Job Description

Please note that this vacancy is only open to eligible staff members who have been individually notified of their eligibility to apply for positions advertised in the Accelerated Posting Compendium.

June 12, 2026

E (most hardship)

Non Family with Residential Location

Nairobi (CO), Kenya

PR2

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-05-26

Associate Protection Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Associate 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 Associate Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of forcibly displaced and stateless persons, 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 forcibly displaced and stateless persons 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 forcibly displaced and stateless persons 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.
- Promote International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Foster their consistent and coherent interpretation and application through mainstreaming in all sectors and /or in clusters in applicable operations.
- Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to forcibly displaced and stateless persons
- Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to forcibly displaced and stateless persons; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Conduct eligibility and status determination for forcibly displaced and stateless persons 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 to ensure programmes use a child protection systems approach.
- Contribute to a country-level education plan.
- Implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities which integrate AGD sensitive procedures.
- Oversee and manage individual protection cases, including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners.
- Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of forcibly displaced and stateless persons 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 forcibly displaced and stateless persons.
- Participate in the organisation and implementation of participatory assessments and methodologies throughout the operations management cycle and promote AGD sensitive programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy through a consultative process with sectorial and/or cluster partners.
- Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
- Promote and integrate community-based approaches to protection and contribute to capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Support activities in the area of risk management related to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, fraud, case-processing, data protection, and human rights due diligence at country level.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate national authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
- Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
- Negotiate locally on behalf of UNHCR.
- Decide priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
- Enforce 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 P2/NOB - 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

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

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Professional experience in the area of refugee protection, internal displacement, human rights or international humanitarian law. Good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.
Desirable
Field experience, including in working directly with communities. Good IT skills including database management skills.

Functional Skills
*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination
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
(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.

Essential attributes
• Solid experience in protection delivery in humanitarian contexts, with a strong focus on community-based protection and solutions-oriented approaches.
• Proven experience in voluntary repatriation (VolRep) is required, including return processes, coordination of movements, and engagement with stakeholders under tripartite frameworks. The candidate must have experience in the operational and protection dimensions of return in complex and evolving environments.
• Experience in promoting the inclusion of refugees into national systems is essential. This includes working with government counterparts and partners to enhance access to health, education, and social protection services, in line with national policies and with a view to strengthening self-reliance and reducing dependency on humanitarian assistance.
• Strong background in Community-Based Protection (CBP) is required, with the ability to engage communities, identify protection risks, and ensure their participation in programme design and implementation. The candidate should also contribute to livelihoods and resilience-building initiatives supporting socio-economic inclusion.
• Ability to contribute to transition strategies towards durable solutions, combining voluntary repatriation and local integration approaches, and to ensure effective coordination with authorities, development actors, and humanitarian partners.

Desirable attribute

• Prior experience in programme implementation and monitoring is an asset.
• Demonstrated integrity, professionalism, and strong interpersonal skills to engage effectively with communities, partners, and authorities in support of protection outcomes.
• Strong analytical, reporting, and communication skills in both French and English are required, along with sound coordination skills and the ability to perform effectively under pressure in complex operational environments
• Familiarity with the Development Hub Village (VPD) initiatives, ensuring alignment with protection objectives and integration into local development frameworks.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

Repeated cycles of violence and instability in the Central African Republic (CAR) have continuously impacted the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly along the 1,500 km porous border shared between the two countries. The current refugee situation in northern DRC is the cumulative result of four major waves of displacement since 2013. The first wave in 2013 was triggered by widespread insecurity associated with the Séléka and Anti-Balaka conflict, followed by a second wave in 2017 driven by persistent armed group activity. A third major influx occurred in 2020–2021 in the context of pre- and post-electoral violence in CAR, while the most recent wave in 2025 resulted from clashes between the Central African Armed Forces (FACA), supported by allied forces, and armed groups in Haut-Mbomou, leading to the arrival of approximately 55,000 refugees in the Zapay area of Bas-Uélé.

As a result of these successive influxes, the refugee situation has evolved into a protracted and complex crisis, marked by both large-scale arrivals and ongoing smaller cross-border movements linked to insecurity, intercommunal tensions, and military operations in CAR. As of 30 April 2026, the Sub-Office of Gbadolite hosts approximately 266,509 Central African refugees and asylum-seekers, including about 201,509 registered individuals and around 65,000 unregistered refugees concentrated primarily in Zapay. The geographical distribution of this population reflects the out-of-camp approach, with the majority living among host communities in more than 50 remote and hard-to-access locations, while smaller proportions reside in the four established camps (Inke, Bili, Mole and Boyabu) and in four operational Development Hub Villages (VPDs-Nzakara, Wenze, Modale and Sidi).

The operational context remains characterized by a relatively stable but fragile security environment. While most refugee-hosting areas (camps and VPDs) remain accessible, localized incidents continue to be reported, particularly in Bas-Uélé where armed elements, including groups associated with the Lord’s Resistance Army, have been involved in kidnappings and attacks on civilian infrastructure. Other protection concerns include sporadic criminality, reports of arbitrary arrests by armed actors, and intercommunal tensions, notably in areas affected by population movements and competition over natural resources. Nonetheless, refugees generally enjoy freedom of movement and benefit from a relatively high level of acceptance by host communities, largely due to historical, cultural and economic ties across the border.

