Protection Assistant

April 1 2026

Grade

GS4

General Service

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

H (no hardship)

Family

Standard Job Description

Protection Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. The incumbent provides functional and administrative support to the protection unit on protection related liaison correspondence monitoring case management and reporting activities.

The Protection Assistant also supports the protection unit in designing a comprehensive protection strategy and in providing quality timely and effective protection responses to persons of concern (PoC). S/he may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on correspondence and/or protection issues as guided by the supervisor.

The Protection Assistant also facilitates the involvement of PoC 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 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
- Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy standards and codes of conduct.
- Observe and respect protection related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Provide functional and administrative support in all protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Provide functional and administrative support in implementing participatory approaches needs assessments monitoring reporting and case management.
- Support assessments on durable solutions through voluntary repatriation local integration and where appropriate resettlement.
- Facilitate liaison with competent authorities for the issuance of personal and other relevant documents.
- Assist in drafting reports routine correspondence updating relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- 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
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G4 - 1 year relevant experience with High School Diploma; or Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
Not applicable

Certificates and/or Licenses
Protection
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential: Not specified.
Desirable: Not specified.

Functional Skills
PR-Protection-related guidelines standards and indicators
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
IT-Computer Literacy
(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.

Nature of Position:

For the past three years Spain has been among the top three asylum seeker receiving countries in the European Union registering around 140000 applications in 2025. Over half originate from Venezuela and other Latin American countries while an increasing number come from Mali Somalia Sudan and other African countries many arriving irregularly by sea or land through the Western Mediterranean and West Africa Atlantic routes with international protection needs. The Spanish asylum system has been under significant strain and the RSD backlog remains one of the largest in the EU.

UNHCR Spain implements its protection mandate inter alia through its advisory role and by closely monitoring all stages of the asylum procedure foreseen in Spanish legislation including the accelerated border procedure while collaborating closely with asylum authorities the National Police judicial actors civil society organizations and legal assistance providers to identify protection gaps and support the development of practical rights based solutions.
Considering the context and ahead of the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum UNHCR aims to ensure a strategic catalyst role in its mandate related activities and particularly in strengthening asylum systems in close coordination with civil society and institutional stakeholders.

The G4 protection assistant position (maternity leave) is key for the Office to maintain its support capacity to core quality and efficiency initiatives within the Spanish asylum system and guarantee consistent follow up with counterparts to secure the effective implementation of UNHCRs strategy to reinforce asylum systems at a time of heightened procedural reform and operational demands.

Embedded in the Protection Unit in Madrid and under the supervision of the Senior Protection Associate the incumbent will:

Conduct regular follow-up on specific queries received from legal aid providers NGOs bar associations and other civil society actors ensuring that information provided is accurate timely and aligned with UNHCR protection standards.

Engage in technical exchanges with the Office of Asylum and Refuge (OAR) National Police and other actors on procedural issues arising from UNHCRs monitoring activities contributing to the identification of practical solutions and asylum quality enhancements.

Provide frontline information and guidance to asylum-seekers and other forcibly displaced people through email telephone and in-person channels ensuring clarity accessibility and sensitivity to the protection context.

Support the team in the follow up documentation and analysis of trends observed in the asylum procedure contributing to internal reporting and the development of recommendations.

Support the protection team in follow up and analysis of initial stages of EU Pact implementation and outreach for impact analysis on the asylum-seeking community support preparation of UNHCR response maintain contact with asylum actors and keep abreast and inform the team of developments.

Other duties as assigned to meet operational requirements

This position doesnt require a functional clearance

English

Spanish

Skills

IT-Computer Literacy PR-Protection-related guidelines standards and indicators PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

Education

Certifications

HCR Learning Program - UNHCR HCR Protection Induction Prog - UNHCR

information