National Officer (Government Liaison)

Classification: NO-B

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

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date : 1 February 2021

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission (CoM) in Ukraine and direct supervision of the Policy, Liaison, and Programme Development (PLPD) Coordinator and, in collaboration with relevant units within the Mission, Regional Office in Vienna, Austria, the successful candidate will be responsible and accountable for liaison functions between IOM and the Government of Ukraine.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

• Keep track of evolving issues concerning migration in Ukraine. Ensure that the Country Office is informed of local and international developments which may have a political or operational impact on the relations with the Government; Keeps Senior Management Team (SMT) abreast of any development in relation to these.
• In close coordination with the PLPD Coordinator, identifies, establishes, and maintains working relations with officials of the Government of Ukraine (GoU) at the central and local level, as well as with the Parliament of Ukraine (supports specific working groups and committees of interest to IOM).
• Support advocacy actions of IOM Ukraine with GoU officials and Parliament on key topics of migration management in Ukraine, regional and global level (including the Global Compact on Migration) and IOM policies and programmatic interventions.
• Identifies obstacles/ challenges in cooperation with any GoU entity/institution and proactively proposes actions to address the concerns to the PLPD Coordinator and to SMT; follows up on jointly agreed actions.
• Through frequent exchanges with GoU officials, identifies the needs and opportunities for advancing migration management policy, legal and institutional frameworks in Ukraine; present these opportunities during SMT meetings and follow up on agreed actions as advised by PLPD Coordinator, and Deputy Chief of Mission.
• Assists in development and implementation of specific IOM initiatives that respond to GoU request for support to advance policy, legal and institutional framework on migration, by facilitating exchanges between IOM and all involved GoU stakeholders as, and when advised by PLPD Coordinator and Deputy Chief of Mission.
• Regularly updates PLPD Unit and SMT on the outcomes of discussions with government authorities and other stakeholders on various issues.
• Supports the efforts of GoU to report on the implementation of international legal framework on migration (conventions) as well as regional and/or global cooperation frameworks on migration (such as GCM) through, drafting of specific inputs, reviewing of draft reports.
• Supports the efforts of the PLPD Unit in designing and implementing capacity enhancement initiatives for GoU and other stakeholders on effective migration management (such as training courses, exchange visits, etc).
• Keep abreast Senior Management Team of challenges posed by the political context, developments with the Government and issues related to humanitarian and development processes in Ukraine through verbal and written communication.
• Drafts correspondence and reports as required by PLPD Coordinator and assist in the drafting briefing notes, background materials, talking points, fact sheets, as required.
• Supervises and coordinates work of assigned staff to ensure highest level performance. Contribute to building capacity of staff working under the PLPD Unit.
• Performs such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience

 Education

Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Social Sciences, Law and International Relations from an accredited academic institution with at least four years of relevant professional experience

OR

Master’s Degree in above-mentioned field with at least two years of professional work experience

Experience 

Very good understanding of migration governance issues in Ukraine, migration policy and legislation and its application;

Extensive experience in liaison work with government entities, as well as other actors (civil society, private sector, academia, etc);  

Sound knowledge of government institutions at the central and local level;

An overall understanding of the work of the Parliament and its commissions;

Good understanding of the political climate in Ukraine.

Skills

Ability to establish effective working relations in a multicultural team environment.

Excellent interpersonal skills.

Excellent analytical and organizational skills.

Excellent computer/information systems skills.

Resourcefulness, initiative, and maturity of judgment.

Languages

Fluency in English, Ukrainian (oral and written) is required; Russian is desirable.

For more information on the competencies, please follow the link: https://www.iom.org.ua/en/vacancies

Other

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment and security clearance.

A prerequisite for taking up the position is legal residency in the country of the duty station and work permit, as applicable.

How to apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications on IOM Personal History Form (http://iom.org.ua/en/personal_history or iom.org.ua/sites/default/files/personal_history_form_0.xls) and a cover letter illustrating their interest and skills/working experience related to the required position to [адрес скрыт]

Closing date for applications is 1 February 2021 at the latest, referring to this advertisement in the subject line of your message.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.