Since 2021, UNHCR and its partners have progressively implemented the alternative to camps policy in line with the Global Compact on Refugees, with a focus on strengthening protection while promoting inclusion and resilience. This approach is operationalized through the establishment of Development Hub Villages (VPDs), designed to facilitate access to basic services and socio-economic opportunities for both refugees and host communities. Four out of ten planned hubs are currently operational, hosting approximately 25,000 refugees either through organized or self-relocation processes. The broader strategic orientation of the operation is structured around three interrelated pillars, namely protection and assistance, the pursuit of durable solutions, particularly voluntary repatriation—and the promotion of livelihoods and socio-economic inclusion.

Voluntary repatriation (VolRep) remains a central component of the durable solutions strategy and is implemented under the tripartite agreement between UNHCR, the DRC and CAR. Since the launch of the operation in 2019, more than 32,700 refugees have returned to CAR out of over 42,500 recorded intentions. While progress was notable in recent years, with more than 7,100 returns facilitated in 2025, the operation is currently facing significant constraints. As of May 2026, no convoys have been organized despite a planning target of 20,000 returns for the year, although nearly 10,000 individuals have already expressed their intention to return. At the operational level, this situation has resulted in the suspension of organized movements, the presence of returnees stranded in transit centres, and growing frustration among refugee populations. The suspension has also led to the reallocation of financial resources and a reduction in assistance, with broader consequences including increased spontaneous returns, uncontrolled cross-border movements and heightened protection risks.

Beyond voluntary repatriation, the humanitarian context is further shaped by structural and operational challenges. Access to refugee-hosting areas remains difficult due to the poor state of road infrastructure and the remoteness of many sites. Basic social services, particularly in health, water and education, are under considerable strain due to the size and dispersion of the refugee population. The health situation remains concerning in certain areas, notably in Zapay where increased mortality linked to waterborne diseases highlights critical gaps in water, sanitation and hygiene services. Supply chain constraints also continue to affect operations, particularly due to delays in the delivery of medical supplies. At the same time, limited livelihood opportunities and persistent dependency on humanitarian assistance continue to undermine refugee self-reliance, despite ongoing efforts to promote economic inclusion.

Notwithstanding these challenges, the operational environment also presents important opportunities. The generally stable security context in core areas of intervention, coupled with strong collaboration with local authorities and the availability of arable land, supports the continued implementation of community-based and resilience-oriented approaches. The operation is increasingly transitioning towards a solutions-driven model that prioritizes inclusion in national systems, expansion of livelihood opportunities, and strengthening of community-based responses, particularly in high-pressure areas such as Bas-Uélé.

The Sub-Office of Gbadolite oversees operations across Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi and Bas-Uélé, including a Field Office in Libenge, within a context marked by logistical constraints and difficult living conditions. While operational presence remains critical to ensure protection and assistance delivery, sustaining effective programming will depend on restoring momentum in voluntary repatriation, reinforcing partnerships, and addressing persistent gaps in basic services and infrastructure.

The Associate Protection Officer in Gbadolite reports to the Head of Sub Office. He manages a team of 6 national staff and 1 international affiliate.

Living and Working Conditions:

Staff members are required to reside in Gbadolite town, where accommodation options remain limited and of varying quality, as the UNHCR guesthouse option was discontinued in June 2025 following the restructuring of the operation. Gbadolite has a population of about 159,000 inhabitants, according to the most recent census conducted in 2014, and is located some 25 kilometers south from Mobayi Mbongo, a town established at the Ubangi River. Gbadolite is situated at some 1,150 kilometers northeast of Kinshasa, and the native town of Joseph-Desire Mobutu the late president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 but also the sphere of control of Bemba a high-profile politician. There is power supplied by the hydro-electric dam established at Mobayi, but frequent breakdowns are experienced for some days or weeks, in which case the use of generators as back up is required. The quality of the water is very poor due to accumulated rust in the piping and most of the time not available at night-time. Housing facilities are also poor and expensive for rather low quality.

The climate for most of the year is characterized by humid and hot temperatures, while the rainy season brings to the surface crawling reptiles and insects. There are very limited medical facilities in Gbadolite that are in addition not equipped enough to attend to serious medical cases. Evacuation opportunities are limited since there are only two irregular humanitarian flights per week. The existing commercial flights are approved for UN staff but are also irregular. However, air ambulance evacuation can be organized for life threatening emergencies during daytime. Candidates with conditions requiring regular treatment or medical supervision should be appropriately advised. Malaria is the most common disease, but the region is prone to seasonal M pox and conjunctivitis epidemics. As a general advice, applicants for the post should be psychologically prepared for the aforementioned context. The R&R cycle is every 8 weeks. There are no good banking facilities in Gbadolite. Telephone networks are not very reliable, but the Office has effective PAMA and Wi-Fi networks.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

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

Certifications

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Accelerated Posting Compendium 2026 - Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance