Program Officer, Missing Migrants

Vacancy Notice

Program Officer, Missing Migrants

Ref. Nr. 059/2017

Location:                                                            The Hague, the Netherlands

Start of Contract:                                              1 February 2018 (8-month contract with possibility of extension)

Category of Staff:                                              Professional position, (E5) eligible for expatriate allowances

Organization profile

Every year, millions of people around the world go missing as a result of conflict, human rights abuses, disasters, organized crime, irregular migration, and other causes.  Be part of a growing international organization that is dedicated to tackling this global challenge.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) is a treaty-based international organization with headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands.  Its mandate is to secure the cooperation of governments and others in locating and identifying missing persons. As the only international organization tasked exclusively to work on the issue of missing persons, ICMP maintains field programs throughout the world.  To learn more about ICMP click here.

Missing Migrant Program

More than 5,000 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2016, and fatalities in 2017 have been at a comparable level. Families of these migrants are routinely left without news of their relative’s fate. Children who are separated from family members are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation. The uncertainty and pain experienced by thousands of families in countries of origin and in Europe as a result of insufficient investigative and cooperative capacities underpin the urgent necessity to address this problem and set in place effective remedial measures. ICMP's Missing Migrants Program aims to strengthen the capacity of authorities in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Malta, and, over the longer term, in other countries, to locate and identify up to 10,000 persons who have gone missing as a result of migration across the Mediterranean.

Position Background

The principal duties of the Program Officer within the Missing Migrants Program are to:

• Draft and coordinate the project implementation plan ensuring objectives are met in accordance with established timeline;
• Plan, organize and facilitate meetings related to the High-Level Forum, Inter-Agency Committee on Missing Persons and other meetings among key stakeholders with the goal of establishing a joint operational mechanism to investigate the fate of missing migrants;
• Interview families of missing migrants, unaccompanied minors and other survivors, and officials of international organizations to gather contextual information to be used in the mapping of national and regional processes;
• Design and implement a mapping of national and regional processes on missing migrants;
• Draft reports, correspondence and other material necessary for the program;
• Improve the capacities of female leaders to participate in rule-of-law and human rights activities in seeking information about missing migrant family members;
• Support and organize the efforts of ICMP staff to improve the capacity of domestic authorities to manage and process data in a unified system; and
• Undertake other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• University degree in Political Science, International Affairs, International Law, Refugee & Migrant studies, or Human Rights Law;
• Minimum 5 years professional related experience;
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English with at least professional-level ability to work in one or more of the target countries. Fluency in more than one Mediterranean language is highly desirable;
• Proven experience organizing and facilitating events at senior policymaking level;
• Proven experience in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships;
• Experience working in diverse cultural backgrounds, and capacity to interact with people from all levels of society, as well as experience in mainstreaming gender in program planning;
• Experience working within the region is essential;
• Outstanding etiquette and professional demeanor.

Additional requirements:

• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel and Power Point;
• Proven ability to interact positively with colleagues regardless of culture, nationality or gender;
• Willingness to travel frequently and at short notice, ability to work flexible hours including weekends and evenings, when necessary; and
• Commitment to the underlying objective of assisting the authorities and families of the missing in locating and identifying missing persons in an impartial and transparent manner.

HOW TO APPLY: If you are interested in this position, please click on APPLY below, visit our website and send us your application by email. Send a Curriculum Vitae with cover letter and three work-related references. Please state the vacancy number in the subject line.

APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: Review of applications begins on 2 January 2018. However, the position will remain open until a suitable candidate is selected.

ICMP is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity. We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.