Associate Protection Officer job at UNCHR
Posted by: great-volunteer
Posted date: 2025-Sep-02
Location: Uganda, Kampala
Associate Protection Officer 2025-09-02T07:10:53+00:00 UNCHR https://cdn.ugashare.com/jsjobsdata/data/employer/comp_4634/logo/unhcr.jpg https://www.unhcr.org/ FULL_TIME Uganda Kampala 00256 Uganda Professional Services Management 2025-09-16T17:00:00+00:00 Uganda 8 The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org). In line with this mandate UNHCR supports the Republic of Uganda in protecting individuals who seeks asylum in the country as well as those in the country at risk of being stateless or who already are considered stateless. UNHCR also provides direct assistance through implementing partners to refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda. UNHCR puts strong effort into identifying durable solutions for all refugees in Uganda and to reduce the risk of persons in the country becoming stateless. Context Uganda currently hosts more than 1.9 million refugees around the country making it Af-rica’s largest refugee hosting country and one of the five largest refugee hosting coun-tries in the world. The refugee protection environment in Uganda is progressive and provides refugees with freedom of movement, the right to work and establish busi-nesses, the right to documentation, access to social services, and allocation of plots of land for shelter and agricultural production. The UNHCR FO Kyangwali manages ref-ugee operations in a refugee settlement in Kyangwali (Kikube District) that hosts 151,690 refugees and asylum seekers 97% of the overall population is of Congolese Nationality from DRC, followed by South Sudanese (2.7%); other nationalities include Rwandese, Sudanese, Burundian, and Kenyan. The population comprises of 53% fe-male, 47% male, and 3% elderly. The FO provides technical guidance to partners in Kyangwali settlement. The Kyangwali refugee settlement has 43 partners (4 UN part-ners, OPM, 6 UNHCR IPs, 6 RLOs, 26 OPs) operating in the settlement providing pro-tection and assistance services. Kyangwali is a receiving settlement with 4,375 indi-viduals received as of 25th June 2025. The FO had 24 staff until 30th June 2025 coordi-nating the refugee response and providing technical guidance.With the staffing review, effective 1st July 2025, the office will remain with 14 staff to coordinate the refugee re-sponse. The Protection sector has been greatly affected by the reduction with the dis-continuation of 4 positions including the Protection leadership (Protection Officer), thereby creating a gap in Protection leadership and guidance. The Protection unit coor-dinates all protection interventions in the settlement collaborating with both imple-menting and Operational partners. There are 10 protection Operational partners in the settlement which require strong coordination and leadership in order to realize effi-ciency in the operation and to mobilize resources effectively. An oversight role in en-suring integrity in protection delivery (Fraud, PSEA) in the absence of a protection Of-ficer is also required. The Associate Protection Officer position is required to coordi-nate the Protection response in the settlement, provide technical support and guid-ance to partners and maintain effective interfaces with the forcibly displaced popula-tion and other stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection. Task description Under the direct supervision of the Head of Field Office, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: - Through relationships with persons of concern, authorities and network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to senior management. - Ensure that the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the persons of concerns are reflected in the protection strategy, planning processes and operations plan addressing the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, minority groups such as sexual minorities and persons living with HIV/AIDS; - Utilize the IDPs footprint during the planning process; - Coordinate the promotion of international refugee law principles and standards and also IDP legislation or policies ensuring that all sectors and clusters fulfill their responsibilities mainstreaming protection; - Coordinate the implementation and monitoring of programmes ensuring that identified protection needs, including an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) approach, are adequately addressed; - Provide policy guidance and operational support to UNHCR and partners on all protection related issues; - Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internal and external interlocutors; ensure legal assistance is accessible to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documents to persons of concern (civil documentation, in particular birth certificates); - Monitor, and assist with the intervention in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners; - Assist in the coordinated implementation and oversight of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities; - Ensure that durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement are sought and provided to the largest possible number of persons of concern; - Ensure through direct action and advocacy with more senior protection staff that the necessary resources are allocated to enable protection activities to identify and address protection and assistance gaps; - Support a consultative process with government counterparts at local levels, partners and persons of concern to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education and SGBV, and solutions approaches; - Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among populations of concern, authorities and host communities; - Maintain protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with persons of concern, host communities, local authorities and partners. In operations applying the humanitarian cluster system, contribute to ensuring that the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded in an AGD-compliant strategy which covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations; - Contribute to the Protection team's information management component which: provide disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems; researches, collects and disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection delivery and provide technical advice if necessary; - Ensure participatory, community-based protection and AGD approaches are included in, strategies and plans in the country operation; - Support persons of concern to develop structures that enhance their participation and protection. Eligibility criteria Age 18 - 80 Required experience 3 years Nationality Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment. Assignment requirements Relevant experience 3 years Languages English, Level: Fluent, Desirable Required education level Bachelor's degree in Law, International Law, International Relations, Social Sciences, Political Sciences or related field. Competencies and values - Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNHCR; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNHCR procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNHCR in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNHCR’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.
