Hardship LevelH (no hardship)
Family TypeFamily
Family TypeFamily
Residential location (if applicable)
GradePR2
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeJunior Professional Officer
ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment
Target Start Date2025-06-11
Deadline for ApplicationsAugust 1, 2025
Standard Job Description
Associate Protection Officer
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Associate 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 Associate Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of forcibly displaced and stateless persons, 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 forcibly displaced and stateless persons 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 forcibly displaced and stateless persons. 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.
- Promote International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Foster their consistent and coherent interpretation and application through mainstreaming in all sectors and /or in clusters in applicable operations.
- Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to forcibly displaced and stateless persons.
- Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to forcibly displaced and stateless persons; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Conduct eligibility and status determination for forcibly displaced and stateless persons 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 to ensure programmes use a child protection systems approach.
- Contribute to a country-level education plan.
- Implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities which integrate AGD sensitive procedures.
- Oversee and manage individual protection cases, including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents through working relations with governments and other partners.
- Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of forcibly displaced and stateless persons 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 forcibly displaced and stateless persons.
- Participate in the organisation and implementation of participatory assessments and methodologies throughout the operations management cycle and promote AGD sensitive programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy through a consultative process with sectorial and/or cluster partners.
- Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
- Promote and integrate community-based approaches to protection and contribute to capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
- Support activities in the area of risk management related to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, fraud, case-processing, data protection, and human rights due diligence at country level.
- Participate in initiatives to capacitate national authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
- Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
- Negotiate locally on behalf of UNHCR.
- Decide priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
- Enforce 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 P2/NOB - 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree
Field(s) of Education
Law, International Law, Political Sciences or other relevant field
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Professional experience in the area of refugee protection, internal displacement, human rights or international humanitarian law. Good knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles.
Desirable
Field experience, including in working directly with communities. Good IT skills including database management skills.
Functional Skills
*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination
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
(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 This job is advertised in the frame of the JPO Program and reserved exclusively for candidates with Korean nationality.
General Requirements for candidates applying to the JPO Programme of the Republic of Korea:
a) Korean citizenship
b) Fluency in Korean and English
c) Completion of university with a Bachelor’s degree
d) Certificate of English proficiency test: Applicants should score a minimum of
(i) TOEFL iBT 100 or (ii) TEPS 430 or (iii) IELTS 7 or (iv) TOEIC 900
- TOEFL ‘Home Edition’ score is accepted while ‘MyBest Scores’ are not accepted
- IELTS General Training and Academic test are both accepted
- Test scores are valid for 2 years after the test date
e) Not older than 32 years of age as of 31st December, 2025 (born after 1st January, 1993). The maximum age limit for those who served in the military will be extended accordingly: one year will be extended for those who served for less than one year; two years will be extended for those who served for more than one year and less than two years; three years will be extended for those who served for two years or more.
f) Male applicants shall have completed the Korean military service or be exempted from it. Those who will be discharged from military service in the year of the application may also apply.
g) Applicants can apply for a maximum of two JPO positions sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea during the year of application
2. Required Documents
a) A complete application and motivation letter in English
b) A scanned copy of applicant’s Resident Register in English, issued by the Korean Government
c) A copy of university degree (Bachelor’s) certificate in English
d) A copy of English proficiency test certificate.
e) Only for male applicants who have completed the national military service:
A certificate of Korean Military Service in English. The maximum age limit for those who served in the military will be extended in accordance with the Support for Discharged Soldiers Act and the Military Service Law.
f) Only for low-income applicants: A scanned copy of a certificate of National Basic Livelihood Security Recipients issued in Korean and its unofficial translation in English
g) Only for persons with disability: A scanned copy of a certificate of person with disability issued in Korean and English
Please ensure that all the aforementioned required documents are uploaded under the Resume/Cover Letter section of your application by the specified application deadline.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level): English
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Desired languagesKorean
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Operational context
To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/travel
Currently, some 142,000 asylum-seekers and refugees are hosted in Greece. In 2024, some 62,000 people arrived either by sea or land. UNHCR provides expert advice to the State and evidence-based information that helps inform programmes and policies for asylum-seekers and refugees. Access to international protection, identifying durable solutions and support to vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees, such as unaccompanied children and survivors of gender-based violence, are UNHCR’s key priorities. UNHCR also works with national and local authorities, the private sector, civil society and refugee communities to advance protection solutions and inclusion, develop support networks and create employability and training opportunities for refugees. The Office retains a readiness to respond to emergencies and new arrivals, with a focus on immediate support to the most vulnerable. UNHCR Greece plays a strong advocacy role since continued support is needed, particularly from EU countries and EU institutions in providing immediate protection to those most at-risk through sufficient resources, ensuring capacity in the country and responsibility-sharing. UNHCR will continue to assist Greek authorities in responding to both short and long-term challenges.
Forcibly displaced and stateless people continue to face increased risks of gender-based violence (GBV) and associated protection risks in Greece. In the context of Greece, this affects both persons granted international protection, and asylum-seekers still in the asylum procedure and may be linked to, or result from various factors such as poor living conditions, limited access to national services and protection systems and to livelihoods. Moreover, forcibly displaced people may have experienced GBV in their country of origin, or in transit, prior to their arrival in Greece. While State actors have shown attention and have developed certain response mechanisms, preventative measures and support structures to victims are seriously lacking as well as lack of specialized and responsive national systems to address and prevent GBV. Moreover, access to public services and national protection systems by refugees and asylum-seekers, especially for those victims of GBV, as well as for those living with disabilities, elderly, unaccompanied and separated children, youth remained increasingly difficult. Recent trends and observations from the humanitarian actors indicate that GBV, signs of trafficking in human beings and survival sex prevail, including at border locations, reception facilities and in the urban areas, affecting mostly displaced people who cannot meet their basic needs.
GBV constitutes a main priority for UNHCR in Greece in line with the High Commissioner’s Strategic Directions (2022-2026), UNHCR Regional Strategic Directions (2024-2028) and UNHCR Greece 2023-2025 Strategy. Increased efforts will be needed to ensure access to territory and asylum for those seeking international protection, the realization of their rights and their integration, with a cross-cutting focus on assisting vulnerable refugees in 2025 and beyond. As part of UNHCR’s participation in humanitarian coordination, strengthening national systems, increasing Government’s response capacity and influencing policy, institutional and legal changes through expert advice, capacity building, monitoring and advocacy will remain a priority for the Office. Strategic focus and prioritization will be needed in areas related to identification and reception conditions, asylum processing, access to rights and services for the most vulnerable including GBV victims, socioeconomic inclusion, access to livelihoods, and participation of refugee communities.
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens is a family duty station, classified as H by ICSC. Public Transportation and medical facilities are well-developed and easily accessible. The educational institutions at all levels as well as international schools are available. The climate can be described as Mediterranean, with hot and dry summers and cool and mild winters. In accordance with UNDSS security risk assessment, the whole Greek operation is classified as Security Level 2 (low). Security Clearance is required for travelling in the country.
For more detailed information please consult the continuously updated living conditions booklet on Intranet.
Additional Qualifications
Skills
EducationBachelor of Arts: International Law, Bachelor of Arts: Law, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science
Certifications
Work ExperienceCase Management: Refugees, Child Protection, Field Operations, GBV, Legal, Training and Facilitation, Work Context: Protection, Work Context: Solutions, Development & Inclusion, Working with Persons of Concern: Asylum Seekers, Working with Persons of Concern: Others of Concern, Working with Persons of Concern: Refugees
CompetenciesAccountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Teamwork & collaboration
UNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Additional Information
Functional clearanceThis position doesn't require a functional clearance