JOB DESCRIPTION

D

Non Family with Residential Location

Non Family with Residential Location

Maputo, Mozambique

NOA

National Professional Officer

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2025-09-15

August 26, 2025

Assistant Protection Officer

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.

• The ideal candidate should have proven experience in community-based protection, demonstrating hands-on experience engaging with local communities, conducting and managing protection monitoring, and identifying and addressing specific vulnerabilities in forced displacement settings. The candidate should have proven leadership in multi-stakeholder coordination, cultivating strong partnerships with governments, NGOs, and specific humanitarian frameworks. Experience working and leading responses in emergency settings, such as in the aftermath of natural disasters or forced displacement due to violence, is an asset.

• An effective capacity-builder, the candidate should have experience in training staff, government officials, and community-based groups on protection principles, gender-sensitive programming, and inclusive approaches for vulnerable populations. The candidate should have a proven record of identifying protection needs, developing targeted strategies, and rigorously monitoring and evaluating outcomes to ensure a measurable impact. Familiarity with gender-sensitive programming and the protection of persons with specific vulnerabilities (older persons, people with disabilities) will ensure interventions are both principled and inclusive.

• A strong profile working with internally displaced persons (IDPs), including knowledge of IDP legal and policy frameworks, and experience in civil documentation and housing, land, and property (HLP) rights, is highly relevant. Experience in Cabo Delgado or Nampula supporting protection activities and responses that address topics such as gender-based violence, social cohesion, reintegration, solutions, and livelihoods for IDPs, returnees, and affected populations is also expected.

• The role requires excellent report-writing and presentation skills to articulate protection needs and activities to humanitarian actors, government counterparts, and donors. A proven ability to monitor projects, provide constructive feedback to implementing partners, and build capacity among UNHCR staff, government officials, and community groups will drive sustainable, locally owned protection outcomes. Strong interpersonal and leadership abilities are expected to successfully navigate the fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment.

• The candidate should possess strong language skills, with professional fluency in English and Portuguese, complemented, where available, by local languages spoken in Cabo Delgado, to facilitate clear communication with communities, authorities, and partners. Past professional experience working in challenging field contexts with limited supervision is essential, as prior service with UN agencies or similar humanitarian organizations is desired.

• Knowledge of local languages is an asset.

Portuguese

,

English

,

,

,

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 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is an international organization with the mandate to assist persons in need of international protection; asylum seekers; refugees; statelessness; and internally displaced persons. The UNHCR operation in Mozambique has its main office in Maputo, field office in Nampula, sub-office in Pemba and field units in Cabo Delgado. The working language in the UNHCR offices in Mozambique is English.

Cabo Delgado’s northern districts continue to experience large-scale displacement driven by sustained attacks from non-state armed groups, even as spontaneous returns occur in areas that have seen varying degrees of stabilization. As of May 2025, the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix records 609,243 internally displaced persons alongside approximately 701,462 returnees. Though smaller in scale, some 700 refugees and asylum-seekers—primarily located in agricultural and mining zones—face comparable protection threats and assistance needs.

Cyclical displacement, acute protection gaps, and pervasive gender-based risks characterize the humanitarian response in Cabo Delgado. Families who had attained relative stability are often uprooted again, losing vital documentation, homes and livelihoods in the process. Repeated attacks generate widespread trauma, while individuals with specific needs—older persons, people with disabilities—frequently struggle to access essential assistance. Women and girls face heightened exposure to conflict-related sexual violence by armed actors, escalated intimate partner violence in displacement settings, and exploitation or abuse when seeking aid. An estimated 60 percent of IDPs and returnees arrive without civil documents, effectively blocking their access to services, impeding freedom of movement and exposing them to detention, discrimination or stigmatization.

Cabo Delgado is subject to recurrent natural hazards, such as cyclones, which significantly aggravate existing protection challenges. Most recently, Cyclone Chido (December 2024) caused extensive damage to infrastructure, displacement, and loss of livelihoods. These events undermine community resilience, disrupt essential services, and precipitate secondary protection risks, requiring that response operations remain agile and integrate disaster-sensitive measures at every stage.

Nampula Province hosts approximately 8,000 registered asylum seekers pending verification by the National Refugee Commission (INAR), alongside some 33,000 internally displaced persons living in formal and informal settlements. In addition, approximately 33,000 internally displaced persons, uprooted by insurgent violence spillover from Cabo Delgado and by recurrent cyclones, reside in formal and informal settlements across the province. In response, protection programming in Nampula is focusing in addressing and implementing durable solutions to affected populations.

The Assistant Protection Officer position is based in Pemba and should support activities in areas of displacement and return in Cabo Delgado and Nampula Provinces. As a member of the Protection Unit, the Assistant Protection Officer will be responsible for planning and delivering Protection activities. The incumbent will establish and maintain a good working rapport with community structures to help ensure the quality of protection delivery. She/he will manage daily staff members under her/his responsibility. They will have oversight of UNHCR’s implementing partners’ field activities in line with the agreed-upon work plan. Subsidiarily, she/he will support any other protection activities accordingly.

Living and Working Conditions:

The position is based in Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado Province, in the north of Mozambique. Pemba is a D, Non-Family duty station.

Mozambique has a total population of about 29 million people and Maputo is its capital city. The total area of Mozambique is 799,380 Km square from North to South. It is tropical, hot and humid. The hottest and wettest months are December to February, when the average daily minimum temperatures are around 22 °c and the average daily highs of 30 °c. The rainy season is between October and April. Winters (June to August) are mild with the average daily temperature ranging from 13 °C to 24 °C.

Cabo Delgado is bordering Tanzania, with a population of over 2.2 million individuals according to the 2017 census. The province, considered one of the poorest in the country, was hit by cyclone Kenneth in April 2019 and Cyclone CHIDO in December 2024, which affected several villages, causing material damage and the displacement of many residents. The province has also been targeted by armed groups that have been attacking local villages since October 2017.

Communication and transport services are available at various costs. The housing market is healthy but quite expensive (from US$ 800 to US$ 1,500 per month). Pemba has several supermarkets and one international airport. The metical is the local currency and exchange rate stands at USD 1 equivalent to about 63.25 meticais (MZN) as per January 2025. Pemba has several health facilities including ISOS clinic, CLIDIS private clinic and the Provincial hospital. There is a wide range of Banks and ATMs to meet financial needs. Credit/debit cards are accepted in most places.

UNDSS-cleared hotels are available, with rates differing depending on the availability and season. MOSS compliant apartments are available.

The current operational circumstances require frequently long working hours. This is a stressful work context, making a capacity for self-care critical.

According to the security level system, Cabo Delgado is at level 4. Crime in Pemba and villages outside of the capital is concerning, and UN personnel must remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings. Traffic accidents are common in Mozambique due to the poor condition of the roads and poor driving and vehicle standards.

 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

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

Certifications

Competencies

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

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

Compendium

Additional Information

This position doesn”t require a functional clearance