Full TimeENAfrica
Deadline for Applications
April 7, 2026Hardship Level
E (most hardship)Family Type
Non Family with Residential LocationDanger PayResidential location (if applicable)
Nairobi (CO), KenyaGrade
NOAStaff Member / Affiliate Type
National Professional OfficerReason
Regular > Regular AssignmentTarget Start Date
2026-04-01Standard Job Description
Assistant Protection Officer
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Assistant 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 Assistant Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC), 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 PoC 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 them. 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.
- Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to PoC.
- Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Conduct eligibility and status determination for PoC 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.
- Contribute to a country-level education plan as part of the protection strategy.
- Provide inputs for the development of protection policies and standards within the AoR.
- Implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
- Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC 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 PoC.
- Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy with sectorial and/or cluster partners.
- Contribute to and facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
- Assist capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
- Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
- Assist the supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
- Assist the supervisor in enforcing 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 P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree
Field(s) of Education
Law,
International Law,
Political Sciences
or other relevant field.
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified;
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles
Desirable
Not specified.
Functional Skills
*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
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
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.
Desired Candidate Profile
The desirable qualities would be as follows:Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
,
,
Desired languages
,
,
Operational context
South Sudan continues to face one of the world’s most prolonged and complex protection crises, driven by large-scale conflict and intercommunal violence. These challenges are further intensified by political fragmentation, economic instability, and climate-related shocks.
Since 29 December 2025, renewed clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), along with airstrikes in Jonglei State, have escalated and further worsened by early February 2026. The violence involves multiple armed actors, including allied militias, and reflects a broader military escalation.
This surge in conflict has resulted in the internal displacement of more than 200,000 people across Jonglei, Lakes, Upper Nile, and Central Equatoria states since late December 2025. In addition, over 100,000 individuals have crossed into Ethiopia, many fleeing after an evacuation order was issued in Akobo. The security level in South Sudan is assessed as substantial (security level 4) in all areas.
SRM measures in place:
UN curfew is in force across the country; timing differs from one SRM Area to another. UN curfew is from 19:00 to 05:00 in Juba.
Staff members must request and receive security clearance for official and non-official travel.
Staff members on mission must stay in either a UN facility or UN approved commercial lodging for staff members.
Safe and Secure Approaches in Field Environment (SSAFE) to be conducted in areas with HIGH Risk level and above.
All national personnel must be issued with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and VHF radios
To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.
The Assistant Protection Officer will directly report to the Protection Officer in Juba. The incumbent will be a member of Protection Unit. The Assistant Protection Officer duties will include implementation of UNHCR’s protection and solutions strategy for persons of concern, including GBV and child protection. S/he will support activities in the area of risk management related to sexual exploitation and abuse and data protection, and facilitate inter-sectoral linkages with education, livelihoods/economic inclusion, WASH and public health, among others. The incumbent also ensures that forcibly displaced and stateless persons are involved in making decisions that affect them, whether in accessing their rights or in identifying appropriate solutions to their problems. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, local authorities and protection and assistance partners.
Jonglei State has been highly affected by the ongoing conflicts in South Sudan that has forced many to flee the country to neighboring countries as refugees and thousands displaced internally. The peace agreement signed between the parties is slowly taking shape with the hope that it will restore final peace and enhance peacebuilding to allow for the massive returns of the South Sudanese refugees displaced to neighboring countries where Jonglei will receive the highest population. Currently the displacement within because of intercommunal conflict and flood is massive and requires engagement and response to the affected population. There are counties in South Sudan already categories of catastrophic in terms of food insecurity and protection of which 6 counties (Ayod, Duk, Twic East, Bor South, Pibor and Akobo are mainly from Jonglei. UNHCR Field Unit Bor and other stakeholders respond to humanitarian needs as outlined above.
Additional Qualifications
Skills
CO-Drafting and Documentation, MG-Project Management, PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD), PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation, PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement, PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination, PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards, PR-International Humanitarian Law, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicatorsEducation
Bachelor of Arts: International Law, Bachelor of Arts: Law, Bachelor of Arts: Political ScienceCertifications
Work Experience
Competencies
Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaborationUNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Additional Information
Functional clearance
This position doesn't require a functional clearance
