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

C

Family

PR4

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-05-26

Senior Protection Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
In the Bureaux, the Senior Protection Officer works under the direct supervision of the Bureau Deputy Director or Head of Bureau Protection Service or Senior Protection Coordinator. In the Field, the incumbent normally reports to the Representative, Deputy or Assistant Representative (Protection) or Head of Sub Office as appropriate. The incumbent has direct supervisory responsibility for protection staff whose work may include RSD, community-based protection, registration, resettlement, internal displacement, complementary pathways, and education, among other areas. In HQ, the incumbent may report to a Chief of Section or Deputy Director and may lead a Unit and/or supervise other protection staff.

The incumbent acts as a key advisor to senior management and leads the development of a comprehensive protection strategy under the area of responsibility (AoR). S/he represents the Organization to authorities, UN sister agencies, partners and other stakeholders on protection policy and doctrine.

The Senior Protection Officer plans, leads and coordinates quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern under the AoR. This includes ensuring that operational responses in all sectors are shaped in a protection optic, are consistent with and promote respect for relevant international law and UNHCR's doctrine, mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. Another important element of the incumbent¿s functions is to ensure that forcibly displaced and stateless persons of all age, gender and diversity groups are involved with the Office in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying and implementing appropriate solutions to their problems. To undertake this role effectively, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with other relevant teams within the operation or the Bureau (including programme; PI and external relations; IM) and with DIP, communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection and achieving solutions.

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
- Provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners on all protection related issues.
- Stay abreast of legal, political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
- Manage a consultative process with government counterparts, partners and forcibly displaced and stateless persons to develop and implement a comprehensive protection and solutions strategy addressing the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientation and/or gender identities (LGBTI persons), persons living with HIV/AIDS; gender equality and Gender Based Violence (GBV) priorities with regard to these persons.
- In operations applying the Cluster Approach, ensure the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded in a strategy which covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations.
- Ensure that the protection strategy is fully integrated into the Country Operations Plan, the UN Development and Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and the Humanitarian Country Team's common humanitarian response plan as well as with the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees and the Three Year Strategy on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways.
- Promote relevant International, Regional and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct and ensure that all sectors and /or in clusters in applicable operations fulfil their responsibilities in mainstreaming protection.
- Promote the implementation of the AGD policy, including UNHCR's updated commitments to women and girls, and design, deliver and monitor programmes on an AGD basis to address identified protection needs.
- Develop, implement and monitor community-based protection strategies and ensure systematic application and integration of participatory and community-based approaches in protection and solutions planning, programming and strategies.
- Support the establishment of feedback and response systems and the incorporation of feedback received from forcibly displaced and stateless persons into programme design and adaptation.
- Guide the operation in the development and implementation of robust prevention, identification, and responses to fraud within protection processes and procedures, including registration, RSD, and resettlement, ensuring the integrity of interventions across all protection activities.
- Oversee the management of individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection.
- Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internal and external interlocutors; ensure legal assistance is accessible to forcibly displaced and stateless persons ; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documents to forcibly displaced and stateless persons (including women and others in need of civil documentation in particular birth certificates).
- As designated Data Protection Focal Point, assist the data controller in carrying out his or her responsibilities regarding the Data Protection Policy (7.2 DPP).
- Oversee eligibility and status determination in the Operation(s) under the AoR, ensuring compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.
- Promote and implement strategies and measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.
- Develop and implement an education plan as part of the protection strategy within the AoR as relevant.
- Develop and implement a child protection plan as part of the protection strategy within the AoR, ensuring programmes use a child protection systems approach.
- Monitor and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners.
- Work to safeguard the rights of forcibly displaced and stateless persons in the context of mixed movements as relevant.
- Coordinate the preparation of, implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Ensure that durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement and complementary pathways are sought and provided to the largest possible number of forcibly displaced and stateless persons including undertaking, supporting, and/or overseeing resettlement and complementary pathways activities, including implementation of the GCR Three Year Strategy.
- Coordinate the design, implementation and evaluation of protection-related programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Develop and implement a programme of results-based advocacy through a consultative process with sectoral and/or cluster partners.
- Ensure that the Protection Sector or Cluster has an effective information management component that provides disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
- Research, collect and disseminate relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection delivery.
- Develop the protection capacity of national and local authorities, partners and civil society to assume their responsibilities vis-à-vis all forcibly displaced and stateless persons through protection training, mainstreaming and related activities.
- Coordinate capacity-development initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Advise and capacitate national authorities, relevant institutions and civil society to strengthen legislation and status determination procedures and mechanisms.

