National consultant - Roma mobile team

Job Info

• Locations: Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
• Apply Before: 04/04/2025, 11:59 PM
• Degree Level: Bachelors or Equivalent
• Job Schedule: Part time
• Job Shift: Day
• Contract Type: Consultancy (Up to 11 months)

Job Description

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. 

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”.

Responsibilities

Tasks to be performed under this contract

• 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:

1. Monthly timesheet report – by end of April 2025;
2. Monthly timesheet report – by end of May 2025;
3. Monthly timesheet report – by end of June 2025;
4. Monthly timesheet report – by end of July 2025;
5. Monthly timesheet report – by end of August 2025.

The consultancy is expected to be carried out within the timeframe 01 April – 31 August 2025 with a maximum of 600 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.
 

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). 

Qualifications

Education

• 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. 

Experience

• Knowledge of migration- and protection-related subject areas in Moldova.
• Good knowledge of public services related to the area of social care and protection.

Skills

• 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

Languages

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

IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.

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

Travel required

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

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 three 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 – behavioral 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

1. Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.
2. Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, verification of residency, visa, and authorizations by the concerned Government, where applicable.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM online recruitment system. The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.

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