Community-Based Protection Associate

E (most hardship)

Non Family with Residential LocationNon Family with Residential LocationDanger Pay

Budapest Hungary

GS6

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

June 18 2025

Community-Based Protection Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Community-Based Protection Associate is a member of the Protection Unit and may report to the Protection Officer Community-Based Protection Officer or another more senior staff member in the Protection Unit. Under the overall direction of the Protection Unit and in coordination with other UNHCR staff government NGO partners and other stakeholders the Community-Based Protection Associate works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves their families and communities. The incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for part of the protection and/or support staff and supports the application of community-based protection standards operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role the Community-Based Protection Associate is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office building and maintaining networks within communities of PoC. The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with PoC that measurably impact and enhance protection planning programming and results form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with PoC.


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 UNHCRs core values of professionalism integrity and respect for diversity.


Duties
- Assist functional units the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy and operational procedures.
- Through relationships with PoC and network of partners stay abreast of political social economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to the protection team. Understand the perspectives capacities needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team accordingly highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men children youth and older persons persons with disabilities marginalized groups.
- Work with host communities to identify opportunities for national civil society involvement in improving the protection of PoC.
- Work with implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address where applicable the social educational psycho-social cultural health organisational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection and prevention and response to GBV.
- Assist in the analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
- Support participatory assessments by multifunctional teams and ongoing consultation with PoC.
- Assist in planning and monitoring of programmes and budgets with an AGD perspective
- Build office capacity for community-based protection through training and establishing systems for community mobilization and participation of PoC.
- Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
- Ensure community understanding of UNHCRs commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
- Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
- Contribute to the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCRs work.
- Initiate AGD sensitive interventions at the appropriate level on community-based protection issues and to respond to protection concerns and incidents within the office with external interlocutors groups and individuals based on agreed parameters.
- Identify and select which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling and field visits based on agreed criteria.
- Intervene with authorities on protection.
- Enforce compliance of implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
- 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

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G6 - 3 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
Development Human Rights International Law
International Social Work Social Science Political Science
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified.

Desirable
UNHCR learning programmes (PLP). Knowledge of MSRP.

Functional Skills
IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
*IT-Computer Literacy
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules Regulations and Procedures
PR-Community-based Protection - Principles and methodologies
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners Government & Community
PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate)
TR-Capacity Buidling
(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 Community-Based Protection Associate will need to have experience working in mixed settings including working with IDPs conflict affected and returnees good understanding of how UNHCR works with the cluster system experience of working in emergency settings with a focus on solutions from the start. S/he will need to have field experience and be adept at operationalizing protection as well as be committed to promoting the meaningful participation of IDPs and returnees in UNHCR programs. S/he will also need to have excellent drafting skills with an interest in protection analysis and advocacy. Good understanding of UNHCRs footprint in situations of internal displacement particularly its cluster lead responsibilities (Protection CCCM and Shelter/NFI) and response in complex emergencies is an advantage.

The following skills and competencies would give a candidate a strong advantage: strong interpersonal skills; maturity and the ability to work under minimum supervision; record of strong coordination skills; and experience of working with protection and CCCM clusters. Experience of working in the areas of community mobilization child protection GBV and support to capacity building of local initiatives will be of great value.

The selection process may include a written test and candidates may be required to undergo a written assessment.

English

Ukrainian

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station please visit: of Position:

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been present in Ukraine since 1994 and substantially increased its presence and response after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The geographical presence within Ukraine has significatively expanded to deliver the emergency response. The country office is located in the capital Kyiv and sub- and field offices are currently located in Dnipro Kyiv Lviv Odesa and Kharkiv.

The war in Ukraine has caused death and suffering on a dramatic scale. In 2025 more than 12.7 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection according to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. Some 3.7 million people are internally displaced while around 6.8 million refugees from Ukraine are recorded across Europe and beyond. Some 75000 people including some of the most vulnerable notable older people and people with disabilities live in collective sites spread across the country. Ukraine also hosts asylum-seekers and refugees and is home to thousands of people who are stateless or at risk of statelessness.

The massive destruction of civilian infrastructure with the energy sector being particularly targeted has made life extremely challenging for millions of people who have lost their homes and livelihoods and has severely disrupted access to electricity water heating as well as critical services including healthcare education and social protection services. Humanitarian access continues to be hampered particularly in frontline areas as well as to areas under temporary occupation of the Russian Federation. Civilians remain exposed to serious risks to their physical security and integrity particularly in eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. The risk of GBV including sexual violence continues to prevail alongside family separations loss of housing and properties as well as identity and civil documentation. Populations displaced or otherwise affected by the war live in situations of deprivation following the loss or damage of their housing loss of income and often become dependent on an overstretched social protection system.

The Government of Ukraine maintains a strong lead role in responding to the needs of its population and UNHCR supports the Government and its central and local institutions to provide protection shelter/housing cash and in-kind assistance to displaced and other people impacted by the war. Currently UNHCR has MOUs with five-line ministries the First Ladys foundation as well as the Office of the Ombudsman 19 regional state administrations and agreements with 14 partners to deliver assistance and support the localization of the response.