Skills and experience Minimum 3 years of experience with refugees and/or other people of concern in a protection capacity required. Field experience; Commitment to help persons of concern and willingness to cooperate with counterparts. Desirable Qualifications and Skills: • Knowledge of UN policies and procedures; • Good analytical skills; • Strong interpersonal and communication skills in a multi-cultural setting; • Ability to live and work in the difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential. Computer skills: Office Package (excellent knowledge of Word, good knowledge of Excel and Power Point) and Internet browsing. Area(s) of expertise Crisis and emergency response, Security and protection Driving license JOB-68b6987d63917 Vacancy title:
Associate Protection Officer Jobs at:
UNCHR Deadline of this Job:
Tuesday, September 16 2025 Duty Station:
Uganda | Kampala | Uganda Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, September 2 2025, Base Salary: Not Disclosed JOB DETAILS: The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org). In line with this mandate UNHCR supports the Republic of Uganda in protecting individuals who seeks asylum in the country as well as those in the country at risk of being stateless or who already are considered stateless. UNHCR also provides direct assistance through implementing partners to refugees and asylum seekers in Uganda. UNHCR puts strong effort into identifying durable solutions for all refugees in Uganda and to reduce the risk of persons in the country becoming stateless. Context Uganda currently hosts more than 1.9 million refugees around the country making it Af-rica’s largest refugee hosting country and one of the five largest refugee hosting coun-tries in the world. The refugee protection environment in Uganda is progressive and provides refugees with freedom of movement, the right to work and establish busi-nesses, the right to documentation, access to social services, and allocation of plots of land for shelter and agricultural production. The UNHCR FO Kyangwali manages ref-ugee operations in a refugee settlement in Kyangwali (Kikube District) that hosts 151,690 refugees and asylum seekers 97% of the overall population is of Congolese Nationality from DRC, followed by South Sudanese (2.7%); other nationalities include Rwandese, Sudanese, Burundian, and Kenyan. The population comprises of 53% fe-male, 47% male, and 3% elderly. The FO provides technical guidance to partners in Kyangwali settlement. The Kyangwali refugee settlement has 43 partners (4 UN part-ners, OPM, 6 UNHCR IPs, 6 RLOs, 26 OPs) operating in the settlement providing pro-tection and assistance services. Kyangwali is a receiving settlement with 4,375 indi-viduals received as of 25th June 2025. The FO had 24 staff until 30th June 2025 coordi-nating the refugee response and providing technical guidance.With the staffing review, effective 1st July 2025, the office will remain with 14 staff to coordinate the refugee re-sponse. The Protection sector has been greatly affected by the reduction with the dis-continuation of 4 positions including the Protection leadership (Protection Officer), thereby creating a gap in Protection leadership and guidance. The Protection unit coor-dinates all protection interventions in the settlement collaborating with both imple-menting and Operational partners. There are 10 protection Operational partners in the settlement which require strong coordination and leadership in order to realize effi-ciency in the operation and to mobilize resources effectively. An oversight role in en-suring integrity in protection delivery (Fraud, PSEA) in the absence of a protection Of-ficer is also required. The Associate Protection Officer position is required to coordi-nate the Protection response in the settlement, provide technical support and guid-ance to partners and maintain effective interfaces with the forcibly displaced popula-tion and other stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection. Task description Under the direct supervision of the Head of Field Office, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: - Through relationships with persons of concern, authorities and network of partners stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to senior management. - Ensure that the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the persons of concerns are reflected in the protection strategy, planning processes and operations plan addressing the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, minority groups such as sexual minorities and persons living with HIV/AIDS; - Utilize the IDPs footprint during the planning process; - Coordinate the promotion of international refugee law principles and standards and also IDP legislation or policies ensuring that all sectors and clusters fulfill their responsibilities mainstreaming protection; - Coordinate the implementation and monitoring of programmes ensuring that identified protection needs, including an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) approach, are adequately addressed; - Provide policy guidance and operational support to UNHCR and partners on all protection related issues; - Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to internal and external interlocutors; ensure legal assistance is accessible to persons of concern; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documents to persons of concern (civil documentation, in particular birth certificates); - Monitor, and assist with the intervention in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners; - Assist in the coordinated implementation and oversight of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities; - Ensure that durable solutions through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement are sought and provided to the largest possible number of persons of concern; - Ensure through direct action and advocacy with more senior protection staff that the necessary resources are allocated to enable protection activities to identify and address protection and assistance gaps; - Support a consultative process with government counterparts at local levels, partners and persons of concern to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education and SGBV, and solutions approaches; - Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among populations of concern, authorities and host communities; - Maintain protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with persons of concern, host communities, local authorities and partners. In operations applying the humanitarian cluster system, contribute to ensuring that the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded in an AGD-compliant strategy which covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations; - Contribute to the Protection team's information management component which: provide disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems; researches, collects and disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection delivery and provide technical advice if necessary; - Ensure participatory, community-based protection and AGD approaches are included in, strategies and plans in the country operation; - Support persons of concern to develop structures that enhance their participation and protection. Eligibility criteria Age 18 - 80 Required experience 3 years Nationality Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment. Assignment requirements Relevant experience 3 years Languages English, Level: Fluent, Desirable Required education level Bachelor's degree in Law, International Law, International Relations, Social Sciences, Political Sciences or related field. Competencies and values - Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNHCR; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNHCR procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNHCR in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNHCR’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.
Skills and experience Minimum 3 years of experience with refugees and/or other people of concern in a protection capacity required. Field experience; Commitment to help persons of concern and willingness to cooperate with counterparts. Desirable Qualifications and Skills: • Knowledge of UN policies and procedures; • Good analytical skills; • Strong interpersonal and communication skills in a multi-cultural setting; • Ability to live and work in the difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential. Computer skills: Office Package (excellent knowledge of Word, good knowledge of Excel and Power Point) and Internet browsing. Area(s) of expertise Crisis and emergency response, Security and protection Driving license Work Hours: 8 Experience in Months: 36 Level of Education: bachelor degree Job application procedure Interested in applying for this job? Click here to submit your application now
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