Programme Officer (Legal and Transitional Justice)

International Organization for Migration

Introduction

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.

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For the purpose of this vacancy, the following are considered first-tier candidates:

1. Internal candidates

2. Candidates from the following non-represented member states:

Bahamas, Barbados, Comoros, Congo (the), Cook Islands, Dominica, Federated States of Micronesia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Holy See, Iceland, Israel, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Namibia, Nauru, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

Second tier candidates include:

All external candidates, except candidates from non-represented member states of IOM.

Context

IOM Iraq s Legal Empowerment and Transitional Justice (LETJ) Unit sits within the Peace, Recovery and Solutions Division (PRSD). The Unit was restructured to merge what were previously two parallel workstreams Legal Empowerment and Transitional Justice into a single operational model organised around three mutually reinforcing pillars: (1) Access to Civic Rights and Justice; (2) Reparations and Justice (System Strengthening); and (3) Participation and Peacebuilding. The Unit operates across projects funded by multiple donors. It is IOM Iraq s dedicated capacity for addressing the justice and rights deficits that condition the feasibility of durable solutions, return, and reintegration across PRSD.

Iraq s access to justice and transitional justice landscape is at an inflection point. Key legislation including the Yazidi Survivors Law (YSL), Law No. 20 on Compensation, the Legal Assistance Law No. 7 of 2024, and draft legislation on international crimes is at different stages of implementation or legislative process. The operational environment is shaped by evolving regional dynamics, fiscal pressure on state institutions, and a shifting donor landscape that requires sustained technical engagement and strategic positioning.

The P3 Programme Officer heads the Unit and is responsible for its strategic direction, technical quality, portfolio management across active projects, donor engagement, and institutional relationships with the Government of Iraq (GoI) and Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The position requires a practitioner with demonstrated experience managing large, multi-donor programmes in complex environments. The position will drive the ongoing harmonisation of the three-pillar architecture while operating at policy, programme management, and field levels simultaneously.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission (COM) in Iraq and direct supervision of the Senior Programme Coordinator (Peacebuilding and Stabilization), and in close coordination with the Regional Thematic Specialist (RTS) at the Regional Office (RO) for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in Cairo and relevant Divisions/Departments/Units at Headquarters (HQ), the Programme Officer (Legal Empowerment and Transitional Justice) will be responsible for managing, coordinating, and overseeing the activities of the Legal Empowerment and Transitional Justice programme.

Education

• Master s degree in Law, International Law, Human Rights, Transitional Justice, Political Science, International Relations, or a related field from an accredited institution, with five years of relevant professional experience; or,
• University degree in the above fields with seven years of relevant professional experience.
  

Experience

• Experience in legal empowerment, transitional justice, rule of law, human rights, or access to justice programming in conflict-affected or post-conflict settings;

• Demonstrated experience managing multi-donor, multi-project portfolios with budgets exceeding USD 2 million, including programme design, implementation, monitoring, and donor reporting;

• Direct experience with reparations frameworks, survivor-centred justice processes, or institutional capacity building for justice-sector reform;

• Experience working with government counterparts at national and sub-national levels on legislative, policy, or procedural reform related to justice, documentation, or reparations;

• Experience supervising diverse, geographically dispersed teams, including national staff, in complex operational environments;

• Experience in Iraq or comparable Middle East/post-conflict contexts is a distinct advantage; and,

• Experience with collective reparations, memorialization, missing persons processes, or mass-grave documentation is a distinct advantage.

Skills

• Knowledge of UN and bilateral donor programming;

• Demonstrated analytical, writing, and policy drafting skills, with demonstrated ability to produce technical briefs, concept notes, legal analyses, and donor reports to a high standard;

• Ability to operate at the intersection of policy, programming, and field operations translating strategic objectives into operational plans and vice versa; and,

• Demonstrated capacity to engage with senior government officials, judiciary, donors, and UN leadership on politically sensitive and technically complex issues.