Under the leadership of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator UNHCR operates as part of the Inter-agency humanitarian response working in close coordination with local authorities and humanitarian partners. UNHCR is leading three clusters - Protection Shelter and NFIs and CCCM. The strategic orientation of UNHCRs response is to reach people particularly those with specific vulnerabilities who remain in frontline and heavily affected areas with immediate relief while supporting displaced people and those who have remained in their homes or returned with protection advice housing support livelihoods advice and cash assistance to enable their recovery and attainment of durable solutions.

Protection needs to be truly at the center of this response as the highest critical needs of the population caused by the international armed conflict are in the area of protection. Since Ukraine is a highly sophisticated country with a strong government leadership and well-established administrative social protection and digital systems it is essential to design and deliver UNHCRs protection programs in a way which simultaneously addresses immediate needs and supports the further development of sustainable and inclusive national protection systems.

With the EU having voted to confirm Ukraines accession to the EU at the end of 2023 Ukraine will also embark on a series of substantial and long-term reforms in numerous sectors including justice and home affairs which presents an opportunity to contribute to strengthened and more inclusive protection asylum and statelessness reduction systems. Working closely with government authorities local community representatives and partners from the embassies UN civil society and international financial institutions amongst others is thus key to ensuring that UNHCRs response is closely aligned with and complementary of national and local strategies and recovery plans.

As the war continues new urgent humanitarian needs are created every day alongside protracted ones and peoples and communities efforts to recover and rebuild their lives in war-torn communities. Among the IDPs and refugees from Ukraine the majority express a hope and desire to return to their homes as soon as the security situation allows. The protection needs of the population thus need to be analyzed and addressed both from a humanitarian as well as from an early recovery and durable solutions perspective with UNHCR playing a leading role in this work.

The Ukraine operation is dynamic with the operational footprint centered around two main objectives - emergency response to continue addressing critical humanitarian needs as well as early recovery and durable solutions. FO Kharkiv is located in the north-eastern part of Ukraine and currently covers Kharkiv Oblast one of the top regions in the country in terms of the number of IDPs war-affected people and returnees. The office is expanding to ensure that the needs of IDPs returnees and war-affected are effectively met. In particular the Protection Unit will grow and so the Associate will have ample opportunity to expand their own skill sets and further a career with UNHCR.

The Community-Based Protection Associate is a member of the Protection Unit and may report to the Head of the Protection Unit. Under the overall direction of the Protection Unit and in coordination with other UNHCR staff government NGO partners and other stakeholders the Community-Based Protection Associate works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves their families and communities. The incumbent supports staff and the application of community-based protection standards operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level and in Collective Sites. To fulfil this role the Community-Based Protection Associate is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office building and maintaining networks within communities of IDPs conflict affected and returnees. S/he contributes to the development and maintenance of constructive relationships with communities that measurably impact and enhance protection planning programming and results form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with communities.

Living and Working Conditions:

Security:

The international armed conflict in Ukraine is ongoing and the Russian Federation Armed Forces temporarily occupy parts of Donetsk Luhansk Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The frontline is the primary area of kinetic military operations particularly in the eastern and southeastern regions and north of Kharkiv. Cruise missiles ballistic missiles aero-ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been targeting vital civilian and military sites including airports since the start of the invasion. As a result commercial air travel is suspended and vehicles and trains are the only modes of transportation. Since 2023 there has been an increase in attacks targeting civilian infrastructure throughout the country.

Whilst the UN has not been targeted directly the threat of collateral damage continues to remain in place with cases of UNHCR IPs reporting collateral damages and several humanitarian workers recorded as been killed and injured since the start of the full-scale invasion. The UN Security Management System (UNSMS) applies a comprehensive Security Risk Management (SRM) process to identify security threats and evaluate risk levels. The security risk levels are regularly reviewed. Currently the most significant threats and hazards are associated with the international armed conflict with current risk levels ranging from high to Very High or Unacceptable in areas with ongoing hostilities.

This has resulted in a decrease of humanitarian space making it difficult and sometimes impossible to access people in need in frontline areas. When assessing risk levels the security personnel and the UNHCR Representative as part of the countrys Security Management Team adhere to the SRM process as defined by the UNSMS. In general the projected risk level in all three SRM areas where the UN/HCR operates is High.

Therefore applicants for positions in Ukraine should be prepared to work in a highly dynamic security environment where unexpected events occur frequently. Air raids are common and staff may be required to work from bunkers or underground car parks metro stations and other locations for extended periods. Power and water outages are to be expected and will make life more challenging during the winter months. Depending on the evolution of the war disruptions to public services such as shops banks and restaurants may occur. Curfews are in place throughout the country and mission travel must be authorized by the Representative or designated managers subject to the completion of mandatory BSAFE SSAFE and IFAK training and security clearance procedures. Private trips within the country are prohibited for international staff.

The Field Security Unit works closely with UNDSS and other interlocutors of the UNSMS to ensure that program activities can be implemented within the acceptable level of risk by following the required measures and procedures set up and approved by the Designated Official. Due to the countrys evolving operational and security environment UNHCR needs to maintain strong security contingency preparedness supporting its mandate of providing protection and assistance to people in need.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Certifications

Community Development/Social Work - Other Development Studies - Other Human Rights - Other International Law - Other Political Science - Other Social Sciences - Other

Work Experience

Competencies

Accountability Client & results orientation Commitment to continuous learning Communication Managing performance Organizational awareness Planning & organizing Political awareness Stakeholder management Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

Additional Information

This position doesnt require a functional clearance