Project Officer - Livelihood (UG)

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), UN Volunteers with at least twelve (12) months of continuous service in IOM, staff on Special Leave Without Pay (SLWOP), 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.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission, and direct supervision of Programme Officer (Transition and Recovery Division) in close coordination with the other IOM internal units incumbent will be responsible and accountable for providing technical inputs, management, and coordination and oversight of IOM’s livelihood activities in Cambodia.

IOM Cambodia implements integrated recovery and stabilization programmes in border provinces affected by displacement, return, and mobility. These programmes aim to support sustainable livelihoods, strengthen local economic resilience, and facilitate reintegration in return and host communities. IOM promotes community-centred, market-informed, and conflict-sensitive interventions that support income generation, small enterprise development, and early recovery initiatives, while aligning with national development priorities and local governance structures.

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Officer (Transition and Recovery Division), and in close coordination with the National Project Officer based in the Country Office, the Project Officer will lead programme planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and stakeholder engagement of project livelihood components. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing technical and operational support across priority return and displacement areas under the Community Transition and Recovery Programme, with a focus on livelihoods, economic recovery, and community resilience initiatives. The successful candidate will lead the planning and implementation of livelihood assistance, community recovery activities, cash-for-work and labor-intensive initiatives, and capacity-building support for staff, partners, local authorities, and affected communities. In addition, the incumbent will lead field-level engagement through livelihoods assessments, stakeholder coordination, monitoring, and quality assurance to strengthen programme delivery in complex field settings. The position requires strong programme management, coordination, budgeting, and technical support skills.

1. Lead the strategic planning of livelihoods approaches, identifying priority areas and opportunities to address the economic and social needs of return and border communities, while ensuring alignment with IOM’s objectives and national development priorities.

2. Planning livelihoods programmes, including community-based infrastructure and livelihoods interventions, coordinating with field teams, national staff, and implementing partners, and providing technical guidance to ensure interventions are well-structured, context-informed, and aligned with programme objectives.
3. Translate strategic plans into actionable insights by assessing market opportunities, community needs, and vulnerabilities, providing the evidence base to guide programme design and needs assessments. 
4. Facilitate community-based engagement by working closely with local authorities, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders, ensuring programmes are inclusive and responsive to the needs of return communities with attention on women, youth, and marginalized populations.
5. Coordinate closely with relevant programme units, including Shelter and Infrastructure, Social Cohesion, and Protection, to ensure integrated, and community-based approaches in the planning and implementation of recovery and livelihoods interventions. Support cross-unit collaboration, information sharing, referral mechanisms, and joint field activities to strengthen programme coherence and maximize impact for affected communities.
6. Lead the rollout of programme activities, ensuring effective implementation through detailed activity planning, budgeting, and resource allocation to ensure interventions are feasible, cost-effective, and aligned with programme objectives.
7. Monitor programme implementation, track outputs, outcomes, and community feedback, oversee partner and service provider performance, and develop monitoring frameworks, tools, and guidance to support data collection, reporting, and evidence-based adaptive management.
8. Provide mentorship and capacity building to national staff and partners to strengthen technical and operational skills in livelihoods programming, including the development and use of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and monitoring tools to ensure quality and consistency in programme delivery.
9. Develop and set up mechanisms to ensure accountability to affected populations, including transparent processes, grievance and feedback systems, adherence to protection and conflict-sensitivity standards, and coordination with other projects and programme teams to maintain consistency and promote programme coherence 
10. Identify and mitigate operational, security, and reputational risks, ensuring compliance with IOM policies, donor requirements, and international standards, while aligning interventions with mission’s conflict analysis, applying conflict-sensitive approaches, and lead programme modification when needed. 
11. Represent IOM in relevant coordination forums, meetings, and stakeholder consultations, advocating for livelihoods and economic recovery priorities and promoting cross-sectoral collaboration.
12. Prepare and consolidate start-up progress updates and activity reports for donor monthly and quarterly donor reporting requirements, and provide timely inputs to programme manager and mission outreach products. 

13. Perform any other duties as may be assigned.

• Master’s degree in Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with two years of professional experience; or,
• University degree in the above fields with four years of relevant professional experience.

Accredited Universities are those listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database.

• At least five years of relevant professional experience in livelihoods, economic recovery, transition and recovery, or community stabilization programmes, preferably in displacement-affected or post-crisis settings;
• Experience in designing and implementing livelihood interventions, including cash-for-work, labor-intensive activities, small business support, vocational skills, or community resilience initiatives;
• Experience in coordinating with government counterparts, communities, and partners, as well as conducting livelihoods or market assessments, monitoring programme activities, and supporting field-level recovery operations;
• Experience in programme management, community engagement, and field-based assessments, including coordination with government authorities, CBOs, and implementing partners in return and IDP contexts; and,
• Experience working in South and/or Southeast Asia preferred.

• Skills in programme implementation, monitoring, budgeting, and reporting;
• Strong coordination and stakeholder engagement skills;
• Experience in livelihoods and market assessments;
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills in multicultural environments;
• Excellent knowledge of the IOM project management cycle;
• Good knowledge of UN and bilateral donor programming; and,
• Ability to write and speak clearly and concisely in English.

All IOM staff members in all categories are required to be fluent in one of the IOM's official languages (English, French, Spanish).

At least a working knowledge of another language (including one of the six official UN languages, and/or a language that may be widely spoken in the country context) is desirable.

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.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile. Please refer to this link for guidance on IOM Job Category. Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

Appointment will be subject to all clearances, including medical and security as well as accreditation, any residency or visa requirements. Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.

IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and any forms of discrimination. IOM is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

IOM conducts reference checks and background verification, including through system wide databases such as ClearCheck, to help ensure that candidates have no record of misconduct, including on sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, or fraud. Candidates are expected to uphold these standards and principles at all times.

IOM does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process—whether for application, interview, processing, training, or otherwise—and does not request any information related to bank accounts.

IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM WAVE system (for internal candidates link here). The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For further information and other job postings, you are welcome to visit our website: IOM Careers and Job Vacancies