National Professional Officers are employed for functions in UNMIS which by their very nature require national knowledge, cultural experience and languages.

It is important that National Professional Officers are flexible about travel to the field, as well as temporary or permanent relocation, as required by exigencies of services.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Report regularly on protection concerns, trends and responses in area of responsibility; in particular relating to women, children, internally displaced persons and returning refugees;
• Under the guidance of the Head of Protection, and the local supervisor, liaise with local authorities in the area of responsibility;
• Support liaison and cooperation with key actors, including United Nations agencies, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, in order to coordinate international support to the protection needs of civilians;
• Support the work of the Protection Working Group in coordinating protection activities in the area of responsibility, in particular through the provision of Secretariat support;
• Represent the UNMIS Protection Section at working level meetings, as relevant;
• Identify training needs and conduct training programs of mission personnel, UN Agency staff and NGOs on protection issues;
• Contribute to the understanding of local social dynamics by establishing and maintaining an extensive network of relevant interlocutors;
• Other duties, as required by the Head of Protection or Team Leader.

Competencies:

• Professional expertise: Knowledge of a range of human rights and protection issues; able to manage information effectively, able to explain or train in report-writing principles
• Planning and organising: Able to establish priorities and to plan work assignments
• Teamwork: Able to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain constructive working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Gender and diversity: Commitment to opposing discrimination on grounds of gender, national, ethnic or social origin, age, disability, property or other status; able to plan and manage work so that these commitments are put into practice; respect and understanding of Sudan's linguistic and cultural diversity
• Judgement/Decision-making: Sound judgement; able to prioritise and take decisions.

Qualifications:

• Education: Advanced University degree in one or more of the following disciplines: law, journalism, anthropology or other social sciences, area studies, political science, public administration or economics or a combination of a university degree with relevant experience.
• Experience: Minimum 2 to 5 years of progressively responsible, relevant professional experience at national or international levels.
• Language: Fluency in oral and written English and Arabic; knowledge of other languages spoken in Sudan an asset.
• Other skills: Have affinity with or interest in humanitarian relief, post-conflict situations, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, the UN System and African culture. Expertise on internally displaced persons/returnees issues, gender and/or child protection issues is desirable.