International Consultant, Community-Based Planning, Durable Solutions and RRR Integration

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

The Peace, Recovery and Solutions Unit of IOM Iraq is undertaking a strategic effort to strengthen coherence, integration, and evidence-based programming across its Durable Solutions (DS) and Rehabilitation, Reconciliation, & Reintegration (RRR) portfolios. As part of this effort, a new integrated programmatic structure is being developed by bringing together functions and expertise from both portfolios to strengthen IOM's capacity to address sustainable solutions to the drivers of displacement.  This evolution reflects a broader transition towards integrated, area-based approaches that place populations and their pathways towards sustainable solutions at the centre of programming.
The development of the new unit provides an opportunity to establish greater coherence across programme design, targeting, planning, monitoring, information management, and learning. Historically, these functions have evolved across different projects and programmatic pillars, resulting in variations in theories of change, indicator frameworks, beneficiary targeting methodologies, and monitoring systems. These differences limit the Mission's ability to aggregate results, systematically measure outcomes, generate comparable evidence, and establish effective feedback loops between programme implementation, monitoring, referrals, and strategic decision-making. They also constrain the Mission's ability to demonstrate its contribution to IOM's Strategic Results Framework (SRF), strengthen programme quality, and enhance coordination across programme functions and with partners.
To support the establishment of this integrated structure, PRSU has initiated three interconnected workstreams that together aim to establish a more unified programmatic architecture for sustainable solutions programming. Rather than representing separate exercises, the three initiatives are mutually reinforcing and are intended to create an integrated system linking strategic planning, programme design, implementation, monitoring, information management, referrals, and learning. This approach will support the new unit in functioning as a coherent platform for generating evidence, strengthening programming, and advancing sustainable solutions for affected populations.
The consultant may participate in technical consultations with government counterparts and external stakeholders when requested by IOM. Such participation shall be strictly advisory and technical in nature and shall not constitute official representation of IOM.

The consultancy will be undertaken on a deliverable-based basis. The estimated level of effort is approximately 66 working days over the contract period. The consultant is expected to maintain regular availability throughout the assignment to facilitate consultations, coordination activities, and timely delivery of the required outputs
 

Responsibilities

The three initiatives are:

•    Initiative 1:  Harmonization of the RRR programming and the Durable Solutions Theory    of Change and development of a mission-wide, SRF-aligned indicator framework;
•    Initiative 2: Development of a unified monitoring framework and standardized Information Management (IM) inputs to establish a continuous programme feedback loop. 
•    Initiative 3: Integration of targeting criteria and territory selection methodologies through a common territorial planning approach; 

These initiatives seek to create a common architecture that enables consistent targeting, standardized monitoring, integrated reporting, and stronger evidence generation across interventions, while supporting coordination within the PRSD Unit, across the broader IOM Iraq mission, and, where appropriate, with partners.

A key element underpinning this work is the identification of an appropriate standard "Common operational Unit" that can serve as the foundation for programme planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting across interventions operating at several levels (individual, household, community, sub-district, district, and governorate). Current approaches vary significantly across programmatic pillars, resulting in fragmented targeting methodologies, inconsistent monitoring systems, and limited comparability of results.

The core element of this work is to develop a territorial planning model that begins with strategic prioritization at governorate and sub-district levels while allowing programme-specific targeting approaches to communities, households, or individuals as required by different intervention modalities. This approach aims to reduce selection bias, improve transparency in geographic prioritization, strengthen coordination between programme teams, and provide a common analytical framework capable of accommodating diverse implementation models.

In parallel, the mission is advancing two of the three initiatives: the harmonization of its Theory of Change and indicator framework and the Development of a unified monitoring framework and standardized Information Management (IM) inputs to establish a continuous programme feedback loop. A revised Theory of Change has been developed through an internal consultative process and is undergoing technical validation. Building on this work, PRSD is developing a harmonized indicator bank that maps project-level indicators across programmatic pillars to standardized mission-level and SRF indicators. This work will enable consistent reporting, improve comparability across projects, and provide the basis for automated aggregation of programme results.

The second initiative builds upon both preceding workstreams by developing an integrated monitoring framework and standardized information management architecture. The objective is to establish a continuous feedback mechanism linking programme targeting, implementation, monitoring, case management, referrals, and strategic decision-making. 

