Assistant Government Liaison Officer at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

Beijing, Beijing, China -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

22 Dec, 25

Salary

0.0

Posted On

23 Sep, 25

Experience

0 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Multi-Stakeholder Communications, Drafting and Documentation, Networking, Risk Management, Stakeholder Management, Teamwork, Communication, Negotiation

Industry

International Affairs

Description

Deadline for Applications October 6, 2025 Hardship Level A (least hardship) Family Type Family Family Type Family Residential location (if applicable) Grade NOA Staff Member / Affiliate Type National Professional Officer Reason Regular > Regular Assignment Target Start Date 2025-11-01 Standard Job Description Assistant Government Liaison Officer Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Assistant Government Liaison Officer is usually located in country operations. S/he plays a crucial support role in ensuring UNHCR's approach to the Government is consistent, strategic and coherent. UNHCR assists the Government on coordination, response delivery and protection issues. Typically, this involves joint coordination arrangements, partnership with various government departments in service delivery, and regular dialogue at all levels on refugee protection issues. The main aim is to assist senior management to ensure that UNHCR can fulfil its role to support the Government to lead the refugee response ensuring the protection of refugees and - in line with the GCR - promote the inclusion of refugees into national systems by coordinating with other actors - including development actors at the early stages of a refugee response and in mixed situations supporting the Government to prevent, respond to and resolve internal displacement while complementing and reinforcing national response efforts. This should be done in line with UNHCR's Mandate, the Global Compact for Refugees, the IDP policy, and agreed inter-agency commitments. More specifically, s/he advises the senior management on issues and processes concerning the relationship with the Government and related positioning, coordination, advocacy, information, resource allocation, fundraising, reporting, and communication with other UN agencies, NGOs, civil society actors, private sector, media and other relevant actors through strong engagement in humanitarian inter-agency processes, but also with a focus on development processes as they impact on UNHCR. The overall goal of the position is to support the effectiveness of UNHCR's leadership roles and responses to situations affecting people of concern to UNHCR (refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs, stateless persons, returnees, host communities) through an open and transparent partnership approach with the Government. The Assistant Government Liaison Officer ensures that support is provided for strategic planning, assessment, monitoring and analysis concerning the relationship with the Government. The Assistant Government Liaison Officer will support all planning and reporting activities. The incumbent will support the supervisor in maintaining a constant dialogue with the Government on the overall protection context. A key tool in this regard will be the facilitation and support of periodic meetings with the Government, as well as to support the broadening of mutual information through meeting reports, situation updates and newsletters. 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 - Assist in the establishment of close working relations with Government Officials and/or other external parties. - Provide suggestions for promoting UNHCR's policies and liaising with Government authorities on issues related to latest humanitarian and development processes. - Support coordination meetings as required, including by preparing meetings and background information, drafting minutes and follow-up documentation. - Manage the flow of information to/from the supervisor and other senior staff; identifies priority matters that need to be urgently addressed by the supervisor. - Draft correspondence, documents and reports, and prepares tables and ensures follow-up. - Assist in ensuring appropriate links with the Government through establishment/maintenance of appropriate coordination and information exchange. - Act on behalf of the supervisor to convey, clarify and explain UNHCR's positions to Government or other external parties as applicable. - Inform the supervisor on a continuing basis of relevant information on the outcome of discussions with external parties. - Act as interpreter during meetings held by the supervisor with senior officials or other external parties. - Accompany the supervisor and Headquarters visitors to camps, border missions and provincial cities. - May be required to coordinate the work of lower level staff. - 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 Law/International Law; Political Science; Social Science; Business Administration; or other relevant field. Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified. Relevant Job Experience Essential: Not specified. Desirable: Not specified. Functional Skills CO-Drafting and Documentation CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community SO-Networking (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. Desired Candidate Profile Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level): , , Desired languages , , Operational context Occupational Safety and Health Considerations: To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel. Nature of Position: The Assistant Government Liaison Officer is located in Beijing, China. Under supervision of the Representative, s/he plays a crucial role in ensuring UNHCR’s strategic engagement plans and modalities are adapted to the working environment at the central and local level in China. UNHCR aims at widening its contracts with authorities, including through official think tanks in order to strengthen regular dialogue with authorities at all levels on issues of protection, sustainable responses and solutions for forcibly displaced people worldwide, and further deepen mutual understanding and support. More specifically, the incumbent advises the senior management on issues and processes concerning the relationship with the Government at all levels. In this regard, having had experience within the government entities would be an asset. Living and Working Conditions: Additional Qualifications Skills CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community, CO-Drafting and Documentation, SO-Networking Education Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration (Required), Bachelor of Arts: Law (Required), Bachelor of Arts: Political Science (Required), Bachelor of Arts: Social Science (Required) Certifications Work Experience Competencies Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration UNHCR Salary Calculator https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales Compendium Additional Information Functional clearance This position doesn't require a functional clearance Important notice: Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training). Read about how to avoid scams and fraudulent job offers. Please note that applications are only accepted via the UNHCR online recruitment platform. CVs and/or application requests sent via email will not be answered, reviewed nor considered. For external applicants: We would like to call your attention on the eligibility of International Professional (P) category: According to our Recruitment and Assignments Policy, P staff members will not normally serve in the country of their nationality, and the first regular appointment in the P category must be outside the staff member's country of nationality. In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of. In case of technical difficulties when applying, external applicants (not current UNHCR workforce members) can write to recruitmentcase@unhcr.org. For former UNHCR Colleagues: Former UNHCR employees who are on mandatory break-in service or have separated from UNHCR after 1 October 2022 should create an account through this platform. Once you fill in your basic personal information (employee ID, birth date, name, email address), Workday will identify you as prior personnel and merge your employee account with your external applicant account. The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, takes the lead in protecting people forced to flee wars and persecution around the world, providing life-saving aid including shelter, food and water to ensure their basic safety, rights and dignity. With 18,879 women and men working in 137 countries, we work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of 89.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Our dedicated and professional staff work around the clock in roles including legal protection, community services, public affairs, health and more. Despite the challenges they can face, our staff are proud to work for UNHCR and determined to make a positive impact. Why a career with UNHCR? Our dedicated staff work to protect and assist people fleeing conflict and persecution at a time when global forced displacement is at a record high. Our colleagues bring a wide range of specialized skills, including expertise in legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs, health and other disciplines. Disability inclusion If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form. There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process. Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request. All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Government Liaison Officer supports UNHCR's engagement with the Government, ensuring strategic coordination and advocacy on refugee protection issues. This role involves maintaining dialogue with government officials and facilitating meetings to promote UNHCR's policies and objectives.