Assistant Livelihoods Officer

Overview

Support implementation and monitoring of livelihoods and economic inclusion interventions.

You have:

• 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree
• Experience in implementing livelihoods/economic inclusion programmes in displacement or development settings, including skills development.
• Familiarity with UNHCR Cash-Based Interventions (CBI) approaches, including basic understanding of targeting, delivery modalities, monitoring, and protection-sensitive implementation is a strong advantage.
• Understanding of market systems and regulatory environments affecting refugees’ access to employment, financial services, and self-employment opportunities.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills, with ability to translate field observations into structured programme inputs and recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in fluid operational contexts, maintaining compliance, sound judgement, and adaptability.
• Experience in UNHCR’s programme management tools.

Deadline for Applications

March 5, 2026Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

E (most hardship)Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Non FamilyStaff Member / Affiliate Type

UNOPS LICA8Target Start Date

2026-04-01Terms of Reference

a. Operational context

UNHCR’s operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province is managed by the Sub-Office in Peshawar, with Field Unit in Haripur, in close coordination with the Country Office in Islamabad. The operation supports a large and protracted Afghan refugee population, including approximately 721,000 registered refugees and over 15,000 asylum-seekers, residing in both urban settings and 43 refugee villages. The majority of the population is youth, with complex protection, assistance, and solutions needs.

The operation is implemented within the framework of the regional multi-year Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), which promotes durable solutions through protection, education, livelihoods, youth empowerment, and strengthened humanitarian-development-peace nexus approaches, in close collaboration with government counterparts, UN agencies, donors, and implementing partners.

The Assistant Livelihoods Officer works under the direct supervision of the Programme Officer and supports the implementation and monitoring of UNHCR’s livelihoods and economic inclusion interventions within the Area of Responsibility (AoR). The incumbent contributes to the delivery of market-oriented skills development, entrepreneurship and self-employment support, financial inclusion initiatives, and linkages to public and private sector actors, ensuring alignment with protection principles, inclusion objectives, and UNHCR policies and procedures.

The Assistant Livelihoods Officer supports day-to-day liaison and coordination with implementing partners, government counterparts, UN agencies, private sector actors, and other stakeholders engaged in livelihoods programming. S/he assists in monitoring project implementation, identifying operational gaps, risks, and emerging socio-economic trends, and contributes to contextual analysis to support adaptive programming in a fluid operational environment.

The position plays a key role in supporting compliance with UNHCR’s programme management and partnership frameworks, including assisting with budget monitoring at activity level, tracking deliverables and indicators, supporting procurement and operational processes related to livelihoods activities, and ensuring timely follow-up with relevant functional units at Sub-Office, Field Unit, and Country Office levels.

In close coordination with Programme, Protection, CBI, and Administrative units, the Assistant Livelihoods Officer contributes to a coherent and protection-sensitive economic inclusion response, supports risk-informed decision-making, and helps ensure that livelihoods interventions remain responsive to regulatory developments, market conditions, funding realities, and evolving displacement dynamics in KP Province.

b. Desired Candidate Profile

• Experience in implementing livelihoods / economic inclusion programmes in displacement or development settings, including skills development. • Familiarity with UNHCR Cash-Based Interventions (CBI) approaches, including basic understanding of targeting, delivery modalities, monitoring, and protection-sensitive implementation is a strong advantage. • Experience working with implementing partners, including activity monitoring, deliverable verification, and budget tracking at project level. • Understanding of market systems and regulatory environments affecting refugees’ access to employment, financial services, and self-employment opportunities. • Strong analytical and reporting skills, with ability to translate field observations into structured programme inputs and recommendations. • Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in fluid operational contexts, maintaining compliance, sound judgement, and adaptability.

• Experience in UNHCR’s programme management tools.Standard Job Description

Assistant Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Assistant Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will support in operationalizing the strategic vision to align livelihoods and economic inclusion efforts with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), which underscores the need to mobilize additional actors and to adopt a whole-of-society approach to strengthen refugee self-reliance and help ease pressure on host countries. Promoting economic inclusion of refugees is a key development area that will enable the achievement of these objectives and contribute to the 2030 Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals.

