Reintegration Officer

March 1, 2026

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

H (no hardship)

FamilyUNOPS IICA2

2026-04-01Title: Reintegration Officer
Duty station: Geneva
Section/Unit: Sustainable Responses Service (SRS)
ICA Level: IICA - 2
Duration: from 01/04/2026 to 31/12/2026

1. General Background

UNHCR supports refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in achieving sustainable solutions, including reintegration and local integration, through approaches that bridge humanitarian action with long-term development and peacebuilding efforts. Sustainable reintegration is understood as a multi-dimensional, area-based and rights-centred process that enables returnees to progressively regain socio-economic self-reliance, access essential services, and participate fully in the social, economic and civic life of their communities, without discrimination and on an equal footing with nationals.

Reintegration efforts are deeply embedded within the political, socio-economic, institutional and development contexts of countries of return and require coordinated engagement with national and local authorities, development partners, international financial institutions (IFIs), UN agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector. Aligning reintegration interventions with national development frameworks, sectoral strategies, and public investment plans is critical to ensuring sustainability, scalability and government ownership, while reducing dependency on humanitarian assistance.

Effective reintegration and local integration contribute to peaceful coexistence, social cohesion, economic recovery and long-term stability for displaced populations and host communities alike. In line with the humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus, UNHCR promotes solutions-oriented responses that leverage development financing, policy reform, and private sector engagement to expand access to livelihoods, infrastructure, services, housing, land and property (HLP), and social protection systems for returnees and host communities.

UNHCR has recently issued updated Operational Guidelines on Reintegration, replacing the 2004 Handbook for Repatriation and Reintegration Activities and complementing the Operational Guidelines on Voluntary Repatriation. These guidelines emphasize a whole-of-society approach in countries of origin, highlighting the importance of integrated, multi-sectoral and area-based interventions, social cohesion, and strong partnerships with governments, development actors, IFIs, NGOs, local actors and the private sector. The guidelines provide practical tools to support field operations in advancing sustainable reintegration outcomes that are embedded within national development plans and aligned with global frameworks, including the Sustainable Responses approaches, the Global Compact on Refugees and commitments made at the Global Refugee Forum.

The Reintegration Officer, based within the Sustainable Responses Service (SRS), will report to the Head of the Self-Reliance and Economic Inclusion Unit and will play a key role in strengthening UNHCR’s technical leadership, partnerships and operational capacity to advance sustainable reintegration and inclusion of (refugee and IDP) returnees within national development processes.


2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment

• Support the implementation of UNHCR’s updated reintegration guidelines, with the objective of equipping country operations and partners to design and deliver sustainable, development-aligned reintegration programming for returnees.

• Provide technical guidance and strategic advice to country operations on sustainable reintegration approaches, including the integration of returnees into national and sub-national development plans, sector strategies, and service delivery systems. This includes promoting solutions that strengthen access to secure housing, land and property (HLP), livelihoods, essential services, and social protection, as critical enablers of durable solutions, in line with global frameworks, UNHCR policies, and findings from internal and external evaluations.

• Actively contribute to the development of comprehensive solutions and (re)integration strategies at country, regional and global levels, including through UNHCR-led and inter-agency processes. This includes engaging and connecting key actors globally to country level initiatives; in joint planning exercises, area-based and community-based approaches, as well as collective outcomes under the HDP nexus to ensure reintegration responses are sustainable, inclusive and context-specific.

• A key component of the role will be to strengthen UNHCR’s engagement with development partners, IFIs, bilateral donors, UN development agencies and the private sector. This includes supporting country operations to identify opportunities for collaboration, co-financing and policy engagement that advance the inclusion of refugee returnees into national development frameworks, public investment programmes, and economic systems. The incumbent will support efforts to leverage development financing instruments, private sector partnerships and innovative funding mechanisms to scale up reintegration and inclusion outcomes.

• In collaboration with other relevant technical focal points in SRS and the Division of International Protection and Solutions (DIPS), analyze national development plans, United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCFs), sectoral policies and government-led initiatives to identify entry points for UNHCR engagement in support of sustainable reintegration and returnee inclusion. The role includes advising on how reintegration priorities can be effectively mainstreamed into development planning processes and coordinated with government counterparts and development actors.

