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

B

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 Attributes
Strong expertise in international refugee law and protection delivery, including GBV, child protection, and community-based approaches.
Experience in protection monitoring, analysis, and risk assessment, and in supporting government counterparts on asylum and protection systems.
Proven experience engaging government and advocating for asylum access, protection, and inclusion.
Ability to link protection with durable solutions and development approaches.
Experience in (i) Protection Sector/Cluster coordination and Inter-agency engagement; and (ii) In emergency protection response, including mixed movements and border contexts.
Desired Attributes
Familiarity with UNHCR’s protection environment in Kenya, including Kakuma, Dadaab, urban and border contexts, and regional dynamics in East Africa.
Familiarity with understanding of mixed movements, asylum systems, and protracted displacement, including experience transitioning toward inclusion and development-linked approaches (e.g. Shirika, KISEDP, GISEDP).
Demonstrated experience in RSD and asylum procedures, including addressing backlogs and strengthening national systems.
Familiarity with durable solutions (repatriation, resettlement, local integration).
Proven ability to lead protection strategies in complex operations.
Strong (i) Coordination and management skills, including oversight of partners and (ii) Political awareness and ability to navigate sensitive protection issues.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build trust with stakeholders and communities and excellent drafting, analytical, and communication skills.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

Kenya continues to stand as one of Africa’s most significant refugee-hosting countries, providing protection to over 840,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, primarily from Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Burundi. The majority reside in Dadaab and Kakuma settlements, located in arid and semi-arid regions characterized by climate vulnerability and limited resources.

Within this context and aligned with the UNHCR High Commissioner’s broader 50by30 vision, Kenya’s refugee response is increasingly shaped by global efforts to advance inclusion, self-reliance, and durable solutions. This reflects a strategic shift away from long-term humanitarian assistance toward approaches that promote socio-economic participation, access to national systems, and expanded opportunities for voluntary repatriation, resettlement, and local integration.

This transformation is being operationalized through the Government-led Shirika Plan, which aims to transition from a parallel, camp-based model toward an integrated, area-based approach embedded within national and county systems. The shift is anchored in the Refugee Act (2021) and Refugee Regulations (2024) and supported by development-oriented frameworks such as KISEDP and GISEDP, which promote shared services and infrastructure benefiting both refugees and host communities.

Within this evolving context, the Senior Protection Officer plays a central role in shaping and leading UNHCR’s protection response. The protection environment remains complex, including a significant backlog of Refugee Status Determination (RSD) cases, requiring strengthened engagement and technical support to national asylum systems. Kenya also faces increasing mixed movements, necessitating robust border protection, screening, and referral mechanisms to ensure access to asylum while addressing broader migration dynamics.

The position is critical in guiding the transition toward progressive inclusion of refugees into national systems, ensuring that protection safeguards are embedded within emerging service delivery models. The incumbent will also contribute to ongoing policy and legal reform processes, supporting implementation of the national framework while ensuring that the transition remains firmly grounded in rights-based protection principles and access to durable solutions.

Living and Working Conditions:

Nairobi is in UN Security level 2 ( Moderate) however, politically instigated demonstrations and riots can occur at any time. There is general crime similar to that in large cities and a high sense of vigilance and alertness is required. Overall, these risks are manageable and do not significantly limit movement, operations, or quality of life for UN personnel.

Despite the security concerns mentioned above, Nairobi is a very good duty station for families. It has good medical facilities, and the recreational facilities, schools and hotels are of international standards. It has an excellent climate, and comfortable houses and other forms of accommodation available as well as good banking facilities, unlimited access to all forms of communications such as internet, telephone Sim cards, etc. The city offers reliable infrastructure, diverse amenities, and a well-established UN and diplomatic community, which enhances day‑to‑day living and support networks.

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