Project Context and Scope: 

Established in 1951, IOM, the UN Migration Agency, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM established its office in Kazakhstan in 1997. Since then, the Organization has been promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefits of all, providing services and advice to the government as well as to migrants. As the Country Office with Coordinating Functions for Central Asia, the IOM mission in Kazakhstan helps to address specific sub-regional migration issues and emerging trends in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, establishing priorities for project development in the country offices in the context of sub-regional strategies, policies and consultative processes.

Since June 2022, IOM has been implementing the regional project “Programme for the Promotion of Managed Labour Migration in Central Asia” (Phase 1), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), which aims to contribute to the improvement of labour migration management in order to use the human mobility impact on development in countries of origin, as well as in countries of destination. Project participating countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Through six key outcomes, the project aims to support the efforts of governments and other stakeholders in target countries to develop coordination mechanisms to identify problems and regularly adapt and improve labour migration policies and processes at the national and regional levels.

The project has six following deliverables:

I. Participating governments and other key stakeholders in labour migration management develop coordination mechanisms to jointly identify and address problems, and regularly adapt and improve labour migration policies and processes in the region;

II. Public and private employment agencies and vocational training centers are improving their services to better meet the needs of the labour market, as well as potential migrant workers

III. Employers in destination states consider ethical recruitment and organised recruitment standards

IV. Potential migrant workers are better informed and prepared to assert their rights and protect themselves in recruitment and migration

V. Migrants and their families have better access to inclusive financial services and products, which improves living standards

VI. Improving the migration accounting system.

Employers in Kazakhstan and selected destination countries are becoming more aware of the availability, benefits, and access to managed recruitment programs in Central Asia. Research conducted during the inception phase revealed that many employers in Kazakhstan were unaware of regular recruitment channels, with an even larger number unsure of how to access them.

To address this gap, efforts will focus on raising awareness among employers in key sectors about the different recruitment services available to facilitate the regular hiring of migrant workers, how they can access these services when needed, and the advantages of using formal recruitment channels over informal methods. Regular recruitment services provide greater transparency, compliance with labour standards, and better protections for both employers and workers. By increasing employer demand for safe, ethical, and structured recruitment services, this initiative aims to promote fairer hiring practices while protecting migrant workers’ rights.

One key initiative supporting this effort is the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS), a global framework developed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). IRIS promotes ethical recruitment by helping employers, recruiters, and governments align with international labour standards and human rights principles. As a due diligence tool, IRIS strengthens transparency and accountability in recruitment, ensuring better outcomes for both employers and migrant workers.

IRIS aims to bring transformative change to the international recruitment industry by:

• Identifying and promoting ethical labour recruiters while ensuring equitable market conditions for their operations;
• Presenting migrant workers, employers, governments and society with a roster of labour recruiters committed to ethical recruitment;
• Certifying legal private recruitment agencies that meet all the requirements of the IRIS Standard;
• Supporting and improving existing government regulation on international recruitment by incentivizing compliance and good practice.

The project activity will contribute to the Outcome 3 of the project: “Employers in targeted sectors adjust their recruitment practices to engage in managed ethical labour migration programmes in Central Asia”. This output will thus aim to increase demand among employers for the use of safe, regular, managed recruitment services that offer greater protections to migrant workers within recruitment and employment.

The selected consultant will be responsible for transforming the existing training materials into a fully-fledged training toolkit and delivery trainings for employers in Kazakhstan.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing:

Labour Migration Department/ “Labour Migration – Central Asia” project funded by the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC)/LM.0479

        Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment:

First deliverable -prepared training sessions materials (methodology, training modules in PPT, pre and post questionnaires) –Deliverable by 31 March 2025;

Second deliverable– conduct three training sessions (in hybrid format) on IRIS principles to companies interviewed by IOM consultants – Deliverable by 21 April 2025;

Third deliverable – developed final report with recommendations-Deliverable by 30 April 2025;

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

• Develop and submit the materials on IRIS training (ppt and word document)
• Consult with the IOM project team on appropriate and agreed approaches to the specified tasks before their completion;
• The quality of and the timely completion of deliverables;
• Feedback from the IOM Project Management Team, Thematic Specialist and counterparts;
• Compliance with IOM House style Guidelines.
• Compliance with IOM Data Protection Principles.

Experience and/or skills required

• Education: – University degree / Diploma in Humanitarian, Political or Social Science, Data Management, Data Science, Statistics, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with three years of relevant experience or High School Diploma in the above fields with five years of relevant working experience;
• Experience: – At least 3 years of proven experience preferably on education of civil servants;
  • Knowledge and understanding of IRIS Ethical Recruitment principles
  • Experience in statistical tools, reporting, liaising with government authorities advantageous; preferably within the recruitment field.
  • Advanced experience in  trainings, lectures;
  • Experience in working with international organizations and UN agencies, an advantage;
• Competencies and Skills:
  • Strong analytical, writing and communication skills particularly in the field of training, workshops, lectures, presentations;
  • Good knowledge of the migration & IRIS concept;
  • Familiarity with IOM’s mandate;
  • Good command of oral and written in English or Russian. Kazakh is an advantage.
• Personal Qualities and other requirements:
  • Good interpersonal skills, solid judgment/decision making, initiative and creativity;
  • Cultural and gender sensitivity;
• Diversity:
• Adheres to the core values of the United Nations; in particular, is respectful of differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, language, age

Travel required:

Possible trips within Kazakhstan

Competencies 

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

• 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.