- Lead risk assessments and discussions with team(s) to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities impacting objectives. Ensure that risk management principles are integrated in decision-making both at strategic and operational levels. Allocate resources for planned treatments with resource requirements in Strategic Plans. Ensure that risks are managed to acceptable levels and escalate, as needed. If a Risk Owner, designate the Risk Focal Point and certify that the annual risk review is completed and ensure that the risk register is updated during the year, as needed.
- Perform other related duties as required.

For positions in Bureaux

- Support the Regional Bureau and Country Operations to reflect the protection and solution angle in support of forcibly displaced and stateless persons with regional processes.
- Support Country Operations in the development of strategies to build and further develop national asylum/RSD systems with a view to ensuring their fairness, efficiency, adaptability and integrity, favourable protection environment and solutions.
- Assist UNHCR management at country level to comply with policies and commitment on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse measures.
- Support Country Operations and ensure they meet their complementary pathways objectives and resettlement quotas.
- In close collaboration with DIP, (a) contribute to the development of background and general normative, policy, and legal positions, in compliance with UNHCR's global protection policies and standards; (b) contribute to the development of strategies at the regional and country level on the usage of law and policy approaches, including legislative and judicial engagement and UN human rights mechanisms and/or regional ones and other protection frameworks, and integrated human rights standards in protection strategies and advocacy; and (c) coordinate and review UNHCR¿s country reports to the UN human rights mechanisms.
- Engage in relevant international and regional fora and forge regional partnerships to advocate for key protection and mandate issues, and engage in cross-cutting protection-related matters, including mixed movement, internal displacement and climate change/disaster-related displacement responses, as well as Statelessness in cooperation with DIP and where relevant RSD.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P4/NOD - 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law, International Law, International refugee Law,

International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law,

Refugee and Forced Migration, Political Sciences
or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Management Learning Programme
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience in the area of refugee protection, internal displacement, human rights or international humanitarian law, including experience in working directly with Field Offices. Very good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles, and of UNHCR¿s protection strategies and policies. Excellent legal research, analytical skills and drafting.

Desirable
Diverse field experience. Good IT skills including database management skills.

Functional Skills
*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
PR-Refugee Coordination Model
PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards
PR-International Humanitarian Law
PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation
PR-Comprehensive Solutions Framework
LE-Judicial Engagement
PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement
PR-Accountability to Affected People - Principles and Framework
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.

Essential

Strong relevant protection experience in highly demanding emergency operations dealing with intricate security and protection issues, involving diverse IDP, refugee, internally displaced, and stateless populations.
Demonstrated experience working with the Global Compact on Refugees, strong technical expertise in international refugee law, protection principles, legal and policy frameworks, community-based protection, and institutional protection systems strengthening.
Experience in protection coordination, legal reform initiatives, child protection, GBV, AGD approaches, accountability to affected populations and statelessness programming would be a strong asset.
Previous experience in durable solutions including supporting voluntary repatriation, resettlement, returns, route-based approaches and broader solutions programming is essential.
Experience working with governmental counterparts and supporting legal and institutional reforms would also be considered a significant advantage.
Excellent coordination and negotiation skills are essential given the extensive interaction required with government authorities, UN agencies, donors and external stakeholders.
Given the decentralized nature of the DRC operation and frequent engagement with national institutions and field teams, fluency in French is essential.

Desirable
Experience supervising a large Protection Unit is crucial as S/he will oversee the daily operations of several Protection staff in Kinshasa and remotely guide and provide technical supervision to Protection staff in the field.
Given the complexity of the DRC environment, the role requires a highly strategic, solutions-oriented and experienced leader capable of managing multiple competing priorities while ensuring protection remains central to the operation’s overall direction.
Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply to this position.
Strong analytical, drafting and strategic thinking abilities and demonstrated experience translating operational realities into policy dialogue, advocacy and evidence-based programming
The position requires maturity, resilience and sound judgement. The successful candidate should demonstrate strong leadership skills, emotional intelligence, adaptability and the ability to maintain effectiveness under pressure within a highly demanding operational environment
Prior experience in emergency or high-risk environments, particularly in Africa, would be highly desirable.

French

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) hosts one of the largest and most complex displacement situations globally and remains among UNHCR’s largest operations in Africa. The country continues to face overlapping humanitarian crises driven by protracted armed conflict, intercommunal violence, population movements, disease outbreaks, climate-related shocks and structural development challenges. These dynamics continue to generate large-scale internal displacement while simultaneously affecting refugee-hosting and return environments.

