Deadline for ApplicationsDecember 8, 2025
Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)C
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeCONS Local
Target Start Date2025-11-20
Terms of ReferenceTERMS OF REFERENCE
Title: Associate Community-Based Protection Officer
Project: UNHCR Rwanda/2025/E12925
Duty station: Karongi Field Office, Rwanda
Section/Unit: Protection Unit/UNHCR Rwanda
ICA Level: LICA8 (UNOPS), Corresponding level: NOB
Duration: from November 2025 to December 2026 (renewable)
Supervisor: Head of Office, Karongi
General Background
The Government of Rwanda (GoR), through the Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA) and the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration (DGIE), leads the national refugee response in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR Representation in Rwanda comprises a Branch Office in Kigali and Field Offices (FOs) in Huye, Karongi, and Kirehe.
FO Karongi is responsible for overseeing Kiziba Refugee Camp, Nkamira Transit Centreโwhich hosts asylum seekers from the DRCโas well as two additional transit centres, Nyarushishi and Kijote, which receives and accommodate Rwandan returnees from the DRC.
Established in 1996, Kiziba is the oldest refugee camp in Rwanda. The camp hosts protracted caseload of refugees from the DRC and currently has a population of about 14,109.
The camp is the most context-sensitive in Rwandaโs operation and therefore needs well-informed personnel with adequate experience in the same or similar operational context ready to manage the expectations of the population on resettlement which is the most preferable durable solution to the plight of the persons of concern in Kiziba camp.
The government of Rwanda is a party to the 1951 convention and other important human rights convention and offers international protection to refugees and asylum seekers present on its territory including those in Kiziba and Karongi area of responsibility. The refugee situation in Rwanda has largely been a protracted one, but recently, increasing instability in Eastern DRC during the latter part of 2022 and early 2023 has forced people to flee across the border to Rwanda. As of end of September 2025, more than 15,000 new arrivals have been recorded. At the policy level, Rwanda gives utmost importance to refugee inclusion into national services such as education, health, socio-economic and financial services (including access to investment & bank accounts). Explicitly, Article 18 of the Law nยฐ13ter/ 2014 of 21/05/2014 relating to refugees stipulates that \"without prejudice to other laws, any person having obtained refugee status in Rwanda shall enjoy the rights and liberties provided for by international instruments on refugees ratified by Rwanda.
There is a gradual shift from a humanitarian approach to a developmental focus in the Rwandan refugee response, with emphasis on sustainable livelihoods and social cohesion (Humanitarian, Development and Peace nexus). UNHCR further strengthens its advocacy with partners and assists refugees to become more self-reliant with targeted assistance and an increased number of livelihood projects, including access to training, cash grants, and technical expertise, as well as establishing strategic partnerships with Development actors, UN agencies and private sector. UNHCR current protection activities provided to refugees, displaced communities and stateless persons include Registration, Refugee Status Determination, Resettlement and Durable Solutions while assistance is primarily focusing on life-saving activities such as health, education, livelihoods, and community development/empowerment. With resettlement being the main durable solution for Congolese refugees, it has become challenging to manage expectations in resettlement, and attempted fraud cases are being identified and managed. Domestic violence within families have been reported, most of which are linked to resettlement expectations. The refugee communities were mostly unwilling to develop their capacities/potentials, due to concerns of losing resettlement opportunities, but there has been a shift from this dynamics, and refugees are more interested in engaging in self-reliance activities, and UNHCR is accompanying this shift.
Purpose and Scope of Assignment
The Associate Community-Based Protection Officer reports to the Head of Field Office. The incumbent monitors protection standards, operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional protection support to information management and programme staff.
In coordination with other UNHCR staff, government, NGO partners and other stakeholders, the Associate Community-Based Protection Officer works directly with communities of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The incumbent may have direct supervisory responsibility for part of the protection and/or support staff and supports the application of community-based protection standards, operational procedures and practices in community-based protection delivery at the field level. To fulfil this role, the Associate Community-Based Protection Officer is required to spend a substantial percentage of the workday outside the office, building and maintaining networks within communities of the people we serve. The development and maintenance of constructive relationships with the people we serve that measurably impact and enhance protection planning, programming, and results. Form the core of the work of the incumbent. S/he also supports the designing and implementation of a community-based protection strategy by ensuring that it is based on consultation with the people we serve.
The incumbent is relied upon by senior management to support a coordinated approach in the implementation of UNHCRโs rights-based and community-based engagement with all refugees, displaced communities, and stateless persons and contributes to the achievement of UNHCRโs commitments to accountability to affected people. S/he is responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and identifying situational protection trends affecting the rights and conditions of asylum-seekers and refugees; returnees, developing protection advocacy strategies and activities to improve the protection environment. S/he will be involved in promoting law reform efforts through preparing and/or contributing to proposals, conducting training and outreach with Government officials, policy makers, professional associations, and the public, and providing comments on existing and drafted legislation.
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 organizations and academic institutions that can contribute to enhancing protection and achieving solutions through people centred, community-based and gender responsive approaches.
Under the direct supervision of the Head of Field Office, the incumbent will undertake the following tasks:
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/returnees/stateless communities, using an AGD approach.
Build relationships with the people we serve and network of partners, and stay abreast of political, social, economic and cultural developments that have an impact on the protection environment and provide advice to senior management.
Engage constantly with the community, through a community base approach, and ensure that issues /protection concerns are quickly identified and resolve using the available community structures and mechanisms.
Build and maintain good relationships with the government, partners, and the refugee community, returnees, to enable him/her advocate for solutions to the people of concern to UNHCR, and provide timely feedbacks.
Possess strong drafting, communication, advocacy, and legal skills, with the ability to work independently and make sound and balanced decisions and interventions.
Demonstrate the ability to work in a multifunctional team to achieve shared goals and optimize results. A legal and social work background with solid experience in protection principles and Rwandan law, the ability to pro-actively address problems and propose solutions is required.
Contribute to comprehensive protection and solutions strategies and needs to ensure that the unit works strategically and is responsive to the needs of refugees. Experience with external stakeholder management is therefore key. It is also essential to possess the ability to work in a fast-paced environment, deal with emergency cases outside of office hours and coordinate interventions with various units. The ability to be flexible, innovative, have excellent coordination and facilitation skills as well as negotiation skills is therefore also essential, as is the proven ability to engage with government, non-governmental, statutory, and legal networks. Extensive awareness of the wider socio-political and economic operational context is critical to this position.
The ability to write effective reports and appropriately share information will be an integral part of the incumbentโs role.
Ability to work under pressure.
Proven extensive experience in a case-sensitive and volatile camp.
Proven experience to act in the absence of the Head of Office.
Proven experience in negotiation and conflict resolution, and peace building especially using a community based approach.
Proven experience working in an emergency.
Assist functional units, the Multi-Functional Team (MFT) and senior management to integrate participatory and community-based approaches in the overall protection strategy and operational procedures.
Understand the perspectives, capacities, needs and resources of the PoC and advise the protection team, accordingly, highlighting the specific protection needs of women and men, children, youth and older persons, persons with disabilities, marginalized groups.
Work with host communities to identify opportunities for national civil society involvement in improving the protection of PoC.
Work with implementing and operational partners as well as with displaced and local communities to develop community-owned activities to address, where applicable, the social, educational, psycho-social, cultural, health, organizational and livelihood concerns as well as child protection prevention, and response to GBV.
Perform analysis that identifies the capacities of communities of concern and risks they face.
Contribute to participatory assessments and ongoing consultation with PoC using multifunctional teams.
Plan and monitor programs and budgets with an AGD perspective.
Build capacity to maximize opportunities for participatory and community-based approaches and to make appropriate use of guidelines and tools in working with partners and other relevant entities.
Support communities in establishing representation and coordination structures.
Ensure community understanding of UNHCR's commitment to deliver on accountability and quality assurance in its response.
Assist in developing UNHCR communication strategies by emphasizing the participatory, community based and AGD approaches.
Act as an interpreter in exchange of routine information, contribute to related liaison activities and respond directly to routine queries.
Contribute to the enforcement of participatory AGD sensitive analysis as an essential basis for all of UNHCR's work.
Initiate AGD sensitive interventions at the appropriate level on community-based protection issues and to respond to protection concerns and incidents within the office, with external interlocutors, groups and individuals based on agreed parameters.
Identify and select which individuals or groups to prioritize for counselling, and targeted assistance and field visits based on agreed criteria.
Intervene with authorities on protection, and enforce compliance of staff and implementing partners with global protection policies and standards of professional integrity in the delivery of protection services.
Ability to analyze and approve individual payment requests for PoC.
Monitor and advise implementing partners on on-going activities related to return.
Assess needs and plan and advocate for adequate human and financial resources for voluntary repatriation operations.
Actively participate in inter-agency coordination processes and contribute to mobilizing partnersโ support to the voluntary repatriation/return programmes.
Liaise with government officials and partners and seek solutions to problems concerned with the voluntary repatriation process.
Participate in the design and implementation of the voluntary repatriation strategy.
Participate in the drafting and regular updating of the Voluntary repatriation related SOPs, in close consultation with UNHCR staff and partners, including refugee representatives.
Represent UNHCR with relevant external partners in-country and across the border, as applicable.
Draft and submit reports related to voluntary repatriation.
Perform other related duties as required.
3. Monitoring and Progress Controls
The performance of the incumbent will be assessed through regular feedback from the supervisor and periodic reviews. Key performance indicators will include the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of registration and verification data, statistical reporting, and documentation, as well as the efficiency of registration processes and compliance with established standard operating procedures. The incumbent is also expected to consistently uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and respect for diversity in the delivery of duties.
All UNHCR staff members are accountable for performing their responsibilities as outlined in their job descriptions and within their delegated authorities, in line with the UNHCR regulatory framework. This framework comprises the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions, and other accountability mechanisms. In fulfilling these obligations, the incumbent must demonstrate alignment with UNHCRโs core, functional, cross-functional, and managerial competencies and contribute to a safe, inclusive, and respectful working environment that ensures protection principles are consistently applied.
4. Qualifications and Experience
Education, Certificates, and/or Licenses
Education: 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.
Work Experience
Experience: 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
PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
PR-Community Services-Communication/Development/Organization
PR-Community Services-Social Work/Counselling
PR-Community-based Protection
IT-Computer Literacy
DM-Database Management
MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation
PR-Gender Equality
PR-Child Protection/Convention on the Rights of the Child
PR-Refugee Education programmes
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention programming
PR-Gender Based Violence (GBV) response programming
PR-Experience in Forced Displacement situations
EX-Field experience with UNHCR and/or with other humanitarian organizations
Language Requirement
Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda, and a very good working knowledge of regional languages. Knowledge of French will be an added advantage.
Key Competencies
Core Competencies:
Accountability
Communication
Organizational Awareness
Teamwork & Collaboration
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Client & Result Orientation
Cross-Functional Competencies:
Analytical Thinking
Technological Awareness
Planning and Organizing
Managerial Competencies
Judgement and Decision Making
Empowering and Building Trust
Cross-Functional Competencies
Planning and Organizing
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Political Awareness
Stakeholder Management
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.
Standard Job Description
Required Languages
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,
Desired Languages
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Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Certifications
Work Experience
Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance
RemoteNo