Deadline for Applications
November 7, 2025
Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)
H (no hardship)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
CONS Local
2025-11-10
1. General Background of Project or Assignment:
The position is based in DIP Resettlement and Complementary Pathways Service. For resettlement, the Service coordinates and negotiates global resettlement quota with resettlement countries, manages resettlement deployment scheme, develops policy guidance to ensure resettlement is used strategically and UNHCR develops and expands partnerships in resettlement. For Complementary Pathways and Family Reunification, the Service works on inclusion of refugees in the global market through labour and education complementary pathways; access to family reunification, travel documents, expansion of community sponsorship schemes and frameworks to support refugees resettling and moving to other countries as well as policy and implementation of the named sponsorship frameworks globally.
Resettlement remains a vital tool for ensuring durable solutions and protection for refugees at heightened risk, particularly in emergency situations where lives are in immediate danger. In 2024, UNHCR submitted more than 203,700 resettlement cases to 23 countries – the highest number since the 1990s. Approximately 116,500 refugees departed for their resettlement countries. However, resettlement places have significantly declined, as some States have shifted their refugee admission policies and adopted more restrictive criteria, prioritizing integration potential over protection needs and vulnerabilities for example. As a result, the gap between the number of refugees in need of resettlement and available places continues to widen.
At a time when resettlement is under growing political, financial, and operational pressure, this position plays a critical role by contributing to evidence-based advocacy through a focused study on the integration outcomes of resettled refugees.
The shift in the global resettlement landscape reflects a broader trend: the value of asylum and refugee protection is increasingly overshadowed by inward-looking political narratives that emphasize short-term concerns over long-term, holistic approaches. It is therefore essential to highlight the long-term socio-economic contributions that resettled refugees make to the new societies. Yet, UNHCR has paid less attention to these contributions compared to the humanitarian and protection-based rationale for resettlement.
Reports from the U.S., Canada, and Australia, the three largest resettlement countries historically indicate that, over time, resettled refugees contribute more to the economy than they receive in public support. They also enrich their communities with diverse skills and experiences.
More studies of this kind are urgently needed to assess integration outcomes more comprehensively and to address concerns that resettled refugees may become a burden on host countries and their social welfare systems. While some individuals may require ongoing support, the evidence suggests that refugees can and do become valuable contributors to the communities they find as their new homes.
2. Occupational Safety and Health Considerations
To view occupational safety and health considerations for specific duty stations, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel
Specific Occupational Safety and Health Considerations to this assignment (if applicable):
3. Overall Purpose and Scope of Assignment:
The incumbent will be responsible for conducting research and analysis on the integration outcomes of resettled refugees in selected countries. This includes mapping and evaluating integration programmes and the associated costs borne by resettlement countries, as well as assessing integration outcomes holistically, particularly the economic contributions of resettled individuals. The findings will provide UNHCR with a deeper understanding of refugee integration and support evidence-based strategic advocacy and policy recommendations on resettlement and refugee integration.
The incumbent will work in close coordination with UNHCR regional bureaux, States, working groups and task forces, partners, and relevant sections within DIP. The role involves analyzing data and trends, contributing to policy development, and ensuring that resettlement remains both strategic and responsive to the needs and priorities of all stakeholders in line with the overall goal of Third Country Solutions for Refugees: Roadmap 2030.
4. Required level, qualifications and work experience:
Qualification and experience required (degree required, years of work experience, field of expertise, language required):
- Advanced degree (PhD) in social sciences, anthropology, sociology, international/community development studies, law or a related field.
- 6 years relevant experience with an Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with a Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree
- Proven record of conducting relevant researches on refugee integration.
- Excellent analytical skills: including the capacity to develop analytical frameworks, collect and analyse qualitative and quantitative data from multiple sources to produce meaningful analysis for external reporting;
- Excellent drafting skills: with ability to write with clarity, high level of analysis, and conciseness;
- Demonstrated organisational skills: the ability to work independently and productively in a fast-paced environment;
- Flexible work attitude: the ability to work productively, independently, and to handle requests or issues as they arise;
- Communicates sensitively and effectively across different constituencies; and
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
5. Monitoring and Progress Controls (report requirements, periodicity, format, deadlines):
a. The final product (e.g. survey completed, data collected, workshop conducted, research documents produced specify):
Deliverables:
The incumbent will provide the following reports to be used and distributed by UNHCR:
1. Report on the current state and global trends in refugee resettlement services provided globally, including variation in key services such as language classes, cultural orientation, case management, health services, etc. This report will also identify unique or innovative programs that could be usefully implemented in other country contexts.
2. Report on how resettlement integration outcomes are currently tracked in each destination country. This includes an analysis of data availability, variables tracked, and potential opportunities for cross-country comparisons. The report will also include a literature review of existing methodology to track and measure refugee integration, with recommendations for future use.
3. Report on the contributions made by resettled refuges focusing on economic impact and other relevant areas in selected countries to assist targeted advocacy efforts.
4. Presentation of findings to UNHCR internal and external stakeholders.
UNHCR retains full intellectual property rights. UNHCR authorizes the consultant to use the work for ongoing academic teaching and research work as per the formal agreement between the consultant and UNHCR. In addition, if UNHCR has an interest in publishing the results, UNHCR could acknowledge the consultant as author in the publication. If UNHCR does not quite agree with the results, it may dissociate itself from the author’s ideas by inserting a disclaimer in the publication that the views are those of the author herself and that her views do not necessarily reflect the views of the UN or UNHCR. If UNHCR has no interest in publishing the study or results, UNHCR may agree to transfer the intellectual property rights to the consultant for publishing and in return obtain from the consultant an irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use them for any relevant DIP or other humanitarian activities or programs carried out by UNHCR.
Standard Job Description
Required Languages
,
,
Desired Languages
,
,
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): Social Science (Required)
Certifications
Other information
This position doesn't require a functional clearance
Remote
Yes