UNHCR hiring officer for registration and identity management to support biometric system

UN refugee agency UNHCR is seeking a new Associate Registration and Identity Management Officer (ARIMO) to support the biometric PRIMES digital identity system.

The position is based at the UNHCR’s Copenhagen offices, and reports to the “Senior Registration or Protection staff in the Section, Bureau, or Country Operation.” Responsibilities include assisting in the implementation of registration, enrollment, and other identity management activities, supporting the operationalization of strategies, and ensuring identity management practices are leveraged to support the organization’s activities. This latter role includes identification of specific needs, fraud mitigation, data protection and case management.

UN agency World Food Program’s (WFP’s) operations in Yemen have been plagued by problems with distributing aid to rightful recipients, due to a conflict over the use of a biometric identification.

The ARIMO position also entails setting standards and standing up pilots and projects to increase the trust “persons of concern” (POCs) have in UNHCR identity credentials.

Trust in identity credentials and programs has reportedly been an ongoing issue for the UNHCR at refugee camps in Ethiopia. The UNHCR held 7.2 million biometric records mid-way through last year, and some critics have suggested the environment they are collected in is inherently coercive.

Other duties include providing technical support to staff, contributing to the development and distribution of operational guidance, liaising with the Global Data Service, as well as government, humanitarian and development sector stakeholders, and establishing links with key partners.

Qualifications include 3 years of relevant experience with an undergraduate degree in a relevant field, with trade-offs of less experience for higher post-secondary degrees, a sound understanding of the principles and concepts of international protection, and ideally technical expertise with digital identity or biometric systems.

The closing date for applications is April 8, 2020, and the salary offered is $77,494.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  data protection  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  UNHCR  |  United Nations