Department of Refugee Law and Migration Law
About the role
Location : remote/home-based with missions to the field and reliable internet connection
Contractual modality : 12 months consultancy contract with the possibility of extension
Remuneration : Euro 1,300 – 1,500/month
Deadline for applications : 16 February 2026
Background of the Institute
The International Institute of Humanitarian Law is an independent, non-profit humanitarian association founded in 1970 in Sanremo, Italy. The Institute organizes training courses in international humanitarian law, human rights, refugee law, and related issues. It promotes dialogue by organizing international conferences, meetings, and seminars for high-level government officials, scholars, and practitioners.
The mission of the Department of International Refugee Law and Migration Law (the Department) is to enhance the knowledge and skills of government officials, international organizations, civil society representatives, and academics involved in working with individuals in need of protection, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless individuals, and migrants. Through its capacity-building initiatives and the exchange of experiences, the Department advocates for preserving human rights, thus complementing and augmenting the efforts of various stakeholders in the protection field.
The Institute enjoys a consultative status at ECOSOC, a participatory status at the Council of Europe, and observer status at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) ExCom, and with the International Organization for Migration.
Purpose of the role
The Outreach Assistant serves as a focal point for communications and promotion of courses offered by the Department to relevant stakeholders.
Primary Duties And Responsibilities
- Act as the Department’s focal point for communication with country operations and the regional bureau of UNHCR, other UN Agencies, international organizations, NGO, and CSOs regarding the promotion of the Courses offered by the Department;
- Serve as the focal point for partnerships, supporting the identification, mapping, and systematic tracking of existing and potential partners, and maintaining an overview of engagement related to the Department’s training and capacity-sharing programmes.
- In coordination with the relevant teams, contribute to defining the content and structure of broadcast messages, both general and tailored broadcast messages;
- Conduct outreach to relevant stakeholders, including former participants, alumni networks, and institutional contacts, to promote upcoming courses
- Liaise with UNHCR operations, regional bureaus, UN agencies, international organizations, NGOs, and CSOs to collect applications, recommendations and booking of slots for the Department´s courses and initiatives;
- Coordinate with the relevant Department colleagues on monitoring slot reservations, and follow up on applications recommended by stakeholders;
- Update internal directories of external focal points, relevant counterparts, and previous participants from different stakeholders;
- Keep track of trends, challenges, and opportunities of specific country operations and regions regarding the demands and participation in the Department’s capacity sharing programs;
- Support in preparation of internal dossiers and outreach materials for specific country operations or regions as needed;
- Keep abreast of new laws, regulations, policies, and legislative developments related to migrants, forcibly displaced and stateless populations;
- Track global, regional, and national developments and summarize key changes relevant to the department operations;
- Conduct any other tasks relevant to the Department as defined by the supervisor.
Required Qualifications, Experience, and Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, including law, political sciences, international relations, communications, or a related field;
- Two years of relevant working experience, including paid internships;
- Strong written and verbal communication skills;
- Strong organizational and attention to detail skills;
- Ability to conduct professional outreach with diverse international stakeholders;
- Good research skills and ability to follow legal and policy developments;
- Fluency (written and spoken) in the English language;
Desirable
- Fluency (written and spoken) in another official UN language used by the Department (Arabic, French, Spanish, and Russian) is an asset;
- Familiarity with graphic design tools such as Canva, Moodle, and Zoom for Education is an asset;
- Motivation and passion for working in an organization supporting the protection of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless persons, and migrants;
- Familiarity with UN agencies (particularly UNHCR) and international organizations;
- Ability to meet changing demands and to adapt to frequently changing priorities.
How to apply and selection process
- Please submit your CV and the motivation letter through: https://iihl.peopleforce.io/careers.
- Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews and other relevant assessments.
- The Institute may choose to begin the interview process before the application deadline should suitable candidates be identified.
The Institute is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, irrespective of gender, nationality, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, or other status. Applications of persons with displacement backgrounds are particularly welcome.
About International Institute of Humanitarian Law
The International Institute of Humanitarian Law is an independent, non-profit humanitarian organisation founded in 1970.
The main purpose of the Institute is to promote the development of international humanitarian law, human rights, refugee law, migration law and related issues through the organization of training courses, seminars and Round Table.
Its headquarters are situated in Villa Ormond in Sanremo in Italy. The Liaison Office of the Institute is established in Geneva in Switzerland.
Thanks to its specific, well-tested experience, the Institute has earned an international reputation as a centre of excellence in the field of training, research, and the dissemination of all aspects of international humanitarian law.
Considering the aims it pursues, the Institute works in close collaboration with the most important international organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
IIHL has operational relations with the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
IIHL has consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC) and the Council of Europe.
