JOB DESCRIPTION

September 4, 2025

E (most hardship)

Non Family with Residential Location

Non Family with Residential LocationDanger Pay

Addis Ababa,Eth Fed Dem Rep

GS5

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2025-09-01

Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant 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 Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant 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 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 Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of persons of concern (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 UNHCR’s 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.
– 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.
– Assist in initiatives with host communities to involve national civil society groups in the protection of PoC.
– Support implementing and operational partners as well as 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.
– Support efforts to build the office capacity for community-based protection.
– Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
– Ensure community understanding of UNHCR’s commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
– Collect data for monitoring of programmes and budgets from an AGD perspective.
– Draft and type routine correspondence, documents and reports and maintain up-to-date filing systems.
– Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
– Assist in the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR’s 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 and with persons and communities of concern based on agreed parameters.
– Identify and recommend which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling and field visits based on agreed criteria.
– Enforce compliance of implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.

– 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 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
Development, Human Rights, International Law
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
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
*IT-Computer Literacy
IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
(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 desired candidate should have the following skills and knowledge:

 Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
 Good knowledge of human rights and protection principles.
 Knowledge of General Protection, including SGBV, PSEA, and Child Protection.
 Demonstrable experience in protection monitoring and working with community-based protection structures in emergency settings.

Personal Qualities:
 Adaptability and resilience: He/ she should be capable of working in a challenging and sometimes volatile operational context, including emergencies, with limited resources.
 Cultural sensitivity: An understanding and appreciation of the local culture in the region and a respectful approach to working with a diverse population.
 Strong teamwork and collaboration: The ability to effectively work in a team and foster a collaborative work environment.
 Integrity and ethical conduct: Highest standards of professional and ethical behaviour in all data management activities.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The armed conflict in Sudan, which started in April 2023, has led to over 23,000 forcibly displaced persons crossing into Ethiopia through the Metema Point of Entry (PoE) on the Eastern Sudanese border. The refugees are settled in the Aftit refugee settlement, West Gondar Zone, Amhara Region. The refugees and asylum seekers are largely of Sudanese and Eritrean origin, with a small pocket of other nationalities, including South Sudanese. UNHCR has been on the ground from the onset – providing life-saving assistance, addressing various protection needs, and ensuring effective referrals to appropriate services as needed.

Similarly, the conflict in northern Ethiopia led to difficult humanitarian conditions, including limited access to basic social and life-saving services for camp and urban refugees in the Tigray region. As a result of the conflict, many refugees moved from the Mai Ani and Adi Harush camps to the Alemwach refugee settlement, North Gondar Zone, in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.

UNHCR has a presence in Gondar and is working very closely with the Government of Ethiopia’s Refugee and Returnees Services (RRS), local authorities, and several humanitarian partners to respond to the needs of refugees and asylum seekers in the region. UNHCR has been actively engaged in the humanitarian response in the Amhara Region, providing comprehensive support across multiple sectors to ensure the protection of refugees and asylum seekers.

The operational response is principally focused on screening and recording persons seeking international protection, addressing critical life-saving needs, including food and healthcare access, establishing a protection desk to handle diverse protection issues, and facilitating referrals to relevant services. There are two refugee-hosting settlements, Aftit and Alemwach, in West Gondar and North Gondar Zones, respectively. In addition, the Metema Transit Center (TC), 5km from the Point of Entry (PoE) on the Ethiopian-Sudan Border at Metema Yohannes, is set up to respond to the influx from the Sudan Emergency.

There are pockets of refugee returnees coming in from Sudan through the Metema Point of Entry. The current security situation in the region continues to be challenging and move further in-country to their places of initial displacement or other regions. Over 2,840 refugee returnees have been recorded at the Metema PoE, as of March 2025.

A substantial number of Eritrean refugees who were forced across the border from Sudan had started and were at various stages of resettlement processes before crossing over to Metema. In addition, UNHCR remains engaged in seeking other complementary pathways as part of the solutions orientation to the plight of the refugees and asylum seekers in the operation.

The Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant works under the supervision of the Associate Protection Officer/Assistant Protection Officer or another senior staff member in the Protection Unit. S/He supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. In coordination with other stakeholders, the incumbent works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families, and communities.

