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Protection Case Management Associate

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
21 hours ago
Full-time
On-site
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Malaysia

Deadline for Applications

April 29, 2026

Grade

GS6

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

General Service

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

Hardship Level

A (least hardship)

Family Type

Family

Residential location (if applicable)

Target Start Date

2026-05-01

Target End Date

2026-12-31

Standard Job Description

Protection Case Management Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Protection Case Management (PCM) Associate is typically located at Multi-Country Office, Branch Office or Field Office. S/he is a member of the Protection Section, but may be working under Registration, Refugee Status Determination, or the Resettlement units; and normally supervised on a rotational basis by the head of the functional units (Registration, RSD, or Resettlement) where s/he provides support at any given time. Depending on the operational priorities, s/he is responsible for supporting activities relating to registration, refugee status determination and resettlement; to ensure the implementation of the operational policies efficiently, and compliance to the comprehensive protection and solutions strategy applied.

The incumbent may provide day-to-day supervision to the UNHCR mandate registration process. S/he will be conducting registration, or RSD, or resettlement, or other protection interviews, and drafting different documents including assessments for refugee status determination, resettlement referrals, and other protection-related purposes. S/he may also be involved in communication with external partners regarding resettlement issues. Depending on the operational needs, s/he may be responsible for mentoring new caseworkers.


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
- Assist in the implementation of registration strategies and methodologies for populations of concern (PoC).
- Assist in the supervision and daily running of registration team activities, where required.
- Carry out interviews and assessments, as applicable, in line with the individual case-processing policies and standard operating procedures relating to registration, RSD, and resettlement.
- Provide counselling to, and respond to queries from asylum seekers and refugees, including in the context of the notification of decisions on individuals cases.
- Support timely identification and referral of persons with specific needs for protection intervention and follow-up as required. Collaborate with other units for the delivery of assistance.
- Assist in development of a protection strategy for registration, RSD, and/or resettlement for the Operation.
- Review special cases and following up on status of cases from resettlement submission to departure.
- Assist in monitoring individual case processing trends and in compiling and analysing statistics related to individual case processing. Maintain accurate and up-to- date records and statistics related to all work on individual cases, ensuring that proGres database is properly updated.
- Assist in developing and maintaining updated tools to ensure that PoC have access to accurate information on the UNHCR individual case-processing policies and procedures.

- 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 G6 - 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
Not applicable.


Certificates and/or Licenses
Law;
International Law;
Political Sciences;
International Relations;
Social Sciences;
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential:
Ability to conduct interviews, to analyse and report on the situation of the beneficiaries. Research and analytical skills. Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Desirable:
Working experience with procedures and principles related to registration, resettlement, and RSD. Previous work experience in the field of International Refugee Law and Human Rights Law. Experience in counselling asylum seekers or refugees. Experience in working with vulnerable or traumatized individuals. Experience in working with UNHCR PRIMES proGres software.

Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
CO-Drafting and Documentation
PR-RSD - Principles and Procedures, operational arrangements/assistance
CO-Reporting skills
PR-Resettlement Anti-Fraud Policy and Procedures
RG-Registration SoPs Design/Implementation
(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.

Desired Candidate Profile

Operational Context

The Asia-Pacific Transitional Support Hub is established to provide transitional, centralized support to the Regional Bureau and Country Operations across the Asia-Pacific region in the wake of structural and operational changes resulting from organizational reforms in 2025. With several offices operating with limited capacities in support functions due to footprint reductions, the Hub plays a critical interim transitional role in ensuring continuity and quality of transactional services until the Satellite Global Shared Services (GSS) is fully operational in the Asia-Pacific region to absorb the functions of the Hub.

The Protection Functional Area/Track of the Hub delivers transactional individual case processing services to selected operations (multiple business units), including support to conduct refugee status determination, resettlement, or other protection counselling or interviews, and drafting assessments for refugee status determination, resettlement referrals, and other protection-related purposes. These services are guided by organizational protection policies, administrative instructions, operational guidance and procedures, and aligned with global standards and protection and solutions strategies.

The Protection Case Management Associate is responsible for carrying out individual case interviews and assessments, in line with the individual case-processing policies and standard operating procedures relating to registration, RSD, and resettlement. The Protection Case Management Associate will work under the supervision of the Hub Manager, in close coordination with respective beneficiary operations and RBAP’s Protection Operational Support Section (POSS). The position requires a strong understanding of individual case processes, strong research, analytical and drafting skills, attention to detail, and a client-service mindset. The Protection Case Management Associate must also be able to work in a high-volume, fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities and maintaining compliance with protection case processing standards.

The work is transactional in nature but strategically significant, as it helps strengthen protection and solutions delivery through individual case processing, contributing to accountability and operational efficiency in some of the region’s most resource-constrained locations.

The Hub operates in a dynamic, multicultural environment that requires flexibility, adaptability and a commitment to collaborative problem-solving.

Located in UNHCR’s country office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as part of AP Transitional Support Hub, the Protection Case Management Associate operates under the supervision of the Hub Manager, with functional technical reporting line to RBAP POSS.

The Hub Manager will provide general guidance and work plans for identifying priorities and appropriate approaches. The incumbent will receive technical and functional guidance from RBAP POSS in line with case-processing policies and standard operating procedures relating to registration, RSD and resettlement. The Protection Case Management Associate should support the effective delivery of transactional individual case processing services for the RB and Country Operations in the Asia-Pacific region, in alignment with UNHCR’s protection and solutions policies, rules, procedures and internal controls.

The Protection Case Management Associate will:
• Conduct RSD interviews to determine eligibility for refugee status, as well as cancellation, revocation and cessation of refugee status, as required, undertaking country of origin (COI) and other research related to the claim, as required, and draf RSD assessments, at both first and appeal/review instances, as required, in line with the individual case-processing policies and standard operating procedures relating to RSD, especially UNHCR’s Handbook on the Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status Under UNHCR’s Mandate (RSD Handbook), Guidelines on International Protection (GIPs), Procedural Standards for Refugee Status Determination under UNHCR's Mandate (RSD SOPs) and Aide-Memoire and Glossary of case processing terms and concepts applicable to RSD under UNHCR's mandate (RSD Glossary).
• Conduct resettlement interviews, assess resettlement needs according to resettlement submission categories, and prepare individual resettlement submissions for presentation to resettlement countries, following established individual case-processing policies and standard operating procedures relating to Resettlement, especially UNHCR’s Resettlement Handbook.
• Assist in monitoring individual case processing trends and in compiling and analysing statistics related to individual case processing.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records and statistics related to all work on individual cases, ensuring that proGres database is properly updated.

The incumbent will contribute towards key performance indicators in compliance with UNHCR individual case processing policies and guidance, and should be familiar with UNHCR’s web-based, online tools, including PRIMES tools (proGres, BIMS, GDT), SharePoint, Secure File Sharing etc. The incumbent should be a strong team player, good communicator, flexible and proactive to support in managing a range of issues, challenges, promoting collaboration and diversity in a multicultural environment.

• Advanced knowledge of International Refugee Law and Human Rights Law and ability to apply the relevant legal principles to individual cases.
• The ideal candidate should have direct working experience with UNHCR in RSD and resettlement case processing.
• Solid experience conducting eligibility and protection-related interviews (in person and remotely) through the PEACE model of interviewing, analysing and drafting assessments on the protection situation and needs of refugees and asylum-seekers, and in respect of their eligibility for refugee status and/or prioritization for resettlement consideration.
• Excellent research and analytical skills.
• Excellent oral communication and written drafting skills.
• Experience in counselling refugees and asylum-seekers.
• Experience in working with vulnerable and traumatized individuals.
• Experience in working with UNHCR PRIMES proGres software.
• Knowledge of or prior work experience with refugee populations in Asia and the Pacific.
• Ability to operate independently with minimum oversight while maintaining structure and discipline in managing high-volume transactional workload.
• Client-focused with good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage priorities and meet deadlines in a high-volume environment.
• Integrity, discretion, and professionalism.

Additional Information:

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).

UNHCR does not sponsor work visa or work permit and applicant who is not Malaysian national should already have their status confirmed that they are able to secure a work visa at the time of the application.

Functional Clearance

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level)

English

,

,

Desired languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

CO-Drafting and Documentation, CO-Reporting skills, IT-Computer Literacy, PR-Resettlement Anti-Fraud Policy and Procedures, PR-RSD - Principles and Procedures, operational arrangements/assistance, RG-Registration SoPs Design/Implementation

Education

Certifications

International Law - Other, International Relations - Other, Law - Other, Political Science - Other, Social Sciences - Other

Work Experience

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

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