Department of Refugee Law and Migration Law
About the role
Location : remote/home-based with missions to the field and reliable internet connection
Contractual modality : 12 months consultancy contract with the possibility of extension
Remuneration : Euro 1,300 – 1,500/month
Deadline for applications : 16 February 2026
Background of the Institute
The International Institute of Humanitarian Law is an independent, non-profit humanitarian association founded in 1970 in Sanremo, Italy. The Institute organizes training courses in international humanitarian law, human rights, refugee law, and related issues. It promotes dialogue by organizing international conferences, meetings, and seminars for high-level government officials, scholars, and practitioners.
The mission of the Department of International Refugee Law and Migration Law (the Department) is to enhance the knowledge and skills of government officials, international organizations, civil society representatives, and academics involved in working with individuals in need of protection, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless individuals, and migrants. Through its capacity-building initiatives and the exchange of experiences, the Department advocates for preserving human rights, thus complementing and augmenting the efforts of various stakeholders in the protection field.
The Institute enjoys a consultative status at ECOSOC, a participatory status at the Council of Europe, and observer status at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) ExCom, and with the International Organization for Migration.
Purpose of the role
The Outreach Assistant serves as a focal point for communications and promotion of courses offered by the Department to relevant stakeholders.
Primary Duties And Responsibilities
- Act as the Department’s focal point for communication with country operations and the regional bureau of UNHCR, other UN Agencies, international organizations, NGO, and CSOs regarding the promotion of the Courses offered by the Department;
- Serve as the focal point for partnerships, supporting the identification, mapping, and systematic tracking of existing and potential partners, and maintaining an overview of engagement related to the Department’s training and capacity-sharing programmes.
- In coordination with the relevant teams, contribute to defining the content and structure of broadcast messages, both general and tailored broadcast messages;
- Conduct outreach to relevant stakeholders, including former participants, alumni networks, and institutional contacts, to promote upcoming courses
- Liaise with UNHCR operations, regional bureaus, UN agencies, international organizations, NGOs, and CSOs to collect applications, recommendations and booking of slots for the Department´s courses and initiatives;
- Coordinate with the relevant Department colleagues on monitoring slot reservations, and follow up on applications recommended by stakeholders;
- Update internal directories of external focal points, relevant counterparts, and previous participants from different stakeholders;
- Keep track of trends, challenges, and opportunities of specific country operations and regions regarding the demands and participation in the Department’s capacity sharing programs;
- Support in preparation of internal dossiers and outreach materials for specific country operations or regions as needed;
- Keep abreast of new laws, regulations, policies, and legislative developments related to migrants, forcibly displaced and stateless populations;
- Track global, regional, and national developments and summarize key changes relevant to the department operations;
- Conduct any other tasks relevant to the Department as defined by the supervisor.
Required Qualifications, Experience, and Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, including law, political sciences, international relations, communications, or a related field;
- Two years of relevant working experience, including paid internships;
- Strong written and verbal communication skills;
- Strong organizational and attention to detail skills;
- Ability to conduct professional outreach with diverse international stakeholders;
- Good research skills and ability to follow legal and policy developments;
- Fluency (written and spoken) in the English language;
Desirable
- Fluency (written and spoken) in another official UN language used by the Department (Arabic, French, Spanish, and Russian) is an asset;
- Familiarity with graphic design tools such as Canva, Moodle, and Zoom for Education is an asset;
- Motivation and passion for working in an organization supporting the protection of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), stateless persons, and migrants;
- Familiarity with UN agencies (particularly UNHCR) and international organizations;
- Ability to meet changing demands and to adapt to frequently changing priorities.
How to apply and selection process
- Please submit your CV and the motivation letter through: https://iihl.peopleforce.io/careers.
- Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews and other relevant assessments.
- The Institute may choose to begin the interview process before the application deadline should suitable candidates be identified.
The Institute is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, irrespective of gender, nationality, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, or other status. Applications of persons with displacement backgrounds are particularly welcome.
About International Institute of Humanitarian Law
The International Institute of Humanitarian Law is an independent, non-profit humanitarian organisation founded in 1970.
The main purpose of the Institute is to promote the development of international humanitarian law, human rights, refugee law, migration law and related issues through the organization of training courses, seminars and Round Table.
Its headquarters are situated in Villa Ormond in Sanremo in Italy. The Liaison Office of the Institute is established in Geneva in Switzerland.
Thanks to its specific, well-tested experience, the Institute has earned an international reputation as a centre of excellence in the field of training, research, and the dissemination of all aspects of international humanitarian law.
Considering the aims it pursues, the Institute works in close collaboration with the most important international organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
IIHL has operational relations with the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
IIHL has consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC) and the Council of Europe.