CON 2026 050| Migration Data and Evidence-Building Consultant

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

For centuries, Filipinos have moved across the porous maritime borders of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (BaSulTa) to Sabah, engaging in an ecosystem of trade, kinship visitation and employment in the agricultural, industrial and service sectors. This mobility is often driven by survival and necessity. There were significant influxes of Filipinos in the early 1970s, when refugees escaped the civil war in Mindanao, and in the 1980s, when labour migration was promoted as a temporary measure to ease economic hardship. As many migrants were born and raised in Sabah, they have established extensive family networks and regard the region as their primary home, despite their lack of formal residency status. In 2024, the Philippine Government estimated that 550,000 out of 770,000 Filipinos in Sabah were undocumented. The irregular and circular patterns of this movement have left a massive population in a state of legal limbo.

The lack or expired documentation has led to a systematic escalation in the detention and deportation of Filipinos back to the Zamboanga City Port. For those caught up in this process, there are reports that individuals are kept in overcrowded detention centers prior to departure without access to legal counsel. These conditions carry heightened risks for women, who are disproportionately vulnerable to gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual exploitation across the various phases of irregular migration and during detention. The abrupt separation from livelihoods and families in Sabah leaves many returnees in acute vulnerability, compounding the protection challenges they face upon return. The intensity of these returns is evidenced by the arrival of over 5,700 individuals in eight batches between March and October 2025, placing immense pressure on local reception and reintegration services.

To foster safer migration pathways and establish responsive reintegration frameworks, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is implementing the project titled, “Promoting Sustainable, Gender-Inclusive Solutions for Migrants with Vulnerabilities in the Southern Philippines.” The initiative is strategically designed to strengthen gender-sensitive, safe migration programs and governance mechanisms. It achieves this by enhancing evidence-based inter-agency coordination, streamlining data management systems, and delivering effective, gender-inclusive protection and reintegration services for vulnerable migrants. Moving forward, the project will collaborate closely with national and regional government units, alongside relevant line agencies, to institutionalize a well-coordinated response. This partnership aims to develop sustainable frameworks for targeted, evidence-based programming that safeguards the rights, dignity, and long-term well-being of returning migrants.

• Conduct desk reviews and consultations with relevant national, regional, and local government agencies including Region IX, BARMM, BaSulTa, as well as their IM focal and frontline workers, to inform the development of migration profiling, screening, and monitoring tools and methodologies. 
• Design and contextualize profiling, screening, and monitoring tools, incorporating gender-responsive, inclusive, and vulnerability-sensitive approaches, as well as protection and safeguarding principles and tailored to Sabah-Zamboanga-BaSulTa migration corridor.    
• Pilot test the draft tools and methodologies to evaluate usability, validate the relevance and quality of collected data, and identify areas for improvement. Based on the pilot test results, refine and finalize the tools and methodologies, incorporating feedback and agreed-upon revisions to ensure that the profiling and screening tool is context-specific, culturally appropriate, gender-sensitive, and aligned with identified protection and safeguarding considerations.
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), training materials, and capacity-building plans to support the implementation of validated migration profiling, screening, and monitoring tools and methodologies.
• Deliver training sessions to regional government (BARMM and Region IX), LGU, frontline workers, and IM focal on migration profiling, screening, and monitoring tools and methodologies.
• Deliver training for IOM personnels and data enumerators on administering the tools and data collection exercises
• Monitor and provide technical guidance, as appropriate, to the initial roll-out of the validated migration profiling, screening, and monitoring tools and methodologies.
• Coordinate closely with IOM’s Information Management Teams to enable integration of migration datasets into dashboards and other data management systems.

Expected local travel in project areas specifically in Region IX (Zamboanga City, Sulu), BARMM (Cotabato City, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi), and Manila. All travel costs related to the performance of the consultancy duties shall be included in the consultant’s proposed professional fee. No separate travel reimbursement will be provided by IOM.

• A minimum of master’s degree in Migration Studies, Political or Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Peace and Development, or other similar disciplines is required

• At least five years of specialized experience in the field of gender, migration management, peace and development
• At least two years of experience in providing policy or programming advice and technical assistance gender sensitive and culturally inclusive data management and evidence-building on circular migration and mobility.

• Strong background and demonstrated knowledge in gender, reintegration, and social inclusion
• Excellent analytical skills and organizational skills, with proven capacities in community organizing, capacity-building, and stakeholder engagement and networking
• Prior advocacy or research experience migration management, reintegration, and gender-responsive planning and programming in fragile contexts in BARMM and Region IX is preferred.

For this consultancy, fluency in English and Filipino is required. Knowledge of another BARMM local language is desirable.

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

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.

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.

IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM e-Recruitment system (for internal candidates link here). The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.

No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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