Assistant Protection Officer

Organizational Context

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, protects people forced to flee conflict and persecution, operating in over 130 countries. The Nordic and Baltic Representation, based in Stockholm, Sweden, covers eight countries. This role focuses on UNHCR's activities within Sweden, reporting to the Deputy Representative.

Job Purpose

The Assistant Protection Officer is the primary focal point for all protection-related activities concerning Sweden, reporting directly to the Deputy Representative. This role is crucial for UNHCR's operations in the Nordic region, with a specific focus on Sweden. The incumbent will manage a broad range of activities, including legal analysis, drafting legal commentaries, preparing court interventions, and engaging with legal representatives on individual cases. The position requires strong legal qualifications and experience. Beyond legal duties, the role involves work on refugee integration and inclusion, community-based protection, organizing meetings with civil society, and representing UNHCR in stakeholder meetings. Ensuring visits to reception and detention centers, conducting focus groups with asylum-seekers and refugees, and liaising with refugee-led organizations to strengthen their advocacy efforts are also key responsibilities.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Protection Officer is responsible for staying abreast of political, social, economic, and cultural developments impacting the protection environment. They must consistently apply International and National Law, along with applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policies, standards, and codes of conduct. This includes providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to Persons of Concern (PoC), offering legal advice, and liaising with authorities for documentation issuance. The role involves conducting eligibility and status determination for PoC, promoting measures to prevent and reduce statelessness, and contributing to country-level child protection and education plans. The incumbent will implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for protection and solutions activities, manage individual protection cases (including GBV and child protection), and monitor/intervene in cases of refoulement or expulsion. Recommending durable solutions, assessing resettlement needs, and contributing to the design and evaluation of AGD-based programming with partners are also key. The role requires facilitating advocacy programs, contributing to effective information management through disaggregated data, and assisting in capacity-building initiatives for communities and authorities. The Assistant Protection Officer will intervene with authorities on protection issues, assist in prioritizing reception, interviewing, and counselling, and enforce compliance with global protection policies and standards among staff and implementing partners. Risk management and opportunity identification within the area of responsibility are also expected.

Work Experience

1 year of relevant experience with an undergraduate degree, or no experience with a graduate or doctorate degree. Essential knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and the ability to apply relevant legal principles.

Skills

Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) Project Management Human Rights Doctrine/Standards International Humanitarian Law Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation Climate change and disaster related displacement Drafting and Documentation Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination Legal analysis Public speaking Training and facilitation

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