Blended Finance for Skills Mobility Partnerships Consultant

Job Description

FOR THE CONSULTANCY CONTRACT OF: Developing Financial Architecture and Blended Finance under the Green Skills Mobility Initiative. The planned deliverable is to design and advise on a structured blended finance framework capable of mobilizing grant, catalytic, and institutional capital while preserving grant accessibility for implementing agencies and ensuring full alignment with ethical recruitment principles

1. Duty Station of the Consultancy: RO Cairo (home-based)

1. Duration of Consultancy:      April 2026 – June 2026 with possibility of extension
    

2. Nature of the consultancy: International Consultancy type A: 
   This consultancy will follow a monthly retainer advisory model designed to support IOM in three mutually reinforcing areas:
3. Developing robust financing and investment architecture for Skills Mobility Partnerships (SMPs), including the exploration of blended finance approaches capable of mobilizing grant funding, catalytic capital, and institutional investment.

4. Focusing initially on priority transition sectors, including Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), waste management and recycling, renewable energy and energy efficiency, and green construction.

5. Supporting the development of a structured financing capability for Skills Mobility Partnerships, designed to mobilize diversified sources of capital—including grants, catalytic funding, and institutional investment—to support long-term sustainability of migration and green skills initiatives

1. Project Context and Scope:
   The Blended Finance Mechanism will support the Green Skills Corridors initiative, jointly led by UNIDO and IOM, which aims to link training supply in North Africa and West and Central Africa with domestic skills needs and labour demand in the EU and GCC. The initiative will upgrade training systems in three target countries and facilitate access to green jobs both locally and abroad through regular mobility pathways. Based on country-specific assessments and bilateral partnerships, it will develop three to four flagship training programmes in sectors such as Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA), waste management and recycling, green hydrogen, and solar energy, with each country focusing on areas aligned with its priorities and existing capacities.

   Building on UNIDO’s expertise in industrial skills and TVET modernization and IOM’s leadership in labour mobility governance, the initiative will connect training reform with safe and fair cross-border employment pathways, creating a mobile, future-ready workforce that meets both national and international labour market needs.

   The development of this initiative, including its Blended Finance Mechanism, forms part of IOM’s broader efforts to expand regular pathways through Skills Mobility Partnerships. Beyond supporting this specific programme, the consultancy will also strengthen IOM’s internal capacities, processes, and investor relationships for future work on climate-linked labour mobility and skills-based migration.

   The Capital Mobilization Framework will include: (i) a Catalytic Anchor Layer, engaging public and climate-focused funding (e.g. governments, EU, GCC) through grants, guarantees, and risk-mitigation tools to strengthen the financing structure and crowd in additional partners; (ii) an Institutional Investment Layer, mapping and engaging investors such as sovereign wealth funds, DFIs, pension funds, impact funds, family offices, and corporates, while safeguarding IOM’s grant-based model; (iii) Revenue-Supported Sustainability (advisory only), providing guidance on employer-paid placement and retention-based revenue models to support long-term sustainability; and (iv) Bond Structuring Support, offering advisory on potential sustainable, sustainability-linked, or diaspora bonds, including structuring scenarios, capital stack, governance, and sequencing, without assuming any issuance or intermediary role.

5. Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing: The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Deputy Regional Director for Operations, and under the direct supervision of the Regional Thematic Specialist on Labor Mobility and Human Development of the Regional Office Cairo. 

Responsibilities

. Category A Consultants: Tasks to be performed under this contract:

 

The consultant will focus on the development of the initial financial architecture and capital mobilization strategy for the Green Skills & Mobility Initiative. The phase will produce three analytical outputs designed to support future engagement with catalytic funding partners, development finance institutions, and institutional investors. In particular the consultant will work on a daily basis on the achievement of the three outputs of this consultancy by following up on the tasks listed under each of the outputs:

1. Development of the Financial Architecture and Capital Mobilization Concept Paper
   A strategic concept paper outlining a blended finance framework capable of mobilizing grant funding, catalytic capital, and institutional investment to support Skills Mobility Partnerships.

• Review relevant IOM strategies, programme documents and existing evidence on Skills Mobility Partnerships and any innovative financing approaches
• Assess financing gaps, constraints, and opportunities related to the initiative
• Analyze and assess comparable blended finance mechanisms applicable to labour mobility and skills development, if available 
• Define potential roles and value propositions of different financing partners, including but not limited to public and private actors by conducting a limited number of exploratory consultations with selected representatives of potential catalytic funding partners, development finance institutions, and institutional investors
• Based on the information collected during these consultations develop a draft blended finance framework, including an indicative capital structure and sequencing of capital and refine it by gathering preliminary feedback on potential financing structures, assessing indicative interest in blended finance participation, and refining the sequencing of potential capital layers through more consultations which will be exploratory and informational in nature and will not constitute fundraising, investment solicitation, or financial intermediation
• Prepare and submit a detailed outline of the concept paper for review
• Draft the full concept paper
• Revise and finalize the document based on feedback received 
  1.  Development of the Catalytic Capital and Institutional Investor Mapping Matrix
     Identification and preliminary mapping of potential catalytic funding partners and institutional investors, including public sector partners, development finance institutions, climate funds, sovereign wealth funds, and impact investment platforms.
• Develop the criteria and parameters for identifying and assessing potential catalytic funding partners and institutional investors
• Use IOM’s internal knowledge bank to identify relevant stakeholders, including development finance institutions, climate funds, sovereign wealth funds, impact investors and public sector partners and conduct desk research to gather more information
• Compile key information on identified entities, including mandates, investment priorities, financial instruments and geographic focus
• Assess the relevance and alignment of identified partners with the proposed initiative
• Develop and structure a mapping matrix capturing key variables and categorization of partners 
• Populate and validate the matrix, including preliminary prioritization of high-potential partners
• Submit the mapping matrix for review and finalize based on feedback received
  1. Preparation of the Financing Structure Options and Sustainability Advisory Note
     An advisory note outlining potential financing structures capable of supporting long-term sustainability of the initiative, including preliminary consideration of blended finance facilities, sustainable or diaspora bond instruments, and other institutional financing options.
• Identify and assess a range of potential financing structures including blended finance facilities, results-based financing mechanisms, sustainable or diaspora bonds, and other institutional financing options
• Analyze the applicability, benefits and risks associated with each financing option in the context of the initiative
• Assess considerations related to financial sustainability, scalability and potential regulatory or market constraints 
• Develop an advisory note outlining feasible financing structures, including indicative recommendations and rationale 
• Finalize the advisory note based on feedback received.

1. Performance indicators for the evaluation of results 

• Understanding of the scope of the assignment 

• Professional competence and mastery of the subject matter of the consultancy 

• Robust written and verbal communication skills 

• Delivering results consistent with the agreed Terms of Reference 

• Accurately judging the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task 

• Remain flexible and open for accepting and incorporating feedback from IOM and relevant stakeholders. 

• Working effectively with people from varied cultures and backgrounds 

• Upholding and demonstrating the values of IOM in the monthly consultancy activities 

Qualifications

1. Education, Experience and/or skills required:

• Master’s degree in sustainable finance with more than 7 years of work experience.

• Advanced degree in sustainable finance, significant professional experience in structuring and advising on natural‑capital and climate-aligned investment vehicles and supporting capital‑raising strategies for advanced green skills platforms with cross-regional expansion (Europe, MENA, West and Central Africa)

• strong DFI networks and institutional investor networks, spanning pension funds, endowments, impact‑investment platforms, family offices, and sustainable‑finance leaders engaged in climate transition, human‑capital financing, and blended‑finance vehicles

• deep experience in global sustainability governance and investor-driven reporting standards, operating within large, cross-border, regulated complex organizational structures and designing and advising on KPI frameworks for sustainability-linked and outcome-based financing

• extensive experience in structuring mutual funds, ESG-integrated strategies, and other commingled sustainability vehicles

Languages:

Proficiency in English is a must, and Arabic is desirable

Competencies :
 

Values 

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible. 

• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct. 

• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges. 

•  Courage: demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance. 

• Empathy: shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated. 

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators 

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results. 

• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action-oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes. 

• Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate. 

• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work. 

• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way. 

Required Skills

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