Job Description

Introduction

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations and the leading UN agency in the field of migration. Working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, IOM promotes humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It saves lives and protects people on the move, drives solutions to displacement, and facilitates pathways for regular migration, while providing services and advice to governments and migrants. 

IOM is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace where all employees can thrive professionally and feel valued. By creating such an environment, IOM aims to better harness the full potential of migration and strengthen its support to people on the move.

IOM invites candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply and provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process when required. Learn more about IOM’s workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration


 

Project Context and Scope

  1. Duty Station of the Consultancy: Remote and working with IOM Regional Office for MENA- Cairo, Egypt. 

  2. Duration of Consultancy: 50 days over the period of three months (mid-September – mid- December 2026), subject to medical clearance.

  1. Nature of the consultancy:  Category B Consultancy.

  1. Project Context and Scope: 

Countries in North Africa are advancing the enhancement and implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) 3.0, with increasing recognition of the need to systematically integrate climate-related loss and damage into adaptation planning, transparency processes, and climate finance efforts. Loss and Damage is increasingly reflected across national policy instruments, including NDCs, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), disaster risk reduction strategies, and other climate policy frameworks.

Within the sub-region, countries have started incorporating elements of economic assessment and financial consideration related to climate impacts leading to loss and damage in sectors such as water, agriculture, and coastal systems. At the same time, institutional, technical, methodological, and data-related gaps continue to limit consistent and policy-relevant assessment and reporting of Loss and Damage.

Established approaches, including government-led Post-Disaster Needs Assessments, Sendai Framework disaster-loss indicators, UNFCCC technical guidance and sector-specific assessment methodologies, provide complementary foundations for assessing disaster and climate impacts, identifying recovery needs and strengthening national reporting. However, their uptake, institutionalization and interoperability with national climate, disaster-risk and statistical systems remain uneven, and information is not always effectively connected across sectors, institutions and policy processes.

In response, IOM and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Hub for Arab States are collaborating on this research study to support governments in North Africa by developing practical and adaptable approaches to estimate and cost economic and non-economic Loss and Damage across sectors, hazards, and affected populations. The approach developed under this joint initiative will strengthen connections among existing methodologies, datasets and institutional processes, and give particular attention to dimensions related to human mobility, gender-differentiated impacts, non-economic loss and slow-onset impacts, while recognizing varying levels of national data readiness. The consultancy will also address the data-systemic dimensions of Loss and Damage assessment by proposing practical approaches to organize, triangulate and translate climate risk, disaster loss, sectoral, population, mobility and qualitative evidence into policy-relevant estimates and narratives. The methodology is also expected to help strengthen the evidence base for future investment planning and climate finance engagement.

Given the accelerated timeline, the consultancy will prioritize the development of a robust methodological framework and 2 country-specific illustrative applications rather than full country-level validation or implementation.
 

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing

The Climate Action and Mobility (CAD) Unit of IOM Regional Office for MENA, in coordination with the IOM Regional Data Hub for MENA and UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States.

Responsibilities

Tasks to be performed under this contract

  • The consultant will be hired for producing the following four sets of deliverables.

  • First Deliverable – Inception Report and Analytical Framework

  • The consultant will prepare an inception report confirming the final scope, methodology, analytical approach, workplan, division of roles, validation process, country selection criteria, and key risks. The inception report will establish how the consultancy will assess existing methodologies, country practices, tools, and data ecosystems relevant to Loss and Damage estimation and reporting. The deliverable will include:

  • A refined methodology and workplan for the assignment;
  • Proposed criteria for selecting two focus countries in North Africa, considering exposure to climate-related hazards, relevance of displacement and human mobility dynamics, availability of national climate, disaster loss and sectoral data, and potential for regional learning; 
  • An analytical framework for stocktaking existing Loss and Damage methodologies, country practices, tools, and data ecosystems; 
  • A proposed approach for integrating economic and non-economic Loss and Damage, including displacement, human mobility, gender-differentiated impacts, and other population-level consequences; 

  • A validation and consultation plan with IOM, UNDP, Country Offices, and relevant national stakeholders. Initial identification of potential linkages between Loss and Damage assessments, investment planning, and climate finance opportunities. 

