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.
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.
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.
Tasks to be performed under this contract
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
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.
No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.