Consultant (External Evaluator)

Position Title : Consultant (External Evaluator)

Duty Station : Home-based with required travel to project locations (Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh)

Type of Appointment : Consultant, Jan 10 to March 31, 2022

Estimated Start Date : As soon as possible

Closing Date : 31 December 2021

Requisition: CON2021/06**

Context:

The EU-funded project "Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration of Irregular Migrants in Turkey" aims to contribute to the objectives outlined under Actions 8 (Home Affairs) of the Financing Agreement for Annual Action Programme for Turkey for the Year 2014, which seek to improve the administrative infrastructures in the field of migration management in line with the Law on Foreigners and International Protection and the requirements of the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement.

As part of its efforts to upgrade its migration management system, particularly as a major transit country, it is crucial that Turkey continues to develop an effective, sustainable and rights-based assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) mechanism in the framework of its current return policy pillar. This will complement initiatives to strengthen Turkey’s migration management system and respond effectively to the challenges associated with being a major country of transit and destination for migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Secondly, an effective return policy and AVRR program in Turkey will promote enhanced cooperation with the EU by promoting coherence between the policy frameworks (including return policy) of EU member states and Turkey and providing the AVRR option on a more consistent and widespread basis to migrants stranded in Turkey, including those potentially enroute to Europe.

To contribute to these objectives, the project activities include: provision of information and counselling activities for the main target group, both in and outside of removal centres; conducting AVRR activities with specific support throughout the entire return process (e.g. assistance for obtaining the travel document, interpretation services, accommodation and transport when needed); reintegration support in countries of origin to ensure the sustainability of return measures; organizing capacity-building workshops and study visits on AVRR and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for a referral mechanism and an awareness raising and visibility campaign for migrants in relation to AVRR.

The overall objective is to support the improvement of the administrative infrastructure in Turkey in the field of migration management.

The specific objective is to support the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) on the return aspect of migration within the framework of Law on Foreigners and Internal Protection and the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement. In order to achieve these objectives, the following results were envisioned and related activities planned:

Under the overall supervision of the Senior Programme Development Officer and direct supervision of National Programme Officer and in close coordination with the Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E) Unit, the incumbent will assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, coherence, and sustainability of the project activities and performance through evaluation report and activities. The evaluation should also capture achievements, challenges and best practices/lessons learned to inform the project team and stakeholders for future programming.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

*Result 1: Comprehensive gender-sensitive AVRR assistance is provided to migrants.

· Information provision, counselling of potential returnees and verification of eligibility to access AVRR services

o Awareness-raising among migrants on the AVRR Programme

o Dissemination of Information about the AVRR Programme

o Counselling, registration and interview of AVRR applications

· Verification of existing documentation and arranging documentation for travel

· Travel arrangements and preparation of returnees

· Coordination with IOM Offices in transit and origin countries

· Departure assistance at airports to ensure safe departure

· Providing in-cash assistance to returnees

· Providing in-cash assistance vulnerable migrants

· Providing in-kind reintegration assistance to vulnerable migrants

· Follow-up monitoring and evaluation, including by collecting information on migrants´ satisfaction of services received and on sustainability of reintegration

· Compiling a Statistical Report of the migrants assisted to return and reintegrate under the Project

Result 2: The referral mechanism on AVRR developed through Phase I of the Project is further strengthened and institutionalized in Turkey

· Study visits to selected European states for best practices in AVRR frameworks:

· Capacity building workshops

Evaluation Purpose and Objective

Through the lens of the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria (relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability), the evaluation will consider the performance and results of the AVRR system from the point of identifying participants in the programme, to arrival in the country of origin, as well as reintegration and follow-up processes. It is also expected that the evaluation will provide recommendations on the development and implementation of AVRR monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanisms, with consideration for the COVID-19 context.

