JOB DESCRIPTION

August 24, 2025

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

B

Family

Internship

2025-10-13

Terms of Reference
Internship
Protection
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a fulltiem/ part-time internship with the section of the Protection Unit under the Sub-Office at UNHCR.
Established in December 1950, UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR currently operates in over 130 countries, using its long expertise to protect and care for millions

Title: Protection Intern
Internship Location: Mafraq Office/ Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan
Division/Section/Service: Sub-Office Mafraq
Duration (length of internship): 6 months (extendable to 8 months)
Contract Type: Internship (Full time)
Closing date for application:
Start date: July 2025
Amount of Internship Allowance per month: 690.2 JOD

1. Background

The Mafraq Sub-Office oversees the Zaatari Refugee Camp, Raba’a Al Sarhan Transit Centre, and host communities in the Mafraq governorate, serving approximately 160,000 registered refugees.
The Protection Unit plays a vital role in ensuring the protection of refugees through protection case management, legal assistance and documentation, resettlement, community engagement, protection coordination with all protection counterparts and local authorities, and regular protection monitoring of protection activities with UNHCR partners and voluntary return processes.
The internship offers an opportunity for students and recent graduates to gain practical experience in refugee protection, coordination mechanisms, communication with communities, case management, and monitoring and evaluating these activities in a humanitarian context.

2. Objectives of the Internship
– To provide the intern with practical experience and understanding of protection-related activities within a refugee context.
– To support UNHCR and its partners in strengthening refugee protection mechanisms in Mafraq and Zaatari Camp.
– To contribute to protection-related activities which include but are not limited to community engagement, protection counseling and assessments, surveys, protection analysis, reporting, and stakeholder coordination.

3. Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Protection Officer, the intern will support the team with the following tasks:
– Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policies, standards, and codes of conduct.
– Contribute to the design, implementation, and evaluation of protection-related AGD-based programming with implementing and operational partners.
– Assist in implementing and monitoring Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
– Support the protection team in the voluntary return of refugees and communication with communities.
– Assist in any surveys and monitoring of the intention returns.
– Conduct protection interviews and assessments with persons of concern.
– Support case management, documentation, and follow-ups on protection-related issues.
– Support in the research and analysis of protection trends, legal frameworks, and country-of-origin information.
– Assist in organizing and delivering awareness sessions, trainings, and workshops on refugee rights and protection policies.
– Contribute to data collection and reporting on protection incidents, legal status, and support services.
– Support coordination with government counterparts, NGOs, and other stakeholders in protection activities.
– Provide administrative support, including drafting reports, taking meeting minutes, and preparing presentations for working groups such as PWG/CP/GBVSWGs.
– Perform other duties as assigned to support the Protection Unit’s work.

4. Qualifications
In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO; and
Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR.
Candidates with previous UNHCR Internship experience must not have exceeded the maximum total cumulative full-time internship duration of eight (8) months.
Experience: Previous experience or academic background in Refugee Protection, Strong interest in humanitarian work, and international law is a plus.
Skills:
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Strong analytical and research skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Ability to work in a multicultural environment and handle sensitive information with confidentiality.
Fluency in English is required.

Other:
Knowledge of Arabic is an advantage but not mandatory.

5. Learning Outcomes
By the end of the internship, the intern will have gained:
Gain practical experience in protection work within a UN agency.
Enhance understanding of refugee law, humanitarian principles, and UNHCR operations in particular in urban and camp contexts.
Develop skills in case management, research, reporting, communication with communities, and coordination.
Exposure to monitoring and evaluation processes, including field-based assessments.
Gain experience working with diverse UNHCR partners and stakeholders in a complex operational environment while collaborating with experienced UNHCR professionals to expand professional networks.

6. Supervision and Reporting
The intern will report directly to the Protection Officer in Sub-Office Mafraq. Regular feedback will be provided to ensure the intern’s professional growth and development. The intern will also be encouraged to participate in team meetings and interact with various UNHCR departments and partner organizations.

How to apply
The selected candidate will receive a link to the UNHCR recruitment portal to create a profile.

7. Obligations:
Aquiring and renewing current visas, residence permits including all associated costs, obtaining medical certification and compliance with taxation requirements (if applicable), are the responsibility of the intern.
The selected candidate will need to provide UNHCR with a proof of funding from the sponsoring institution (if applicable), health insurance coverage applicable to the assigned internship location and a certificate of good health from a qualified medical practitioner certifying their fitness for work, as well as travel. In the event the candidate is not able to produce the required certificate, they will not be admitted to the Internship Programme.
Allowance and Travel: The Sponsoring Institution shall provide non-reimbursable financial support in the form of a stipend/scholarship/allowance/etc. for the period of internship with UNHCR. Travel expenses to and from the internship location shall be the responsibility of the respective sponsoring institution. UNHCR is not responsible for any renumeration for the intern during the internship period.
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.
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UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, or training).
We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.
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.

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

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Desired Languages

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Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn”t require a functional clearance

Remote

No

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements