Protection Officer

Protection is a central component of all humanitarian action. Humanitarian protection includes all activities aimed at ensuring full respect for the rights of individuals (human rights, international humanitarian law, refugee law). Humanitarian aid in this area thus includes both concrete, targeted protection measures and the establishment of protection as a cross-cutting issue (protection mainstreaming).

In the field of protection, humanitarian experts analyse the effects of political, social, economic and cultural developments in the country of deployment on the people affected by a crisis. In cooperation with partners, Protection Officers support the UN organization in developing proposals for solutions if these developments have a negative impact on the people affected by a humanitarian crisis.

Protection Officers ensure that the people affected by a crisis are heard and that their needs are addressed accordingly in aid programmes. They pay particular attention to the involvement of women, children, young people, the elderly, minorities and people with disabilities.

They achieve this by building good relationships with these people. Protection Officers are in regular contact with the people concerned as well as with representatives of the local and national government, other UN organizations and non-governmental organizations.

Through their work, Protection Officers contribute to the prevention of conflicts between aid recipients and the local population. They also address conflicts that have already arisen.

In addition, providing legal advice to the receiving organisation and ensuring access to legal advice for aid recipients is one of the most important tasks of Protection Officers. In refugee shelters, for example, they ensure that people receive documents about their refugee status.

Protection Officers also monitor that the rights of the people concerned are respected. If this is not the case, they advise the receiving UN organization on how to enforce the rights of individuals and effectively protect people.  

• Preferably a university degree in law, international law, political and social science, international development, sociology, or psychology or a comparable field;
• In-depth knowledge of international refugee law and human rights;
• Professional experience in refugee and internally displaced persons contexts is desirable;
• Several years of professional experience as a Protection Officer or Field Officer highly desirable;
• Previous experience working with UNHCR and IOM is an advantage;
• Experience in designing and implementing Protection and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) programs, with a particular focus on children and gender sensitivity;
• Experience in representing the interests of people affected by a humanitarian crisis;
• Knowledge and experience in the conception and implementation of trainings, capacity building measures and feedback mechanisms.