To this end, the evaluation process will include a review of AVRR processes within Turkey and key countries of origin (to be confirmed, but likely to include Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh). It is expected to provide recommendations on how to strengthen the programme, including M&E aspects, in line with IOM global AVRR standards. The results of this evaluation are intended primarily for use by the IOM management in the Mission for consideration in ongoing and future projects, in coordination with the project partners.

Evaluation scope

The evaluation will cover the project period of 17 November 2018 to 31 December 2021 in all of the provinces of Turkey in which the project has been implemented, as well as the three countries of origin with the highest caseload (Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh), where the respective IOM offices and other stakeholders as relevant to the operations should be included.

Evaluation criteria

The final project evaluation will use the six OECD-DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. The evaluation will also consider the cross-cutting issues of environment, gender, human rights and governance.

Evaluation questions

The following key questions will guide the end of project evaluation, to be discussed and confirmed with the selected evaluator concerning feasibility within the timeframe available for the evaluation:

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Question

**

1. Relevance: assessing to what extent the project’s Objective and intended results remain valid and pertinent either as originally planned or as subsequently modified.**

1. To what extent do the Action, its objective and targets remain relevant in the current national context, including the Government of Turkey’s strategies and priorities?
2. Was the project aligned with and supportive of IOM national, regional, and/or global strategies including the IOM global Strategic Vision and Strategic Results Framework, and the Migration Governance Framework?
3. Are reintegration support measures designed in a way that makes them relevant to the socio-economic context and development priorities of the country/community of return?
4. Is the project responsive to the needs and priorities of return counselling and reintegration beneficiaries? To what degree are beneficiaries and communities of return engaged in the reintegration process (including reintegration plan design), considering men, women, and other key groups?
5. Has the project contributed to respecting, protecting and fulfilling migrants´ rights as well as international law principles ?

2. Coherence: the compatibility of the intervention with other interventions in the country, sector or institution. **

1. To what extent was this project coherent with other IOM interventions in this area?
2. Were there other actors involved in the same type of activities, and were they complementary to IOM's activities? Is there any duplication of efforts
3. Is the project well connected with other relevant stakeholders, including with existing programmes offering return and reintegration assistance, and is the project able to operate cross-agency outreach and referrals when needed?

3. Effectiveness: assessing the extent to which the project achieves its intended results.

1. Was the project effective in reaching planned results, in bringing planned changes?
2. Has the project responded to the needs of all stakeholders, men, women and other key groups, including persons with disabilities, as identified at the design stage? Are vulnerabilities identified and addressed?
3. Are the supported migrants satisfied with the services provided?
4. What were the major factors influencing the achievement of the project's expected outcomes?
5. To what extent did the project adapt to changing external conditions to ensure project outcomes? Were existing AVRR procedures effectively adapted to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the suspension of returns to Afghanistan?
6. Does the return counselling/reintegration counselling offered to migrants upon their arrival to the country of origin allow them to make informed decisions regarding the reintegration path they would like to engage in?

4. Efficiency: assessing how well human, physical, and financial resources are used to undertake activities and how well these resources are converted into outputs.

1. Did the project have the necessary coordination mechanisms and communication flow to ensure that the allocated resources were efficiently converted into the expected outputs?
2. Has the project sought synergies with other services (e.g. via the case management referral mechanism) in order to optimize the utilization of resources?**

5. Impacts: assessing the positive and negative, primary, and secondary long-term effects produced by a project, directly or indirectly, intentionally, or unintentionally.**

1. Which positive/negative and intended/ unintended effects could be observed in the project, including as related to environment, gender, human rights and governance? To what extent did the project contribute to those changes?
2. Did the project take timely measures for mitigating any unplanned negative impacts? (e.g. related to environment, gender, human rights and governance, or others)?
   19. Did reintegration activities link returnees and communities (social cohesion)?**
   20.Do migrants and stakeholders believe that the assistance contributed to the safe and dignified return of migrants in a gender and vulnerability-sensitive manner?

