Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)
H (no hardship)Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
FamilyStaff Member / Affiliate Type
CONTR Local Entry and Mid-Level SupportTarget Start Date
2025-09-01Deadline for Applications
July 24, 2025Terms of Reference
The UNHCR Office for Switzerland and Liechtenstein is located in Bern and works closely with authorities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other relevant actors in Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the protection of asylum seekers, refugees and stateless people. It also works to find durable solutions for refugees. To provide general counselling to forcibly displaced persons approaching the UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, the Office maintains a Senior Protection Assistant position, which is shared between two individual contractors, each working at 50%, based at the UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.The Office is now seeking 1 individual contractor (at part-time at 50%) for the period September to December 2025, with possibility of extension.
Under the supervision of the Protection Associate and in close cooperation with the Protection Team, the Senior Protection Assistant will primarily be responsible to provide information and counselling for individuals approaching the UNHCR Headquarters for advice, including in person. They will ensure a regular presence at the Headquarters (HQ) and provide these services in close cooperation with HQ security guaranteeing that HQ can maintain an open-door policy. The Senior Protection Assistant will also support HQ services in ensuring the well-being of refugees and other people for whom we work attending HQ organized meetings and provide information to them. For these purposes, the Senior Protection Assistant will establish and maintain close cooperation with Geneva based services.
The Senior Protection Assistant will also maintain the Help Pages for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and support selected IC cases requiring UNHCR’s assistance.
Requirements for the position:
- Bachelor degree and 1 year of professional experience;
- experience in managing relations with external partners;
- experience with individual counselling and case work;
- previous experience with UNHCR;
- experience in applying international refugee law, human rights law and Swiss asylum law to individual cases.
Required language skills: English, German AND French at B2 level or higher
Desired language skills: Swiss-German, Italian, Spanish
Since this is a local position, only candidates who have the right to work in Switzerland are eligible to apply.
UNHCR undertakes no liability for taxes and social security contributions, duties or other contributions payable by the individual contract holder on payments made under the individual contract. The individual contract holders 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 they are engaged.
Standard Job Description
Required Languages
French,
English,
GermanDesired Languages
,
,
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Bachelor's (Required)Certifications
Work Experience
Other information
This position doesn't require a functional clearance
Remote