Senior Protection Assistant (Quality Assurance)

April 30, 2026

Grade

GS5

General Service

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

H (no hardship)

Family

2026-05-01

2026-12-31

Standard Job Description

Senior Protection Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Senior Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. 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 Assistant provides quality, timely and effective protection support to persons of concern (PoC) and identifies opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and safeguards in operational responses. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on protection issues as guided by the supervisor.

The Senior Protection Assistant 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
- Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Provide counselling on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Support activities in protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Conduct preliminary information gathering and interviews in support of eligibility, status determination, durable solutions and social needs assessment.
- 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 for PoC as part of the protection strategy.
- Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Participate in individual protection case management including cases of GBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
- Assist in identifying durable solutions for PoC in 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.
- Draft reports, routine correspondence, update relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities.
- 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
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
G5 - 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
Not applicable

Certificates and/or Licenses
International Law;
Political Science;
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

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

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 UNHCR Multi-Country Office (MCO) based in Italy oversees operations in Italy, the Holy See, Malta, and San Marino—countries situated at the crossroads of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and characterized by diverse asylum systems, distinct legal frameworks, and varying capacities for refugee protection.
This sub region plays a pivotal role in migration and refugee movements to Europe, particularly through the Central and Eastern Mediterranean routes. Irregular arrivals by sea and land, secondary movements, and complex protection needs place continued pressure on national asylum and reception systems. Although the number of arrivals fluctuates, the centrality of these countries in broader European migration dynamics remains constant.
Italy and Malta, in particular, continue to serve as primary entry points to the EU for persons seeking international protection. Their geographic proximity to North Africa positions Italy as a key actor in search and rescue (SAR) activities and in receiving persons rescued at sea.
San Marino and the Vatican City, though not primary asylum destinations, are engaged partners in refugee protection through political advocacy, moral leadership, and resettlement or complementary pathways, especially under community sponsorship and humanitarian corridors supported by faith-based organizations.
In Italy, the RSD system, from the access phase to second instance, is facing historical challenges in ensuring fairness and efficiency of the procedure, while preserving its integrity and safeguarding timely access to status recognition and inclusion for people in need of international protection. The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum will become applicable as of 12 June 2026.

In this context, the incumbent, under the supervision of the Protection Associate, will contribute to MCO Italy’s support to national authorities in the protection-sensitive implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. In particular, s/he will be responsible for quality assurance, in the context of the project aimed at the establishment and roll out of a quality and harmonized system of legal counseling, during the administrative phase of the procedure, in line with the Pact. The incumbent will, notably, be tasked, in close coordination with the Senior Protection Assistant – Capacity Building, with setting up and running a helpdesk, in order to provide support and expert advice on specific topics or particularly complex cases to legal counselors throughout the territory, in order to contribute to consistent provision of the service, in line with the expected quality standards. S/he will also be responsible for the development of a complaint mechanism and of a system of collection and analysis of feedback from asylum seekers who will benefit from the legal counseling service, in view of the elaboration of targeted recommendations for further actions. The incumbent will be tasked with the development of quality monitoring tools, and with planning and performing regular quality monitoring missions, which will take place starting from the second year of implementation of the project, with the support of two dedicated additional resources (quality experts). S/he will oversee the elaboration of detailed and effective quality monitoring reports, with the aim of developing targeted recommendations for follow-up actions. The incumbent will also contribute to the development of SOPs on legal counseling, under the responsibility of the Protection Associate. The above-mentioned activities will be performed in the context of the dedicated Coordination Body on legal counseling, established at central level, in close collaboration with relevant authorities and with a fully inclusive approach, entailing the involvement of relevant actors, in line with their specific expertise, such as other UN agencies, EU agencies, civil society, competent ministries or administrations at the central or local level. In order to perform the above-mentioned activities, the incumbent may be deployed part-time or full-time to the premises where the Coordination Body on legal counseling will be located.

This recruitment is subject to funding.

Desired Candidate Profile (DCP)
MCO Italy is looking for a solid candidate with a proactive and positive attitude, proven knowledge of international and EU refugee law - and notably the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum - and of the Italian asylum system, as well as proven experience in the design and implementation of quality assurance/quality monitoring tools and activities. The candidate must be proficient in Italian and English and have excellent drafting skills in both languages. The candidate should possess strong interpersonal, communication and team-building skills. Previous experience in protection or RSD activities in Italy would be an asset.

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Italian

,

English

,

,

,

Skills

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

Education

Certifications

International Law - Other, Political Science - Other

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