Resettlement Officer

at  HIAS Inc

HIAS seeks a Resettlement Officer who will contribute toward promoting resettlement as a durable solution for at-risk refugee populations in Peru. The Resettlement Officer will support the country-level implementation of the Equitable Resettlement Access Consortium (ERAC) program. ERAC is a program designed to identify local organizations working closely with refugees and provide them the training and support needed for them to identify refugees in need of resettlement and refer their cases onward for resettlement consideration. In this capacity, the Resettlement Officer will help identify, select, and train project partners, review incoming referrals to analyze refugee claims and resettlement needs of displaced individuals and families living in Peru, and draft Resettlement Referral Forms (RRFs) for direct submission to the United States Refugee Admissions Program. They will also contribute to reporting for internal HIAS purposes at the country and HQ levels, and externally to donors. As part of the case management process, the Resettlement Specialist will liaise closely with HIAS-HQ and with other HIAS country offices, as well as external stakeholders and partners to ensure the integrity of the referral process.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

Studies:

• Bachelor’s Degree (Carrera) in Law, International relations, Human rights, Humanitarian relief, or other related studies.
• Additional studies or professional experience relating to gender variance, LGBTQI+ issues, or in direct service provision to children and families strongly desired.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in working in a refugee-related context or in an NGO-related context. Refugee resettlement experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in Peru’s humanitarian and immigration context
• Experience in applying the international legal frameworks governing refugees, human rights, and human rights law.
• Knowledge of the institutional structure of comprehensive support for survivor of Gender-Based Violence and legal concepts on the rights of LGBTIQ+ people (desirable)

Knowledge:

• International legal framework governing refugees, human rights, and human rights law.
• Immigration policy and current regulations in Peru.
• Ability to work within a team structure or in isolation, flexible, and can cope with stressful workloads and working with limited resources.
• Able to think outside of the box for sustainable community-based solutions and work with an empowerment and development approach.
• Strong and clear communication skills and capacity to positively influence change.
• Sense of initiative and capacity to work autonomously at the office and at home.
• Able to self-troubleshoot when issues arise or have a solution-based mind-set to approaching new challenges.
• Proficient at managing oneself in a fast-paced environment with constant developments using organization and structure.
• Excellent time-management skills to accurately allocate the needed time during tasks and able to rapidly move on to the next one.
• Excellent computer skills; proficiency in Microsoft office suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook).
• Attention to detail during data entry to ensure data quality.
• Must be a team player and able to work with a range of diverse and vulnerable populations.
• Ability to uphold the highest level of integrity and confidentiality.
• Passionate about HIAS’ mission and values.

DISCLAIMER:

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills required or permanent location. Location is subject to change based on programmatic needs. Flexibility is essential as we grow and develop. The successful candidate must be comfortable in a fast-paced, changing work environment with many crucial deadlines. All team members may be required to perform duties outside of their normal work hours of responsibilities as needed.

ABOUT US:

Over one hundred years ago, the Jewish community founded HIAS (originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) in New York City, the immigrant gateway to America. Supporting Jews fleeing persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe, our founders were guided by the traditions, texts and history of the Jewish people—a history of oppression, displacement and diaspora. HIAS has since helped generations of Jews facing violence because of who they were, and HIAS remains committed to helping Jewish refugees anywhere in the world. Today, our clients at HIAS come from diverse faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds, as do our staff. We bring our experience, history and values to our work across five continents, ensuring that refugees today receive the vital services and opportunities they need to thrive.
HIAS is a learning community, committed to diversity and inclusion. We do our work with integrity, accountability, transparency and a commitment to the highest ethical standards. We seek employees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to join our teams located in the United States and across the globe. People who identify as BIPOC, people with disabilities, people from the LGBTQ+ community and people with lived experiences of forced displacement or immigration are all encouraged to apply. We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects our vision, mission and values.

• Help build and maintain a network of civil society and non-governmental organizations dedicated to identifying displaced individuals and families with resettlement needs and referring their cases for review and potential resettlement.
• Receive resettlement referrals and evaluate the strength of the resettlement needs described therein, giving continuous feedback to the referring organizations on the quality of referrals.
• Conduct resettlement interviews, analyze refugee claims, and apply international refugee law and the UNHCR Resettlement Criteria, in accordance with HIAS Standard Operating Procedures, for resettlement processing.
• Build up the capacity of partners and stakeholders, including NGO staff and civil society actors, to distinguish refugees in need of resettlement from refugees with access to other durable solutions.
• Adapt and deliver continuous trainings to HIAS staff and to ERAC partners on the details of refugee law, the UNHCR resettlement criteria, and the HIAS Standard Operating Procedures for resettlement processing and other relevant screening criteria.
• Liaise with the protection team to ensure identification of the most vulnerable cases.
• Draft Resettlement Referral Forms and submit them to the Resettlement Manager, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for review and approval.
• Conduct case-conferencing with stakeholders to prevent duplication of efforts and maintain positive institutional relationships among HIAS partners in Peru.
• Provide individual counseling to Principal Applicants (PAs) on the resettlement process, carefully managing expectations throughout the process and keeping them closely informed of HIAS safeguarding and anti-fraud policies.
• Host case counseling sessions for individual clients to provide clients with timely and accurate feedback on the status of their resettlement cases.
• Maintain a database on place and updated of individual case management strategy for cases under resettlement consideration.
• Update status and case management notes of resettlement cases on the Case Management System.
• Maintain accurate resettlement statistics as well as up-to-date records on individual cases; assist in the preparation of narrative and data reports.
• Participate in training on resettlement, safeguarding and anti-fraud measures.
• Support the Protection department with the registration, screening and interviewing of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
• Assist in providing assistance and archiving files according to SOPs.
• Perform other duties as and when required.