The Resettlement Support Centre (CWS RSC Africa) - Resettlement Officer, Nairobi - Kenya

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 with a sub-office in Pretoria, South Africa.

Based in Nairobi, Kenya – Church World Service seeks to appoint a

AFRICA REGIONAL DEPLOYMENT UNIT (ARDU) RESETTLEMENT OFFICER

This is a full time position within ARDU which strategically utilizes CWS RSC deployments to UNHCR offices with the goal increasing referrals and managing cases in the pipeline for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) in Africa. The primary function of the Resettlement Officer is to support the goals of ARDU through temporary deployments to UNHCR offices throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Tasks to be completed while on deployment will be determined in the Terms of Reference (TOR) for each deployment and will include activities that support refugee resettlement, including interviewing and writing resettlement referrals to the USRAP.

The ARDU Resettlement Officer will be responsible for the following tasks and duties:

·      Travels on deployments to UNHCR offices on short notice, including to refugee camps, and sometimes under difficult conditions.

·      Conducts resettlement interviews with identified cases in line with UNHCR Resettlement Guidelines and country-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

·      Makes assessments and contributes towards identifying resettlement cases, including case verification, and completing the UNHCR Resettlement Registration Form (RRF) for the identified cases in line with ARDU SOPs and guidelines.

·      Conducts Level 3 Registration (L-3 Reg.) interviews for the collection of applicants' bio-data information for the UNHCR Resettlement Registration Form (RRF) Sections 1, 2 and 3.

·      Participates in file reviews and compiles interview lists for UNHCR Profiling exercises. Conducts profiling interviews of UNHCR identified caseloads in line with UNHCR guidelines.

·      Conducts resettlement interviews and completes RRFs for review.

·      Verifies existing refugee registration data and ensures timely updates of all case files and database records per UNHCR guidelines.

·      Completes and updates all case files and database records per UNHCR Resettlement Guidelines.

·      In the field, undertakes additional work related duties as agreed upon by the ARDU Management in consultation with both the UNHCR Supervisor and ARDU deployee.

·      Responsible for ensuring that ARDU staff resources such as Country of Origin Information, current practices and approaches in RRF Writing and Deferral processing are updated.

·      Available whilst on deployment to answer any specific technical questions raised by UNHCR or CWS RSC Africa colleagues regarding USRAP processing.

·      Submits regular reports to ARDU Management in line with deployment goals and objectives and communicates challenges related to casework, logistics and relationship with partners to ARDU Management in a timely manner.

The ARDU Resettlement Officer must meet the following criteria:

·      Bachelor’s Degree or four years of relevant paid work experience in lieu of a Bachelor’s Degree required. Master’s Degree in a related field of study preferred (preferable focus in international affairs, law, refugee law, human rights or social work).

·      Two years of paid work experience is required, with six (6) months related experience is required, including in a developing country in a relevant work area (e.g. assisting refugees in a resettlement context, casework, preparing refugee resettlement referrals, etc.).

·      Demonstrated knowledge of UNHCR/ USRAP and resettlement processes.

·      Knowledge of international legal framework governing refugees, human rights/ human rights laws required.

·      Excellent interviewing and counseling skills.

·      Excellent drafting, writing and analytical skills.

·      Written and spoken fluency in English;

·      Secondary language skills, such as French, Arabic and other African regional languages (other than Kiswahili) is required.

A valid passport and the ability to maintain a valid passport throughout the entire appointment is required, which includes having enough passport pages for travel. The candidate should be of good health, willing and able to travel extensively in often difficult conditions, and have a high degree of flexibility. A clear background check is required before the start of employment. Must be legally eligible to work full time in Kenya.

View the full job description and application instructions on the Vacancies page at www.actionappointments.co.za and email your application by Monday June 14th 2021 to callum@actionappointments.co.za