Consultant Roma mobile team, IOM Moldova (Extended)

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS    

Reference code:  SVN2024-31(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. 

1. Nature of the consultancy: Category B - Conducting community outreach, awareness-raising, and referrals in the identified Roma communities  

2. Project Context and Scope:  

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and it 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. 

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 Roma population, persons with disabilities, elderly, children, single mother households, and others. Accommodation in RACs and in communities of these vulnerable groups is challenging, especially when considering the safety risks present (e.g. single mother households, children), the particular needs they may have (e.g. persons with disabilities, elderly) and segregation of Roma populations (e.g. in settlements, schools, birth registration, etc). 

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 domestic and gender-based violence, long-term family separation, lack of care for children and elderly left behind, 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.  

IOM Moldova is seeking for four three consultants to work in a mobile team(s), which will build the dialogue with the community members and service providers, conduct a community outreach, awareness-raising, and referrals in the communities identifies as most vulnerable to protection risks. The recruits will represent at-risk communities, two – members of Roma community and two - non-Roma members. The mobile teams will aim to improve local actors’ prevention capacities through better access to information and community-level identification and referral pathways, with a special attention to low literacy groups and vulnerable local communities.  

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

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

4. Category B Consultants: Tasks to be performed under this contract (hourly based)  

Identify the communities most vulnerable to protection risks and coordinate the protection needs with the relevant authorities, community leaders and the MPA Coordinator. 

Organize and conduct risk protection activities for local actors such as awareness raising and dissemination (at least three per week), sensitization sessions on protection risks, such as domestic and gender-based violence, trafficking in persons and exploitation (TIP&E), child sexual abuse, access to services and education, accountability of affected population (AAP) and community engagement, identification and referral pathways.  

Liaise and coordinate community outreach, listening and referral of identified vulnerable cases (with special attention to low literacy groups) to the relevant protection actors, report emerging trends, protection concerns and risk findings to the MPA Coordinator. 

Coordinate and implement awareness raising, information dissemination, risk mitigation and referral mechanism of protection cases, including in crisis setting. 

Carry out rapid assessment of population dynamics at community level. 

Carry out other activities that are related to the abovementioned responsibilities, at the request and in close coordination of the Protection Program Coordinator. 

Present a monthly detailed activity report, no later than the fifth day of the following month. 

The consultant will provide: 

Monthly timesheet report – by end of January 2025; 

Monthly timesheet report – by end of February 2025; 

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. 

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

6. Education, Experience and/or skills required 

-Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Political Sciences, International Relations, Development Studies, Migration Studies, Human Rights, Law or related fields from an accredited academic institution with five years of relevant professional experience; or prior proven work experience in relation to social protection, displacement and/or migrant protection thematic areas in Moldova.  

-Knowledge of migration- and protection-related subject areas in Moldova. 

-Good knowledge of public services related to the area of social care and protection. 

-Excellent coordination and communication skills 

-Proficiency in computer skills, especially in MS Office (Excel, Outlook, Word, etc.). and experience in awareness raising and public sensitization. 

-Ability to work independently and in teams. 

-Demonstrated work experience with IOM and/or the UN Agencies is an advantage. 

-Excellent time management skills and ability to produce outputs as per agreed timelines.  

-Good reporting and data collection skills 

-Fluency in Romanian and Russian is required. Knowledge of English will be considered as an asset. 

7. Travel required 

Yes – within the country. IOM will not cover the travel expenses. 

8. 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