Senior Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Associate

Link to original job advertisement

Context

Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) is an indispensable part of a comprehensive approach to migration management, aiming to support the orderly and humane return and reintegration of migrants who are unwilling to remain in host or transit countries and wish to return voluntarily to their countries of origin.

Under the supervision of the Migrant Protection and Assistance Officer as Head of Unit, the incumbent will oversee the provision of counselling services to migrants by the AVRR team, provide direct counselling to sensitive cases, and advise partner agencies and other institutions concerned on voluntary return and reintegration activities.

Core Functions / Responsibilities

1. Supervise the work of the AVRR team, including the distribution of tasks, organization of working schedules, staff evaluation, trainings, and the administration of leave requests and back-up systems;
2. Assist the Head of Unit in coordinating and implementing the voluntary return and reintegration activities in Belgium as well as in the Countries of Origin (CoOs), ensuring that support to requesting migrants is provided in line with the project’s logical framework and plan of action;
3. Coordinate reintegration assistance both with partners in Belgium as with IOM Missions in CoOs, drafting Standard Operating Procedures, providing guidance, direction and support to the reintegration counsellors and other project staff;
4. Monitor the efficient and effective handling of all cases until satisfactory completion of activities;
5. Strengthen IOM capacity to provide daily counselling to potential candidates in Belgium on existing voluntary return projects and, when applicable, on available reintegration opportunities in the CoOs of the candidates;
6. Coordinate the feedback to partners and counterparts about the monitoring of the reintegration of returnees in the CoOs, and to provide correct and realistic feedback of the strengths and limits of AVRR programming;
7. Ensure a proper complaints mechanism is in place and accessible, and that all complaints, related to the AVRR programming, are handled in a timely and effective manner;
8. Coordinate and communicate information on AVRR related activities towards internal and external partners, prepare reports, briefing materials, background information, narrative and statistical reports as required;
9. Keep abreast of internal and external developments in the field of AVRR and share assessment of potential impact on IOM support to migrants with the Head of Unit;
10. Assist in delivering information sessions on AVRR to stakeholders likely to be in touch with potential beneficiaries;
11. Maintain and promote good working relations with embassies and consulates to collect information and promote cooperation with a view to facilitate the issuance of travel and/or visas;
12. Assist in establishing technical information on each country’s procedures and specifics (travel documents, visas, etc.) to compile and update Country Information Sheets to be posted on IOM’s website;
13. Assist in the preparation and implementation of possible future activities, including preparation of project narratives and budgets;
14. Undertake field visits to project sites, as required;
15. Perform other relevant duties as may be assigned by the supervisor
16. Perform any other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

• University degree in International Relations, Law, Social, Political or Economic Sciences, Social Work, Migration or Development Studies or a related field from an accredited academic institution with four years of relevant professional experience;

or

• Completed High School degree from an accredited academic institution, with six years of relevant professional experience;

Experience and skills

• Experience in (IOM) AVRR projects, including counselling, planning and monitoring of reintegration assistance;
• Experience providing direct assistance to migrant populations;
• Experience with multi-country, multi-partner projects is an advantage;
• In depth knowledge of the broad range of migration related subject areas dealt with by the Organization;
• Demonstrated proficiency in the use of Office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and data analysis;
• Knowledge of IOM’s financial rules and regulations;
• Strong drafting, writing, and reporting skills.

Languages

Fluency in English, French and Dutch is required.