January 31, 2026

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

E (most hardship)

Non FamilyUNOPS LICA7

2026-04-01The Senior Protection Assistant, based at the Country Office in Damascus, will work under the supervision of the Community-Based Protection Officer and as part of the Protection Section and Community-Based Protection (CBP) team. The incumbent will be responsible for overseeing the national-level implementation of UNHCR’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and specialized services for Persons with Specific Needs (PSN). This includes providing technical guidance and operational support to UNHCR field offices in Aleppo, Homs, Qamishli, the Coastal Area, and the South. The role entails regular field missions to support capacity building, provide technical assistance, and monitor programme implementation across the respective governorates.

The position is based in a demanding operational context and requires a high level of professionalism, flexibility, sound judgment, and a strong commitment to UNHCR’s international protection mandate.

The ideal candidate will possess strong academic, technical, and practical experience in the field of psychosocial support and protection, with a focus on inclusive approaches for Persons with Specific Needs (PSN).

Educational Background:
Advanced university degree in Psychology, Psychological Counseling, Social Work, or Sociology to ensure a sound professional grounding in psychosocial programming.

Professional Experience and Competencies:
• Demonstrated understanding of UNHCR’s protection mandate, with a strong commitment to the principles of dignity, inclusion, accessibility, and accountability for persons with specific needs.
• Proven expertise in providing MHPSS counselling at both individual and group levels, as well as in designing and delivering specialized training on advanced MHPSS interventions.
• Experience working collaboratively with government ministries, local authorities, and social institutions to strengthen protection responses and social support mechanisms for returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and asylum seekers.
• Proven experience in supervising and coordinating protection staff and/or partners, including the provision of day-to-day technical guidance, task management, and systematic follow-up on deliverables.
• Demonstrated capacity in programme planning, monitoring, and oversight, ensuring quality implementation, accountability, and effective service delivery.
• Strong communication, coordination, and drafting skills in English, with the ability to clearly articulate complex psychosocial and protection concepts to diverse stakeholders.
• The successful candidate will possess the technical expertise required to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate MHPSS and PSN interventions, and to effectively integrate MHPSS within broader protection programming, with particular attention to inclusive services for persons with disabilities.

 

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.

Required Languages

,

,

Desired Languages

,

,

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

Other information

No late applications will be accepted. Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicantsThis position doesn't require a functional clearance

Remote

No