Associate Community-Based Protection Officer

Organizational Context

The Associate Community-Based Protection Officer is part of the Protection Team in a UNHCR Regional Bureau or Country Office, reporting to senior protection staff. This role supports the implementation of protection standards and provides advice on community-based protection, contributing to UNHCR's accountability to affected people and rights-based engagement with displaced populations.

Job Purpose

The Associate Community-Based Protection Officer supports the implementation of UNHCR's rights-based and community-based engagement with forcibly displaced and stateless persons. The role is crucial for ensuring that the perspectives, capacities, and needs of these populations are integrated into protection strategies and operational plans. By fostering strong links with communities and partners, the incumbent provides advice to senior management on the evolving protection environment. This position plays a key role in coordinating efforts to address protection and assistance gaps, advocating for necessary resources, and promoting integrated strategies that tackle key protection priorities such as child protection, GBV, and education, ultimately contributing to solutions-oriented programming and enhancing the protection of vulnerable groups.

Responsibilities

The Associate Community-Based Protection Officer is responsible for staying informed about community structures and the protection/security situation, developing strong links with community members using an Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) approach. They monitor political, social, and cultural developments impacting the protection environment and advise senior management. A key duty is ensuring the needs and capacities of displaced persons are reflected in protection strategies and operations, with specific attention to vulnerable groups. The incumbent advocates for resources to address protection and assistance gaps and supports consultative processes with governments, partners, and displaced persons to develop integrated strategies for key protection priorities. They provide technical guidance on community-based protection issues, oversee SOPs, and support the design, implementation, and evaluation of protection-centered programming with partners. Promoting confidence-building and conflict resolution among displaced persons, authorities, and host communities is also essential. The role involves maintaining protection presence through field missions, contributing to the Protection Cluster strategy if applicable, and integrating the protection strategy into country operations plans and UN frameworks. Additionally, they contribute to the information management component of the Protection team, support participatory approaches, and assist in developing community-based protection strategies, project submissions, and budgets. Intervening with authorities on protection issues and negotiating with local counterparts are also part of the responsibilities, alongside managing risks and seizing opportunities impacting objectives.

Work Experience

A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience with an undergraduate degree, or 2 years with a graduate degree, or 1 year with a doctorate degree. Relevant experience should include community-based protection, community services, social work, and human rights.

Skills

Community-based protection Community services Social work Human rights Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) approach Coordination in Forced Displacement situations Convention on the Rights of the Child / International Legal Framework Gender Equality Child protection GBV prevention and response Database Management Communication and engagement approaches

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