Deadline for Applications

December 16, 2025

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

B

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

UNOPS LICA6

Target Start Date

2026-01-01

Terms of Reference

Position details:

Title: Protection Associate
Location: Pristina, Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244 of 1999)
Type of Contract: UNOPS Local Individual Contractor
Grade: UNOPS LICA-6
Tentative starting date: 01 January 2025
Duration of contract: 5 months

1. General Background

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is United Nations agency with global mandate to lead and coordinate international protection of refugees, forcibly displaced and stateless persons. Its primary purpose is protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution.

Kosovo’s operational and political landscape remains uniquely complex and fluid, contributing to a challenging protection environment. The territory continues to serve as a transit route for individuals moving toward other parts of Europe, often through irregular pathways that expose them to heightened protection risks. The protection space is shaped by a combination of unresolved displacement issues over two decades, socio-political tensions, and continued requirements for institutional capacity strengthening. In this context, maintaining a focused and responsive protection presence in Kosovo remains essential to ensuring that the rights and needs of forcibly displaced and stateless persons are effectively addressed within a shifting regional framework.

The Protection Associate position is essential to ensure that UNHCR Kosovo retains the technical and operational capacity to respond effectively to the evolving protection environment, legislative developments, and integration needs. This is in line with both UNHCR’s global mandate and its responsibilities in Kosovo under UNSCR 1244 (1999). The Protection Associate will report to the Assistant Protection Officer.

UNHCR is undertaking a strategic realignment of its operations across Europe to ensure the continued delivery of protection and solutions amidst significant global humanitarian funding constraints. As a result, as of 01 January 2026, the UNHCR mission in Kosovo will consolidate its presence under a unified regional structure, the Representation for Central and South-East Europe.

2. Purpose of assignment

Under the supervision of the Assistant Protection Officer, the Protection Assistant will coordinate quality, timely and effective protection responses to the needs of forcibly displaced and stateless persons and identify opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards in UNHCR’s response. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and liaises externally with authorities and partners on protection doctrine and policy as guided by the supervisor.

The Protection Associate also ensures that forcibly displaced and stateless persons 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.

3. Scope of assignment

Under the supervision of the Assistant Protection Officer, the Protection Associate will:

– Stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment.

– Assist in providing comments on existing and draft legislation related to forcibly displaced and stateless persons.

– Ensures timely registration of returnees and conducts protection monitoring, referrals and adequate reporting.

– Provide information and advice on protection issues to forcibly displaced and stateless persons; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.

– Contribute to measures to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness.

– Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.

– Manage individual protection cases including those on GBV and child protection.

– Assist in identifying durable solutions for the largest possible number of forcibly displaced and stateless persons through voluntary repatriation and local integration.

– Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.

– Facilitate effective information management through the provision of disaggregated data on forcibly displaced and stateless persons and their problems.

– Participate in initiatives to capacitate authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.

– Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance of local implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.

– Assist the supervisor with enforcing compliance with, and integrity of, all protection standard operating procedures.

– Perform other related duties as required.

4. Desired candidate profile:

The Protection Associate will provide support in implementing all planned activities for 2026. Relevant background in the areas of work described below are desirable.

The Protection Associate should have expertise to provide legal commentaries to ensure alignment with international protection standards, support the drafting and review of secondary legislation, and monitor the implementation of new legal frameworks to ensure they benefit forcibly displaced and stateless persons (FDSPs).

To fulfill his/her functions, the Protection Associate will need to have excellent knowledge of international, regional, and Kosovo’s legal frameworks relevant to the protection of forcibly displaced and stateless people. Strong research and networking skills are essential. Experience in the field of inclusion and integration of IDPs, returnees, and refugees, particularly regarding access to documentation and nationality, will be positively considered.

The Protection Associate is required to have excellent drafting skills, especially in relation to strategy and guidance documents. Furthermore, s/he should be a dynamic team player with a proactive approach to work and a keen interest in the protection of FDSPs.

5. Language requirements:
– Proficiency in English (C1 level) as well as the ability to communicate in both Albanian (C1 level) and Serbian (C1 level) is essential for this position.

6. Minimum Qualifications

For LICA-6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field of education:
– International Law, Political Science or other related field is desirable.

Functional Skills:
– IT-Computer Literacy
– CL-Protection & Solutions Awareness
– PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
– PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework

Core Competencies
– Accountability
– Communication
– Organizational Awareness
– Teamwork & Collaboration
– Commitment to Continuous Learning
– Client & Result Orientation

Cross-Functional Competencies
– Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
– Political Awareness
– Stakeholder Management

Desirable job experience:

– Protection Learning Programme

7. Remuneration:

In case of a successful application, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered.

LICA-6 monthly salary range: EUR 2,085 – EUR 2,605

UNOPS Local Individual Contract holders shall be responsible for paying any tax levied by their Government or other entities on their UNOPS earnings. UNHCR undertakes no liability for taxes payable by the UNOPS Local Individual Contract on payments made under the individual contract. The UNOPS Local Individual Contract holder will not be reimbursed such taxes or granted any other benefit, payment or subsidy which is not expressly provided for in the contract under which he/she is engaged.

Benefits:

Annual leave: UNOPS Local Individual Contract holders will accrue annual leave at the rate of 2.5 working days for each full calendar months of service (i.e. 30 working days per year).

Paid sick leave: 2 days of certified sick leave per month up to a maximum balance of 24 days, plus 6 uncertified sick days per year; depending on tenure, fee protection for longer periods of certified sick leave.

Paid parental leave: Up to 26 weeks for eligible parents who give birth and 16 weeks for other eligible parents.

Health insurance plan: according to UNOPS Medical Corporate Plan, including medical and dental insurance.

Provident fund scheme: UNOPS Local Individual Contract holders on contracts of at least 3 months will join the UNOPS provident fund by contributing through deduction of their monthly fee.

8. Applications:

All applications must be submitted online in Workday. Email applications will not be accepted. Incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Shortlisted candidates might be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

UNHCR is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). SEA is unacceptable behavior and prohibited conduct for UNHCR personnel. It constitutes acts of serious misconduct and is therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including dismissal.

Any concerns or suspicions about a possible case of SEA should be reported immediately to the Inspector General’s Office (IGO) at [email protected] or through the online complain form at https://www.unhcr.org/php/complaints.php or by confidential fax: +41 22 739 73 80.

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

English

,

Albanian

,

Serbian

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

Other information

This position doesn”t require a functional clearance

Remote

No