Consultant, Regional Administrative Data for Counter Trafficking
- Organisation: International Organization for Migration
- Location: Nairobi, Kenya
- Contract: Consultant
- Deadline: 12 November 2026
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
Duty Station of the Consultancy: Home-based with travel; preference for candidates within 3 hours of East Africa Time zone.
Duration of Consultancy: 5 months with possibility of extension
Consultancy Type : Category B
Nature of the consultancy: The objective of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive assessment to inform the design of capacity development activities countries in the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA) to use operational administrative data for national statistics and to develop the evidence base on smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons. These activities will take place in the context of a wider programme aimed a regional, protection-sensitive response to irregular migration, migrant smuggling and trafficking risks. The capacity development activities aim to increase the stakeholders’ data management capacity to generate deidentified, administrative data and statistics on migration, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.
Project Context and Scope: IOM’s Regional Data Hub (RDH) provides data and analysis expertise and guidance for implementing the IOM Strategic Plan. The RDH strengthens the regional evidence base on migration, including on migrants in vulnerable situations, by providing technical support and capacity development to IOM offices, regional bodies, member states and other stakeholders on migration and displacement data; and supporting the uptake of knowledge and evidence to inform policies and programmes. Activities and objectives of the RDH are in line with the priorities of the IOM Migration Data Strategy to: 1) strengthen the regional evidence base on migration; 2) develop the data and information management capacities of states, Regional Economic Communities and other key partners; and 3) ensure more evidence-based IOM and UN-wide engagement in the region.
Given the risks of human trafficking, and the widespread use of smuggling on the migration routes in the region, IOM implements a project entitled “Regional Counter Smuggling Programme” (RCSP) funded by the United Kingdom’s Home Office. The RCSP is a three-year regional initiative that aims to strengthen border management capacities at airports and enhance regional cooperation to tackle document fraud, migrant smuggling, and related transnational organised crime (TOC) in EHoA. The programme addresses critical technical, operational and institutional gaps at major international airports while promoting protection-sensitive approaches that safeguard migrant rights and dignity. By tackling Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) linked to migrant smuggling and document fraud that facilitate irregular migration and expose migrants to risks of misinformation, abuse, exploitation, and, in some cases, trafficking in persons (TiP), this programme addresses significant migration-related challenges while reinforcing national security.
Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing: Regional Data Hub (RDH) for East, Horn and Southern Africa (EHSA) in Nairobi, Kenya
Tasks to be performed under this contract
The consultant will be hired to deliver a report on a three-instalment payment basis:
Equip government stakeholder to improve their respective country’s data management capacity to generate deidentified, administrative data and statistics on migration, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.
1. First installment upon delivery of the completion of an assessment and a report delivered approximately in the third month after contract signing that captures the following aspects:
• Review recent assessments of existing government data management processes for their ability to generate accurate, reliable, consistent and trusted migration, trafficking, and smuggling statistics.
• Fill any remaining gaps through primary data collection that need to be filled in order to have an exhaustive and comprehensive understanding of current data processes in select countries of EHoA.
• In coordination with IOM and government stakeholders, draft country-level data-related processes for national TIP, smuggling of migrants (SOM) and irregular migration administrative data in line with the new International Classification for Administrative Data on Trafficking in Persons, most effectively IC-TIP.
• Obtain review and validation of the data and proposed data processes by Government officials of the respective country.
2. The second installment is paid approximately after month 4 following contract signing, upon delivery of the following:
• Adapt existing data collection tools and TiP materials for each national context and integrate new content on SoM and irregular migration into existing data collection tools. Tools will be reviewed and validated by government stakeholders.
• Create bespoke capacity development materials per country that can sustainably equip Government agencies to establish or improve their collection, classification, and report administrative data on trafficking in persons in pursuit of more consistent, comparable, and actionable trafficking data.
• Lead/deliver capacity development programs including at least 1 workshop and 1 training per country of interest, with additional training defined by stakeholders in advance, in coordination with IOM Country Offices, national consultants and relevant stakeholders.
3. Third installment is paid approximately within month 5 after contract signing, upon delivery of:
h. Evaluation report of capacity building measures for their adoption success;
i. Pathway report that provides guidance on how to integrate administrative data into national statistical frameworks per country; how to leverage administrative data for national statistics and how the data can be used to develop the evidence base for policy and programmatic responses, reviewed and validated by government stakeholders.
j. Develop means to monitor the sustained success of the linkage such that administrative data is collected and used for counter-TIP and counter-SoM. This may include selecting the priority sources of administrative data, drafting reporting frameworks, and recommended actions, developing inter-agency collaboration frameworks or beyond
Crosscutting Deliverables
• Ensure the mainstreaming of gender responsiveness, child protection, victim-centred, trauma-informed and non-stigmatizing considerations into the deliverables.
• Present the updated data processes, results of interoperability and proposed workflow at a validation workshop in coordination with IOM Kenya for the review and validation of the set of draft documents updated/developed during the assignment. The workshop will gather all relevant service providers and stakeholders with mandates related to victim assistance service provision/counter-TIP/migrant protection and assistance.
• Adhere to all data governance and protection considerations
Performance indicators for the evaluation of results
The performance indicators for evaluating the results of this consultancy will include:
• Completion of Deliverables : All deliverables should be completed within the specified timeframe and meet the quality standards set by the Regional Data Hub for East, Horn and Southern Africa.
• Quality Results
• Timeliness : Adherence to the project timeline, with all tasks and deliverables completed within the workplan designed at the outset of the consultancy.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Education
Master’s degree in Statistics, Information Management, Development Studies, Migration Studies or a related field from an accredited academic institution.
Experience
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in migration, international development and data and information management, with developing country experience highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of the migratory context in the East and Horn of Africa highly desirable.
• Experience in migration, border governance, migrant protection or similar is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication skills and excellent attention to detail and quality.
• Excellent writing skills and creative thinking
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work well as part of a geographically dispersed team.
• Ability to work effectively and harmoniously in a multicultural environment with colleagues from various professional backgrounds.
• Experience working in the UN or other international development organizations is considered an asset.
• Availability to work in Addis Ababa or Nairobi preferred
Languages
For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written).
Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.
Travel required
Travel to field locations within East and Horn of Africa
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: