External Evaluators (Roster for Consultancies)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is seeking qualified evaluators to join its Deployment Roster for consultancy assignments. This roster serves as a vetted pool of experts with demonstrated ability to conduct impartial and credible evaluations, delivering high-quality reports for decentralized evaluations primarily. Roster members will be engaged as needed, ensuring timely access to skilled professionals through streamlined selection processes.

IOM is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration, promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. With over 175 member states and more than 600 field locations worldwide, IOM provides services and advice to governments and migrants on a broad range of migration issues. Evaluation at IOM serves three main purposes: demonstrating accountability to stakeholders, supporting evidence-based decision-making, and contributing to organizational learning through lessons learned. As per the IOM Evaluation Policy (IN/266), evaluation is integral to the Organization’s core and managerial functions.

IOM conducts evaluations at two levels: centralized evaluations managed by the Central Evaluation Division (CED) within the Office of Internal Oversight (OIO), focusing on corporate, strategic, and thematic issues of organization-wide significance; and decentralized evaluations, generally focusing on specific programmes and interventions, commissioned and managed outside the CED. A network of Regional Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Officers (RPMEOs) oversees and supports the production of decentralized evaluations, with CED providing overall guidance. Both levels adhere to the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards and contribute to organizational accountability, learning, and performance improvement.

Once deployed, the Evaluator will work under the supervision of a designated IOM Evaluation Manager. The duty station will be announced upon deployment, with an expected start date of 01 November 2026 and a deployment duration of 29 days.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Under the overall supervision of the relevant RPMEO or CED staff member, and the direct supervision of the designated IOM Evaluation Manager, the Evaluator will be responsible for the following duties:

Conduct stakeholder mapping and engagement planning to identify key informants, beneficiaries, partners, and other relevant actors for the evaluation process.

Develop or reconstruct the Theory of Change of the evaluand in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, establishing a clear results chain and articulating underlying assumptions for theory-based evaluation.

Draft evaluation Inception Reports including methodology, evaluation matrix, sampling strategy, and data collection instruments aligned with the Terms of Reference and Theory of Change framework.

Apply participatory approaches and methods throughout the evaluation process to meaningfully engage stakeholders, including beneficiaries and affected populations, in design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Conduct qualitative data collection through key informant interviews, focus group discussions, site visits, online surveys, document review, etc., across designated locations and stakeholder groups, ensuring adherence to UNEG Ethical Guidelines, informed consent procedures, confidentiality protocols, and do-no-harm principles.

Transcribe qualitative data from interviews and focus groups using manual or automatic transcription software, ensuring accuracy and completeness of records.

Design and code quantitative data collection instruments, supporting their administration as required, including training and supervision of enumerators or data collection teams to ensure data quality and consistency.

Manage evaluation data in compliance with IOM Data Protection Principles, including proper anonymization, secure storage, and appropriate archiving and handover of raw data to IOM upon completion.

Analyse qualitative and quantitative data using theory-based and appropriate analytical techniques to generate findings that respond to evaluation questions and OECD-DAC or ALNAP criteria.

Formulate evidence-based conclusions directly grounded in and substantiated by evaluation findings.

Co-create actionable, prioritized recommendations with programme stakeholders to ensure feasibility, ownership, and practical utility for programme improvement and future programming.

Draft and finalize evaluation reports following IOM House Style guidelines, ensuring they meet IOM and UNEG quality standards.

Gather and incorporate feedback in evaluation deliverables while maintaining independence.

Present evaluation findings, conclusions, and recommendations through debriefings and validation workshops.

Integrate cross-cutting priorities throughout the evaluation process, following available guidelines and frameworks (e.g., UNEG Guidance on Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluations).

Required Qualifications and Experience

Master's degree in Evaluation, Social Sciences, International Development, Economics, Public Policy, Public Administration, Statistics, or a related field from an accredited academic institution, with five years of relevant professional experience in evaluation. Professional certification or training in evaluation methodologies will be a distinct advantage.

Demonstrated experience conducting at least three evaluations as sole evaluator or team leader; experience conducting evaluations in at least two different countries; experience in theory-based evaluation approaches and application of mixed-methods in evaluative analysis; experience conducting remote evaluations and managing virtual data collection processes; experience working in developing countries or humanitarian contexts, preferably in migration, displacement, humanitarian response, or international development programming.

Skills and Knowledge

In-depth knowledge of UNEG Norms and Standards for Evaluation and OECD-DAC or ALNAP evaluation criteria; knowledge of theory-based evaluation approaches including contribution analysis, outcome harvesting, process tracing, and realist evaluation; knowledge of cross-cutting issues in evaluation including human rights-based approaches, gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), and disability inclusion; knowledge of participatory evaluation approaches and methods; knowledge of qualitative evaluation methodologies and data analysis techniques, including thematic and content analysis, and proficiency in qualitative data analysis software (e.g., NVivo, MAXQDA, Atlas.ti, Dedoose); knowledge of quantitative data collection and analysis methods and proficiency in statistical software (e.g., SPSS, STATA, R) is desirable; understanding of Artificial Intelligence and its ethical application to evaluation; strong analytical and synthesis skills with ability to triangulate evidence from multiple sources; excellent report writing skills with ability to produce clear, structured deliverables meeting international quality standards; strong communication and presentation skills; knowledge of UN system operations, coordination mechanisms, and Results-Based Management (RBM) frameworks; familiarity with migration, displacement, humanitarian, or international development programming contexts.

Languages

Full professional proficiency (oral and written) in one or more of IOM's official languages (English, French, and Spanish) is required for inclusion in the Deployment Roster. Fluency in other languages, particularly Arabic and Portuguese, is desirable for specific assignments.

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