Senior Program Associate (Protection) - 2 positions

Position Title: Senior Program Associate (Protection) - 2 positions Duty Station City: Caracas Duty Station Country: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Grade: UG Contract Type: Special Short-Term Recruiting Type: General Service Vacancy Type: Special Vacancy Notice Initial duration: until 31 december 2026 (renewable) Introduction Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations and the leading UN agency in the field of migration. Working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, IOM promotes humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It saves lives and protects people on the move, drives solutions to displacement, and facilitates pathways for regular migration, while providing services and advice to governments and migrants. IOM is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace where all employees can thrive professionally and feel valued. By creating such an environment, IOM aims to better harness the full potential of migration and strengthen its support to people on the move. IOM invites candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply and provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process when required. Learn more about IOM’s workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration Internal and external candidates will be considered for this vacancy. For the purposes of this vacancy, internal candidates are defined as staff members holding a regular, fixed-term or short-term graded or ungraded contract, including Junior Professional Officers (JPOs), staff on Special Leave Without Pay (SLWOP), UN Volunteers with at least twelve (12) months of continuous service in IOM, and staff members on secondment/loan released by the Organization, unless otherwise specified in their contract. Staff members holding a regular, fixed-term or short-term graded contract will not retain their contract type if appointed to an ungraded position. Organizational Context and Scope Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission and the direct supervision of the Protection Officer, and in close coordination with relevant programme units, the Regional Office and Headquarters as appropriate, the Senior Programme Associate (Protection) will support the overall coordination, planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of IOM Venezuela’s protection and humanitarian programming. Following the devastating earthquakes of 24 June 2026 that affected Caracas (Capital District), La Guaira, Miranda and surrounding states, causing widespread infrastructure damage, population displacement and the declaration of a state of emergency, IOM Venezuela is implementing a multisectoral humanitarian response to ensure timely access to life-saving assistance. Within this framework, the Protection Unit delivers interventions aimed at preventing, mitigating and responding to protection risks affecting displaced and earthquake-affected populations, with particular attention to women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Activities include community-based protection, protection mainstreaming, information and awareness campaigns, accountability to affected populations, prevention of gender-based violence, child protection, family reunification support and access to specialized services through established referral pathways. The Senior Programme Associate will provide operational, programmatic and administrative oversight to the implementation of protection activities and related projects, ensuring compliance with IOM regulations, donor requirements and humanitarian standards. The incumbent will supervise programme support personnel and field teams, coordinate work planning and activity implementation, monitor budgets and workplans, support donor reporting processes, strengthen partnerships with implementing partners and authorities, and contribute to quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation, information management and resource mobilization efforts. The incumbent will promote the integration of protection principles, AAP, PSEA, safeguarding, disability inclusion and data protection across programme activities and ensure timely delivery of project results. Coordinate and monitor the implementation of protection projects and activities, ensuring that targets, timelines, budgets and quality standards are achieved. Support the development, revision and monitoring of project workplans, procurement plans, spending plans and implementation schedules. Supervise and provide guidance to Protection Associates, programme support staff, consultants and field teams, ensuring effective performance and quality delivery. Monitor programme expenditures and support budget tracking, financial forecasting and expenditure verification in coordination with Resource Management staff. Support the preparation of donor reports, project updates, situation reports, concept notes, project proposals and other programme documentation. Coordinate the collection, consolidation and analysis of programme data, indicators, beneficiary information and activity results for monitoring and reporting purposes. Ensure that programme activities comply with IOM policies, donor regulations, protection principles, AAP, PSEA, safeguarding and data protection standards. Liaise with implementing partners, community structures, local authorities, UN agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders to facilitate effective programme implementation and coordination. Contribute to project design, needs assessments, response planning and development of new programme initiatives. Support the development and implementation of monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) activities, including field monitoring and quality assurance exercises. Review and validate implementing partner reports, activity documentation and supporting evidence to ensure compliance and accuracy. Identify operational challenges, implementation risks and bottlenecks and propose corrective actions to improve programme performance. Support capacity-building initiatives for staff, partners and community actors on protection programming, protection mainstreaming, AAP, PSEA, disability inclusion and related topics. Participate in inter-agency coordination mechanisms, technical working groups and humanitarian forums as required. Prepare briefing materials, presentations and analytical summaries for management, donors and coordination meetings. Assist with other tasks, as needed. Required Qualifications and Experience Education Bachelor’s degree in development studies, political sciences, social sciences, gender studies, law, human rights, public administration, project management or other relevant field from an accredited academic institution with five years of relevant professional experience; or, High school diploma with seven years of experience. Master’s degree in the above-mentioned fields is an added advantage. Accredited Universities are those listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database. Experience Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian, protection, migration, recovery or development programming. Experience supporting general protection, community-based protection and MHPSS child protection (CP), and gender-based violence (GBV) activities, including direct work with beneficiaries. Experience coordinating multi-sectoral projects funded by institutional donors. Experience supporting programme management, project monitoring, reporting, budgeting and implementation oversight. Experience supervising staff, consultants, volunteers or field teams. Experience coordinating with government counterparts, UN agencies, NGOs, community organizations and implementing partners. Experience preparing donor reports, workplans, budgets and project proposals. Demonstrated experience in information management, data analysis and results-based management. Experience suppor