Duty Station of the Consultancy:ย Home based (with field visits and stakeholder engagements as required.).
Duration of Consultancy:ย 40 days (over a period of 11 months; 1 September 2025 โ 31 July 2026)
Nature of the consultancy: ย Supportย the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) in development of the methodology for collecting, analysing and reporting on return flows and returnee profiles. Project Context and Scope ย
The programme โEnhanced Opportunities for the Returning Migrants in Georgiaโ, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) mission to Georgia, aims to support the sustainable reintegration of returned migrants in Georgia and improve their economic and social well-being, by enhancing the responsiveness and coordination of national and local stakeholders, improving the contribution of local self-governments and other local stakeholders, including through provision of information and services to returnees, and increasing the opportunities for economic reintegration, social inclusion, and financial inclusion of returnees and their families.ย
The programme adopts a comprehensive reintegration approach at the individual, community and structural levels, emphasizing a gender-sensitive and human rights-based approach. The programme builds on existing policies, such as Georgiaโs Migration Strategy 2021-2030, while aiming to address gaps in governance, coordination and capacity at both local and central levels.
Recent migration trends in Georgia reveal an increase in returns, especially from EU+ countries, including rejected asylum seekers and long-term migrants, which is straining the reintegration system. Returnees often face difficulties reintegrating due to limited employment opportunities, skill mismatches, psychological distress and restricted access to services. Reintegration efforts are hampered by insufficient support, lack of coordination between central and local authorities and limited involvement of local stakeholders, private sector actors and diaspora networks. Economic reintegration remains a significant challenge, coupled with gender-specific barriers impacting female returneesโ economic inclusion.
The main challenge the programme intends to tackle is the insufficient and unsustainable reintegration of returned migrants in Georgia, which hampers their social and economic inclusion and limits their potential contribution to the development of their communities and the country. The overall goal is to enable migrants to achieve economic self-sufficiency, social stability and psychosocial well-being, thereby strengthening their ability to contribute to Georgiaโs development.
Key objectives:
Strengthen the institutional capacity of national stakeholders to implement a consolidated comprehensive reintegration framework.ย Empower local self-governance and other local stakeholders to address community development and reintegration challenges.ย Support returned migrants in overcoming employability and employment barriers, improving financial literacy and accessing tailored social services.ย Leverage the diasporaโs expertise and investments to contribute to local economic development.Geostat is the data and information partner of the programme, responsible for collecting, processing, and disseminating official statistics on migration and reintegration. It also contributes to activities and platforms focused on data quality and harmonization, providing insights on migration and reintegration trends and indicators. Migration data related work, in the overall context of migration management and the implementation of the Migration Strategy of Georgia 2021-2030, is coordinated by the State Commission on Migration Issues (SCMI) and its relevant working group, composed of Geostat and relevant stakeholders.ย
The programme will provide technical support to Geostat and other relevant stakeholders in the SCMI working group for enhancing data collection and reporting on return flows and returnee profiles. This includes providing expertise to develop methodologies, tools and processes for data collection and processing, facilitating stakeholder consultations, and defining the scope of competencies, resources, as well as potential deliverables.ย
IOM Georgia is seeking to hire an international consultant who will support Geostat and the SCMI working group in the implementation of actions aimed at improving the reintegration of Georgian return migrants, in line with the programme objectives and activities and Geostat mandate.
Under the direct supervision of the IOM Programme Manager, the International Consultant will be responsible for supporting the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) and the SCMI working group in the development of the methodology for collecting, analysing and reporting on return flows and returnee profiles.ย He/she will work in close cooperation with a local expert deployed to Geostat under the programme, and will be responsible for:
Lead, in close coordination with the IOM Programme Implementation Unit (PIA), the work for the development of a comprehensive methodology for collecting, analysing, and reporting on return flows, and returnee profiles.