6. Sustainability: assessing to what extent the project's results will be maintained for a certain period of time after the current project is phased out.

1. Were structures, resources, and processes in place to ensure that benefits generated by the project continue once external support ceases? (including referral systems that can take over reintegration support after IOM assistance is concluded)
2. How far was the project embedded in institutional and legal structures that are likely to survive beyond the life of the project?
3. Do the institutions supported by the project have the financial capacity and commitment to maintaining the benefits of the project in the long run?
4. Did the project contribute to the sustainable reintegration of returnees?
5. Did the project strengthen national and local capacities (governmental and non-governmental) to provide return counselling and reintegration services to returning migrants?

Evaluation methodology

IOM will select an external evaluator to carry out this evaluation. The data collection will include the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches to gain a deeper understanding of the project results (outputs, outcomes, objective) and to ensure the triangulation and cross-validation of data. The data should be disaggregated by gender, nationality and geographic location, and specific needs and vulnerabilities of migrant women, youth and other relevant groups should be considered during data analysis. The evaluation will involve analysis of data from a variety of sources, including desk analysis/review, survey data, and interviews with beneficiaries, counterparts, project team, relevant staff of IOM Turkey and IOM staff in countries of origin and the project donor.

The evaluation will provide quantitative and qualitative data through the following methods:

· Desk analysis and review of all relevant project documentation, including project proposal, log frame, work plans, donor/progress reports, project reports, monitoring reports, and data from IOM’s case management system, MiMOSA (modules on monitoring of reintegration and beneficiaries satisfaction)

· Interviews will be used to gather primary data from key stakeholders using semi-structured questionnaires (in-person where feasible, otherwise remotely). The in-depth interviews should include IOM staff in Turkey and countries of origin, key government partners, and other relevant stakeholders.

· Interviews should also be conducted with project beneficiaries in countries of origin (to be confirmed if survey approach would be feasible).

The selected evaluator is expected to work one week in Istanbul and one week in Ankara for a total of 10 working days to interview project team, stakeholders and beneficiaries as well as observe operations in Istanbul.

Ethics, norms and standards for evaluation

The evaluator must follow the IOM Data Protection Principles, UNEG norms and standards, and ethical guidelines while carrying out the evaluation.

Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

An inception report will be prepared by the Evaluator and shared with the IOM team. The report should include an evaluation matrix, evaluation methodology, work plan, interview guide, and other data collection instruments to be used for the evaluation. IOM can provide templates for an Inception Report and for an Evaluation Matrix for reference. The Evaluator may use their own format but should include all of the elements of the IOM templates.

Following data collection, the Evaluator will prepare a short PowerPoint presentation of the initial findings, conclusions, and recommendations. This will be used to debrief the IOM team to identify and address any misinterpretations or gaps.

A draft report will be shared with the IOM team, building on the debrief and initial feedback. The IOM team will review and provide feedback on the report. The feedback will be provided on technical aspects and not on the findings, conclusions, or recommendations. The Evaluator will make factual corrections to the report.

A final report will be prepared and shared with the IOM team. IOM can provide a template for an evaluation report. The Evaluator may use their own format but should include all of the elements of the IOM template: an executive summary, list of acronyms, introduction, evaluation context and purpose, evaluation framework and methodology, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Annexes should include the TOR, inception report, list of documents reviewed, list of persons interviewed or consulted, and data collection instruments.

A two-page evaluation brief will be prepared by the external Evaluator to share the key findings, conclusions, and recommendations. IOM template will be provided to prepare the brief.

A presentation of findings should be conducted by the evaluator upon finalisation of the report, in order to communicate the key findings and recommendations with relevant stakeholders.

Finally, the Evaluator will prepare draft management follow up response matrix (template to be provided by IOM) by inserting the recommendations as well as an indicative timeframe or deadline for implementation. This will later be finalized by the IOM team.

All deliverables are to be written in English. The final report should meet the standards laid out in the UNEG Quality Checklist for Evaluation Reports.