Leveraging the growing global momentum, UNHCR is working to translate the objectives of the GCR into impactful results for persons of concern (PoC). Contributing to this global roll-out of the GCR, the Assistant Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer, with support from the Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Unit in the Division of Resilience and Solutions (DRS), contributes to the following objectives: 1) improve the enabling environment for refugees to work through advocacy on the right to/at work, access to economic opportunities and service; 2) seek new and strengthen existing partnerships including with the private sector, development actors, government institutions and specialized agencies to advance economic inclusion of refugees; and 3) enhance ongoing livelihoods and economic inclusion programming through evidence-based and market-driven approaches to improve economic inclusion outcomes.

The Assistant Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer should be proactive, always looking for new opportunities and persuasive in mobilizing donors and new partners around new models of economic and social integration. Within UNHCR, the Assistant Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will work under the supervision of the head of livelihoods and closely with multi-functional teams on matters including but not limited to protection, education, cash, partnerships, research and analytics, GBV, solutions, complementary pathways and more. S/he will support the office's involvement with livelihoods and economic inclusion, working with relevant external stakeholders from government line ministries, development actors, private sector, UN agencies, international organisations, NGOs, research institutions and universities.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties - Explore partnerships to facilitate the economic inclusion of refugees, such as line ministries, private sector and development actors in accordance with UNHCR Global and Country level policies, priorities, and strategies, in particular the Global Compact on Refugees. This includes advocating with public and private sector services providers to include UNHCR PoC in supporting services (business development, micro-finance, training, saving accounts, poverty alleviation and social protection, etc.). - Work with the multi-functional team, more specifically with the Protection Unit, support the assessment of the legal framework for the right to work and rights at work and recommend/implement advocacy initiatives and policy reform to improve UNHCR PoC's economic inclusion, rights and access to work. - Build on UNHCR databases to support regular information sharing and coordination among different humanitarian, developmental and governmental stakeholders. This includes supporting the implementation of socioeconomic and wealth ranking surveys utilising community-based strategies to inform targeting, monitoring and facilitation of development programmes. - Conduct necessary assessments in collaboration with relevant private and public stakeholders, including impact assessments on local economies and surveys that help to identify investment and funding opportunities that enhance the economic inclusion of UNHCR PoC. - In case UNHCR is implementing specific livelihoods activities, work closely with and provide technical assistance on livelihoods interventions to help ensure they are market-based, and that the role of UNHCR has been strategically determined in consideration of its comparative advantage vis-à-vis other partners.

- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s). - Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education Business Management, Socio-Economics Development, Economics, International Economics, Rural Development, Financial Management or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience Essential Experience in facilitating the economic inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, ideally in varied field contexts. Experience in working in partnership with private sector, NGOs, UN organisations, development actors, and government authorities in sub-sectors relevant to livelihood programming e.g. financial inclusion, employment, entrepreneurship, private sector development, local economic development, poverty reduction, agriculture, livestock, vocational and technical education and training, etc.

Desirable Knowledge about latest development in the livelihoods sector, including broader UN processes on the SDGs and the Global Compact on Refugees.

Functional Skills LV-Strategic Planning and Advocacy for Refugee Socioeconomic Rights MG-Project Management SO-Networking CO-Drafting and Documentation (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Required Languages

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Desired Languages

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Additional Qualifications

Skills

CO-Drafting and Documentation, LV-Strategic Planning and Advocacy for Refugee Socioeconomic Rights, MG-Project Management, SO-NetworkingEducation

Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration/Management, Bachelor of Arts: Economics, Bachelor of Arts: Financial Management, Bachelor of Arts: International Economics, Bachelor of Arts: Rural Development, Bachelor of Arts: Socio-Economic DevelopmentCertifications

Work Experience

Other information

This position requires Functional Clearance Remote

No

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Potential interview questions

Added 5 months ago - Updated 5 months ago - Source: unhcr.org