Job Description

June 30, 2026

Grade

PR1

National Professional Officer

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

A (least hardship)

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2026-06-01

2026-12-31

Standard Job Description

Assistant Protection Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Assistant Protection Officer reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. Depending on the size and structure of the Office, the incumbent may have supervisory responsibility for protection staff including community-based protection, registration, resettlement and education. S/he provides functional protection guidance to information management and programme staff on all protection/legal matters and accountabilities. These include: statelessness (in line with the campaign to End Statelessness by 2024), Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) commitments, age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP) through community-based protection, Child protection, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response, gender equality, disability inclusion, youth empowerment, psycho-social support and PSEA, registration, asylum/refugee status determination, resettlement, local integration, voluntary repatriation, human rights standards integration, national legislation, judicial engagement, predictable and decisive engagement in situations of internal displacement and engagement in wider mixed movement and climate change/disaster-related displacement responses. S/he supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards.

The Assistant Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC), ensuring that operational responses in all sectors mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. The incumbent contributes to the design of a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the Organization externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. S/he also ensures that PoC are meaningfully engaged in the decisions that affect them and support programme design and adaptations that are influenced by the concerns, priorities and capacities of them. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection.

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
- 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 legal advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Conduct eligibility and status determination for PoC in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.
- Promote and 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.
- Provide inputs for the development of protection policies and standards within the AoR.
- Implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
- Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
- Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for the resettlement of individuals and groups of refugees and other PoC.
- 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.
- Contribute to and facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
- Assist capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
- Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
- Assist the supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
- Assist the supervisor in enforcing compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.

- 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
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law, International Law, Political Sciences,
or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified;

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles

Desirable
Not specified.

Functional Skills
*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
MG-Project Management
PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards
PR-International Humanitarian Law
PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation
PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement
CO-Drafting and Documentation
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination
(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.

Operational Context

The Regional Support Hub for Asia and the Pacific (the Hub) was established to provide centralized support to the Regional Bureau and Country Operations across the Asia-Pacific region in the wake of structural and operational changes resulting from organizational reforms in 2025. With several offices operating with limited capacities in support functions due to footprint reductions, the Hub plays a critical role in ensuring continuity and quality of transactional services, in addition to services provided by the Global Shared Services (GSS).

Located in UNHCR’s country office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this position reports to UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP): primary reporting line to Senior Protection Officer [Protection Operational Support Section (POSS)] with functional supervision, while maintaining a direct reporting line with the Senior Management Support Coordinator [Regional Controller] on the overall management of the regional hub and administrative related aspects. The successful incumbent of this position will be also expected to maintain close coordination and information-sharing with the Representative, UNHCR Malaysia in respect of all matters arising from the location of the position in Malaysia.

The incumbent will serve as manager and supervisor for all functional service areas within the Hub, overseeing the delivery of support services across functional domains. The incumbent will ensure service quality, manage escalations, and coordinate with RBAP and ensure efficient and effective service continuity. The incumbent will work closely with designated leads of RBAP functional entities, including Human Resources, Supply, and Protection and Solutions, to ensure services are delivered as per business needs and organizational standards. In addition, the incumbent will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with quality standards and supporting continuous learning.

In addition to the general management and supervisory functions of all service areas, the incumbent will provide direct operational and technical support and oversight to the Protection and Solutions services, which delivers transactional individual case processing services for RSD and resettlement to requesting operations. These transactional services are carried out by Protection Case Management Associates and guided by organizational protection policies, administrative instructions, operational guidance and procedures, and aligned with global standards and protection and solutions strategies, in line with the individual case-processing policies and standard operating procedures relating to registration, RSD, and resettlement, and related – including fraud and non-refoulement.

The incumbent will provide direct operational and technical supervision to the Protection Case Management Associates, in close coordination with the respective requesting operations and RBAP POSS, in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures for case processing of the Hub. The position requires a strong understanding of individual case processes, strong research, analytical and drafting skills, attention to detail, and a client-service mindset. The incumbent must be able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities and maintaining compliance with protection case processing standards.

The work is transactional in nature but strategically significant, as it helps strengthen protection and solutions delivery through individual case processing, contributing to accountability and operational efficiency in some of the region’s most resource-constrained locations.

The Hub operates in a dynamic, multicultural environment that requires flexibility, adaptability and a commitment to collaborative problem-solving.

The Hub Manager will provide general guidance, work plans for identifying priorities and appropriate approaches and manage the work flow for all Hub staff. The incumbent will receive technical and functional guidance from RBAP POSS in line with case-processing policies and standard operating procedures relating to registration, RSD and resettlement. The Hub Manager, along with the Protection Case Management Associates, should support the effective delivery of transactional individual case processing services for the RB and Country Operations in the Asia-Pacific region, in alignment with UNHCR’s protection and solutions policies, rules, procedures and internal controls.

The Assistant Protection Officer (Hub Manager) will:

• Oversee daily operations of the Hub, ensuring timely, efficient and accurate resolution of queries.
• Monitor performance against agreed Key Performance Indicators in compliance with UNHCR policies and guidance; implement corrective actions where necessary.
• Supervise a multidisciplinary team including HR, Protection and Supply staff.
• Facilitate onboarding, training, and performance management of team members (in coordination with functional leads in the RBAP).
• Promote a collaborative and customer-centric culture.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies and audit requirements.
• Act as the primary liaison between the Hub, UNHCR country office in Kuala Lumpur and RBAP.
• Represent the team in cross-functional meetings.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and insightful reporting across multiple functions and regions, while driving continuous improvements.
• Directly supervise and support a team of Protection Case Management Associates including through: workload allocation, coaching and mentoring, performance oversight, and fostering a collaborative, high performing work environment to deliver high volume, quality assured case processing services.
• Oversee individual case processing and provide technical guidance in line with the individual case-processing policies and standard operating procedures relating to RSD, especially UNHCR’s Handbook on the Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status Under UNHCR’s Mandate (RSD Handbook), Guidelines on International Protection (GIPs), Procedural Standards for Refugee Status Determination under UNHCR's Mandate (RSD PS) and Aide-Memoire and Glossary of case processing terms and concepts applicable to RSD under UNHCR's mandate (RSD Glossary).
• Monitor individual case processing trends and in compiling and analysing statistics related to individual case processing.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records and statistics related to all services provided by the Hub, and ensuring that proGres database is properly updated with respect to individual case processing.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Additional Information:
UNHCR does not sponsor work visa or work permit and applicant who is not Malaysian national should already have their status confirmed that they are able to secure a work visa at the time of the application.

Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a test. No late applications will be accepted. UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

English

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Skills

CO-Drafting and Documentation, MG-Project Management, PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD), PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation, PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement, PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination, PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards, PR-International Humanitarian Law, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

Education

Bachelor of Arts: International Law, Bachelor of Arts: Law, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science

Certifications

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales