Team leader - Vulnerable communities outreach mobile protection team , IOM Moldova

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Reference code:  SVN2024-30 (Extended) 

Open to External Candidates 

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. 

3. Nature of the consultancy: Category B Consultancy to:  

1. Support and lead the Mobile Protection Teams with advocacy and engagement with the Roma communities and providing effective communication and mediation support to the team for individual and group activity sessions.  

2. Conduct awareness-raising sessions with local community representatives (teachers, church representatives). 

3. Conduct, organize info-sessions, provide subjects on training priorities, for National Agency for Inter-Ethnic Relations’ community mediators on CT, PSEA, GBV for onward engagement with Roma communities. 

4. Present a detailed monthly working activity plan on implementation of activities and duties described in the present ToR and in accordance with the project’s proposal. 

5. Active involvement in any communication campaigns related to TiP prevention, ordinary migration, etc..  

6. Facilitate the dialogue between the Roma leaders, community members and implementing partners, including IOM. 

Provide effective communication to migrants during individual/ group sessions, activities, assistance provision in cooperation with IOM staff, UN agencies, local authorities, and NGOs. 

Provide direct bilateral and multilateral cultural mediation services in physical or virtual settings and particularly during interviews and provision of direct assistance services to beneficiaries.  

Provide information to IOM staff as well as IOM implementing partners to better understand the perceptions of Roma communities as well as cultural understanding of the community. 

Liaise with the Moldovan authorities on behalf of beneficiaries identified by the Protection Team.  

Assist in secondary, related tasks, such as informing the applicant(s) on the schedule of programs and assisting them with their needs. 

Provide direct bilateral and multilateral mediation assistance within the activities of the Resettlement and Movement Management (RMM) unit in regards to the pre-departure information briefings. 

Provide interpretation services, where needed. 

Work with local governments to alleviate the workload facing local governments by redistributing roles and responsibilities onto Community Information Centers and/or Mobile Community Outreach Teams. 

Regularly provide information about humanitarian aid available by updating the Service Mapping Matrix and share the data with the local authorities, refugees and host communities. 

Regularly conduct field visits to remote communities and provide information to those who face barriers in visiting a center. 

Lead and conduct, together with local stakeholders, various thematic focus groups to understand the needs of specific vulnerable groups – single women, PwDs, single parents, elders, families with babies and toddlers etc. 

Support and encourage social cohesion by promoting various social events and ensuring the participation of refugees in these activities. 

Report monthly on the results of interventions by presenting a detailed timesheet. 

Perform other related duties that may be assigned. 

4. Project Context and Scope:  

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, approximately 700,000 refugees and third-country nationals (TCNs) crossed the border from Ukraine to Moldova, and over 85,000 have remained in the country to date, making it a top refugee hosting and transit country in the region per capita. Around 90 percent of the people arriving are women and children and over 96 percent of these live in host communities and private accommodations (with less than 4% in Refugee Accommodation Centers (RACs)). A big majority of these people represent vulnerable groups and at-risk populations, namely persons with disabilities, elderly, children, single mother households, minorities (e.g. Roma) and others.  

The aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, the growing energy crisis in the face of approaching winter, record inflation rates, and heavy strain on Moldovan institutions and public services are forecasted to have significant negative impact on the situation in the country within the next months, prompting increased economic and social vulnerability.  

With internal (primarily rural-urban) and largely unsafe external migration being traditionally used as a major coping mechanism, the prevalence of exploitation, abuse, and trafficking in persons (TiP) are likely to grow in the mid- to long-term perspective, alongside other negative social phenomena, such as severe brain drain, long-term family separation, lack of care for children and elderly left behind, domestic violence, among others. Conflicts in communities can also prompt refugees/TCNs to accept unsafe offers of relocation, employment, or family separation. 

One of the biggest at-risk groups is represented by the ethnic Roma community members, as recent reports show that the high level of illiteracy (especially among women and girls), including digital illiteracy, and low level of trust in others (outsiders to their closed community) make it difficult to connect and communicate effectively with them. Information is an essential tool for all migrants, notably information on safe migration routes and practices, related risks (e.g. trafficking in persons), free from harm accommodation, ethical employment opportunities, access to the education system, and social integration and cohesion. Traditional written/text awareness-raising materials are not suitable in this case, with flexible, adaptive, and out-of-the-box communication programming needed to ensure that this group is not left without information due to a lack of access to digital tools, the internet, or in a language or format they can understand. 

5. Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing:  

PX.0424 Department Migrants Protection and Assistance, Protection Unit of the IOM Moldova; Project “Reducing Community-Level Vulnerabilities to TIP in Moldova”. 

6. Category B Consultants: Tasks, deliverables and timeframe to be performed under this contract (with realistic delivery dates) 

1. Monthly timesheet report – by end of January 2025; 

2. Monthly timesheet report – by end of February 2025; 

3. Monthly timesheet report – by end of March 2025; 

The consultancy is expected to be carried out within the timeframe 01 January – 31 March 2025 with a maximum of 360 hours throughout the whole period. The activity reports (timesheets) must be submitted on a monthly basis specifying the dates and number of hours rendered per each activity performed under present ToRs and approved by the IOM Moldova Protection Programme Coordinator. The monthly activity reports will provide and overview and appraisal of the Consultants’ performance. 

7. Performance indicators for the evaluation of results 

The performance of work will be evaluated based on the following indicators: 

• Completion of tasks specified in ToR. 

• Compliance with the established deadlines for submission of deliverables. 

• Quality of work (consideration of international human rights standards, precision, comprehensiveness, accuracy).  

8. Education, Experience and/or skills required 

• University degree in the field of Law, Criminal Justice, Social Science or other relevant fields; 

• At least 7 years of practical experience in working with the Roma community; 

• Fluency in Romanian, Russian, Romani languages; knowledge of English will be considered as an asset; 

• Experience of work with international organizations and, particularly with UN Agencies would be an asset; 

• Excellent communication and coordination skills; 

• High responsibility, self-motivation and self-management, efficiency and tendency to the achievement of result; 

• High level of discretion, integrity, and sensitivity and respect for diversity. 

9. Travel required 

All-inclusive consultancy fee will cover travel and accommodation expenses. 

10. 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. 

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. 

Other 

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

A prerequisite for taking up the position is legal residency in the country of the duty station and work permit, as applicable. 

How to apply: 

Interested applicants are invited to send CV and Cover Letter in English to: hrchisinau@iom.int 

Please, indicate the position you are applying for and reference code in the subject line of your message. 

Closing date for applications is 31 December 2024. 

In order for an application to be considered valid, IOM only accepts the applications duly completed. 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  

Posting period:  

From 24.12.2024 to 31.12.2024