Associate Community-Based Protection Officer

February 20, 2026

A (least hardship)

FamilyFamily

NOB

National Professional Officer

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-04-01

Associate Community-Based Protection Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Associate Community-Based Protection Officer is a member of the Protection Team in a Regional Bureau or a Country Office and normally reports to the Senior Community-Based Protection Officer, the Senior Protection Officer, Head of Sub-Office or the Assistant Representative for protection.
For a regional position, the incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for Protection and Community-Based Protection staff in the regional office, and a technical support role for Community-Based Protection staff in the region. For a country level position the incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for Community-based Protection staff and other protection staff in the operation.
S/he supports the implementation of protection standards and provides advice on community-based protection to senior management and Country Operation(s) in close collaboration with the Division of International Protection (DIP).
The incumbent is relied upon by senior management to support a coordinated approach in the implementation of UNHCR's rights-based and community-based engagement with all persons of concern (PoC) and contributes to the achievement of UNHCR's commitments to accountability to affected people.
S/he maintains close working relationships and supports Protection and Community-Based Protection staff in the field, who act as the critical interface between UNHCR and communities of concern, enabling them to provide the AGD-sensitive analysis of community risks and capacities that form the essential foundations of national and regional programmes. The incumbent maintains close working relations with sister UN entities, governmental entities, non-governmental organisations and academic institutions that can contribute to enhancing protection and achieving solutions through people centred, community-based and gender responsive approaches.
The incumbent provides guidance to country operations to strengthen their coordination and advocacy on community-based approaches to protection with governments, partners and other key stakeholders.

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
- Be fully informed about community structures and the protection and security situation of the population of concern and develop strong links with a cross-section of members of refugee/IDP/stateless communities, using an AGD approach.
- 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 senior management.
- Ensure that the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC are reflected in the protection strategy, planning processes and operations plan addressing the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, minority groups such as sexual minorities and persons living with HIV/AIDS.
- Ensure through direct action and advocacy with more senior protection staff that the necessary resources are allocated to enable community work to identify and address protection and assistance gaps.
- Support a consultative process with government counterparts at local levels, partners and PoC to develop and implement integrated strategies that address the key protection priorities, including, for example, child protection, education and GBV, and solutions approaches.
- Provide technical guidance and support to UNHCR and partners and implement and oversee Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on all community-based protection related issues.
- Support the design, implementation and evaluation of protection centred and solutions oriented programming with implementing and operational partners guaranteeing that community-owned activities are integrated.
- Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures
- Promote confidence building and conflict resolution among PoC, authorities and host communities.
- Maintain protection presence through regular field missions and reports, making direct contact with PoC, host communities, local authorities and partners. In operations applying the humanitarian cluster system, contribute to the development of an AGD-compliant strategy on which the response of the Protection Cluster is grounded in and covers all assessed and prioritized protection needs of the affected populations.
- Support the Operation's work to fully integrate the protection strategy into the Country Operations Plan, the UN Development and Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the Humanitarian Country Team's common humanitarian action plan where applicable.
- Contribute to the Protection team's information management component which: provides disaggregated data on PoC and their problems; researches, collects and disseminates relevant protection information and good practices to enhance protection delivery and provide technical advice if necessary.
- Support the inclusion of participatory, community-based protection and AGD approaches in strategies and plans within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- Support community understanding of UNHCR's commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
- Support PoC to develop structures that enhance their participation and protection.
- Contribute to the design of the community-based protection strategy, project submissions and budgets for endorsement by the supervisor.
- Intervene with authorities on community-based protection issues.
- Negotiate with local counterparts, partners and PoC.

- 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 P2/NOB - 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
International Development, Cultural Studies, Human Rights,
International Social Work, Social Science, Political Science,
Anthropology, International Law or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Relevant professional experience, including in the areas of community based protection, community services, social work, and human rights.

Desirable
Proven communication skills, both oral and written.
Demonstrated knowledge of community communication and engagement approaches.
Understanding of and demonstrated competencies in forced displacement and protection, particularly GBV prevention and response, child protection, education, gender equality, and the application of the Age, Gender and Diversity Policy.

Functional Skills
DM-Database Management
IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Coordination in Forced Displacement situations
PR-Convention on the Rights of the Child / International Legal Framework
PR-Gender Equality
PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
CO-Drafting and Documentation
ED-Technical support to education programmes and proposals
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention programming
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) response programming
(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 will bring a strong combination of technical CBP expertise, field experience and relationship-building skills, demonstrating the ability to operate effectively in a complex protection environment:

• Proven hands-on experience working directly with refugee communities, including diverse AGD groups, refugee-led organizations and community leadership structures.
• Strong background in designing, coordinating or supporting community-based health and education initiatives in humanitarian or development contexts; experience related to public health or community health systems is a significant asset.
• Demonstrated ability to convene and coordinate multi-sectoral platforms, bringing together actors across protection, health, education, livelihoods and other sectors to address priority needs in a coherent manner.
• Solid experience in network and partnership management, including engaging, influencing and sustaining collaboration among civil society organizations, authorities, service providers and community actors.
• Clear evidence of strong organizational and coordination skills, including project oversight, partner engagement, capacity building and support to community-based accountability mechanisms.
• Familiarity with data protection and ethical information management in community-based programming.
• Experience in risk analysis and mitigation related to service barriers affecting refugee communities.

Additional Information:

Candidates must be Malaysian nationals.

The position requires fluency in English and Malay languages.

The minimum educational requirement for NPO positions is a completed university degree. UNHCR only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/.

Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The recruitment process might include a written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

Malay

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.

Nature of Position:

Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol and does not yet have a comprehensive legislative framework governing asylum. In this context, UNHCR continues to play a central role in supporting protection and assistance for more than 200,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers in the country, working alongside government counterparts, civil society organizations and refugee communities. At the same time, the Government of Malaysia has taken steps to address the situation of forcibly displaced and stateless persons, including through commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals and support for the Global Compact on Refugees. The Government has signaled its intention to move towards a state-led asylum system, including through the introduction of a national refugee registration framework. This evolving policy environment underscores the need for strong community engagement, protection-sensitive approaches and effective coordination to ensure continuity of protection and assistance during periods of transition.

 

Within this context, the Associate Community-Based Protection (CBP) Officer plays a critical role in strengthening community structures, expanding protection networks and supporting multi-sectoral interventions at the community level. The incumbent will operate in a dynamic protection environment requiring sustained field engagement, strong negotiation skills and the ability to build and maintain partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders, including refugee-led organizations, public authorities, civil society organizations, UN agencies and service providers.

The position requires hands-on engagement with refugee communities to ensure the consistent application of an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) and rights-based approach across all aspects of programming. The incumbent will support the operation in designing, coordinating, and monitoring community-centered health, education and protection initiatives, working closely with technical units and partners to identify gaps, promote community-led solutions and support accountability to affected populations.

 

Given Malaysia’s operating landscape, experience in convening multi-sectoral platforms, coordinating across large and diverse partner networks and supporting protection-sensitive service delivery - particularly in health and education - is essential. The role further requires strong political awareness, cultural sensitivity and the ability to navigate a complex stakeholder environment in which UNHCR plays a unique interlocutor role between communities, partners and authorities.

 

Living and Working Conditions:

 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Bachelor of Arts: Anthropology, Bachelor of Arts: Cultural Studies, Bachelor of Arts: Human Rights, Bachelor of Arts: International Development, Bachelor of Arts: International Law, Bachelor of Arts: International Social Work, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science, Bachelor of Arts: Social Science

Certifications

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance