individual Contractor Agreement (UNOPS)
Date Issued of the Vacancy Announcement: 31 March 2016
Closing Date of the Vacancy Announcement: 06 April 2016
Availability of the Post 01 June 2016 – 31 December 2016 (7 months with possible extension)
The Associate RSD Officer is a member of the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) team. Under the direct supervision of the RSD Officer (RSD Supervisor) and overall supervision of the Senior Protection Officer, s/he will assist in the management, supervision and support of more junior Eligibility Associates recruited through the ECHO-funded project, “Emergency Response to Support UNHCR Mandate Refugee Status Determination in Thailand”. The incumbent’s responsibility will first and foremost focus on reviewing RSD assessments prepared by members of the RSD project team; and providing legal and procedural guidance and coaching to the team members. Prior to the commencement of the case processing, the incumbent will be responsible for devising a training plan, preparing training material and conduct trainings, in close collaboration with the RSD Officer and other relevant staff in the RSD/Protection team. At the end of the six-month project cycle, the incumbent together with other relevant RSD staff will be expected to carry out performance appraisals of team members.
Additional responsibilities may be related to oversee the reception of asylum seekers; and in coordination with the Protection Assistant to ensure scheduling of RSD interviews, file assignment and coordination of interpreter schedule.
Scope of Assignments
Stay abreast of legal, political, security and other developments which impact on the protection environment, and in particular, on protection delivery through RSD.
Assist in the supervision and oversight of RSD and RSD-related activities to promote full compliance with written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Review and endorse RSD decisions and provide appropriate feedback and guidance to RSD staff.
Assess training needs of staff engaged in RSD; prepare a training plan and provide on-going training and coaching on legal and procedural RSD issues.
Maintain accurate and up-to date records and data related to all work on individual cases.
Provide counselling to asylum seekers and refugees.
Assist in designing, implementing and revising operation-specific SOPs for all aspects of the RSD operation in accordance with applicable standards and policies.
Assist in preventing and identifying fraud in RSD through oversight, advice and guidance to UNHCR staff, partners and persons of concern.
Assist in monitoring RSD trends and in compiling and analysing RSD statistics related to RSD case processing to identify and respond to developments or issues impacting on the efficiency or quality of RSD decision-making, and to propose remedial measures.
Assist in developing and maintaining processes to ensure that persons of concern, Government authorities and partners have accurate information on the RSD procedures, including UNHCR standards, policy and practice.
Monitoring and Progress Controls
Approximately 30 applications are to be reviewed and endorsed per week and support mechanism to be developed to ensure qualitative and quantitative output is met.
Training programme and materials to be developed and training to be conducted.
Systematic referral mechanism for cases with specific needs to be identified and implemented in accordance with the procedural standards.
Individual performance report to be submitted weekly and aggregated team’s performance report to be submitted monthly.
Feedback on individual performance of project staff to be provided for the purpose of performance evaluation.
End of the project report to be prepared and submitted.
Qualifications and Experiences Requirements
University Degree (Law, Political Science, International Human Rights Law and/or a related field).
At least 2 years of experience in review RSD assessment and endorsing decisions, and providing relevant feedback to staff.
Experience in refugee status determination, including assessment of complex cases (exclusion/ cancellation).
Experience in devising training material and conducting trainings related to RSD.
Excellent Communication and English Drafting Skills.
Good research and analytical skills.
Computer Skills.
Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work in a team and to handle stress.
Ability to establish and maintain good working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
Fluency in another UN language.
Please submit your Motivation Letter, P.11 and Curriculum Vitae indicating the vacancy announcement number and position title to: THABAHR@unhcr.org
Applications will not be acknowledged. Only the successful candidate will be notified of the outcome of the selection process.
P.11 form can be down loaded from: http://unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/p11.doc
How to apply:
Please submit your Motivation Letter, P.11 and Curriculum Vitae indicating the vacancy announcement number and position title to: THABAHR@unhcr.org
Applications will not be acknowledged. Only the successful candidate will be notified of the outcome of the selection process.
P.11 form can be down loaded from: http://unhcr.or.th/sites/default/files/p11.doc