  • Second Deliverable – Stocktaking and National Data Ecosystem Assessment Report

  • The consultant will conduct a comprehensive stocktaking of existing Loss and Damage methodologies, country practices, tools, and data ecosystems, including relevant climate, disaster loss, sectoral, population, gender, displacement, and human mobility datasets. The deliverable will include:

  • Mapping of international, regional, and national methodologies currently used for Loss and Damage assessment; 
  • Review of relevant national policy and reporting instruments, including NDCs, NAPs, National Communications, disaster risk reduction strategies, and BTRs; 
  • Assessment of approaches for estimating economic and non-economic losses, including approaches for integrating displacement and human mobility; 
  • Assessment of the availability, quality, accessibility, and interoperability of datasets relevant to Loss and Damage estimation, including climate observations and projections, disaster loss databases, socio-economic and sectoral datasets, community-level evidence, and institutional arrangements for data management and coordination; 

  • Identification of methodological synergies, data gaps, overlaps, and practical entry points for integrating mobility-sensitive Loss and Damage evidence into national planning, climate transparency processes, and climate finance, and investment planning processes.

  • Third Deliverable – Operational Methodological Framework and Cost Estimation Toolkit

  • The consultant will build on available frameworks to develop a practical methodological framework and cost estimation toolkit to support countries in estimating and documenting economic and non-economic Loss and Damage in a manner adaptable to different levels of national data readiness. The deliverable will include:

  • Guidance for estimating direct damage and economic losses, recovery and reconstruction needs, indirect economic losses, and non-economic losses; supported by accounting boundaries and safeguards against double counting.
  • Specific methodological guidance on disproportionate impacts on vulnerable populations, with attention to women and marginalized groups, climate-induced displacement, and human mobility impacts; 
  • A tiered methodology reflecting different levels of data availability, including minimum data requirements using administrative records and qualitative evidence, intermediate approaches using sectoral datasets, disaster databases and proxy indicators, and advanced applications incorporating modelling, geospatial analysis, disaggregated datasets, and scenario-based costing where feasible; 
  • A data and indicators annex outlining minimum, intermediate, and advanced data requirements, suggested indicators, data sources, proxy measures, disaggregation standards, and templates for integrating displacement, human mobility, gender, and sectoral impacts into Loss and Damage analysis; 
  • Guidance on triangulating quantitative and qualitative evidence, including administrative data, disaster loss databases, sectoral records, geospatial information, community-level evidence, and expert validation. 
  • Guidance on how resulting Loss and Damage evidence may inform future planning, investment prioritization, and climate finance processes.

  • Operational definitions and a consistent taxonomy covering direct and indirect impacts; economic and non-economic losses; rapid- and slow-onset events; observed and projected impacts; damage, loss, needs and costs; and relevant temporal, geographic and sectoral boundaries.

  • Fourth Deliverable – Illustrative Sector Applications, BTR Integration Guidance and Final Report

  • The consultant will finalize the methodology and apply it through illustrative sector applications tailored to selected country needs and available data. The applications will demonstrate how the methodology can be used across different national contexts, with emphasis on water and, where appropriate, agriculture and disaster-related impacts. The deliverable will include:

  • Illustrative sector applications demonstrating the use of the methodology in priority sectors; 
  • Practical guidance and a reporting crosswalk showing how resulting loss-and-damage evidence may be voluntarily reported in BTRs, particularly under decision 18/CMA.1, annex, chapter IV, section G and related sections; cross-referenced in NAPs, adaptation communications and national communications. 
  • Recommendations on possible entry points for implementing NDCs targets on L&D and thereby attract climate finance, especially the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. 
  • Final report incorporating feedback from IOM, UNDP, Country Offices, and relevant stakeholders, including lessons from the North Africa pilot and considerations for adapting and scaling the approach in other regions; 
  • Presentation deck or summary slides for validation, dissemination, and potential presentation at regional or global platforms, including a possible side event at COP31. 

