G5 Senior Call Centre Assistant

Job Posting Organization:
The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established in 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. Its mission is to provide protection, assistance, and seek durable solutions for refugees and stateless persons. UNHCR also engages in enhancing protection and providing humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons under certain circumstances. The organization operates globally, with a presence in numerous countries, and is dedicated to ensuring the safety and rights of individuals who have been forcibly displaced due to conflict, persecution, or other crises. UNHCR's work is guided by its core values of professionalism, integrity, and respect for diversity, and it employs thousands of staff members worldwide to fulfill its mandate.

Job Overview:
The G5 Senior Call Centre Assistant plays a crucial role in ensuring the effective functioning of the Call Centre, which serves as a primary point of contact for refugees and persons of concern. This position involves producing daily, weekly, and monthly reports on Call Centre activities, ensuring that the team is well-informed about available services and assistance. The Assistant will be responsible for scheduling appointments, providing general information, answering inquiries regarding the status of cases, and referring urgent protection cases to the appropriate staff members or units. Additionally, the role may involve face-to-face counseling with refugees at the UNHCR Office or partner premises. The incumbent will report to the Associate Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Officer and will be expected to provide counseling via telephone and through a dedicated email channel. The position also includes conducting initial protection interviews, drafting comments and documents related to these interviews, and ensuring proper referrals across protection teams. The Senior Call Centre Assistant will support RSD case processing, enabling triage and scheduling, and will prepare complete files for RSD examination. This role requires maintaining direct engagement with persons under UNHCR’s mandate while ensuring business continuity through coordination, analytics, and quality assurance functions.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Senior Call Centre Assistant will be responsible for a variety of tasks, including but not limited to: ensuring the effective functioning of the Call Centre through protection-sensitive triage and oversight of service quality; receiving and handling inbound calls courteously and professionally; managing the Protection functional email box; responding to telephone calls and email correspondence in a kind and professional manner; performing triage and responding to emergency calls; identifying protection emergencies and triggering referrals to relevant colleagues; staying updated on assistance and services available to refugees; providing basic face-to-face counseling; conducting protection-sensitive triage; referring cases requiring urgent action; compiling and reporting on trends emerging from the Call Centre; coordinating with Registration/Identity Management colleagues; planning and coordinating scheduling for RSD interviews; preparing complete files for RSD examination; contributing to notifying decisions and assisting with writing appeals; ensuring adherence to data protection and confidentiality protocols; and performing other related duties as required. The Assistant will also be expected to monitor call centre responsiveness, service levels, scheduling accuracy, referral management, data quality, and contribute to process improvement initiatives.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a High School Diploma with at least 2 years of relevant experience, or a bachelor’s degree with at least 1 year of relevant experience. Essential qualifications include a minimum of 2 years of professional experience in client-facing roles, such as contact centres, protection hotlines, case management, or administrative coordination. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. Desirable qualifications include prior experience with UNHCR or other UN agencies, completion of UNHCR’s related learning activities, and familiarity with ProGres v4, protection case workflows, and data reporting tools such as Excel, SharePoint, or Power BI.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a High School Diploma or equivalent, with a preference for candidates holding a bachelor’s degree. The educational qualifications should be complemented by relevant professional experience in the field of client services, protection, or administrative support.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 2 years of professional experience, preferably in roles that involve direct interaction with clients or vulnerable populations. Experience in contact centres, protection hotlines, or case management is highly desirable. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment and possess strong communication skills.

Languages:
The mandatory languages for this position are Arabic, French, and English, as these are essential for call handling and written communication in Algeria. Proficiency in these languages is crucial for effective interaction with refugees and persons of concern. Additional language skills may be considered an advantage but are not mandatory.

Additional Notes:
This position is classified as LICA-5 and is not remote. The target start date for the role is June 1, 202

• The position is full-time and involves working in a family-type environment, with a hardship level classified as A (least hardship). Candidates should be aware that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview, and the position does not require a functional clearance.