The final evaluation is expected to take 59 working days for the consultant, including preparation, data collection, analysis, and reporting. The Consultant should be able to undertake some of the tasks concurrently to fit within the planned timeframe without compromising the quality expected. The assignment is expected to be conducted between 10/01/2022 - 31/03/2022.

Activity/ Working Days/ Responsible/Locations/ Dates

• Kick-off meeting, exchange of relevant project documents. Review of documents and preparation of a detailed inception report, including the evaluation matrix and the data collection tools / 5 Days / Evaluator / Home- based / Jan 10 to 14, 2022
• Finalize the inception report and the field visit agenda / 5 Days / Evaluator, in coordination with the IOM Team/ Home-based / Jan 17 to 21, 2022
• Planning and facilitation of the data collection activities, including pre-testing, logistical arrangements, and schedule / 7 Days / Evaluator, in coordination with the IOM Team / Home-based / Jan 24 to Feb 1, 2022
• Data collection, including travel time / 20 Days / Evaluator / Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh / Feb 2 to Mar 1, 2022
• Preliminary data analysis, preparation of the presentation, and deliver the presentation to the IOM team / 5 Days / Home-based / Mar 2 to Mar 8, 2021
• A draft midterm evaluation report / 10 Days / Evaluator / Home-based / Mar 9 to Mar 22, 2022
• Submission of the Final evaluation / 5 Days / Home-based / Mar 23 to 29, 2022
• Development and finalization of the evaluation brief, both in English, and the draft management response matrix. Delivery of final presentation / 2 Days / Evaluator / Home-based / March 30 to 31, 2022

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

i) Inception report is submitted

ii) Data collection is conducted with stakeholders in Turkey and three countries of origin

iii) Presentation of initial findings is conducted

iv) Draft report is submitted

v) Final report is submitted (including management response and evaluation brief)

vi) Final presentation of findings is conducted

Evaluation budget

Deliverables / Amount to be paid

• Inception Report / 15%
• Draft Final Report / 35%
• Final Report / 50%

Evaluation requirements

IOM Turkey is seeking an independent, multidisciplinary external evaluation consultant.

Travel required

The consultant will be expected to conduct data collection in Turkey and two countries of origin (Pakistan, and Bangladesh), while data collection for Afghanistan may be conducted remotely. More detail on the expected travel schedule is provided in the workplan

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in International Relations, Public Administration, Social Policy, Psychology, Sociology, or a related field from an accredited academic institution, with ten years of relevant professional experience; or
• Completed University degree from an accredited academic institution, with twelve years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Experience in conducting at least three evaluations of large-scale projects comparable to the one to be evaluated
• Strong background and expertise in conducting quantitative and qualitative data analysis
• Demonstrated sound understanding of migrant's thematic topics, e.g. migration governance, labour migration, trafficking in persons, crisis management, border management, etc.
• Experience working with IOM is an advantage
• Excellent analytical, oral, and written communication skills in English.
• Experience with collecting data in difficult circumstances
• Ability to create graphic visuals on key findings.
• Experience in technical and analytical report writing.
• Experience in leading an international evaluation project.
• Experience in working in complex institutional environments.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and to meet deadlines.

Languages

Fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of Turkish is an advantage.

Notes

1 Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database

(https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

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 wherever possible.

• 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.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• 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 Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.

• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Other:

The consultant must adhere to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Data Protection Principles (IN/138) and maintain confidentiality.

The consultant will be responsible to follow IOM writing guidelines and latest glossaries in all given assignments for accurate translation.

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, and security clearances.

No late applications will be accepted.

How to apply:

*Interested candidates are required to submit a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, the proposed methodology for the evaluation, detailed budget (which includes all the budgetary items with their respective costs), and at least two (2) samples report of previous evaluations to IOMTRJOBS@iom.int with the subject line Application:* CON2021/06 Consultant (External Evaluator) *on or before December 31, 2021.*

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.