Protection Associate

July 15, 2026

B

Family

GS6

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-07-06

Protection Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Protection Associate normally reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. 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 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. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor.

The Protection Associate 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 in prioritizing PoC for interview, counselling and propose protection support for individual cases.
- Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance of local implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- Assit the supervisor with enforcing compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.
- Submit individual payments request for PoC for approval.

- 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 G6 - 3 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 related field
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified

Desirable
Protection Learning Programme

Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
(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.

• Previous experience working on refugee protection and statelessness issues is strongly desirable.
• Experience supporting legal and policy review processes relating to refugee protection and statelessness frameworks.
• Experience supporting capacity development of government counterparts or partners, particularly in strengthening protection systems, is highly desirable.
• Experience engaging in advocacy, coordination, and stakeholder engagement to enhance refugees’ access to justice, legal identity, and legal aid services.
• Demonstrated experience in advocating for the inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees in national systems and services, in line with international protection standards, is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of International Refugee Law and Human Rights Law and ability to apply protection principles and standards in day-to-day work, with attention to age, gender, and diversity (AGD) considerations.
• Strong communication and coordination skills are essential and the ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams and inter‑agency structures.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational health and safety considerations for this duty station, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The total number of registered refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya was 852,388 persons as of 31 May 2026. Kenya also hosts an estimated 9,800 stateless persons. UNHCR leads international action to protect refugees in an environment characterized by protracted refugee situations, mixed movements, and evolving government policies on asylum, inclusion, and durable solutions.

 

The Refugees Act, 2021, forms the foundation of the legislative framework for the protection of refugees in Kenya. The Kenyan government launched the Shirika Plan in March 2025 to support the socioeconomic inclusion of refugees and host communities.

 

The Citizenship and Immigration Act 2011 protects people with an undetermined nationality or at risk of statelessness.  There is however need to amend the Citizenship law to remove the time limit for registration of eligible stateless people in Kenya. UNHCR works with the Government, Partners, and the affected communities in efforts to eradicate and prevent future occurrences of statelessness.

The Protection Associate will report to a higher-grade professional staff. S/he contributes to implementing the office’s comprehensive protection strategy and ensuring that protection standards, operational procedures and practices are in line with the international standards in providing protection responses to the needs of asylum seekers, and refugees. S/he will also implement the statelessness strategy and manage and coordinate statelessness programming in collaboration with partners and government and communities. The Protection Associate works constantly in monitoring relevant legal and policy developments, in both asylum and statelessness issues, and supports appropriate advocacy interventions. The Protection Associate will support capacity development of government and other stakeholders. S/he will also support systems strengthening and law and policy review to support the refugee inclusion in national systems.

 

Living and Working Conditions:

 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

Certifications

International Law - Other, Political Science - Other

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance