The posting
Deadline for Applications
November 19, 2026
Hardship Level
B
Family Type
Family
Residential location (if applicable)
Grade
GS5
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
General Service
Reason
Regular > Regular Assignment
Target Start Date
2027-01-01
Standard Job Description
Senior Protection Assistant
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Senior Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. 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 Assistant provides quality, timely and effective protection support to persons of concern (PoC) and identifies opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and safeguards in operational responses. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on protection issues as guided by the supervisor.
The Senior Protection Assistant 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 - Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct. - Provide counselling on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation. - Support activities in protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners. - Conduct preliminary information gathering and interviews in support of eligibility, status determination, durable solutions and social needs assessment. - 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 for PoC as part of the protection strategy. - Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities. - Participate in individual protection case management including cases of GBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents. - Assist in identifying durable solutions for PoC in 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. - Draft reports, routine correspondence, update relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR). - Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities. - Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share. - Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.
- 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 G5 - 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher
Field(s) of Education Not applicable
Certificates and/or Licenses International Law; Political Science; (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience Essential: Not specified. Desirable: Not specified.
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
Essential Attributes • Demonstrated experience working directly with indigenous peoples through sustained field engagement and community-based activities. This must include working with communities to understand their priorities, identify protection concerns and support culturally appropriate responses, with attention to age, gender and diversity.
• Relevant experience supporting protection and solutions activities, including identifying barriers to rights and services and taking practical steps to address them. Candidates must demonstrate an ability to translate community priorities and protection assessments into concrete actions that support inclusion, self-reliance or improved access to protection.
• Demonstrated experience identifying opportunities and mobilizing relevant stakeholders to pursue them. This includes establishing working relationships with public authorities, civil society, community representatives or other partners, connecting available resources and services with community priorities, and following through on agreed actions.
• Demonstrated experience taking activities from assessment and proposal through implementation and follow-up. Candidates must be able to provide concrete examples of proactively identifying an opportunity or operational gap, developing a feasible course of action, obtaining the necessary validation and carrying out agreed activities with appropriate initiative and limited day-to-day guidance. This requires sound judgment about when to proceed within agreed parameters and when to seek guidance or escalate protection concerns.
• Proficiency in Portuguese, English and Spanish is required, including the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing in both languages.
Desirable Attributes • Experience working with forcibly displaced indigenous populations and supporting culturally appropriate pathways towards local integration or other sustainable solutions.
• Experience facilitating access to public services, social protection, livelihoods or economic inclusion opportunities, including through collaboration with public institutions and other local actors.
• Experience working with Brazilian indigenous organizations and networks, and supporting community strengthening, representative structures and organizational capacities in ways that respect indigenous leadership and decision-making.
• Knowledge of funding mechanisms and opportunities accessible to community-based and indigenous-led organizations, including the ability to assess eligibility and identify opportunities that refugee-led indigenous organizations could pursue. Experience supporting participatory project development, funding applications and basic project management, while strengthening organizational autonomy and ownership, would be an asset.
• Experience adapting activities to overcome practical barriers in resource-constrained settings, drawing on community capacities and available partnerships.
• Familiarity with the operational context of Roraima and with relevant public services, civil society organizations and indigenous representative structures.
• Experience using community feedback and field observations to adjust activities, document results and improve follow-up.
The successful candidate will maintain a regular frontline presence with communities and combine practical protection knowledge with initiative, resourcefulness and consistent follow-through. The role requires someone who can assess changing circumstances, recognize opportunities that may not be immediately apparent, and turn them into realistic proposals for validation and implementation. The incumbent should be comfortable working within agreed priorities without requiring detailed instructions at every step, while maintaining accountability, respecting community decision-making and exercising sound protection judgment.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
English
,
Portuguese
,
Spanish
Desired languages
,
,
Operational context
Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:
To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.
Nature of Position:
Brazil hosts an expansive and diverse refugee population, more than 1 Million individuals requiring international protection. The country serves as a vital entry point for refugees primarily from Venezuela, entering through the state of Roraima, and from countries such as Afghanistan, Haiti, Syria, and Ukraine, arriving via humanitarian visas through São Paulo international airport. There has been a notable increase in the number of Cuban asylum-seekers, highlighting Brazil's evolving refugee demographics.
UNHCR collaborates closely with the Brazilian government alongside civil society, academia, private sector, and development actors, to facilitate access to basic rights and promote socio-economic integration for refugees. This includes bolstering national and local policies for receiving, protecting, and integrating refugees and other individuals in need of protection. UNHCR's protection efforts extend across the country, targeting vulnerable groups such as survivors of gender-based violence, indigenous populations, and unaccompanied children.
Despite Brazil's robust legal framework granting refugees equal rights and unrestricted access to public services, practical challenges remain. Refugees face barriers such as language differences, limited local service capacity, and status-specific impediments affecting their full economic participation. National strategies like Operation Welcome address these challenges, setting standards for reception and assistance, and facilitating relocation across Brazil to foster integration, particularly for the Venezuelan population.
Special attention is required for indigenous refugees from Venezuela, who experience significant socio-economic integration obstacles. Tailored initiatives are essential to support their transition from emergency shelters while respecting cultural rights.
With the recent influx of Afghan refugees, particularly following the humanitarian visa policy, the local systems in São Paulo are adapting to manage increased arrivals and new community dynamics. Similarly, the growing Cuban refugee population poses challenges requiring UNHCR's continued support in documentation and integration.
The Multi-Year Multi-Partner Strategy for Brazil (2026–2029) aims to enhance local integration as a priority, leveraging Brazil's leadership in refugee protection to fortify access to rights through the forthcoming National Policy on Migration, Asylum, and Statelessness. However, challenges such as housing precarity, organized crime vulnerabilities, and socio-economic barriers for women and girls remain significant obstacles that need addressing to ensure successful integration.
UNHCR's vision is that by 2029, forcibly displaced and stateless people in Brazil will enjoy a safe, inclusive, and sustainable environment, with fully protected rights and pathways to self-reliance and societal integration.
UNHCR’s work in Roraima combines access to protection with efforts to advance sustainable solutions for refugees and asylum-seekers. Within this response, indigenous refugees require culturally appropriate approaches that recognize their distinct identities, languages, community structures and collective decision-making processes. Addressing immediate protection needs must be accompanied by sustained efforts to improve access to public services, strengthen community capacities and support pathways towards inclusion and self-reliance.
Based in Boa Vista, the Senior Protection Assistant will primarily support protection and solutions activities with indigenous refugees, working closely with communities, UNHCR colleagues in Boa Vista and Pacaraima, public authorities and partner organizations. The position will contribute to linking community-level protection work with practical opportunities for local integration and other appropriate solutions, ensuring that interventions respond to the priorities and circumstances of different indigenous groups.
Meaningful community participation will be central to the assignment. The incumbent will support regular dialogue with indigenous communities and their representative structures, while ensuring that women, children, youth, older persons and persons with disabilities have opportunities to express their views and influence decisions affecting them. This will require an age, gender and diversity approach, attention to language and cultural barriers, and engagement that respects community structures while recognizing different perspectives and individual protection needs within each community.
The incumbent will contribute to identifying and following up on protection risks, facilitating access to documentation and services, and supporting referrals to specialized assistance. Engagement with public institutions and partners will help address barriers to inclusion in national and local systems, including social assistance, education and health services. Community feedback and protection monitoring will inform the adaptation of activities and the identification of gaps requiring further action.
A particular focus will be supporting culturally appropriate and sustainable solutions. This includes contributing to assessments of communities’ priorities, capacities and opportunities; facilitating access to livelihoods and economic inclusion initiatives; and supporting pathways from temporary assistance towards greater autonomy and secure living conditions. Where relocation or other mobility-based opportunities are considered, the incumbent will help ensure that decisions are voluntary and informed, that protection risks and access to services at destination are assessed, and that family and community ties are duly considered. Solutions should respect indigenous identities and ways of life and be developed with the people concerned.
The position will work across protection and solutions functions, helping ensure continuity between the identification of needs, referrals, implementation and follow-up. It will also support coordination with relevant counterparts, documentation of protection trends and obstacles to solutions, and preparation of reports and operational inputs. Through this work, the Senior Protection Assistant will contribute to a coherent response that connects immediate protection support with longer-term inclusion and sustainable outcomes for indigenous refugees in Roraima.
Living and Working Conditions:
The selected candidate will be based in Boa Vista, Roraima, a Hardship B duty station and the capital of Brazil’s northernmost state, with a population of over 400,000 inhabitants. Boa Vista offers a relatively good standard of living, with access to supermarkets, shopping centers, restaurants, banks, fitness facilities, and a growing range of leisure and cultural activities. The city experiences high temperatures throughout the year, with distinct dry and rainy seasons.
Healthcare services are available through both public and private providers, including hospitals, clinics, and specialized medical services. Boa Vista is served by a domestic airport with regular flights connecting the city to major Brazilian hubs, facilitating travel within the country. The city also offers educational institutions, public parks, and family-friendly spaces, with particular attention to initiatives promoting early childhood development and well-being.
Boa Vista has a public transportation network, as well as widely available taxi and ride-hailing services. The office is centrally located, providing convenient access to public and private transport options. Upon arrival, the selected candidate will be assigned a dedicated workstation and provided with all necessary equipment and tools to effectively perform their duties.
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, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration
UNHCR Salary Calculator
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Compendium
Additional Information
Functional clearance
This position doesn't require a functional clearance
