Assistant Protection Officer at UNHCR Uganda, Yumbe

Job Description

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Assistant Protection Officer reports to the Protection Officer or the Senior Protection Officer. Depending on the size and structure of the Office, the incumbent may have supervisory responsibility for protection staff including community-based protection, registration, resettlement and education. S/he provides functional protection guidance to information management and programme staff on all protection/legal matters and accountabilities. These include: statelessness (in line with the campaign to End Statelessness by 2024), Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) commitments, age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP) through community-based protection, Child protection, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response, gender equality, disability inclusion, youth empowerment, psycho-social support and PSEA, registration, asylum/refugee status determination, resettlement, local integration, voluntary repatriation, human rights standards integration, national legislation, judicial engagement, predictable and decisive engagement in situations of internal displacement and engagement in wider mixed movement and climate change/disaster-related displacement responses. S/he supervises protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards.

The Assistant Protection Officer is expected to coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern (PoC), ensuring that operational responses in all sectors mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards. The incumbent contributes to the design of a comprehensive protection strategy and represents the Organization externally on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor. S/he also ensures that PoC are meaningfully engaged in the decisions that affect them and support programme design and adaptations that are influenced by the concerns, priorities and capacities of them. To achieve this, the incumbent will need to build and maintain effective interfaces with communities of concern, authorities, protection and assistance partners as well as a broader network of stakeholders who can contribute to enhancing protection.

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
– Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.
– Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
– Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to PoC.
– Provide legal advice and guidance on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
– Conduct eligibility and status determination for PoC in compliance with UNHCR procedural standards and international protection principles.
– Promote and 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 as part of the protection strategy.
– Provide inputs for the development of protection policies and standards within the AoR.
– Implement and monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
– Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection. Monitor, and intervene in cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
– Recommend durable solutions for the largest possible number of PoC through voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
– Assess resettlement needs and apply priorities for the resettlement of individuals and groups of refugees and other PoC.
– Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
– Contribute to and facilitate a programme of results-based advocacy with sectorial and/or cluster partners.
– Contribute to and facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on populations of concern and their problems.
– Assist capacity-building initiatives for communities and individuals to assert their rights.
– Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
– Intervene with authorities on protection issues.
– Assist the supervisor in deciding priorities for reception, interviewing and counselling for groups or individuals.
– Assist the supervisor in enforcing compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
– Enforce compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.

– 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 P1/NOA – 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law,

International Law,

Political Sciences
or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified;

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Knowledge of International Refugee and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles

Desirable
Not specified.

Functional Skills
*PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
*PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
MG-Project Management
PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards
PR-International Humanitarian Law
PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation
PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement
CO-Drafting and Documentation
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination
(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.

Desired Candidate Profile
As per the nature of the position.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
,

,

Desired languages
,

,

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:
Field Office Rwamwanja, located in Kamwenge District, is one of UNHCR’s key operational points in Southwest Uganda. It falls under the oversight of Sub Office Mbarara. Rwamwanja hosts refugees arriving through the Bubukwanga Transit Centre and Mahani Reception Centre, primarily crossing from the respective boarder points of Ntoroko, Bundibugyo, and Kasese district. The settlement remains an active receiving site in Uganda’s broader refugee response framework.

As of June 30, 2025, Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement accommodates approximately 103,000 refugees, predominantly from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with smaller populations from Burundi, Rwanda, and South Sudan. The settlement comprises:1 Transit Centre (Bubukwanga), 1 Reception Centre (Mahani), 4 Food Distribution Points, 45 Villages organized into 13 Zones, over 24,000 Households and a population composed of 81% women and children, 21% youth (15–24), and 3% elderly persons

Approximately 42% of the population is engaged in economic activities, with livelihoods primarily in farming, trade, and vocational skills. Over 12,500 individuals have been identified with specific needs, including persons with disabilities, single parents, and women at risk.

The office currently comprises a lean team supporting functions across Protection, Field Coordination, ICT and Administration.

Strategic Context

Rwamwanja operates within the broader framework of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and Uganda’s Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF). The settlement is emblematic of Uganda’s progressive refugee policy, where refugees are hosted in settlements integrated into host communities, with access to land, public services, and development opportunities.

In line with the CRRF and the Transition Agenda, Partnership Framework Agreements have been signed with Kamwenge District Local Government (as the receiving district), and Bundibugyo and Ntoroko Districts (as transiting districts). This strategic alignment promotes a shift from parallel humanitarian service delivery toward localization, system strengthening, and district-led refugee response across the sectors of: Protection, Health and Nutrition, Livelihoods, Energy and Environment, WASH, Education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

The transition is also anchored in the objectives of the Uganda Refugee Response Plan (RRP), which outlines national-level strategies for sustainability, resilience-building, and durable solutions. The focus in Rwamwanja has increasingly shifted toward integrating services within existing government structures, promoting refugee self-reliance, and fostering social cohesion between refugee and host communities.

Key Strategic Priorities in Rwamwanja

Advancing the Transition Agenda by integrating services, including protection,  into district development planning and government systems.

Strengthening multi-stakeholder coordination between humanitarian, development, and government actors to ensure coherent and inclusive programming.

Scaling up investments in youth livelihoods, TVET, and market-based solutions that align with local development priorities.

Fostering peaceful coexistence and inclusion, while addressing protection concerns for persons with specific needs and vulnerable populations.

Ensuring readiness for potential emergency influxes from nearby border districts, given the dynamic displacement context in Eastern DRC.

There are over 10 partners, both operational and implementing, operating in the Rwamwanja settlement as well as some UN Agencies like WFP, UN Women, UNFPA and UNICEF. Their engagement in protection response makes it an imperative for the Assistant Protection Officer to build an interface with all in carrying out protection activities. UNHCR leads the protection coordination and assistance to the Forcibly Displaced Persons and Statelessness.

The Assistant Protection Officer (NOA) is a member of the Protection section at Rwamwanja and reports to the Head of Field Office. The incumbent will have supervisory responsibility for Protection staff in Rwamwanja and will provide guidance and leadership in Child Protection, Community Based Protection, GBV with support from the Senior Protection Officer based in Mbarara.

Living and Working Conditions:
Rwamwanja field office is about 104 km from Mbarara and 226 km from Kampala. FO Rwamwanja is non-family duty station; staff is expected to reside at the staff accommodation provided by the office as declared by local UNDSS cleared accommodation. There is a vibrant local market at the Base Camp zone of the settlement, though local supermarkets are found in the nearest city of Fort Portal, Mbarara and Kampala. There are no education facilities similar to international schools in Rwamwanja and Mbarara. International schools are available in Kampala and Entebbe areas. In terms of medical services, only basic medical services are available in health centers in the settlements provided by UNHCR health partner MTI, and if necessary, further medical referral to Fort Portal, with further medical referral to Mbarara or Kampala. The nearest banking facilities including ATM are either in Ibanda or Fort Portal. At the furnished staff accommodation compound provided by UNHCR, internet, electricity and water are available.

Most of travels between Rwamwanja and Mbarara are undertaken by road (104 Kms). Generally calm and peaceful security situation in the country, however threats of crime continue to prevail in areas, especially Kampala and Mbarara.
Additional Qualifications

Skills

CO-Drafting and Documentation, MG-Project Management, PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD), PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation, PR-Climate change and disaster related displacement, PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) Coordination, PR-Human Rights Doctrine/Standards, PR-International Humanitarian Law, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators

Education
Bachelor of Arts: International Law, Bachelor of Arts: Law, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science

Certifications

Work Experience
Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration