Community-Based Protection Officer UNHCR Chișinău, Moldova P3 Proactive Protection

About NORCAP

NORCAP works to improve aid to better protect and empower people affected by crisis and climate change. We do this by providing expertise and solutions to humanitarian, development and peacebuilding partners, because we believe working together is the best way to reduce needs, risks and vulnerability over time. We seek and promote more effective ways of working at the global level and in the field. NORCAP’s aim is not only to reduce needs, but also to create choice and opportunity for vulnerable people. NORCAP works with and through our partners to improve aid in two complementary ways:

• We provide targeted expertise to strengthen our partners’ response.

• We collaborate with partners to develop solutions to un-met gaps and challenges.

This role sits at the heart of that collaboration: it places NORCAP expertise directly alongside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Moldova to help communities take ownership of the protection services that affect their lives.

About the partner

Since February 2022, more than 1.1 million people have entered the Republic of Moldova from Ukraine, and around 140,000 Ukrainian nationals remain in the country today — mostly women, children and older people. UNHCR’s response places community-based protection at its centre, working through Community Service Centres, Refugee Councils and the Cities of Solidarity and Peaceful Coexistence initiatives so that displaced people participate meaningfully in decisions that shape their lives.

2026 is a transition year for the operation. Under its Multi-Year Strategy, UNHCR Moldova is progressively handing over Community Service Centres to local public authorities and communities, and transferring selected protection functions to Refugee Councils and refugee-led organisations — supported by mentoring, capacity-building and technical guidance — as the office moves towards a more strategic and advisory role.

The role

As Community-Based Protection Officer, you will help communities in Moldova move from being served to leading. You will strengthen the community structures that identify protection risks and deliver support — Community Service Centres, Refugee Councils and refugee-led organisations — and guide their transition to local ownership through mentoring, training and practical technical advice. You will also lead community-based protection work in the Transnistrian region, where access and coordination require careful, conflict-sensitive approaches. Success looks like community structures that function confidently on their own, referral pathways that hold up in an emergency, and stronger, more trusting relationships between displaced and host communities.

This is a six-month assignment based in Chișinău, Moldova, with regular field missions across the country, including to the Transnistrian region. You will work under the supervision of the Protection Officer and the guidance of the Senior Protection Officer, in close collaboration with protection and operations colleagues.

As the Community-Based Protection Officer, you will take on the following responsibilities:

Role and responsibilities

• Support the sustainability of the Community Service Centre network by strengthening community ownership, deepening the engagement of local public authorities, and contributing to strategic planning for the gradual transition of the centres.

• Strengthen and expand Refugee Councils across Moldova, building their capacity to engage with local and central authorities, establishing systems for information-sharing and exchange of practice between councils, and refining their internal processes and procedures.

• Working with the wider protection team, plan and deliver the transition of selected protection activities to community-based structures, including the training, mentoring and continuous technical guidance that make the handover work.

• Strengthen protection referral pathways so they remain functional during emergencies, and equip community structures to act as first responders to sudden displacement or energy crises.

• Provide technical guidance to partners delivering community-based protection activities, supporting project design and revision, monitoring implementation, and maintaining regular coordination with partners and other stakeholders.

• Lead work to advance community-based protection in the Transnistrian region, identifying opportunities for capacity-building and fostering meaningful engagement with community leaders and structures on the left bank.

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• Lead the community-based element of winterisation and energy-emergency preparedness in the Transnistrian region, coordinating rapid assessment of heating and electricity vulnerabilities, overseeing the distribution of essential household and energy-related supplies, and establishing community-led early warning systems for households at risk during infrastructure failures.

• Support the design and delivery of peaceful coexistence projects across Moldova, ensuring communities and authorities take part at every stage, and — with protection and operations colleagues — help shape potential interventions related to voluntary return.

   

You are encouraged to read the full Terms of Reference (ToR) before submitting your application.

To excel in this role, candidates should possess the following qualifications and skills:

• Six years of relevant experience with an undergraduate degree, five years with a graduate degree, or four years with a doctorate, in community-based protection, community mobilisation, social cohesion, social development or a related field.

• Proven experience working on community-based protection, with a strong background in community mobilisation and community development, including work alongside displaced and host communities.

• Fluency in English with excellent drafting and communication skills, together with fluency in Russian and/or Ukrainian. Working knowledge of Romanian is an asset.

• A good understanding of the Moldovan socio-political context, including the Transnistrian region, is an asset.

• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills, with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders, work independently and as part of a multicultural team, undertake regular field missions including to the Transnistrian region, and work in line with UNHCR’s Code of Conduct and its policy on age, gender and diversity.

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• Please read the attached terms of reference for more details before applying.

Competencies

The main competencies of a NORCAP Expert are:

• Building working relationships

• Planning and organising

• Adaptability

• Resilience

What we offer

In recognition of your expertise and contributions, we provide the following benefits and opportunities:

• Rewarding work for a renowned global organisation

• Access to a network of humanitarian, peace, and development professionals

• A dedicated Staff Care Unit

• Eligible for consideration for NORCAP membership and future assignments, subject to a successful performance review.

Our values and commitment

NORCAP is part of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

All NRC employees are expected to act in accordance with the organisation’s values. Being dedicated, innovative, inclusive, and accountable are behaviours and beliefs that guide how we work and how we build relationships. We are committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, empowered, supported, and a genuine sense of belonging.

NORCAP values diversity, equity, and inclusion and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates. We believe that a diverse workforce strengthens our ability to respond effectively to the needs of people affected by crisis.

NRC has a zero-tolerance stance toward any form of exploitation or abuse, including sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH), and we do not tolerate inaction when concerns arise.

All offers are subject to reference and background checks conducted in line with our safeguarding standards, and NORCAP reserves the right to conduct a full background check on shortlisted candidates.

How to apply

Based on what you have read so far, do you think you could be a good fit? If so, please follow these steps and apply!

• When submitting your application, kindly register in English your full employment history and education. Please include your full name as written in your passport. Uploaded CVs alone will not be reviewed.

• NORCAP reserves the right to conduct a full background check on shortlisted candidates

• Approved Health Certificate will be required prior to contract commencement and assignment

• Feedback will be given to all applicants within four weeks after the closing of this advertisement.

• Apply before 21 August 2026, 11:59PM Central European Time (Oslo, Norway)

   

We look forward to receiving your application!