Protection Associate

Deadline for Applications March 19, 2026 Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based) A (least hardship) Family Type (not applicable for home-based) Family Staff Member / Affiliate Type UNOPS LICA6 Target Start Date 2026-04-01 Terms of Reference 1. General Background (Brief description of the national, sector-specific or other relevant context in which the individual contractor will operate) The Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa (RBWCA), based in Dakar, oversees UNHCR operations in 23 countries. It maintains offices in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria and national offices in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal and Togo. The multi country office in Cameroon covers Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome et Principe and the Republic of Congo. The Bureau is accredited to regional intergovernmental bodies, including ECOWAS and ECCAS, and engages closely with UN regional entities. With both Anglophone and Francophone countries, the region requires bilingual, context-specific engagement across diverse political and operational environments. As of end 2025 the region hosts more than 21.9 million forcibly displaced and stateless persons, with needs rising due to expanding conflict in the Sahel, political instability, and the Sudan crisis, which has driven large refugee inflows into Chad and CAR. The region is also a major corridor for mixed movements, necessitating a route‑based approach across the West Atlantic African Route and the Central Mediterranean routes to support alternatives to perilous journeys across deserts or seas, by addressing the protection needs and seeking sustainable solutions for people on the move in a comprehensive manner. As part of the Protection and Solutions team in the Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, the Protection Associate coordinates quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of forcibly displaced and stateless persons. The role also identifies opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards across all operational sectors. In addition, the Protection Associate monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices to ensure alignment with international norms and provides functional protection support to information management and programme teams. As part of its efforts to diversify partnerships, UNHCR in West and Central Africa is strengthening its collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation. Following the announcement of a new phase in the partnership between UNHCR and the Foundation, the Regional Bureau supported the design of a multi-country project that aims to help more than half a million refugees and displaced youth across Africa complete their education, enable 200,000 young people to transition into dignified employment by 2030, and reinforce community-led initiatives. The Regional Bureau plays a pivotal role in providing oversight, ensuring coordination, and advancing policies that help States and partners promote harmonized protection initiatives and expand access to documentation that fosters inclusion and self-reliance. 2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment (Concise and detailed description of activities, tasks and responsibilities to be undertaken, including expected travel, if applicable) Working under the supervision of the Senior Protection Officer, the Protection Associate will provide operational support for the implementation of the Mastercard Foundation/UNHCR regional programmatic activities related to protection and inclusion of refugees, working closely with technical units (Protection, Development, Policy, Education) in the Bureau to ensure smooth coordination of activities, compliance with work plans, timelines and accountability requirements. The work covered by the incumbent will include: • Supporting the organisation of regional level multistakeholder meetings and workshops on key protection and inclusion thematics in line with priorities identified with the Mastercard Foundation; • Collecting, consolidating and analysing protection information from country operations related to project progress, as well as preparing internal reports, monitoring notes and protection-related guidance. • Identifying and implementing activities for cross-learning and the exchange of good practices in key areas such as access to documentation, stateless prevention, subregional inclusion policies and durable solutions. • Contributing to the development and dissemination of visibility materials related to the above-mentioned activities. 3. Monitoring and Progress Controls (Clear description of measurable outputs, milestones, key performance indicators and/or reporting requirements which will enable performance monitoring) • Finalized reports of regional workshops that include actionable recommendations. • Monitoring reports and analytical products produced in line with reporting requirements agreed with Mastercard Foundation. • Capacity-building activities delivered. • Visibility materials developed and disseminated. 4. Qualifications and Experience a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education) Background in international law, political science, refugee protection, or related field. b. Work Experience Essential 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher Desirable Familiarity with UNHCR protection frameworks, AGD approaches, and Protection Learning Programme training—is an advantage. c. Key Competencies Required Demonstrated knowledge of international protection principles, including refugee protection frameworks. Demonstrated ability to build trust and collaboration with diverse actors, including authorities, civil society, and vulnerable populations. Full oral and written proficiency in both English and French is mandatory; excellent drafting skills in both languages are required. Demonstrated commitment to team collaboration, positive interpersonal relationships, and sensitivity to diverse cultural contexts are essential. A written test may be included in the selection process. Standard Job Description Required Languages French , English , Desired Languages , , Additional Qualifications Skills Education Master's: International Law, Master's: Political Science Certifications Work Experience Other information This position doesn't require a functional clearance Remote No Important notice: Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training). Read about how to avoid scams and fraudulent job offers. Please note that applications are only accepted via the UNHCR online recruitment platform. CVs and/or application requests sent via email will not be answered, reviewed nor considered. For external applicants: We would like to call your attention on the eligibility of International Professional (P) category: According to our Recruitment and Assignments Policy, P staff members will not normally serve in the country of their nationality, and the first regular appointment in the P category must be outside the staff member's country of nationality. In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of. In case of technical difficulties when applying, external applicants (not current UNHCR workforce members) can write to recruitmentcase@unhcr.org. For former UNHCR Colleagues: Former UNHCR employees who are on mandatory break-in service or have separated from UNHCR after 1 October 2022 should create an account through this platform. Once you fill in your basic personal information (employee ID, birth date, name, email address), Workday will identify you as prior personnel and merge your employee account with your external applicant account. The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, takes the lead in protecting people forced to flee wars and persecution around the world, providing life-saving aid including shelter, food and water to ensure their basic safety, rights and dignity. With 18,879 women and men working in 137 countries, we work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of 89.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Our dedicated and professional staff work around the clock in roles including legal protection, community services, public affairs, health and more. Despite the challenges they can face, our staff are proud to work for UNHCR and determined to make a positive impact. Why a career with UNHCR? Our dedicated staff work to protect and assist people fleeing conflict and persecution at a time when global forced displacement is at a record high. Our colleagues bring a wide range of specialized skills, including expertise in legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs, health and other disciplines. Disability inclusion If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form. There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process. Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request. All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.