Deadline for Applicationsdiciembre 30, 2025
Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)A (least hardship)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeUNOPS LICA5
Target Start Date2026-02-01
Terms of ReferenceThe UNHCR operation in Chile comprises approximately 25 personnel, including national and international staff and affiliates. The National Office (NO) is located in Santiago de Chile and operates under the Multi-Country Office (MCO) based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which also covers Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Chile has become a key destination for forcibly displaced populations in Latin America, currently hosting 1.6 million foreignersโ8.8% of the total populationโaccording to the 2024 Census. The country ranks second in the region in terms of foreign-born population, after Costa Rica. The majority of refugees and migrants in Chile are Venezuelan (41.6%), followed by Peruvians, Colombians, Haitians, and Bolivians. Chile also provides protection to individuals fleeing conflict and persecution from countries such as Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
As of December 2024, over 677,922 individuals are considered forcibly displaced in Chile, including more than 660,420 people in need of international protection, 13,366 asylum seekers, and 2,448 recognized refugees. UNHCR works closely with government institutions, civil society, municipalities, refugee-led organizations, and the private sector to ensure access to protection, humanitarian assistance, and durable solutions.
The country has recently experienced a rise in negative public perception regarding human mobility, leading to increased discrimination, violence, and exploitation against people forced to flee. In regions with high concentrations of refugees and migrantsโsuch as the north and the metropolitan areaโhost communities face challenges in accessing public services, which has exacerbated tensions and hindered peaceful coexistence.
Chile is currently navigating a complex scenario in terms of human mobility, marked by increased cross-border movements, asylum requests, and integration challenges. The incoming administration will implement policies focused on order, control, and enforcement of migration regulations, which creates a critical need for effective coordination between national institutions and international organizations to ensure compliance with international standards and human rights obligations.
Within this context, the Senior Protection Assistant will work under the direct supervision of the Assistant Protection Officer and will focus primarily on legal protection and case management functions. The incumbent will support the follow up on individual cases and provide timely responses to queries from persons of concern. Responsibilities include assisting in the analysis of complex cases, preparing legal summaries, and ensuring accurate documentation in line with UNHCR standards.
The incumbent will also follow up on the activities implemented by partners to ensure access to rights and services, including those carried out through legal recourses.
The role also involves supporting capacity-building activities for partners and local institutions, contributing to training sessions on protection, asylum and statelessness procedures, and maintaining effective referral pathways for individuals with specific needs. The Senior Protection Assistant will liaise with government counterparts, legal aid partners, and civil society organizations to facilitate access to rights and services, while ensuring compliance with national legislation and international protection frameworks.
Strong attention to detail, legal knowledge, and the ability to manage sensitive information are essential for this position. The incumbent must demonstrate cultural sensitivity, organizational skills, and the capacity to work under pressure in a dynamic environment where protection needs intersect with migration governance and humanitarian response.
Standard Job Description
Senior Protection Assistant
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Senior Protection Assistant normally reports to a more senior Protection colleague. 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.
The Senior Protection Assistant provides quality, timely and effective protection support to persons of concern (PoC) and identifies opportunities to mainstream protection methodologies and safeguards in operational responses. S/he contributes to designing a comprehensive protection strategy and may liaise externally with local authorities and partners on protection issues as guided by the supervisor.
The Senior Protection Assistant also ensures that PoC 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.
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
- Consistently apply International and National Law and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policy, standards and codes of conduct.
- Provide counselling on protection issues to PoC; liaise with competent authorities to ensure the issuance of personal and other relevant documentation.
- Support activities in protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Conduct preliminary information gathering and interviews in support of eligibility, status determination, durable solutions and social needs assessment.
- 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 for PoC as part of the protection strategy.
- Monitor Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all protection/solutions activities.
- Participate in individual protection case management including cases of GBV and child protection. Monitor and report on cases of refoulement, expulsion and other protection incidents.
- Assist in identifying durable solutions for PoC in voluntary repatriation, local integration and where appropriate, resettlement.
- Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of protection related AGD based programming with implementing and operational partners.
- Draft reports, routine correspondence, update relevant databases and compiling statistics within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).
- Contribute to initiatives to enhance national and local protection capacities.
- Select PoC for preliminary interviews and decide which relevant information to share.
- Enforce integrity in the delivery of protection services by local implementing partners.
- 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
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
G5 - 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher
Field(s) of Education
Not applicable
Certificates and/or Licenses
International Law;
Political Science;
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential: Not specified.
Desirable: Not specified.
Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators
PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
(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.
Required Languages Spanish
,English
,
Desired Languages
,
,
Additional Qualifications
SkillsIT-Computer Literacy, PR-Protection-related guidelines, standards and indicators, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework
Education
CertificationsInternational Law - Other, Political Science - Other
Work Experience
Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance
RemoteNo