As of early 2026, the DRC hosts approximately 6.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), alongside more than 600,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from neighboring countries, as well as returning Congolese populations. Population movements remain highly fluid, particularly in Eastern DRC where the deteriorating security environment linked to AFC/M23 dynamics and the activities of multiple armed groups continues to generate recurrent displacement and significant protection risks. Simultaneously, western regions continue to host refugee populations and increasingly support inclusion and durable solutions approaches.

The demographic profile of populations of concern remains overwhelmingly young. Approximately 58.5% of IDPs are below the age of 18, while women and girls constitute slightly more than half of most affected populations. Large birth cohorts among displaced communities continue to create increasing demand for child protection services, secondary and tertiary education, youth livelihoods, skills development, GBV prevention and response, disability-inclusive services and support to older persons.

Socio-economic profiles among populations of concern remain heterogeneous but are concentrated in smallholder agriculture, petty trade, construction, service industries, technical professions, transport, ICT and health and education-related sectors. Tertiary-educated refugees constitute a relatively small but strategically important subgroup with potential to contribute to inclusion and self-reliance initiatives.

The operation also supports populations at risk of statelessness, particularly among minority and cross-border communities with limited access to civil documentation systems. These include children born in exile, returnees with uncertain nationality status and long-term refugee descendants facing documentation challenges. Addressing legal identity and nationality issues therefore remains an important protection priority.

The DRC operation currently maintains a presence across one Representation Office, two Sub-Offices, two Field Offices and five Field Units. Following major restructuring and resource rationalization efforts, the operation has undergone substantial reductions in staffing and operational footprint while maintaining a large and complex protection portfolio. Consequently, protection functions increasingly operate under high pressure and within an environment characterized by competing priorities and constrained resources.

Nature of Position:

The Senior Protection Officer serves as the principal strategic protection advisor to senior management and provides leadership, oversight and coordination of protection programming across the entire country operation. The position is based in Kinshasa and provides strategic and technical direction to protection teams across all operational locations.

The incumbent is responsible for ensuring coherent implementation of UNHCR protection priorities and maintaining quality assurance and oversight across refugee, asylum, IDP, returnee and statelessness programming. S/he supports the implementation of the operation’s strategic direction under the Multi-Year Multi-Partner Strategy (MYMP), UNHCR Global Strategic Directions and Humanitarian–Development–Peace Nexus approaches.

The Senior Protection Officer oversees and coordinates a broad protection portfolio including international protection, legal protection, child protection, community-based protection, accountability to affected populations, AGD mainstreaming, legal identity, documentation and durable solutions.

In addition, the position provides direct strategic leadership for resettlement and complementary pathways; voluntary repatriation programming and tripartite arrangements; community-based and route-based protection approaches; institutional protection capacity strengthening initiatives; legal and policy reform processes; statelessness programming; and protection coordination and strategic advocacy.

The incumbent leads protection engagement with Government institutions and supports legal and policy reform initiatives related to asylum, nationality, refugee protection, internal displacement and broader legal protection frameworks. This includes high-level advocacy and close collaboration with ministries, CNR and other national institutions.

The Senior Protection Officer also plays a central role in strengthening institutional capacities through technical support and partnerships with government entities, civil society organizations and humanitarian and development actors. The position requires substantial engagement with Government counterparts, UN agencies, donors, development institutions, humanitarian coordination structures and internal stakeholders. The incumbent provides strategic guidance to field offices and ensures protection considerations are integrated into broader operational planning and decision-making processes.

Living and Working Conditions:

Kinshasa serves as the Representation Office and strategic coordination hub for the DRC operation. It is a large and dynamic metropolitan city with relatively better infrastructure and services compared to many other locations within the country.

International schools, private health facilities, banking services and telecommunications infrastructure are available. The city offers access to international flights and a relatively broad range of commercial services. However, living costs in Kinshasa remain comparatively high for internationally recruited staff, particularly regarding accommodation, transportation, schooling and imported goods.

Traffic congestion can be significant and commuting times may be lengthy. Infrastructure constraints including occasional interruptions in electricity, water and telecommunications services may occur. While security conditions are generally more stable than in eastern regions of the country, staff are expected to maintain heightened security awareness and comply with security protocols.

The position requires frequent travel to field locations, including remote areas and locations with challenging security conditions. Travel may involve difficult logistical conditions and rapidly evolving security environments.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

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

Certifications

HCR Management Learning Program - UNHCR

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Leadership, Managing performance, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Political awareness, Strategic planning & visions, 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