Deadline for Applications March 16, 2026 Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based) A (least hardship) Family Type (not applicable for home-based) Family Staff Member / Affiliate Type UNOPS LICA7 Target Start Date 2026-03-01 Terms of Reference 1. Operational Context The Senior Protection Associate is a key member of the Protection Unit and reports directly to the Head of National Office. The Philippines provides a generally favorable protection environment as a State Party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, its 1967 Protocol, and the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions. Within this context, UNHCR works closely with government counterparts, local authorities, civil society partners, communities, and development actors to ensure that asylum seekers, refugees, stateless persons, and populations at risk of statelessness can access protection mechanisms, assistance, services, and durable solutions that uphold safety, dignity, and human rights. The operational landscape in the Philippines is shaped by evolving legal, policy, and regional dynamics related to asylum and statelessness. The role of the Senior Protection Associate is central in supporting the Offices efforts to influence policy development, legislative reforms, and government decision-making that can strengthen the protection space. This requires continuous monitoring of national and regional legal, political, and judicial developments, the preparation of legal analyses and comparative policy materials, and the provision of evidence-based recommendations that inform UNHCR advocacy. The Philippines maintains active engagement within ASEAN, which increasingly addresses displacement, statelessness, child protection, trafficking, and human rights in its sectoral bodies. UNHCR supports the Government in fulfilling regional commitments and in contributing to emerging ASEAN priorities. The Senior Protection Associate leads coordination with national counterparts on ASEAN-related protection issues and ensures that UNHCR inputs are aligned with national positions and regional dialogues. At the global level, the Philippines has made pledges under the Global Refugee Forum to strengthen protection systems, improve data and evidence generation, and advance solutions for refugees and stateless persons. The Senior Protection Associate plays an important role in tracking progress on these commitments, supporting inter-agency engagement, and ensuring that government partners receive the technical support required to achieve pledged objectives. The UN system in the Philippines implements a joint agenda under the UN Cooperation Framework. Within this structure, UNHCR is expected to provide specialized contributions to thematic outcome groups and relevant sub-thematic working groups. The Senior Protection Associate represents the Office in these technical platforms, ensuring that protection considerations related to asylum, statelessness, child protection, and human rights are incorporated across joint programming, planning, and monitoring. Child protection remains a critical priority in the asylum and statelessness context. The absence of child-sensitive procedures and the need for clear safeguards require sustained advocacy with government partners. The Senior Protection Associate facilitates dialogue and initiates cooperation efforts with relevant agencies to develop policies and standards that integrate child-friendly approaches into national protection systems. To carry out these responsibilities, the incumbent is required to maintain strong relationships with communities of concern, government authorities, human rights bodies, development partners, and civil society actors. The position supports capacity-building efforts by preparing materials, conducting training, and helping strengthen institutional capacities of duty bearers. The role also contributes to ensuring that communities of concern participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their rights and solutions. The Senior Protection Associate is expected to uphold UNHCR values of professionalism, integrity, and respect for diversity, and must perform duties within delegated authorities and in full compliance with UN Charter principles, UN Staff Regulations, and UNHCR policies and accountability frameworks. 2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment The Senior Protection Associate supports the Protection Unit in advancing UNHCRs protection objectives in the Philippines by leading policy and legislative monitoring, coordinating with government partners on ASEAN-related protection priorities, and supporting follow-up to national commitments under the Global Refugee Forum. The incumbent provides technical inputs to human rights processes, contributes to the development of child-sensitive policies within asylum and statelessness procedures, and prepares legal and policy analyses to inform UNHCR advocacy. The role includes dedicated responsibilities for advancing gender equality, including supporting gender-sensitive protection analysis, monitoring gender-related protection risks, and contributing to the development of gender-responsive policies, services, and interventions for forcibly displaced and stateless persons. The position also includes responsibilities for promoting the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities by working with government, civil society, and communities of concern to strengthen disability-inclusive protection systems, support accessible services and procedures, and ensure the mainstreaming of disability considerations across protection programming. The role includes representing UNHCR in technical working groups, outcome groups, and sub-thematic platforms under the UN Cooperation Framework to ensure that asylum, statelessness, child protection, gender equality, disability inclusion, and broader protection considerations are integrated into joint UN planning and implementation. The position requires strong engagement with government authorities, development partners, civil society, and communities of concern to help strengthen national protection systems and support rights-based and inclusive approaches across all areas of UNHCRs work. The Senior Protection Associate will be expected to: 3. Duties and Responsibilities – Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment. – Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. – Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to PoC. – Provide advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation. – Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination for PoC in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles. – 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 as part of the protection strategy. – Assist the supervisor in implementing and monitoring Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities. – Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. – Monitor and assist the supervisor with intervening in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents. – Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through 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. – Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy with sectorial and/or cluster partners. – Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on PoC and their problems. – Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to…