Junior Trade and Job Creation Officer

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) aims to ensure that migration is humane and orderly, delivering benefits for both migrants and society. It adopts a comprehensive, development-oriented approach to fully realize the positive potential of migration.

The organization works with its partners in the international community to assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration, advance understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. By delivering holistic and systemic support, IOM integrates this methodology into its operations at global, regional, and national levels, as outlined by its Global Strategic Plan. Effective management of human mobility and the establishment of regular migration pathways can significantly contribute to sustainable development, prosperity, and progress, a reality acknowledged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). This vision is also reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), the United Nations Secretary General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement, and various other thematic frameworks and instruments. As the world heads into a post-2030 future, IOM is also committed to ensuring that the nexus between migration and sustainable development can be leveraged to bolster people’s resilience to significant changes including climate change, demographic shifts, urbanisation, and digitalisation

In Rwanda, where job creation and skills development are national priorities, IOM is supporting sustainable development by leveraging migration, trade, and labour mobility. Through a three-year cross-border trade programme, IOM aims to translate regional frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) into tangible socio-economic benefits, particularly for small-scale cross-border traders who face policy, financial, and digital barriers. Additionally, IOM’s Labour Mobility and Inclusion division is promoting job creation and skills development, focusing on youth and the informal sector, which comprises over 90% of Rwanda’s workforce. The UN Volunteer will contribute to project implementation activities related to trade and migration, and will support project development, implementation, and reporting on activities related to job creation, with a particular focus on youth. She/he will also be expected to identify and strengthen linkages between these two objectives, while ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable and at risk of being left behind, are properly considered.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission (CoM) and direct supervision of the Head of Programmes, and in coordination with relevant Project Managers, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Provide support to the Head of Programmes and SDG Officer in implementing a three-year project on cross-border trade
• Assist in providing research, analytical, and project development support on matters related to trade, including in relation to trade policies, regulations, and legislations, and to strengthening Rwanda’s integration into a larger trade corridor throughout the Great Rift Valley
• Support liaison between IOM and relevant partners working in the trade and job creation sectors, including other UN entities, the private sector, and trade and labour organizations
• Support in identifying and strengthening potential synergies between different units in the mission, including the Immigration Border Governance (IBG) unit and the Labour and Mobility Inclusion (LMI) unit, and to identify job creation opportunities for youth in the trade sector
• Assist in conducting research on the policy landscape and existing gaps related to job creation and youth in Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET), and support IOM in implementing the roll-out of the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just transitions in Rwanda, in close collaboration with International Labour Organization (ILO)
• In coordination with the Programme Support Unit (PSU), support with project development, implementation, and reporting as needed, with a particular focus on providing reporting support to the Labour Mobility and Inclusion (LMI) Unit
• Comply with IOM’s rules, regulations, and policies, and relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Perform other such duties as may be assigned