• Support Regional Bureaux and country offices in fulfilling commitments made at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF), including providing guidance on the implementation of pledges related to sustainable refugee return, reintegration and local integration. Particular emphasis will be placed on translating multi-stakeholder pledges—such as those related to secure housing, land and property rights—into operational, development-linked actions, while also supporting the mobilization of new and broader solutions-oriented commitments.

• Support efforts to engage and collaborate closely with the Global Protection and Global Shelter, Land and Site Coordination Clusters to ensure humanitarian responses are solutions-oriented and effectively lay the groundwork for durable solutions.

• Support the systematic collection, analysis and dissemination of promising practices, lessons learned and evidence across regions on sustainable reintegration, local integration of refugees, returnees and IDPs. The incumbent will contribute to the development of UNHCR’s global guidance, internal roadmaps and frameworks on solutions, as applicable.

• Design, organize and facilitate capacity-building initiatives—including trainings, workshops and webinars—and develop technical resources to strengthen the capacity of UNHCR staff and partners on sustainable reintegration, development engagement, and the mainstreaming of rights-based and inclusion-focused approaches.

In addition to the above, one day per week, the Reintegration Officer will be based at the UN Global Solutions Hub on Internal Displacement offices and will provide targeted technical and advisory support to Resident Coordinator Offices (RCOs) and Durable Solutions Working Groups. Responsibilities will include participation, as required, in field support missions and the provision of remote advisory services to support the application of durable solutions approaches in IDP contexts. This will involve assisting country teams to integrate IDPs into national and sub-national development plans, as well as supporting country operations in identifying co-financing opportunities and policy engagement pathways within public investment programmes, innovative financing mechanisms, and projects supported by regional and international financial institutions. The incumbent will draw on proven and innovative practices from refugee reintegration and solutions contexts, systematically adapting and disseminating these approaches to inform IDP solutions advisory services. The assignment will strengthen cross-fertilization between refugee and IDP responses, enhance complementarity across relevant frameworks, and promote the application of tested, context-appropriate solutions across the IDP Solutions Hub’s work.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls
• Reintegration strategies developed or updated.
• Reintegration priorities integrated into country operation plans.
• Monitoring reports and analytical products produced.
• Capacity-building activities delivered.
• Mission support to country operations as required.

4. Qualifications and Experience

a. Education
• Advanced university degree in economics, development studies, political science, policy studies or a related field.

b. Work Experience
• At least 6 years of relevant experience with Bachelor’s degree; 5 years with Master’s degree; or 4 years with Doctorate degree.
• Field experience in reintegration and/or local integration and/or development contexts, including post-conflict and fragile settings, with a strong understanding of durable solutions frameworks and sustainable responses.
• Demonstrated experience in engaging with development partners, including IFIs, bilateral donors, UN development agencies and government counterparts, to advance the inclusion of refugees and returnees in national development plans, sector strategies and public service delivery systems.
• Deep understanding of sustainable refugee reintegration solutions, with a sound knowledge of local integration of refugees.
• Proven experience in supporting or contributing to development-oriented programming, including alignment with national development frameworks, UNSDCFs, recovery and resilience plans, and area-based approaches under the humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus.
• Experience in engaging with or coordinating alongside the private sector, including support to livelihoods, economic inclusion, market-based approaches, or partnerships that contribute to sustainable reintegration and self-reliance outcomes.
• Experience in inter-agency coordination, joint programming and partnership development, including participation in inter-agency platforms and coordination mechanisms.
• Sound knowledge of UNHCR’s mandate, policies and operational approaches related to durable solutions and sustainable responses.

c. Key Competencies
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to link humanitarian action to development and longer-term solutions.
• Effective communication, facilitation and negotiation skills, with demonstrated experience engaging governments, development partners, IFIs, UN agencies and private sector actors in support of strategic partnerships.
• Proven drafting skills, including experience contributing to strategies, guidelines, and advocacy documents.
• Ability to work under pressure and effectively coordinate and delegate tasks to meet competing deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and contribute proactively as a solutions-oriented team player.
• Excellent command of English; knowledge of other UN languages is an asset.

A written test may be included in the selection process

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This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Remote

No