Given the interdependent nature of these initiatives, IOM Iraq intends to engage a consultant to provide dedicated technical and facilitation support throughout the process. The consultant will work closely with PRSU leadership, programme teams,  and relevant technical specialists to facilitate cross-unit coordination, support the development and validation of methodologies and technical products, consolidate existing work into coherent frameworks, and help build institutional ownership across the mission.
The assignment is expected to focus primarily on developing CBP methodologies, frameworks, and implementation guidance for the future. The intended application of the integrated architecture is to inform new programme cycles beginning in 2027, laying the institutional foundations for more coherent, results-oriented, and integrated CBP programming across IOM Iraq.

Under the general guidance of the Chief of Mission , Under the overall supervision of    the Senior Programme Coordinator, and the direct supervision of  the Senior Proramme Manager, the consultant will provide strategic, technical, and facilitation support to advance the merger with a view to the interconnected initiatives aimed at establishing an integrated programmatic architecture for IOM Iraq's Durable Solutions portfolio.

The consultant will build upon work already initiated by the mission, consolidating existing products, facilitating technical consensus across teams, developing standardized methodologies and frameworks, and producing implementation-ready guidance for future programming.

Specifically, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

Integration of Targeting Criteria and Territorial Planning Methodology 
1. Review and map existing approaches
-    Review existing CBP methodologies, RRR and DS objectives and implementation approaches, targeting criteria, assessment frameworks, tools, guidelines, referral mechanisms and reporting systems.
-    Map DS and RRR activities, target groups and locations against the existing CBP process.
-    Identify commonalities, gaps, operational constraints and opportunities for greater integration.
2. Develop an integrated CBP–planning model
-    Facilitate consultations with programme, RRR, CE/CBP and field teams to establish common planning principles, territorial prioritisation approaches, levels of analysis (“units of change”) and sequencing of assessments.
-    Define how CBP can strengthen the identification and prioritisation of community needs and inform RRR interventions.
-    Develop a practical integrated model, including key planning steps, decision points and roles.
3. Adapt and strengthen planning tools
-    Review existing CBP and RRR tools and determine where they should be adapted, combined or newly developed.
-    Develop practical tools to support integration of individual, household, community and infrastructure interventions within a common territorial planning framework.
-    Develop supporting guidance for application during the transition and in future programme design.
4. Pilot the integrated approach
-    Select appropriate RRR locations to test the integrated methodology.
-    Apply the adapted CBP process, including community consultation, mapping and territorial prioritisation.
-    Test the integration of RRR priorities into the relevant community action/planning process.
5. Capture lessons and refine the methodology
-    Collect feedback from RRR, CE/CBP and field teams, as well as participating communities.
-    Document challenges, lessons learned and good practices from the pilot.
-    Revise the methodology and tools based on pilot findings.
6. Finalize and institutionalize the approach
-    Finalize the integrated CBP–RRR methodology and Integrated Framework/Guidance.
-    Develop implementation SOPs/guidance and define roles and responsibilities across CE, RRR and field teams.
-    Develop training materials and conduct orientation/training for relevant staff to support consistent application of the approach.

Cross-Cutting Coordination and Facilitation
Recognizing that the three initiatives are highly interdependent, the consultant will provide ongoing strategic facilitation and coordination support throughout the assignment by:
•    Facilitating technical workshops, working groups, validation sessions, and bilateral consultations. 
•    Supporting coordination between PRSD, programme units, other relevant technical teams. 
•    The consultant shall perform an advisory and technical support role  into coherent methodologies and guidance documents. 
•    Documenting decisions, agreed approaches, outstanding issues, and recommended next steps. 
•    Identifying risks, dependencies, and implementation considerations affecting the successful operationalization of the integrated framework. 
•    Providing strategic recommendations for institutionalizing the proposed architecture within future programme design, monitoring, reporting, and learning processes. 
•    Final review of the organogram to ensure coherence with defined methods and functions.
 

Category B Consultants: Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment 
The consultancy is expected to be undertaken on a full-time basis for a maximum of 66 working days over a period of approximately three months. The delivery timelines indicated below are tentative and may be adjusted, as required, and reflected in the consultant's final contract.

Final Outputs

By the completion of the consultancy, the consultant will have produced the following approved technical products:
•    An inception report and detailed work plan
•    An integrated territorial planning and targeting methodology, including standardized community selection criteria 
•    An implementation roadmap for institutionalizing the integrated framework in future programme cycles, reflecting the transition period of the current RRR programming 
•    Final presentation and handover of all technical products to IOM Iraq
Payment Schedule

Consultancy Fee and Payment Schedule
The consultant will be engaged as a Category B, for the duration of the assignment. all-inclusive of all professional fees and deliverables under these Terms of Reference.
Payments will be made upon satisfactory submission, review, and written acceptance of each deliverable by the Hiring Manager. of the following deliverables by the PRSU Programme Coordinator:

1- First instalment: [30]% of the total fee upon submission and acceptance of Deliverable 
2-Second instalment: [35]% of the total fee upon submission and acceptance of Deliverable 2.
3-Final instalment: [35]% of the total fee upon submission and acceptance of Deliverable 
 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

•    Master's degree in International Development, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Economics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Development Planning, Peace and Conflict Studies, Humanitarian Affairs, Information Management, or a related field
•    A first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree) in one of the above fields combined with an additional 8 years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree
 

Experience

• Minimum 8 years ( with a Master's degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in programme design, strategy development, monitoring and evaluation, or programme management within humanitarian, recovery, stabilization, development or durable solutions contexts
• Demonstrated experience designing or facilitating Theory of Change and Results Framework development for complex, multi-sector programmes
• Proven experience developing or harmonizing Results-Based Management (RBM) frameworks, indicator frameworks, and performance measurement systems
• Experience facilitating consultations, technical working groups, and consensus-building processes involving diverse technical teams
• Experience supporting organizational or programme-wide strategic planning, programme integration, or portfolio harmonization
• Demonstrated experience developing targeting methodologies, vulnerability assessment frameworks, territorial planning approaches, or community-based programming methodologies is desirable
• Previous experience working with IOM, the United Nations, or other international organizations is highly desirable
• Experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, post-conflict or displacement contexts, preferably in the Middle East, is considered a strong asset

Technical Skills

•    Advanced understanding of Theory of Change development and results framework design
•    Excellent knowledge of monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) systems
•    Experience developing indicator frameworks, indicator harmonization, and logical frameworks aligned with organizational results frameworks
•    Knowledge of Durable Solutions programming, area-based approaches, community-based programming, and territorial planning methodologies
•    Familiarity with programme targeting methodologies, vulnerability analysis, and community prioritization approaches
•    Understanding of Information Management concepts, data governance, programme databases, and monitoring systems
•    Excellent analytical, research, and synthesis skills with the ability to consolidate complex technical information into practical guidance
•    Strong report writing and technical drafting skills

Facilitation and Coordination Skills
•    Excellent facilitation skills, including the ability to lead workshops, consultations, and technical validation sessions
•    Demonstrated ability to build consensus across multidisciplinary teams with differing technical perspectives
•    Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks under time pressure, and deliver high-quality outputs on schedule
•    Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously
•    Strong problem-solving and strategic thinking skills
•    Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly 

Computer Skills
•    Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
•    Experience working with data visualization, dashboarding, or monitoring platforms is an advantage.
 

Languages

For this consultancy, 

•    Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required
•    Proficiency in Arabic/Kurdish is advantageous
 

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

Note:  As part of your application, please submit a financial proposal outlining your approach and fees to complete the assignment.

Travel required:

The consultancy will be based in Erbil, Iraq.

• Travel within Iraq may be required for consultations, field visits, and pilot implementation activities.

• Official duty travel authorized by IOM will be arranged and funded by IOM in accordance with applicable IOM policies.

• Accommodation at the duty station and all personal living expenses shall be the responsibility of the consultant and should be included in the financial proposal.

• The consultant shall be responsible for obtaining and maintaining valid health insurance coverage for the duration of their stay in Iraq. IOM does not provide health insurance coverage for non-occupational illness or accidents.

• Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) will be provided only for authorized duty travel in accordance with applicable IOM rules and regulations. 

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

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