Deadline for Applications March 23, 2026 Hardship Level C Family Type Family Residential location (if applicable) Grade GS5 Staff Member / Affiliate Type General Service Reason Regular > Regular Assignment Target Start Date 2026-05-01 Standard Job Description Senior Protection Assistant Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Senior Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff. The Senior Protection Assistant provides quality, timely and effective protection support to persons of concern (PoC) and identifies opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and safeguards in operational responses. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on protection issues as guided by the supervisor. The Senior Protection Assistant also ensures that PoC are involved in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners. All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. Duties – Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. – Provide counselling on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation. – Support activities in protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners. – Conduct preliminary information gathering and interviews in support of eligibility, status determination, durable solutions and social needs assessment. – Contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness. – Contribute to a country-level child protection plan as part of the protection strategy. – Contribute to a country-level education plan for PoC as part of the protection strategy. – Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities. – Participate in individual protection case management including cases of GBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents. – Assist in identifying durable solutions for PoC in voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement. – Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners. – Draft reports, routine correspondence, update relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR). – Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities. – Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share. – Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners. – Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s). – Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level G5 – 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher Field(s) of Education Not applicable Certificates and/or Licenses International Law; Political Science; (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential) Relevant Job Experience Essential: Not specified.Desirable: Not specified. Functional Skills IT-Computer Literacy PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential) Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English. All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates. Desired Candidate Profile – Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level): Spanish , English , Desired languages , , Operational context Occupational Safety and Health Considerations: Nature of Position: Living and Working Conditions: Additional Qualifications Skills IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework Education Certifications International Law – Other, Political Science – Other Work Experience Competencies Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration UNHCR Salary Calculator https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales Compendium Additional Information N/A The English version is considered original and authoritative, translation to other language(s) serve the purpose of advertisement of local positions where applicable but are not considered as official translations N/A Functional clearance This position doesn’t require a functional clearance If you are a former UNHCR international staff member who held a fixed-term or indefinite appointment, you can apply to regular positions in the international professional category as candidate with UNHCR-experience (within 2 years following separation for males and 5 years for females). To apply to vacancies, please create a new account (Sign In on the top left corner >> Create account) or sign into your account, if you have already registered via the external career site. Once successfully registered/signed in, you can start filling in your data and apply for vacancies. If you are former UNHCR locally recruited staff member who held a fixed-term or indefinite appointment, you can apply to regular positions in your staff category as candidate with UNHCR-experience (within 2 years following separation for males and 5 years for females). To apply to vacancies, please create a new account (Sign In on the top left corner >> Create account) or sign into your account, if you have already registered via the external career site. Once successfully registered/signed in, you can start filling in your data and apply for vacancies. If you do not fall under any of the above categories, please use the External Career site for applying to vacancies. Technical notes: Once you fill in your basic personal information (employee ID, birth date, name, email address), Workday will identify you as prior personnel and merge your employee account with your external applicant account. If you were notified about unsuccessful application, please follow the steps described in the message. While you will not see the list of your employee-time applications in your external account, you will be duly notified if any action is required from your side and/or when the recruitment process is completed. In case you would like to update your name, address or phone number or you face any technical difficulties when applying, please write to recruitmentcase@unhcr.org. Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training). Read about how to avoid scams and fraudulent job offers. Please note that applications are only accepted via the online recruitment platform. CVs and/or application requests sent via email will not be answered, reviewed nor considered. The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified…