VN 2024 575 Senior Migration Governance and Policy Support Officer (P4) Geneva, Switzerland

Position Title: Senior Migration Governance and Policy Support Officer

Job Code: VN 2024 575

Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade P4

Type of Appointment: Fixed term, one year with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 10 October 2024

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

Context:

Within the Policy, Knowledge and Research Division (PKR), the Policy Support and Coordination Unit (PSCU) serves as the institutional focal point for supporting and promoting good migration governance in line with IOM’s mandate and Strategic Plan to advance IOM’s key priorities of saving lives, driving solutions to displacement and facilitating regular migration. PSCU contributes to these three IOM strategic objectives both directly and by supporting several strategic enablers.

PSCU does so in the context of the global frameworks, notably the 2030 Agenda and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, supporting governments in the development and review of their migration-related policies and institutional frameworks. An important component of this work is PSCU’s representation of IOM as a key member of the UN Network on Migration’s Executive Committee. Within the PSCU, the Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) team manages the MGI, a flagship programme to support governments make evidence-based improvements to their migration management systems and thereby advance good migration governance.

Under the overall supervision of the Director of PKR and the direct supervision of the Head of the PSCU, the Senior Migration Governance and Policy Support Officer will oversee and manage the development and implementation of the MGI programme, as well as the delivery of wider IOM migration policy and governance support to governments, local and regional authorities, and other external stakeholders. Leading the PSCU migration policy support programmes and initiatives in line with the IOM Strategic Plan, the incumbent will contribute to other main PSCU workstreams: 1) policy capacity development; 2) fostering IOM’s role as a leading global authority on migration; and 3) enhancing partnerships and promoting migration diplomacy and dialogue. The role necessitates close coordination with relevant Departments and Regional, Sub-regional and Country Offices, as well as global programmes to support migration policy development, implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the GCM, the Action Agenda for Internal Displacement, and other key frameworks relevant to migration governance.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

1. Promote strategic, joined-up and forward-looking approaches to the delivery of IOM’s support to governments and partners with respect to policy development and review, including by overseeing the application of the Migration Policy Pulse and spearheading the design, coordination and realization of IOM’s Policy Agenda.
2. Provide guidance to IOM Offices, Departments, Divisions, Country and Regional Offices on delivering advice and support to governments and other external stakeholders on developing sound and coherent migration policies and governance systems, as well as on mainstreaming migration and mobility into sectoral policies, in support of good migration governance, including to facilitate GCM implementation, the 2030 Agenda, the Action Agenda for Internal Displacement and other key frameworks relevant to migration governance.
3. Effectively manage the flagship IOM policy and governance programme, MigrationGovernance Indicators (MGI), ensuring appropriate compliance with IOM administrative policies and donor requirements and setting the overall strategic direction for all MGI workstreams as part of the organizational effort to deliver quality and timely policy and migration governance support to governments.
4. Oversee IOM programming pertaining to overarching migration policy activities and mainstreaming of migration and mobility into development, while promoting coherence with thematic policy support provided by other parts of IOM HQ, as well as Regional, Sub-regional and Country Offices.
5. Ensure ongoing relevance and enhance impacts of IOM’s policy support programmes and tools, including through further development of the MGI programme, promoting innovation, establishing synergies with other programmes and IOM initiatives, and developing new partnerships.
6. Spearhead collection, management, sharing and analysis of data and insights on migration policies, in particular from the MGI programme, to inform learning, innovation and strategic planning within IOM, and making such knowledge available beyond IOM where appropriate.
7. Ensure strategic communication of IOM’s policy and governance support and its impacts, including effective dissemination of MGI results and their analysis, both within IOM and externally.
8. Establish and maintain strong partnerships and liaise with government entities, diplomatic missions and donors as well as with implementing partners, UN agencies and other stakeholders; and lead resource mobilization, including through the development of new proposals and operational frameworks, proposing and advocating for the establishment of joint programmes, in coordination with other IOM Departments and Offices.
9. Promote knowledge management and exchange on migration policy and governance, including through the establishment and maintenance of relevant communities of practice, facilitating peer exchange and organization-wide sharing, consolidation and use of relevant learnings, information and tools notably through Regional Policy Peer- exchanges (REPEX).
10. Effectively represent IOM externally with counterparts at senior working level.
11. Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in International Development Studies, Political Science, Sociology or a related field from an accredited academic institution with at least seven years of relevant professional experience; or
• University degree in the above fields with nine years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Extensive experience in the field of migration, including in policymaking, policy dialogue, international diplomacy and/or multilateral cooperation;
• Sound knowledge of migration governance and strategic migration policy issues, including Migration Governance Indicators and Migration Governance Framework (MiGOF);
• Track record of supporting governments, international organizations and other stakeholders to understand and address migration policy challenges;
• Experience managing projects and programmes with a clear focus on informing and supporting sound migration policy development;
• Experience in resource mobilization and donor engagement;
• Extensive experience in liaising with governmental authorities, other national/ international institutions, entities of the United Nations, civil society and international organizations, and academic and private sectors;
• Proven organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize simultaneous critical tasks, manage resources effectively and supervise staff; ;
• Solid experience in project development, including proposal/report writing;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and harmoniously in a team of colleagues of varied cultural and professional backgrounds;
• Maturity of judgement to ensure appropriate handling of sensitive issues;
• High sense of responsibility and motivation, and proven ability to deliver quality to set deadlines; and,
• IT proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as experience with virtual co-working tools.

Skills

• Expertise across the breadth of processes and issues related to policy development and migration governance, and a capacity to apply this to a range of contexts and situations;
• Excellent communication skills, including presentation and facilitation skills;
• Excellent relationship-building skills and extensive experience in external representation and liaison, including at high-level, with diverse stakeholders, such as governments, UN partners, civil society and the private sector;
• Proven analytical skills and strategic thinking, including demonstrated ability to appropriately position one’s work within wider organizational context and in support of institutional priorities;
• Proven organizational skills, including the ability to manage programmes with long and short-term priorities;
• Maturity of judgement to ensure appropriate handling of sensitive issues;
• Proven ability to work effectively and harmoniously within a team of colleagues from varied cultures and professional backgrounds;
• High sense of responsibility and motivation; and
• IT proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish. All staff members are required to be fluent in one of the three languages.

For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).