Mission and objectives

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the UN's leading agency on migration and the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration, working closely with its key stakeholders - migrants and Member States - to promote humane, safe, and orderly migration. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants from an integral and holistic perspective, including links to development, in order to maximize the benefits and opportunities of migration and reduce its challenges. Mission objectives: To support the Government of Mongolia in achieving effective migration governance while promoting safe, regular, and orderly migration that benefits both migrants and society, in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and the Global Compact for Migration. Resilience: Protect vulnerable migrants by combating human trafficking, supporting victim identification and reintegration, and strengthening disaster preparedness and climate-related displacement responses in partnership with national emergency management agencies. Mobility: Enhance migration data collection, strengthen border and immigration management, promote ethical labor recruitment, and expand assisted voluntary return and reintegration services for Mongolian migrants abroad and returnees at home. Governance: Build government capacity to develop coherent migration policies, mainstream migration into national development frameworks, and improve data systems to support evidence-based planning for both internal and international migration.

Context

This UN Volunteer assignment is part of IOM Mongolia's project “Strengthening Internal Migration Data Governance in Mongolia Through Migrant-Centred Research”, an 8-month initiative implemented in close partnership with the National Statistics Office (NSO). Mongolia faces a persistent gap in internal migration data that undermines the Government's ability to allocate resources, deliver services and develop evidence-based policies. A significant discrepancy exists between relevant records. The project responds to a need to assess the reasons behind low internal migration registration rates and to develop legal and regulatory recommendations to address them. The project produces three outputs: (1) a migrant-centred phone survey of approximately 300 households on barriers to registration; (2) a comparative legal and regulatory analysis brief of Mongolia's framework against international cases; and (3) a consolidated report with recommendations from Outputs 1 and 2, validated by national and local stakeholders. The project's findings are timed to complement the interim Population and Housing Census results to be presented in mid-2026. The Research and Knowledge Management Specialist will support the research process by gathering and synthesizing Mongolian legal and regulatory context, supporting data collection for the phone survey, and providing operational support to the International Consultant throughout the project period. Stakeholder liaison with the NSO and other government counterparts will be led by IOM Mongolia. Along with the core research deliverables under this project the Research and Knowledge Management Specialist will provide cross-cutting support to IOM Mongolia's wider programme portfolio, including the diaspora engagement, Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) data management, information products, and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) support functions.

Task Description

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission and the direct supervision of the Programme Manager, IOM Mongolia, the Research and Knowledge Management Specialist will undertake the following tasks: • Gather, translate and synthesize Mongolian legal and regulatory documents relevant to internal migration registration, including primary legislation, implementing regulations, and government circulars, to inform the comparative legal and regulatory analysis under Output 2. • Compile background materials on Mongolia's institutional framework for civil registration and statistics, including the mandates and procedures of the NSO, GASR and local administrative bodies (bagh/khoroo levels). • Support data collection for the phone survey under Output 1.1, including support to the design and translation of the survey questionnaire, coordination with the NSO survey team on protocol implementation, and quality assurance of incoming survey data. • Support the International Consultant on research design, desk review and consolidated report inputs by providing Mongolia-specific context, references and analytical inputs. • Support the organization of the project inception meeting and the final validation workshop, including preparation of background materials and translation of relevant documents. • Contribute to the drafting and English–Mongolian translation of project outputs, including the methodology guideline and the final consolidated report. • Document and maintain a project working archive of the legal, regulatory and analytical materials gathered through the project. • Support the development of capacity-building training materials for Diaspora Engagement project, in coordination with the project team developing in-person and virtual training modules, and English-Mongolian translation of training content. • Support data management and documentation for IOM Mongolia's AVRR activities, including systematic archiving of programme records, support to data systems improvements, and development of visual products such as infographics, in line with IOM data protection principles. • Assist in producing information products including analytical reports, dashboards, infographics, maps, factsheets and migration profiles, to ensure timely and accurate data presentation for internal and external use. • Assist in maintaining the country office's Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework, supporting indicator tracking, data entry and periodic reviews in close coordination with relevant programme units. • Mainstream gender and disability considerations into all research support activities. • Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Competencies and values

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Commitment to continuous learning • Communication • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Knowledge sharing • Planning and organizing • Professionalism • Respect for diversity • Self-management • Working in teams

Living conditions and remarks

Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia and offers standard urban amenities, including international supermarkets, restaurants, banking services, hospitals and clinics. The cost of living is moderate by regional standards. Winters are extreme — temperatures regularly fall below −30°C from December to February — and air pollution is high during the heating season (November–March), so adequate winter clothing and indoor air management are essential. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging their own housing and other living essentials. Full entitlements at the duty station can be checked at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.