Senior Resettlement Assistant

Position Title: Senior Resettlement Assistant

Reports To: ARDU Supervisor

Division: Immigration & Refugee Program+ (IRP+)

Department: Programs, Africa Regional Deployment Unit (ARDU)

Job Location: Kampala, Uganda

Grade Level: Grade 4, Senior Assistant, National

Introduction: Church World Service (CWS) is a not-for-profit, faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable solutions to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. CWS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, genetic information, age, disability or veteran status in employment or in the provision of services.

Primary Purpose:

This is a fulltime 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 Senior Resettlement Assistant 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 completing deferrals, registration and profiling activities for referrals submitted to the USRAP.

Essential Duties:

1. Travels on deployments to UNHCR offices, primarily UNHCR Uganda offices, on short notice, including to refugee camps and settlements.
2. Process cases which have been deferred by CWS RSC Africa for further UNHCR action to continue processing, following up previously worked on ARDU cases not submitted to USRAP as well as other types of deferrals.
3. Communicate regularly with the ARDU Supervisor and relevant CWS RSC Africa units regarding case updates.
4. Conducts Level 3 Registration (L-3 Reg.) interviews and the collection of applicants’ bio-data information for RRF Sections 1, 2 and 3. Verifies existing refugee registration data and ensures timely updates of all case files and database records as per UNHCR guidelines.
5. Participates in file reviews and compiles interview lists for UNHCR Profiling exercises. Conducts Profiling interviews of UNHCR identified caseloads.
6. In conjunction with UNHCR, collects and prepares additional information required of cases identified for refugee resettlement referral.
7. In field, undertakes additional related duties as agreed upon by the ARDU Management and UNHCR Supervisor.
8. Actively participates as a member of the UNHCR team and complies with UNHCR’s security requirements.
9. Submits regular reports to ARDU Management in line with deployment goals and objectives communicates challenges related to casework, logistics and relationship with partners to ARDU Management in a timely manner.
10. Undertakes additional assigned duties while in the field or at the CWS RSC Africa office to support ARDU and RSC Africa, including administrative tasks.
11. Any other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Experience:

• Four (4)years paid work experience required
• Six months of related experience (e.g. refugee, development or humanitarian work, training and capacity building) preferred

Skills:

• Knowledge of international legal framework governing refugees, human rights/ human rights law 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 is required.
• Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills.
• Strong computer skills, in particular with Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field of study (preferable focus in international affairs, law, refugee law, human rights or social work) is required or 4 years of work experience in lieu of a bachelor’s degree.

Abilities:

• Manage large and diverse workload under pressure with competing priorities.
• Maintain the integrity of official records;
• Analyse and solve complex problems and make sound decisions;
• Work with minimal supervision
• Maintain a high performance standard with attention to detail;
• Work independently and contribute to overall operations of RSC Africa;
• Actively participate in the implementation of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP);

Important Requirements:

• Strong English communication skills, both written and oral.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment required.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and willingness to support CWS’ Platform on Racial Justice as a CWS employee required.

Special Requirements:

• Full COVID Vaccination is strongly recommended for all successful candidates.
• The candidate should be of good health, willing and able to travel extensively in often difficult conditions and have a high degree of flexibility. Must have proof of Yellow Fever vaccination before traveling for RSC Africa.
• This position is based in Kampala, Uganda.
• This position requires use of laptops at all times, competence in Microsoft office packages is required.
• This position may require travel in sub-Saharan Africa on short notice and sometimes under difficult conditions to meet demands of a dynamic operational program.
• Background check which includes references and an educational and criminal check is required before the start of employment.
• 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.
• Physical: This position requires bending, squatting, crawling, climbing, kneeling, sitting, standing, walking, pushing/pulling, handling objects (manual dexterity), reaching above shoulder level, using fine finger movements and lifting/carrying heavy loads.
• Environmental: Incumbents in this position will be exposed to excessive noise, marked changes in temperature and/or humidity, dust and infectious diseases, harsh weather climates, long work hours, bumpy roads, extended travel, excessive sun exposure, and non-ventilated spaces.
• Full Time – Minimum of 37.5 hours per week.
• All employees should be prepared to work from the CWS office within their location of hire. Remote work arrangements may vary depending on location and the governing rulings regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Any other special requirements.