Amongst other tasks, the Senior Community-Based Protection Assistant will perform the following:

Community Engagement & Empowerment

• Act as a liaison between UNHCR and refugee communities.
• Support community mobilization, including facilitating the formation or strengthening of community structures (e.g., refugee committees, women’s groups, youth groups).
• Promote participatory approaches, ensuring that communities are involved in identifying protection risks and solutions.

Protection Monitoring & Reporting

• Identify protection risks, vulnerabilities, and trends through direct contact with the community.
• Collect, document, and report on protection-related information and incidents.
• Monitor and follow up on protection cases, ensuring timely referral to appropriate services.

Support to Persons with Specific Needs (PSNs)

• Assist in identifying individuals with specific protection concerns (e.g., unaccompanied minors, elderly, survivors of GBV, persons with disabilities).
• Help implement tailored responses, such as case management, referrals, or targeted community support.

Awareness Raising & Information Dissemination

• Organize awareness campaigns or community sessions on rights, services, and available assistance.
• Ensure communities receive accurate and timely information, including on asylum procedures, registration, health, education, and protection services.

Coordination & Partnership

• Work closely with local NGOs, community-based organizations (CBOs), and government actors involved in protection.
• Assist in mapping existing services and referral pathways for protection and assistance.

Support to CBP Program Implementation

• Assist in planning, implementing, and evaluating CBP projects or activities (e.g., livelihood initiatives, safe spaces, education access).
• Contribute to monitoring project impact and ensuring community feedback is incorporated.

Capacity Building

• Train or support the training of community members, volunteers, and partners on community-based protection principles and practices.

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain accurate records of activities, protection cases, community meetings, and consultations.
• Contribute to regular protection reports, situation updates, and analytical inputs.

Living and Working Conditions:

Gondar is a category E, non-family, high-risk duty station. The UNHCR Field Office has an office on the ground. However, staff members are expected to arrange their own living accommodation. Generally, there are few UNDSS-approved hotels; tap water is not reliable and quality is not guaranteed, hence the need to drink bottled or boiled drinking water as alternatives. Water storage containers are a necessity. The R&R cycle is 6 weeks, and national staff are eligible for SCWS (9 in 10). The electricity supply could be unstable, depending on the season, resulting in blackouts. The office relies on WiFi for internet connectivity. Staff need to be aware therefore that internet may not be accessible after working hours.

In Genda Wuha, West Gondar Zone, where the Aftit refugee settlement is located, temperatures vary between seasons. During the hot season between March and May, temperatures could rise to as much as 43 degrees centigrade. The rainy season starts from about June to October and experiences strong winds and periodic storms.

In Dabat, North Gondar Zone where the Alemwach refugee settlement is located, temperatures are a bit low and could vary from 10o C to 25o C during the day. Nighttime temperatures could drop to as low as 5oC.

The incumbent will be based in Gondar Office, sometimes spelled as Gonder, is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on the Lesser Angereb River and southwest of the Simien Mountains. As of 2016, Gondar has a population of 299,969. Gondar previously served as the capital of both the Ethiopian Empire and the subsequent Begemder Province. The city holds the remains of several royal castles, including those in the Fasil Ghebbi UNESCO World Heritage Site for which Gondar has been called the “Camelot of Africa”.

Staff members should be prepared to operate under challenging conditions with limited resources. There are both Government hospitals and private health providers in Gondar including pharmacies. There is a referral medical hospital in Gondar but limited equipment.  However, for severe medical conditions, patients are referred to Addis for treatment.  Staff with medical conditions should come with at least 3 months of prescribed medication. The town has a central market where most of the common items can be found.

Although there are functioning banks in Gondar, transacting in dollars is not possible. Staff are also advised to always have a cash reserve on them. It is recommended that first time travelers to the duty station dispense sufficient funds from the ATMs in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. Ethiopian regulations do not permit the transportation of more than $ 4,000 or its equivalent into the country.

The security situation is fluid and staff members should always get the latest travel advice and support prior to travel to Gondar. There is an existing curfew

Additional Qualifications

Skills

CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community, IT-Computer Literacy, IT-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies, UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures

Certifications

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

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Additional Information

Position is open to ONLY Ethiopian nationals
Women are strongly encouraged to apply in order to promote gender-balance within UNHCR.
Candidates may be subjected to an assessment (written or oral interview).

This position doesn”t require a functional clearance