Associate Protection Officer (Data Protection)

November 25, 2026

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

D

FamilyUNOPS IICA1

2027-01-01***The position is advertised under UNOPS ICA / affiliate contractual modality ***



Bangladesh is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol and the Government does not recognise the Rohingya as refugees, referring to them as “Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals.” The country is generously hosting around one million Rohingya refugees across 33 camps including around 50,000 refugee arrivals who have fled the fighting that erupted in Myanmar in late 2023. The presence of large numbers of refugees – who now represent two-thirds of the local population – has had important impacts on local communities, service delivery, the economy and the environment. The Government sees the continued presence of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as a threat to regional stability and considers return to Myanmar, as soon as possible, as the only viable solution. This policy approach impacts on the humanitarian operation, with the Government discouraging medium or longer-term approaches, including the development of permanent infrastructure, providing formal education or livelihoods opportunities for the refugees and the use of cash to deliver assistance
The Associate Protection Officer - Data Protection Focal Point reports to the Assistant Representative- Protection, the Data Protection Focal Point designated by the Representative (the Data Controller) to assist in carrying out her responsibilities under responsibilities under the Policy on the Protection of Personal Data of Persons of Concern to UNHCR (2015) and the General Policy on Personal Data Protection and Privacy (GDPP, 2022), in the Representation in Bangladesh. The position is based in Cox’s Bazar Sub-Office and supports the Field Office on Bhasan Char Island, where the incumbent may be required to undertake missions. The incumbent provides functional expertise and oversight on data protection and offers guidance, standards, and advice – to functional units, as well as to partner organisations in Cox’s Bazar Sub-office and Bhasan Char Field Office – on the processing of personal data of the displaced population and other data subjects under the GDPP, which includes questions regarding the collection, storage, access to, sharing and use of personal data of persons of concern. S/he also provides advice to UNHCR staff on data protection issues and represents the Organization to external partners and other
stakeholders on data protection policy and practice.

The Associate Protection Officer – Data Protection is relied upon by the Office to provide quality, timely and effective data protection guidance, taking into consideration the rights of data subjects and the well-being of populations of concern, as well as UNHCR's operational needs. This includes ensuring that UNHCR staff have the necessary guidance and procedures, based on global policies and guidance, to be both proactive and responsive to data protection issues in ways that ensure the effective functioning of UNHCR's mandate and operations in Cox’s Bazar, including maintaining the trust of persons of concern. The incumbent will formulate and provide advice related to data protection to external partners, as well as respond to queries, including concerning requests for the sharing of personal data and developing data-sharing agreements and
arrangements where appropriate. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective partnerships with external partners, functional units and field offices in Bangladesh and
relevant colleagues in Headquarters, and the Regional Bureau of Asia and Pacific.

Scope of Duties:

• Draft data sharing agreements or data sharing requests for key partners, including UN Agencies (WFP, IOM, UNICEF), UNHCR-funded partners and partners implementing complementary pathways for education and higher education programs (i.e. University of Geneva, University of Canada (ISOW))
• Train UNHCR-funded partners and partners of the Rohingya Coordination Platform (RCP) on data protection principles and practices
• Update the UNHCR global “One Trust” platform on data protection by guiding UNHCR-funded partners on the process and use it as a capacity-building opportunity
• Assist the Assistant Representative for Protection in preparing the Data Protection and Identity Assessment (DPIA) Addendum on the improved data processing with the Government of Bangladesh and track implementation of the mitigation measures countering the risk identified in the DPIA in “One Trust” platform.
• Collaborate with Supply team in data sharing agreements with suppliers and contractors
• Act as Alternate Data Protection Focal Point for the operation in Bangladesh in support of the Assistant Representative for Protection, Data Protection Focal Point
• Assist the operation with Personal data handover for change / termination of partnerships.
• Updating Data Processing inventory : to reflect changes.
• Drafting of rights procedures, standard responses to objectives etc
• Contribute to the drafting of the volunteer guidance that will be updated in the course of 2026 and reflect in Addendum to DPIA with possible information broadcast to participating agencies ( 86 in number).
• Possibility of revising data sharing arrangements -in light of UNHCR’s coordination role and the DIMA strategy that aims at having the joint Government of Bangladesh–UNHCR registration becoming the foundation on which the response can connect its data, deliver assistance more fairly and efficiently, and measure its impact, , including UNHCR’s collaboration with WFP on the Targeting and Prioritization Exercise (TPE), the necessity to triangulate data with other partners, propose innovative approaches and contribute to the establishment of a deduplication system.
• As part of UNHCR’s commitment to contribute to the consolidation of the Complaint and Feedback Mechanisms (CFM) in the Rohingya Refugee Response, provide technical advice on data protection and sharing matters related to interoperability and referrals of CFM between agencies and organisations.
• Conducting DPIAs/ risk assessments as and when required.
• Drafting DSAs/ MOUs/ other Data sharing arrangements as per thematic areas or needs, including in collaboration with Supply Section for suppliers and contractors.
• Regularly report to Supervisor and as part of the quarterly UNHCR external report on Protection & Solutions on key activities, achievements and challenges
• Perform other related duties as required

***Desired Candidate Profile***

• 3-5 years of working experience in Registration and Identity Management and/or Data Protection. Prior experience in working on data protection
• Strong knowledge and understanding of registration and identity management and experience in collaborating with partners
• Experience and knowledge of UNHCR’s policies and procedures on data protection and familiar with data protection tools, including “One Trust”
• Previous experience in a similar position in the UN and/or humanitarian work.
• Previous experience in similar operational settings, including large and protracted refugee response where the coordination is led by UNHCR in close collaboration with the hosting Government
• Strong drafting skills, proven experience in writing data sharing arrangements, Data Protection and Identity Assessment (DPIA) and and related documents.

 

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.

Required Languages

,

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

CO-Drafting and Documentation, MG-Project Management, PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD), PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation, PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement, PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination, PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards, PR-International Humanitarian Law, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

Education

Bachelor of Arts: International Law, Bachelor of Arts: Law, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Remote

No