  • Conduct at least one virtual knowledge-sharing and capacity-strengthening session for relevant IOM and UNDP Regional Office and Country Office staff to present the methodology, key findings, practical applications, and lessons learned, and support knowledge transfer for future adaptation and replication of the approach.

  • Provisional timeline

    The consultancy will be implemented over 50 working days within the period of 15 September– 14 December 2026. The timeline below is indicative and may be adjusted in consultation with IOM and UNDP, taking into account the availability of relevant data, review processes, and stakeholder consultations.

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

The consultant’s performance will be assessed based on:

  • Timely submission of deliverables in line with the agreed workplan and milestones;
  • Analytical quality, coherence, and policy relevance of the methodological framework, toolkit, and final report;
  • Accuracy and completeness of the stocktaking of existing methodologies, country practices, policy instruments, tools, and data ecosystems; 
  • Practical usability of the proposed methodology for countries with different levels of data readiness; 
  • Effective integration of economic and non-economic Loss and Damage, including displacement, human mobility, gender-differentiated impacts, and population-level consequences;
  • Clarity and usefulness of BTR integration guidance and climate finance recommendations;
  • Responsiveness to technical feedback from IOM, UNDP, the relevant Country Offices of IOM and UNDP, and relevant stakeholders; 
  • Alignment with IOM terminology, UNDP collaboration requirements, neutrality, and political sensitivity.
  • Effectiveness of knowledge-sharing and capacity-strengthening activities conducted with IOM staff, including the clarity and practical applicability of the methodology and findings.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

  • Advanced university degree, preferably master’s degree or higher, in climate change, environmental policy, migration studies, disaster risk management, public policy, development studies, economics, geography, social sciences, or a related field.

Experience

  • a minimum of seven years of relevant professional experience in climate policy, Loss and Damage, adaptation, disaster risk management, climate finance, migration, displacement, or related applied research;
  • Demonstrated experience developing methodologies, analytical frameworks, toolkits, or guidance documents for policy or programming purposes;
  • Strong familiarity with climate policy and reporting instruments, including NDCs, NAPs, National Communications, BTRs, disaster risk reduction strategies, and adaptation reporting under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement;
  • Proven experience working with economic and/or non-economic Loss and Damage, climate risk assessment, vulnerability assessment, disaster loss data, or related sectoral datasets;
  • Experience integrating gender, population, displacement, or human mobility considerations into climate change, disaster risk, or development analysis is highly desirable;
  • Experience working with or for UN agencies, governments, or regional organizations is an asset. 

Skills

  • Strong analytical, methodological, and technical writing skills;
  • Ability to translate complex climate, disaster risk, mobility, and data issues into practical guidance for policy and reporting;
  • Proven ability to work with fragmented datasets and propose pragmatic approaches under different levels of data availability;
  • Strong understanding of quantitative and qualitative evidence, proxy indicators, triangulation methods, and expert validation approaches;
  • Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively with multiple stakeholders across organizations, sectors, and countries;
  • Excellent drafting, synthesis, and presentation skills.

Languages

For this consultancy, Fluency in English is required, Arabic and/or French is a distinct advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Travel required

Travel is not required.

Required Competencies

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.

Values - all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

  • Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
  • 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 actions and delegated work.
  • Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Notes

IOM covers Consultants against occupational accidents and illnesses under the Compensation Plan (CP), free of charge, for the duration of the consultancy. IOM does not provide evacuation or medical insurance for reasons related to non-occupational accidents and illnesses. Consultants are responsible for their own medical insurance for non-occupational accident or illness and will be required to provide written proof of such coverage before commencing work. 

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, security clearances.

IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities.

IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.

IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM e-Recruitment system (for internal candidates link here). The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.

No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For further information and other job postings, you are welcome to visit our website: IOM Careers and Job Vacancies

Required Skills

Job info

Contract Type: Consultancy (Up to 11 months)
Org Type: Regional Office
Vacancy Type: Consultancy
Recruiting Type: Consultant
Grade: UG
Is this S/VN based in an L3 office or in support to an L3 emergency response?: No
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