Deadline for Applications October 27, 2026 Hardship Level E (most hardship) Family Type Non FamilyDanger Pay Residential location (if applicable) Grade GS7 Staff Member / Affiliate Type General Service Reason Regular > Regular Assignment Target Start Date 2026-12-01 Standard Job Description Senior Protection Associate Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Senior Protection Associate reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. The position may entail supervisory responsibilities for protection staff including community services, registration, resettlement and education depending on the structure of the Office. The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff. The Senior Protection Associate is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC) and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in operational responses in all sectors. The incumbent contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the Office externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. S/he also ensures that PoC 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. 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 advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation. - Assist in conducting eligibility and status determination for PoC in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles. - 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. - Assist the supervisor in implementing and monitoring Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities. - Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and assist the supervisor with intervening in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents. - Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement. - 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. - Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on PoC and their problems. - Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures. - Assist the supervisor with intervening with authorities on protection issues. - Provide assistance to the supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals. - Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services. - Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures. - Recommend and prepare payments to individual cases. - 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 Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level For G7 - 4 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher Field(s) of Education Not applicable Certificates and/or Licenses International Law; Political Science; or other relevant field. (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential) Relevant Job Experience Essential Not specified. Desirable RSD-Resettlement LP and/or Protection Learning Programme Functional Skills IT-Computer Literacy PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework (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 incumbent will support UNHCR’s leadership in the Protection Cluster, ensuring effective coordination at the national level. The incumbent will work within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) framework, Area-based Coordination Mechanism and contribute to the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC). The role requires cross-sectoral coordination with key stakeholders and integration of cross-cutting issues into the Protection Cluster’s work. Therefore, the candidate should have extensive experience in IDP protection (GBV related and/or, Child Protection, and/or community-based protection), humanitarian affairs or related fields with a proven track record of managing complex humanitarian operations, preferably within the IDP settings. The incumbent should possess thorough operational managerial experience, a solid understanding of UNHCR roles and responsibilities in IDPs response. S/he will be expected to have demonstrated leadership with experience in managing stakeholders and fostering a collaborative work environment. The incumbent should possess excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including Government officials, humanitarian partners, donors, and local communities. Strong communication skills, including written and verbal proficiency in English. The incumbent should have exhibited proven ability to analyze complex situations and sound protection knowledge and its principles, as well as its application to the context, ensuring compliance with international protection standards. The ability to guide and provide technical protection support to protection cluster partners in all aspects relating to protection, delivery, and assistance is the key for this post. Additional Assets: - Experience in working in the IDP coordination set-up is an asset. - Experience working in forcibly displaced contexts or in conflict-affected areas. - Experience in working in a relevant protection programme implementation (GBV related and/or, Child Protection, and/or Community-based protection). - Familiarity with relevant legal frameworks, including IDP guiding principle, international humanitarian law and human rights law. Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level): , , Desired languages , , Operational context After close to ten years of conflict, Yemen remains among the worst humanitarian and protection crises globally. There are some 5.2 million IDPs (2026 HNRP) in the country who have been displaced due to internal conflict and the effects of climate change. In part as a result of the continuing conflict in the country, over 80 per cent of Yemenis (over 30 million people) currently live below the poverty line. This situation is aggravated by widespread inflation, excessive cost of living as compared with local salaries, a lack of livelihood opportunities, and limited basic and essential services. Many struggle to meet their basic needs and face serious protection risks. In response, many forcibly displaced persons turn to harmful coping mechanisms, including skipping meals, early/premature school leaving, child labour, taking out unsustainable loans, moving to poorer quality shelter, early marriage, and engaging in dangerous or degrading work and/or relationships. Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) are particularly vulnerable to these risks, in part due to multiple displacement and discrimination, which leads to their barriers to access local economic and/or self-reliance opportunities. Of particular concern is access to civil and identify documentation, including birth registration. This often serves as a key entry point for access to basic public services and assistance. IDPs who are displaced without access to civil registration and/or identity documents can also be at particular risk of evictions and exclusion from basic services. Legal assistance and services are key to ensuring access to civil registration for IDPs. Forced eviction, with many reporting that they struggle to meet their rent on a regular basis. As a result, legal series and assistance in response to Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) issues for IDPs are a key element of the legal portfolio in both Sana’a and Aden. The protection risks that IDPs face are multifold in Yemen and requiring close coordination with various stakeholders to address them. The Senior Protection Associate G7 will be engaged in IDP Coordination in Yemen. The incumbent will support UNHCR’s leadership in the Protection Cluster, ensuring effective coordination at the national level. The incumbent will work within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) framework, the country-pooled fund mechanism and contribute to the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC). The role requires cross-sectoral coordination with key stakeholders and integration of cross-cutting issues into the Protection Cluster’s work. The incumbent will report directly to the Protection Cluster Coordination Officer in UNHCR Country Office. The incumbent will work closely with other functional units within UNHCR and protection partners in the country to ensure that protection issues that arise in the course of their work receive appropriate support, and that protection responses are delivered with a focus on improved outcomes for IDPs. Additional Qualifications Skills IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework Education Certifications International Law - Other, Political Science - Other Work Experience Competencies Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration UNHCR Salary Calculator https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales Compendium Additional Information Functional clearance This position doesn't require a functional clearance If you are a former UNHCR international staff member who held a fixed-term or indefinite appointment, you can apply to regular positions in the international professional category as candidate with UNHCR-experience (within 2 years following separation for males and 5 years for females). To apply to vacancies, please create a new account (“Sign In” on the top left corner >> Create account) or sign into your account, if you have already registered via the external career site. Once successfully registered/signed in, you can start filling in your data and apply for vacancies. If you are former UNHCR locally recruited staff member who held a fixed-term or indefinite appointment, you can apply to regular positions in your staff category as candidate with UNHCR-experience (within 2 years following separation for males and 5 years for females). To apply to vacancies, please create a new account (“Sign In” on the top left corner >> Create account) or sign into your account, if you have already registered via the external career site. Once successfully registered/signed in, you can start filling in your data and apply for vacancies. If you do not fall under any of the above categories, please use the External Career site for applying to vacancies. Technical notes: Once you fill in your basic personal information (employee ID, birth date, name, email address), Workday will identify you as prior personnel and merge your employee account with your external applicant account. If you were notified about unsuccessful application, please follow the steps described in the message. While you will not see the list of your employee-time applications in your external account, you will be duly notified if any action is required from your side and/or when the recruitment process is completed. In case you would like to update your name, address or phone number or you face any technical difficulties when applying, please write to recruitmentcase@unhcr.org. Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training). Read about how to avoid scams and fraudulent job offers. Please note that applications are only accepted via the online recruitment platform. CVs and/or application requests sent via email will not be answered, reviewed nor considered. The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, takes the lead in protecting people forced to flee wars and persecution around the world, providing life-saving aid including shelter, food and water to ensure their basic safety, rights and dignity. With 18,879 women and men working in 137 countries, we work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of 89.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Our dedicated and professional staff work around the clock in roles including legal protection, community services, public affairs, health and more. Despite the challenges they can face, our staff are proud to work for UNHCR and determined to make a positive impact. Why a career with UNHCR? Our dedicated staff work to protect and assist people fleeing conflict and persecution at a time when global forced displacement is at a record high. Our colleagues bring a wide range of specialized skills, including expertise in legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs, health and other disciplines. Disability inclusion If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form. There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process. Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request. All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.

Senior Protection Associate.

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