Needs Assessment and Data Landscape ReviewConduct a comprehensive needs assessment of data collection on return. This will involve reviewing current data sources, definitions and practices related to return flows and returnees; identifying any gaps, limitations and inconsistencies in existing administrative and statistical data; and mapping key stakeholders as well as their institutional capacities for data collection, management and reporting.
Initial Stakeholder ConsultationsConduct stakeholder consultation session with relevant parties involved in the production or use of return statistics to validate preliminary findings and gather additional insights.
Inception ReportUndertake literature review and initial stakeholder consultations, and prepare an inception report outlining the proposed work plan for completing the assignment, including specific deliverables, a detailed timeline, stakeholder mappings, as well as clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The report should be submitted to IOM for review and endorsement.
Draft Methodological Framework Definitions aligned with international standards;Prepare a draft methodological framework, developed in close collaboration with local expert(s) and dataโproducing institutions, that includes but not limited:ย
Criteria for identifying and categorizing returnees; Recommended methods and tools for data collection; Evidence-based recommendations for improving the quality, reliability, and consistency of return statistics;ย Proposed mechanisms/method for data sharing, integration, and institutional cooperation. Mid-Term revised draft methodology and stakeholder consultationยParticipate in a stakeholder consultation (online or in person) to present the revised draft methodology, incorporating feedback provided on the initial draft.
Final Methodology and GuidelinesSubmit the final version of the revised methodology and user-friendly, practical guidelines on the updated methodologies, ensuring full alignment with both national priorities and international standards and incorporating feedback from IOM, Geostat and other stakeholders.
Validation WorkshopOrganise and facilitate a validation workshop to present the final methodology, and plan the next steps for implementation.
Capacity-Building WorkshopOrganize a capacity-building workshop for data-producing institutions focused on the new definitions, tools, methods and methodology for data collection and reporting.
Final Consultancy ReportPrepare and submit a final consultancy report to IOM Georgia upon completion of the assignment, summarizing key activities, findings, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for sustainable implementation and future enhancements.
ย Project to which the consultant is contributing ย โEnhanced Opportunities for the Returning Migrants in Georgiaโ. Category B Consultants: Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment ย Deliverable 1: Inception report, ย submitted by 10 October 2025. Deliverable 2: Draft methodological framework, submitted by 12 December 2025. Deliverable 3:ย Mid-term revised draft,ย submitted by 6 February 2026. Deliverable 4:ย Final version of the revised methodology,ย submitted by 22 May 2026. Deliverable 5: Capacity-building workshop, delivered by 15 July, 2026. Deliverable 6: Final consultancy report, submitted by 31 July 2026. ย Performance indicators for the evaluation of results ยDelivers the listed deliverables on time and with good quality.ย
Education University degree in statistics, mathematics, economics, sociology or a related field Experience Previous working experience in the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of development migration statistics data or related areas is required.ย Experience in developing statistical capacities, and engaging with national governments, is desirable.ย ย Experience in methodological work on statistics is required.ย ย Good knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals is desirable. Good knowledge of the strategies and practices in the field of reintegration of returned Georgian migrants. Knowledge of the rules of planning, monitoring and evaluation of the methodological documents and experience in drafting documents aligned with international standards will be an asset. Experience in cooperating with various stakeholders, including international organizations. Experience in applying gender-sensitive approaches in data collection, analysis and policy development is desirable.ย Knowledge of gender-related aspects of migration, including reintegration challenges faced by women and vulnerable groups, is an asset.ย Skills Analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Strong organizational and communication skills. Proficiency in MS Office and online collaboration tools. Languages Fluency in English is required. IOMโs 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. ย Travel requiredYes. Travel to Georgia is foreseen: 3ย working visits.
Required Competencies ย IOMโs competency framework can be found atย this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process. ย 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 Competenciesย โ 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 Organizationโs 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 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, verification of residency, visa, and authorizations by the concerned Government, where applicable. 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. 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 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:ย IOM Careers and Job Vacancies