Senior Protection Associate

November 18, 2026

H (no hardship)

Family

GS7

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2027-02-01

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.

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022 triggered one of the fastest-growing displacement and humanitarian crises on record, forcing millions of people into internal displacement and across borders in search of safety. Since the onset of the crisis, more than 220,000 refugees have been granted temporary protection in Romania, according to data from the Government of Romania. Romania also had by November 2026, 1,732 asylum-seekers, 4,582 beneficiaries of international protection, as well as 253 stateless persons. UNHCR, together with other UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, has supported the Government of Romania’s response to the displacement crisis through inter-agency coordination of the Regional Refugee Response Plan, which is in place until the end of 2026, in line with the Refugee Coordination Model. It has also implemented wide programming in support of the national response in a range of areas. Due to funding constraints, these programmes have in 2026 been reduced to legal assistance, livelihoods and economic inclusion and evidence-based advocacy. UNHCR also undertakes capacity strengthening activities with authorities involved in the Romanian asylum system and advocates with authorities at the national and local levels on issues of relating to the protection and integration of forcibly displaced and stateless persons in Romania. UNHCR in Romania addresses the needs of refugees through its Country Office and the Romexpo Community Centre in Bucharest and a field presence at the Emergency Transit Centre (ETC) in Timisoara for refugees that are relocated from asylum countries on their way to resettlement in third countries, as well as through collaboration with a network of Refugee Led Organizations and Community Based Organizations. UNHCR remains committed to supporting refugees and stateless persons through continued engagement from its presence in Romania.

Desirable candidate profile – Senior Protection Associate
The Senior Protection Associate in UNHCR Romania is part of the protection team and reports to the Protection Officer. He/she supervises a Legal Associate and works closely with other members of the multifunctional team in the operation. The Senior Protection Associate will provide guidance to the Romania operation on legal matters pertaining to all forcibly displaced and stateless persons in the country. The incumbent is therefore required to have a solid understanding of international refugee law and human rights law, as well as relevant national legislation. A good knowledge of relevant EU and other regional standards is desirable.
The incumbent will be responsible for the technical level cooperation with Romanian asylum authorities, including the joint quality monitoring of asylum decisions. He/she will also liaise with and conduct trainings for other stakeholders within the Romanian asylum and temporary protection frameworks, including judges and legal professionals, as well as those relevant to the prevention of statelessness and protection of stateless persons. He/she will ensure the timely review of relevant draft legislation and preparation of relevant legal and policy documents. The ideal candidate should have previous experience working in relation to the Romanian asylum and temporary protection systems and on capacity strengthening initiatives for public authorities. He/she should also have experience working with refugees and familiarity with the operational and political context.
As the position will be working with various stakeholders, he/she needs to have solid diplomatic, inter-personal and communication skills and be a team player. Responsibilities of the position also require having solid analytical and Romanian and English drafting skills. The Senior Protection Associate will be managing another team member, overseeing partnerships and coordinating protection partners, when relevant. It is therefore desirable that he/she has previous managerial and stakeholder management experience. Finally, the candidate should have good time management and ability to prioritize tasks and should be committed to continuous learning, including through feedback.

Languages:
Fluency in English and Romanian, with strong drafting skills in both languages, is required.
Knowledge of any other UN language is considered an asset.

The recruitment process might include a written test and/or oral interview for this job opening.

Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member is subject to successful reference checks, and integrity clearances.

Romanian

,

English

,

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Nature of Position:

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, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance